Aru Shah Jokes and Short Stories

Love is a Cruel Game (Part 3) (Krithika x Suyodhana)

Okay, so quick a/n. I've tried to keep to the timeline the best I can, and I'm still pretty sure I've screwed at least one thing up, so....just bear with me?

KRITHIKA
Krithika wasn't sure if her husband was going mad. He'd stay hours holed up in their room, researching artifacts, documents, but whenever she saw him, gazed into his eyes, hope shone in them. 

Meanwhile, she steadily grew bigger, experiencing the journey of pregnancy with dozens of added liabilities, like morning sickness, and the throbbing ankles. 

She was going up the museum steps, strumming her fingers against her belly. 

She entered the apartment above their museum, and that her's and Suyodhana's door was slightly ajar. 

She peeked in, to see that he looked absolutely frustrated. His hair was messed up, and his face was buried in his hands. 

"Hey," she said, pushing the door open. He barely glanced at her, and said in a tired voice, "Hi." 

She walked over to the desk in there. As she skimmed through his notes, she frowned. "What's all this for?" There were very old newspaper clippings of The Otherworld Times, of how the yakshas had perfected the magic of freezing a person in Time, holding onto that pocket of Time. 

She felt a jarring sensation, as if a memory was being revealed. About ten years ago, her going to the very same yakshas, handing a newborn to them... Guilt weighed her heart, more heavily than it had, compared to years ago.

She shook her head, and turned her attention to Suyodhana. "What's up? Why are you researching all.... this?" she gestured toward the notes. 

"For our child," he said. Although his voice was ragged, his eyes still shone with hope. 

"I think I've found it. We--we could freeze her in time, figure things out, while she remains a newborn..."

They'd recently found out that they were having a girl, and Suyodhana said that he had decided a name, but refused to tell Krithika what it was, intent on keeping it a surprise. 

"Suyodhana... we can't--we'll lose years with our daughter--and, and, what if we haven't figured things out until it's too late? The yakshas give an ultimatum--we can't lose our child."

He looked surprised. "What ultimatum? How do you know--never mind. Then what?" 

She sighed, "I don't know... I just wish I could--" 

He shot up, like he'd been electrocuted. "Wish. Gods, how could I have been so stupid--?" 

"What?" she asked, feeling concerned. "WISH!" He laughed. "The Kalpavriksha! I-I can find it, and make a wish. So that my prophecy can never come true!"

Krithika was deeply skeptical about this plan, so she said slowly, "The Kalpavriksha... you need to have permission to enter Amaravati, much less enter the Nandana Gardens."

He shrugged, and said, "Amaravati may be the capital of gods, but it's still a city. And every city has its own security problems."

The sentence hit her like a brick. "Are you speaking of breaking in?"

His silence affirmed her question. She swallowed, and said, "You know how dangerous that is.... don't you?" 

He finally looked up, staring straight into her eyes, and saying fiercely, "For you and our child, I'll pass every trial, no matter how dangerous it is."