Sands Of Time - a timeless love saga

Part 2: Devil Unveiled

-a year ago-

The gatekeepers at the Umangiri Palace were chatting before they left for lunch. Deeply engrossed in guessing the lunch menu, they failed to notice the young woman lurking in the area. The twinkling of bangles and clinking of the anklets caught their attention. One of the men, Malkit Singh approached the woman who stood by the gate, her face covered in the veil.

"Excuse me! Who are you? This is private property!" Malkit told her. Having strange visitors gawking at the palace wasn't new to the security guards. This happened on the daily basis. While the fort that stood proudly to the east side of the palace was accessible to the public, the palace, however, was private property. Most of the curious tourists who flock around to see the marvellous fort, sneak in through an old pathway that leads to the palace's back gates. There have been countless incidents where tourists have tried to bribe their way to get a good look at the palace.

Unfortunately for them, these guards are highly trained and extremely loyal to the royal family. "I... um. I came to meet someone. I believe, he lives there." She spoke. Malkit frowned at her, "Really? Who would that be miss?"

The woman fidgeted with her dupatta and as the cold winds embraced her, she felt the anxiety creep in through every cell of her body. "Mohan Thakur Singh. Can you call him?"

Malkit Singh watched her with a huge frown. One part of his mind wanted to call her to act out and send her away. But the other part of his mind was intrigued. She didn't look like a foreigner, however, she had a heavy accent that he often heard from NRIs. Decked in lehenga and choli, with a veil covering her head and half of her face, she seemed like someone from the west side, Rajasthan or perhaps, Gujarat.. or could it be north-central? Like Uttar Pradesh?

Shaking his head, he drew a sigh, "There is no one here with that name, Madam. I am not sure you came to the wrong address or if are you deliberately trying to find a way in."

"He should be here! He must be." The woman said agitatedly. She stepped forward, clutching the grills of the gates that were four times her size.

Malkit felt frustration creep in. He shouldn't have given her the benefit of doubt. There had been many women who would come by, cook up a story, create a drama or throw in a fit, all to get inside the palace. Malkit was assigned to guard the back gate along with two other guards. The back gate leads to a gigantic garden, one that's believed to have more meaning than the palace itself. Beyond the garden, there were a couple of old cottages, an elephant stable, an arena that was reserved for fights and a small temple. Further to this, there was another gate which lead to the main residence of the palace. Behind the main residence were servant quarters, a half-constructed building and a large pond. The 200-acre property had been one of Himachal Pradesh's best-kept secrets.

However, in the last decade, there had been a surge in tourists. All thanks to some foreigner's vlog. That tourist had somehow sneaked into the property after bribing a servant, he had gotten a free tour of the cottages that are tied to various folklore and also captured the ever-lasting beauty of the garden, which is said to have been built at least two centuries ago. After some unfortunate events of tourists entering the premises without authorized access, the security at the back gate had been tightened.

"Please madam, don't create a scene. Please leave." Malkit requested. He was a minute away from calling female guards to get the woman away from the place when he heard her soft cry.

"Madam, there is no Mohan Thakur Singh here. Please leave." Malkit spoke again, this time in a low tone hoping the woman was genuinely misguided and not creating a scene.

She looked up, sniffing. Her face still hidden in the veil, she took a step back. Pulling out a small envelope, she handed it to the security guard. "I have written many times, but I never got a reply. I strongly believe, my Mohan is here. Please give this to him."