The King's Woman

Chapter 21

At the age of just 10, being sent out of the place, the only roof that she have ever had over her head has messed up the already traumatized Khushi.

She had just simply stayed there outside the shelter home itself that day for she has had literally no self-confidence nor even a little bit of courage to step into the outside world at all.

She has had all the plans to never move or take a step further scared out of her wits and uncertain of what would she do out there.

Probably she would have stayed there outside for as long as the head of the shelter home wouldn't have noticed and when she would have had thrown her out this time literally then... She also had a second option in her mind.

She planned to find some higher place somewhere to just jump off to end her useless life in which she has had no one, not even the will to go on. For what and for whom should she live anyway?

That very same day when she was thinking of ways to end her life she would have been long gone and dusted if she hadn't met the 10 years old boy who suddenly appeared in her life out of nowhere like a ray of hope that she has had lost a long time ago.

She was standing against the wall holding a bundle of her clothes with some coins in one of her closed palms while he was standing on the other side of the closed gates of the orphanage to her left.

He was of the same age as hers and was thrown out of the shelter home just like her as he turned 10. He also had luggage but not the bundle he has had an almost worn out bag hung on his shoulder and despite her telling him off so rudely he still kept grinning at her as if she was telling him some joke not scolding him.

One moment she was so pissed at him and the next her emotions made a three sixty degree turn altogether at what he did at the end when she refused to take the hand he offered her.

"At the speed you're going on it will be night before we find any shelter to stay. Come on, I'm with you." He blabbered holding her hand walking in front of her in midst the people on the street and suddenly Khushi wasn't feeling that scared of the outside world anymore. Nor did she try to pry her hand out of his hold.

In midst he would turn to look at her every now and then to pass her a assuring smile with those beautiful dents on his cheeks increasing her heartbeats.

Without even doing anything, the same boy started healing her battered heart simply by holding her hand and his innocent dimpled sunny smiles.

He seemed like he understood her fears. As if he promised just by the grip of his hand on hers that he would protect her always. She needn't be afraid anymore. That he got her and she was finally safe!

And she believed him. She trusted the calmness that descended inside of her that wasn't there in her before ever.

Even her prickling senses stopped poking her all at once. She believed the serenity that washed through her by just his presence as he kept walking ahead clearing the way in front of her.

She believed his stance as it screamed that he would always be one step ahead of her to remove every hurdle from her path before she could step on that very ground he walked.

She believed everything of him in just a few minutes of being with him. How? How could a stranger have this kind of impact on her whom she didn't even know few minutes ago? How when she used to remain cautious around everyone and till date didn't let anyone in? Just how?

What was he? Was he human or some outworldly being who have cast some kind of spell on her?

"You stay here. I'd be right back in a minute."