ENCHANTED- BY LOVE (completed)

26

*** Nanda ***

"And?" the king chuckled as we continued to battle.

"She said your word against mine," I continued, "How criminal minded is that?"

"Or smart," the king corrected.

"Oh please, your highness," I said frustrated, "You would be angry too if the queen said something like that to you."

"She did," the king smiled, "Within the first week of our marriage and I found that very adorable. It is more than likley that Sruthi learned the laws from my wife."

I shook my head.

"My fault for comparing her with the queen," I said.

"You did not just compare her to the queen, general," the king said, "You compared my relationship to my wife with your relationship to Sruthi."

Damn Nanda!

When will you learn to be careful with your word choices infront of the king.

My thoughts overtook my battle and the king knocked my sword off.

"Victory for me," he stated with a smile.

"All hail the king," I said sarcastically as I picked up my sword. It is a part of our ongoing bet for the loser to praise the winner.

Meanwhile one of the guards came in with a message. "Ms. Naina is here to see you, your highness," he said.

"5 minutes," I replied on behalf of the king. The king narrowed his eyes. "Please," I added looking at him. The king turned to the guard and nodded. 

"Please do not tell her anything about our conversation, your highness" I said the moment the guard left.

"What would I get in return?" the king asked.

"Anything you ask for," I replied without a second thought.

"I want security clearance for all my future trips outside the royal grounds," the king said, "even if I do not the protocol or timeline."

"Your highness, I cannot do that," I replied, "That is the one area where I have any form of authority over you. I cannot let that go."

"Alright," the king immediately changed his mind, "Take an oath of truth and tell me what you think about Sruthi."

I remained silent.

"Guess Naina is going to know that you almost implied Sruthi to you be your wife," the king said and was about to walk past.

"No please," I said blocking his way. The king waited for me to continue.

"When the queen first introduced her to me. I fell in love," I confessed, "The few seconds with her were the best in my life. I immediately wanted to run to her father and ask for her hand in marriage....but soon I realized that she is clumsy, clueless, and not dutiful at all. I decided we would not be a good match and from that point I started fighting with her because...." I paused for a while before continuing, "because if she smiles at me one more time, there is not a single part of me that would listen, if I ask to not pursue her."

The moment I completed my confession, Naina knocked on the door.

"Come in," the king ordered and Naina came in.

"Who won?" was her first question when she noticed our swords.

"I lost," I replied.

"Only because he refuses to listen to his heart," the king commented.