If love had prevailed (Ponniyin Selvan AU)

Oru Iruttiya Moolai

Translation: A dark corner

"Hello princess"

The sight of her made Aditha's heart warm up and brought a smile to his face.

She was like the fire when lost in a dark forest.

Hope. Happiness. Safety.

But her blush did something more. Some sort of liquid heat had erupted in his abdomen and he wanted to trace the expanding redness with his fingers, just to see her reaction.

And to feel her skin under his fingers.

The crown prince mentally shook himself. He was here to tell her something. Important.

But before he could get another word out, her dainty fingers curled into a fist and came hurtling towards his stomach with surprising force.

Aditha doubled over in pain, wincing while Nandini laughed, a malicious look in her eyes.

"Payback for the scare you gave me, Ilavarase"

The prince responded with mock betrayal and playfulness in his eyes, "But princess, that punch would have me dead", a familiar, heart-wrenching smirk made its way onto his face, "You would have never known how it would have been to kiss me"

And the blush was back.

Oh, this was fun.

"Well", Nandini started, trying to cover her obvious embarrassment, "What was so urgent that you had to talk to me at this very late hour?"

"The sun just went down"

"That's not the point"

Aditha inhaled, his heart hammering in his chest with sudden anxiety, which he should have seen coming, "Well, I'm sort of here to make a confession-"

"Were you stealing something from me? Or plotting my death the whole time?", Nandini interrupted, with a dead serious expression on her face.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why would she assume something that drastic?

"No, why would I-"

"Then it's not important for this ungodly hour", she replied, proceeding to walk away. Aditha's eyes widened, his mind rushing a million miles a second to get her to stay.

"I love you and will drive myself insane if I hold it in any longer!"

Just like that, the princess of his heart froze, along with his heart and the rest of the world.

The first drops of rain fell between them, but didn't escalate. It was as if the Gods knew not to break the enchantment of the moment. And so they waited patiently.

Nandini turned to Aditha, her shocked eyes meeting his desperate ones, only after which he continued,

"I don't know how it happened in a month, but maybe because its you and falling for you is so easy. I love your smiles, your singing, the way you talk, they way you love the small things in life, the way you dream, your ideas", Aditha took in a deep breath, "I don't know how to express it. I love you the way a farmer loves the sun, a hungry man loves food and a dehydrated man loves water, the way a king loves his empire-"

"The way I love you"

Just like that, Aditha's existence screeched to a stop. The words that had been pouring out of mouth a second ago couldn't even be formed now because, wait, she loves him?

"I assumed it was just me, for why would a prince fall in love with a random orphan? No one even bats an eye at me. Its like saying the Earth loves the Sun, in all its majestic glory. How does the Earth even compare?", her voice broke in the last few words.