A Hun soldier rushed into the tent, "My Lord, things have taken a turn for the worse. An avalanche might start anytime soon. We must make a move"
Nila could hear Mihira whisper curses against mother nature. "Alright" Mihira said, "Alert every man on the camp. Tell them to mount their horse immediately. Pack light and leave behind everything that might weight us down. Go! Now!"
Hearing the urgency in Mihira's voice, Nila sat up, ready to start. Mihira grabbed Nila's wrist and took her outside with him. Nila could see snow swirling all around her. Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist. She looked down and saw Mihira lifting her with ease onto his horse. She wondered what incredible strength lay in those large muscular arms of his.
Mihira leapt behind her onto the horse, "Rope!" he shouted, extending an arm, and one of his men rushed to hand him a rope.
"A rope?! What on earth for!?" before Nila could complete her sentence, she already got her answer.
Mihira turned Nila around so that she was facing him on the horse, her back to the horse's head. He wrapped the rope tightly, crisscrossing the rope, binding her body to his, firmly. Nila gasped in embarrassment and wriggled in discomfort, "Stop moving!" he ordered, "We are going to face an avalanche. No time to think of personal space, do you understand?" he asked.
She nodded jerkily and she saw that he tugged at the horse's reins and dug his feet into the horse's sides. The animal reared up, pressing Nila's head even further into Mihira's chest. Nila wished she could die of shame. Mihira, on the other hand, seemed not to mind their proximity, in fact, he seemed to welcome it.
Nila could feel that they were galloping at a breakneck speed, "Hold onto me tightly" Mihira whispered, suddenly, "And don't look back"
She nodded and followed his instructions, she could hear the howl of an impeding avalanche. She trembled and inhaled deep breaths to calm herself. They were now racing on inclined angle, they were galloping up a snow-covered mountain. She could see the distant background become smaller and smaller.
"Alert" shouted Mihira, when waves of snow hit them like white waves at sea. Nila screamed in mortal terror while Mihira murmured soothing words to her. Mihira and his men speeded up and with one giant leap together, they landed on top of the mountain. They continued to travel at breakneck speed, Nila held onto Mihira for dear life.
After sometime, Nila realized that they had crossed quite a distance. "My Lord" one of the men shouted, "The avalanche seemed to have subsided. Are we stopping by Sagala or are we heading to Bahlika Desa?'
Nila saw Mihira glance in her direction, seeing the terror in her eyes, he said "Bahlika Desa. I need to leave my woman safely with the womenfolk in Bahlika Desa. Only then, we will go to Sagala to plan for war"
The instruction was shouted to the other men and they continued to race across the white snowy mountains. "Go to sleep" Mihira murmured, "This is going to be one long ride"
Nila didn't need any further encouragement, she closed her eyes. While she was about to fall asleep, she could hear a man ask, "My Lord, you were looking for this woman for seven years. What is she to you, my Lord? Why do you hold this Gupta woman so close to your heart?"
"Without her, I would not have survived. She saved my life and treated me with kindness when all the others treated me with disdain and distrust. She was the ray of sunshine when my life was pitch black darkness. She is extremely precious to me, so, treat her with care and respect" Nila could hear Mihira's words rumble from his chest.
"Yes, my Lord" responded the Huns in unison. She could feel Mihira embrace her tenderly with protectiveness. She snuggled against him and slowly drifted to sleep.
"Nila, wake up!" Nila woke with a start and looked around in a panic mode, "Are we dead? Did we die in the avalanche!?" she shouted.
Hearing female laughter all around her, Nila realized that she was in an unfamiliar surrounding. An elderly woman's voice said, "The poor girl is terrified, my Lord. You should have let the avalanche pass before bringing her here!"
Nila saw that she was sitting in a very large and spacious tent with Mihira and they were surrounded by women on all sides, "Gauri" Mihira said to the old woman, "Take good care of my beloved. She is my very life and I am leaving her in your capable hands"
Despite herself, Nila felt warmth in her heart at how preciously he treated her. "Of course, my Lord. Do I not know how much you thought of her and looked for her in the past seven years? I will protect her with my own life, I promise you" the old woman said with an indulgent smile.
Nila whispered to Mihira, "Where are we?"
"In Balkh, the capital of Bahlika Desa" Mihira said with a grin, he turned to his maids, "Make her feel comfortable! First, draw a warm bath for my beloved and then, give her some woolen clothes to keep the cold away. Make sure to light a fire in the hearth in her tent, understood?"
"Yes, understood, my Lord" the old woman and a bunch of young maids said in unison. Nila saw they hurried out to complete their tasks.
Nila was led away by the women to a hot spring. She was bathed in sandalwood paste and her hair was washed with shikakai paste. The women dressed her up in warm clothes, Nila realized she was now wearing the same dress as the Hun women.
"My Lady" said Gauri, the old lady, "Please treat my Lord with kindness. He has loved you dearly for so many years of his life. Through all his hardships and the battles he fought, it was the memory of you that he never forgot. He calls you his Paradise on Earth in Balkh language all these years"
YOU ARE READING
Embrace the Snow
Romance"Hailing from Malwa, Nila was used to a riot of colours in both natural and manmade. Here, in the snow-covered landscape, everything had seemed a monochrome of white to her. Today, without anything to protect her from the cold, she could feel thousa...
