Once Upon A Crowned Heart

Thirty- Two

Kavya

Kavya was watching everyone discussing the recent unrest that was going on in the country. And someone had to go and cover that. "I will do it," Kavya said and everyone looked at her. "Absolutely not" Arjun interjected. "I am not a baby and this is my job as a news presenter," Kavya argued. "I am on this one with Arjun, you are not in your right state of mind to do so Kavya. You are still very weak, and ill. And that is not a safe place. If something happens to you..."

"No one will care, I am expandable remember? An orphan, with no family, no one would look twice if something happened to me." Kavya said and then looked at them. "I am the only one who can do this. And I want this assignment." She said putting a little emphasis on her words.

"Kavya, do not be foolish, Just because Charles had rejected you..." She looked at Arjun angrily. "I want this assignment and do not say those words to me again. I need not know again and again how I am not good enough, or worthy enough and everything..." She wiped the tears that had threatened to escape her eyes.

"Kavya please, you might not be good enough for him, but for some of us..." he trailed off. "Ok, I get it. But I wish to make something clear today, Arjun, I know you have feelings for me, as you have for some damsel in distress. But I am not looking for a knight in shining armor. I can save myself. I learned that a long time ago." With that said she walked out of the office preparing to go solo on ground zero and trying to make something out of herself. And for once she wanted to prove to herself that she can do it. Without panicking, without fainting, and without succumbing to this illness that she did not want to inherit.

She packed her bag. And then opened her laptop, the one she had brought from her money. This time she was getting no favors from anyone. Then without a second thought, she wrote the email, which she was trying to do since she had returned. Then she pressed the sent button.

Yes, goodbyes for her are bittersweet but then again, sometimes it is necessary to grow out of them. Leave the people behind or she might never ever be able to know who her true friends are.

And Kavya has no one that much she had come to know. That information might come as a surprise, but it was not fully unexpected.

The next morning, she went to the office and collected the details heading right toward the sight with a team. Arjun was accompanying her so was Rishika, in spite of her warnings not to do so. She knew how to take care of herself. But then, when have they listened to the same? No, they did not.

As soon as their car reached the safe zone. Kavya prepped herself with the team and the camera. "Look, you came here, I appreciated it, and the news house appreciates this but Kavya, please listen to me, and stop this madness. Come home, we will get footage, and we can do it when the unrest is not this violent. You never know what can happen to you. I do not know about anyone but I for once cannot lose you."

"You have once decided to frame me and destroy me and the only thing that I had wished for. But then, it is not entirely your fault as well, because Charles should have believed me. He should have believed that I can never do that. I will never do anything like this to a person I love." Kavya's voice did not shake or faltered while saying those words. "And now, I do not think I can love ever again." She said looking at all of them.

Then she rushed in reporting live from ground Zero. Bringing the news from the heart of the unrest. This is what set her free, all the doubts and fear had gone away from her mind. She had shown the destruction and the actual clip of the things going down there.

"Wait a minute." She said and saw an almost burned-down building. "Someone is inside. Turn off the camera and help me please." She asked the cameraman. And with their help, she pulled back on the debris. Kavya saw two children hurdle together inside. One was holding the other in their arm. She softly told them to come out. But they did not. She saw why, they were afraid to do so.

"Kavya no, I know what you are thinking and it is a bad idea." But till then Kavya was already inside. "I know that you are afraid, I am too, but then we can never ever overcome this fear if we are not brave. I know you are brave, even when you are afraid you are still very brave." She said getting the hold of the first child and pushing her forward. "Go now." She told her. And then grab the hold of the second child pushing him after her.

Then all of a sudden for some reason, she felt a sharp pain in her head. And everything in Infront of him started blurring into darkness. She can only hear screams and her hands and legs felt numb.

"Kanika run, run,"

She saw a man and he was telling her this.

"Kanika, get out of here, run fast, as fast as you can"

"No, Daddy, No, I will not"

She found her own voice replying.

"Kanika I will be alright, beta. Run you can do it. I will meet you there, at our special place."

The pain subsided and she looked around feeling nauseous.

"This is a bad place to be. I should not be here" She told herself. "I should not be here"

"Yes, Miss Bajaj, you should not be here. Indeed, it is a very dangerous place to be." She heard a voice and then looked at the man standing in front of her. "But you have realized this too late. And made our job easier. And then she felt someone hit her and drag her through the broken building, her skin getting cut over the broken glass, rods, and whatnot.

Her body pained as the man beat her. "You were supposed to die. And we thought you were dead, but no even after all these years, you dare resurface and hinder what we were building. She reached for something in her pocket. Then said softly "Thank you prince charming for always well stocking me." Then she spread the paper spray and as their hold loosen she ran out.

She tried to navigate her way through the chaos zone but found herself lost with no sense of direction. She did not know where to go. As she reached the intersection there was a mob of people rushing towards her. And they all look either angry, frightened, or both. She for a moment stood there looking at them and then they drew closer to her. Her feet move and she again begins to run.

But then the mob caught up with her. She felt a searing pain going through her body. She looked at her abdomen. She had been stabbed. And then someone pushed her to the ground. The last thing she heard before losing consciousness is "Good riddance, and have a safe trip to the afterlife." And all she remembered was Charles's face whispering "I am sorry, my prince Charming the Third, I love you." 

Word Count: 1281 Words