Rise of the last Queen

New world

" When will you come back, Sohit?" He could hear her voice in his head as he sat in the weird vehicle that the people around him made him sit in.

He didn't understand how it could work. No horses, no bulls nor any elephants pulling on the cart that he was in and yet, the thing moved on 4 wheels. He couldn't fathom the various  technological advancements the world outside that forest had in store for him.

His mind was baffled as he looked around at the strange towers connected by wires all around the roads.

His mind filled with so many questions about how what worked and why some things were the way they were and yet, that one thought that constantly stayed in his mind was her last words.
No matter how muddled his mind was of doubts, questions and fascination... 

Her words always stayed with him. 

" I don't know, Pari. I don't know how long I'll be out there for... It's... It's a different world, and I want to explore it fully. I want to learn it as much as possible... I don't want to leave you here alone but... I don't know,"
" It's alright. I know. It's been your dream to go out there and explore that world. I know that you've wished a million times to be able to cross the forest, and I know pretty well that you want to read each and every book available out there. So. I'll wait. I'll wait for you here with our son. And I'll wait as long as it takes for you to come back. Whenever u come back, you will find me waiting for you. Always,"

He remembered kissing her passionately one last time.
He remembered the tears she held back as she hugged him tightly.
He remembered the tender, loving expression on her face.
He remembered how she whimpered a few times, yet attempted hard to keep the tears away.

He still remembered the love she had in those blue eyes for him that day.

It had been weeks since he last met her but her thoughts were always in his mind. Had been weeks since he felt her touch yet his entire body remembered how her tender skin felt against his. It had been weeks since he saw her face yet whenever he closed his eyes, all he could imagine was her glowing smile. Had been weeks since he heard her voice yet sometimes the voice of her payal jingling rang in his ears making him wonder if she was around. Yet, every time he turned around or opened his eyes, he'd not find her. 

She just wasn't there... 

Every night was cold without her and every day was a long lonely road. 

He wanted to go back to her. 
Yet, a part of him didn't want to go back yet. 

Yes, it was selfish of him to think like that. It was selfish of him to feel like he didn't want to go back and just stay there forever. It was very selfish of him to forget her whenever he was out exploring the new world in front of him. It was so fucking selfish of him to hope that he could just forget his past and have a future in that place. 

But he was feeling like that. 

Even though he missed her terribly, he also loved the freedom that this new world had shown him. 

And a particularly independent woman who had been his guide through his adventure in this new place had unsuspectingly caught his eyes. Although he only thought of her as a friend, he often wondered what would happen if his own wife was like her... If Pari too was fiercely independent enough that she would be... Someone he dreamed of. 

But Pari was Pari. She couldn't be... 

" Naina..." he called for the woman sitting next to him in that weird vehicle as he pointed at something outside the window of his vehicle, " What is that?" he asked innocently

" That, your majesty is the most pristine piece of art that our country owns. It is the Taj Mahal. Created by Shah Jahan for his love. He created this beautiful piece of architecture as a tomb for Mumtaz Mahal, his wife... They say that he loved her a lot and this was his token of love for her. It's a symbol of love. Often Majnu's promise their lovers that they would too, build a Taj Mahal for them. Even in this day, it is very highly regarded, your majesty," 
" Highly regarded?" he asked sarcastically as he noticed a random man spitting gutka on the walls of the highly regarded place. 

" Ahh... Fuck. Can we just... Ignore that part?" his guide asked sheepishly as she tried to hide his vision by the use of her hands 
" You people say that this is the most pristine piece of art that your country owns and yet people are spitting on it's walls without any worry... I really can never wrap my head around this country. It's so..."
" Fascinating?" she cut him in half and with a bright smile glared at him in anger
" Sure," he replied with distaste in his mouth as he looked towards the building with a keen eye 

He was sightseeing. 

At least that was his plan. To get to know more about the people there, their cultures, their history, and their behaviours; before trusting anyone out there. 
Yet, for some reason, he seemed to trust that one girl who he was roaming around with. 
For some reason, in his heart, he felt like he could believe everything that came out of her mouth and that he could trust in her. 

It was a weird feeling. 
Something similar to how he felt about Pari. 
Yet, it felt so different. As he traveled around this new, foreign country, he felt like he could hold onto her hand and she would save him no matter what. 

It was different with Pari. 
With her, he would have to do the protecting. He'd have to be the one she trusted. He'd have to be the pillar, the more understanding person. He had to be the stronger one to make her stronger than him. 

But Naina was so much different. 
Naina would save him no matter where they were and he didn't have to protect her at all since she could take care of herself. He needn't constantly worry about her. He needn't be the pillar she hung onto... 

He could relax in a very different way with her. 

" So. This Shah Jahan... He built this for his... Wife? As a token of his love?" 
" Yes. As a token of his love for the only woman he ever loved in his entire life... His wife. By the way... You have a wife too. Right? So. What'd you feel? You think you can make something like this for her? As a token of your love for her?" why did it feel like she was prying in deep to check if he really had feelings for his wife? 

" No. I would never get something like this built for her," why did she smile when he said that? 
" Pari hates closed spaces. I'd make a garden for her, where it would rain every day. It'll have rabbits, deer, and most importantly, peacocks; who will dance along with her every time it rained. There'd be a rainbow in the sky and an old swing, hung on a big banyan tree... The grass would be soft, so it wouldn't hurt her feet... And maybe... I'd too, join her in her dance once. Every gift for her needs to be perfect,"

His heart was still Pari's. 

No matter what, when, why or where. 

He was always going to be Pari's.