When Aastha met Veer, she knew they had a connection.
However, the connection would be from two centuries ago, she never could have imagined.
A love story that remained unfulfilled, broken by evil, and destroyed to ashes - whose reference hide...
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"Veer!" Aastha called out, shaking him back to reality. A delicious meal was laid out in front of them.
He cleared his throat and sighed. Every time he thought about his past, he was filled with regret and confusion. There were so many things he could have done differently, so many words he could have thought twice before trusting.. especially falling for innocent eyes that had captivated him. If only...
Veer swallowed the lump in his throat. When did his past life and current life begin to collide? That woman who had dropped the letters was slowly beginning to gnaw his soul. He mentally decided to close that girl's chapter as fast as he could.
"Tell me about this friend," Veer asked once Aastha started to eat.
"I met Rani in Rajasthan, on the day we reached Roopgarh for the inaugural event. She works as a cook at the nearby NGO and she had come to Shakti Mahal as a replacement for a maid who called in sick. She was there only for a day. We got talking as she helped in getting us settled into our rooms and I heard her sad story."
"Go on."
"Her mother is extremely sick. Rani is the sole bread earner, she doesn't have a father. She has been travelling around, meeting doctors, and worshipping various gods just so she could cure her mother. I tried to help her monetarily. But she refused to take any help. You see, Rani has a lot of self-respect. She had given me her contact details. Apparently, she saw me on our way to Umangiri and called me."
"How did she end up here?"
"Someone told her that there is a Khal Bhairav temple here. She came to offer her prayer at the temple. Unfortunately, she had to go back immediately and she couldn't go to the temple. She asked me to offer her prayers in her regard. I met her at the bus stop as she was on her way back to Delhi and was going to catch a train from there to Rajasthan."
Veer's instincts told him something was off, but he kept quiet, not wanting to upset Aastha. He could tell how much she cared for this friend of hers, Rani.
Veer sighed. "Alright."
"There is a Khaal Bhairav temple at Miragari right?" Aastha asked, holding her breath.
Veer nodded, "Yes. Also, there is quite a story behind it. Which, being a history buff, you might find interesting."
"Tell me!"
Veer smiled, "Once we reach the hills, I will tell you."
"Do we have to trek?"
"Not to reach the hills but to the temple, we will have to go down the cliff."
Aastha swallowed the lump in her throat. Who else would go out of their way to help someone?
Veer reached out to her hands and smiled, "I am there for you. I won't let anything happen to you, Aastha. I will always protect you, I promise."
