Loving You Through Lifetimes

Punished

I folded the letter carefully and gave it to Devasena after thanking her. I directed her to where I had kept the mechanical wings hidden. I referred to the instruction manual attached to the aerial appendage. After following the instructions, I was able to practice flying for a short while. 

Once I felt confident, I bid farewell to Devasena and flew out of my window. The night sky of Amaravati was indeed as beautiful as Rudhira described. 

I referred the map in the letter that Rudhira gave me and navigated my way towards Hiranyapura. Through the map's instructions, I was able to locate exactly where Rudhira was. 

I flew into his window and I was shocked to discover that he was chained like an animal. 

With tears gushing down my cheeks, I ran to him and hugged him. 

"Mallika!" he said, with warmth in his voice. 

"I am here for you..." I said softly, placing my hand against his cheek, "Let's go away from here!" 

He leaned into my palm, "Thank you, you have no idea how much I missed you" 

"As did I" I responded.

"Pass me my sword" he said, pointing to the ebony table in his chambers. I strode towards it and returned with the silvery blade in my hands. He swung it once and it severed the chains into pieces. 

He rose to his feet and seized my hand, "Let's go, Mallika" he whispered. 

He softly whistled and his tiger mount appeared out of thin air. We sat on it and flew out of the window. An Asura soldier on guard duty saw us and alerted everyone else. 

Arrows rained on us but we kept going until a few arrows lodged deep into the tiger. The poor animal groaned and lost consciousness. We kept spiraling and falling onto the ground until Rudhira grabbed me around the waist and leapt onto a balcony. 

The moment we landed on the balcony, another soldier seized us both. Rudhira fought him and injured him severely but the man said, "My Prince, you must amputate me and everyone of us soldiers, if you wish to proceed further. I cannot defy my Emperor's orders" 

Rudhira hesitated and I knew he was pained at the thought of harming his comrades. He whispered, "Each man here is my sworn brother who fought by my side in many battles. Do you really think I would be able to tear off limbs from any of you? My love for my beloved and my loyalty for my men is at conflict here" 

Taking advantage of his camaraderie, the other soldiers subdued us. Rudhira's sword was immediately confiscated. 

We were bound in chains and dragged to the court of Vrishaparva, the Asura Emperor of Sumeru. 

Vrishaparva looked furious, to say the least, "I am disappointed in you, Rudhira! Just how far will you go for your obsession with this Sura woman?" 

"And I told you, esteemed Father, that she is the love of my life and my destined soulmate. I will appreciate it if you would talk to her and of her, with the respect my consort surely deserves"

Vrishaparva sighed in frustration, "Both I and Indra were trying to reduce your sentences but it seems you are hellbent on testing our patience. We have been patient enough with you. It is time that the two of you face the consequences of your actions" 

We replied together, "We are more than willing to handle any repercussions. We would much rather endure punishment than give up on each other" 

The Next Day, at Dawn

Having heard the entire tale from Vrishaparva, Indra sighed "You two leave me no choice but to punish you in accordance with the celestial customs" 

Indra asked the Suras to cast their vote and Vrishaparva asked the Asuras to cast their vote. The two parties decided that we were guilty enough to be punished. 

After reaching a consensus, Indra and Vrishaparva pronounced in unison, "You are condemned to endure rebirths on the mortal realm until the day you stop loving each other" 

Turning to Rudhira, I whispered, "Perhaps, those words I uttered that day when I envied mortal love were prophetic" 

"Our love could endure celestial tribulations, I am confident it can endure mortal tribulations too" Rudhira smiled reassuringly at me. 

He stepped forward and cupped my cheeks, "They think they can separate us by condemning us to rebirths" he said, voice shaking with emotion. He pressed his forehead against mine, "Well, they are wrong! It does not matter how many rebirths they condemn me to, I will never forget you and I know you will never forget me! No matter what happens, I will keep loving you. I will keep loving you through the lifetimes" 

"As will I. Always. Forever" I whispered back. 

The Suras and the Asuras began chanting in unison and a blindingly bright vortex opened in the middle of the court. 

"Step into that magical pool and you shall leave your memories and immortality behind" said Indra. 

"You are not allowed to return to Amaravati or Sumeru until the day you have completed your mortal tribulations" added Vrishaparva. 

Despite my brave facade, I was feeling afraid inside. I glanced at the worried expressions on my parents' faces and on Uncle Chandra's face. 

I smiled and whispered, "I promise I will be okay, please take care!"

Rudhira promised the same as he mouthed the words to an anxious Vrishaparva. 

Seeing our burning love for each other despite the adversity, the Suras and the Asuras were moved. 

Indra said, "Should your love succeed despite mortal challenges on earth, you will be allowed to marry once you return to celestial realm" 

Vrishaparva agreed, "It would be a cruel sin to kill a love that survives through lifetimes. Hence, should your love endure different lives,  you deserve to be with each other" 

"You will be placed in situations where you have to choose whether you can dare to love your mortal enemy" explained Indra and Vrishaparva together. 

We smiled confidently at the Suras and Asuras. We whispered to each other, "I love you!"

At the exact same time, we leapt into the vortex and felt our memories and our bodies dissolve.