The Forbidden Marriage

40•चत्वारिंशत्

The once majestic man, now a broken figure, sat by the roadside in the depths of the forest. His regal attire was torn and stained, a reflection of the turmoil within him. In his arms lay the charred remains of his beloved wife, a cruel reminder of the tragedy that had befallen him.

Tears streamed down Trishul's face, mingling with the dirt and ash that covered his cheeks. His shoulders shook with grief, and his cries echoed through the silent woods, a lament for all that he had lost.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the scene, the king remained hunched over, lost in his sorrow. The forest whispered its condolences, but Trishul paid no heed, consumed by the anguish that enveloped him.

With trembling hands, the king gently brushed his fingers on his wife's unrecognisable face, his touch tender yet desperate. Leaning close, he whispered words of love and longing, as if hoping against hope that she would stir, that this nightmare would dissolve into the realm of dreams.

"Open your eyes" he whispered.

silence

"If I kill all the people in the Baha tribe will you open your eyes?" He asked.

Silence

"I am asking you something, Minakshi, my heart. Why are you not replying?" He asked softly.

Haha! He laughed softly.

"Are you playing games with me, darling? Tell me whom should I kill? Whom should I behead?" He held her wrist,"Should I behead myself?"

"Will that make you speak?"

"You are dead.... Aren't you?" He asked,"Why are you dead? I should have been the person who was supposed to be dead. If I would have died in one go then you wouldn't have come to this place and would have been alive and breathing."

Katyayani's heart shattered into a thousand pieces as she stumbled upon the scene in the forest. Her son, the king, sat beside his beloved's burnt corpse, his voice filled with desperation as he spoke to her lifeless form.

"My dear son, it's time that we do the funeral and take her body to the cremation ground." She spoke up in a soft sincere voice.

"In the cremation ground for what?" Her son asked.

"To burn the body, like that Minakshi's soul will find peace," she explained gently, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"Burn the body?!" he laughed like a madman, the sound echoing through the desolate forest. "What else is left there to burn?!"

A lone tear railed down her regal cheek, a silent testament to the pain that lay buried within her heart. In that solitary tear, one could glimpse the weight of loss, the burden of grief that she carried with such dignity.

Though her demeanor remained steadfast, that single tear spoke volumes, a poignant reminder of the humanity that dwelled within even the most resolute of souls. And as it fell, unnoticed by all save for the silent trees that bore witness to the scene.

As the weight of his grief and already bad health bore down upon him like a suffocating blanket, Trishul's vision blurred and his legs gave way beneath him. With a groan, he collapsed to the ground, his body trembling with the intensity of his despair. His consciousness wavered, darkness enveloped him, and he succumbed to unconsciousness.

The queen mother, her heart heavy with worry, rushed to her son's side, her voice trembling as she called out for help. The guards, came running at her command, their footsteps echoing through the stillness of the forest.

"Some help me with my son and others take Minakshi to the cremation ground, there will be her family waiting and also our family members.... They will take care of her." Katyayani ordered, she kissed on her forehead bidding the final farewell.