The Royal Promise

Just a promise

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Dr.Bhanu Ohmkhar verma

I look around, many guards dressed black suits standing in corner like shadows, Raghuvanshi's sitting in common room talking among themselves,maids walking around preparing for post marital rituals,everything passes in buzz. It's gets impossible for me to breathe,everything looks lie,everyone looks fake,i slowly get up from couch "where to?" Arjun asks in his usual curt tone. I look at him"i will just go for a walk"i pass a tentative smile,he merely nodds. I start taking the same corridor,i remember when Arjun took me through this same corridor which leads white lotus pond.

Reeva starts walking behind me with five foot distance,eyes down as always "Oh,you don't need to follow me"i say to her "i must follow you mam,i am your first maid in service" she replies slowly. I clear my throat "i need some time alone,stay here" i reply firmly, she nodds and stops following me. I walk as i remember that day, as i reached pond,i pause and gaze at beautiful flowers,nights breeze hitting me exactly like that day,feels like dejavu."It's oddly quite,but nowhere peaceful,Maa-sa" baba Arjun's father says in distant voice,they are around the corner, neither of us can see eachother but i can here them. "Yes,i fear what's hidden behind this quite breeze which is nowhere giving a ounce of peace" dadi sighs deeply,"i fear maybe Raj Purohit's words might turn true,that Arjun and Bhanu will face lotsof difficulties navigating this marriage" baba relays his worries."i hope your son will behave properly with his wife" dadi says firmly."he will. He knows his responsibilities and duties very well. He will never disrespect those"baba says reassuringly.

I walk away from pond,i feel so numb i don't know what's happening but my instincts says it's not good. Was there's something that i missed? What were they talking about? What difficulties we will find while navigating this marriage? Did i turned blind eye to something which was always infront me and i didn't recognized it, i can't shake Arjun's Unemotional face from my memory,everything flashes in suddenly Arjun asking me to reject this alliance, then suddenly proposing me,that dadi's maid being in the corridor,dadi vanished from common room and returning as the time as we did, Arjun's mixed behaviours, my brothers words, dadu's words and asking forgiveness and dream from last night all flashes together. I cluth my forehead tightly as a sharp sting of pain throbes in "ughh..." i take few minutes to compose,inhale and exhale deeply.

When i walked back everything was ready for rituals,Arjun and i sat infront of eachother and removed one of sacred thread from eachother's hands. God!! Why this has so many knots,but i remove faster than Arjun and remove it from his hand while he was struggling with mine."God! Bhai-sa now babhi-sa will have the upper hand in marriage you will have to listen to her" Shravani laughed. He merely nodded and continued with his task. I try to see his eyes which seem closed off to read,i can't grab his emotions.

A vessel full of milk,with rose petals was kept infront of us, choti ma dropped a ring in it,we both started to search for ring, when our hands accidentally brushed eachother, i suck a sharp breath in. Regardless i didn't look at Arjun and continued to search for ring,we both find it together and held it air. We both stare at eachother, holding ring in air. He still has stoic face,unreachable. I leave the ring first "hmm,nice you both will have equal power in marriage" Maa says gently. Arjun holds my left hand and slide the ring on my ring finger against engagement ring. I smile meekly and look at him in confusion, somewhere in my heart i hope whatever i am thinking is not true,this marriage is simple as it looks to me. God! I beg you please just be it.

I stand next to Arjun, i Inhale deeply before i speak, we both are looking front at family.
"It still feels surreal"i wishper.
"Yeah" he replies firmly.
"I still can't believe that we are husband and wife now"
"Yeah ,husband and wife" he says more to himself, i bite my lips in nervousness.
"Umm..you guys eat non-veg?" I ask the most stupid question but it's the way i can find some answers .
"No" he curtly replies
"Ohh,but i love sea foods....it's my favorite...i can't survive without eating sea food atleast once in a week,as i mentioned in letter. Do you remember?" I ask in hope that he says that no you didn't mentioned about it letter because i didn't, that letter was never about food. I hold my breath and wait for him to correct me.But...
"I remember" i turn to my right side to see his face. No signs of joke,his face is still stoic, my eyes fills with tears,while i stare at him in complete shock and betrayal, he tilts his head towards me but i turn and look forward before he can see my tear filled eyes."You can still have it,outside palace" he says gently.
"Yeah,thanks" thankfully my voice didn't broke or i stuttered in between.