The King's Shield

Chapter 28 - The Survival

Shiva didn't expect what had transpired right in front of her eyes. How could he grab her throat like that? Was he so enraged at her that he wanted to kill her? Would he have taken her life if Uncle Bhairava didn't stop him? He was the one who had sentenced her to death and had not even bothered to meet her once.

She had waited for him. The wait felt like an eternity. The pain of his indifference had engulfed her like a snake coiling around and crushing every bit of hope out of her. Every passing moment was draining her. She knew it was her fault, she had not told him the truth. The truth about who she was and why she had agreed to come to the kingdom. The truth was that her thirst for revenge had brought her to Merujaya.

But on coming here least did she know that she would lose herself to him, that she would forget the vengeful motives which had kept her alive for all these years. He had become her reason, her reason to live to see a life beyond revenge, beyond the mortal fate which she had chosen.

All the days that she had spent with him were flashing like lightning before her. Every beautiful memory she had was undeniably made beautiful by him. He was her sunshine, his warmth had kept her cold heart from freezing. And now her sunshine was shadowed by thick dark clouds. He had not come.

After Uncle Bhairava had left she sat in the corner of the cell thinking of what she would do to convince him to at least give her one chance to speak, the helplessness had eaten away her courage. All she needed was one opportunity to seek him and let him know what had happened. But with every passing minute, her heart sank and the hope had withered away.

She had accepted her fate and had begun to believe that she would die a traitor's death. But then she had heard the clanking of keys and heard footsteps coming towards her prison cell.

Drishala had come to prison. For a moment Shiva's hope was regained, she thought that Drishala must have brought some message from him. Or he had changed his mind and would come to meet her.

She got up from the corner and came to see Drishala." Did the king send you?" She asked her.

Drishala scoffed." I knew you wouldn't live for long. Nobody crosses me and lives to see another day." She said.

" What are you talking about." Why are you here? Didn't he send you?" Shiva asked.

" I have come to finish what I started that day. It was a perfect opportunity nobody would have suspected. Everyone thought it was an accident. Everyone thought that the rope had snapped." She spat.

" Drishala, have you lost your mind? You are talking nonsense." Shiva tried to peep through the bars to see if anyone else was there. But there was no one. She had come with two burly men, who were dressed like palace guards. But they were not from the palace otherwise Shiva would have recognised them. She knew almost all of the palace guards by name and she knew their families as well. These men were outsiders.

"He is not coming, nobody's coming." She laughed maniacally. " You are all alone, at my mercy and I don't feel merciful today." She tilted her head to one side and cackled.

" You are wasting time, finish her. And let us get out of here. " Shouted Suhala from the other cell.

" Patience father, the window lady looks so confused. Let me clarify her doubts first." She said grinning.

" Father?" Shiva asked.

She gestured to one of the men who went and opened Suhala's cell door.
" Let us leave now before anyone arrives," he said as he got out of the cell.

" No, father I want to see her suffer. She doesn't deserve to live after what she has done to me." She said.

" To you? What did I do to you?" Shiva was confused. The two men entered her cell.