Tiasha lay on her bed, looking at the ceiling, thinking about one of the most eventful evenings of her life. A man confessing his love to her would have been the wildest imagination for the girl in Kaliyug. That girl used to believe that words of affirmation were only an element of fiction. But Kumari Tiasha from Dwapar was no longer the same girl.
At first, Ashwatthama baring his heart in front of her caught Tiasha off guard. She always had thought Ashwatthama considered her as a friend not more than that. In her mind, the occasional teasings, and the subtle flirtings were never more than expressions of friendly banters. Then again she remembered the night when he came to bring her to Anga at Duryodhan's request. There was certainly some spark between them that night. An unfamiliar tension that she couldn't fathom. Maybe there was a small seed of romance planted somewhere in her heart but that seed never received enough light of affection or the rain of passion to grow. It remained dormant and eventually dried in the shadow of the gigantic tree of Tiasha's love for her Karna.
She felt godawful rejecting him but what else could she have done? Never in her life, would she forget that dejected smile and the look in those beautiful eyes. Those chestnut brown eyes, with flakes of green in them, stared into her own with nothing but love mixed with an ocean of sadness. This was the first time she looked so deeply and carefully into those eyes. She never noticed his eyes before this. She was so lost in the fire of the Amber eyes, that she didn't have the adjournment to look into any other.
But She had devoted herself to only one, the owner of the Amber eyes. The person she opened her heart to a few hours ago. He too did the same. Although he might not remember any of it the next morning she would, forever. And she would make him remember every bit of it, she had to. Tiasha touched her lips, reminiscing about her beloved. The memory of him could make her feel the tingles on her lips all over again. She turned to the side and giggled in her pillow.
She thought about the words Krishna spoke, "You have to make a choice tomorrow. The choice may be yours but just know that this will decide the destiny of every single person in Aryavart."
Vati rested soundly near Tiasha's chest. She caressed her soft fur and sighed, "I wish I were you sometimes. Look at you, just eating and sleeping all day, roaming around the palace, getting pats and treats without any worry. Life would've been so much less complicated."
Tiasha rose from the bed, feeling as though the soft mattress had turned into a bed of thorns, stabbing her back and preventing her from lying there any longer. She went to the balcony and sat there leaning against the wall gazing at the crescent moon playing hide and seek with the clouds and the stars twinkling in laughter watching them.
Tiasha replayed Krishna's last words trying to stop her obsessive mind from overthinking. "Don't burden yourself with the thoughts of the future. Do what your heart says, I am sure that will be the best decision for everyone." He said embracing her and kissing her forehead before returning to his chamber.
The cold wind of the night came carrying a sweet smell of sandalwood and Kadamba to Tiasha's nostrils. She inhaled deeply. The wind caressed her exposed skin, easing her tensed frame. Tiasha felt her eyelids acquiring weight and with each moment it was getting more and more difficult for her to keep them open. She knew falling asleep on the open-hanging balcony on a chilly winter night of Pousha was probably not ideal that she should go back to bed but both her body and mind protested against it. Every cell in her body resisted to move.
Sleep struck her with no prior warning. Tiasha fell asleep on the open balcony.
Right at this moment on the other side of the palace, Shakuni has called for a secret meeting.
-"I have news that your Kakashree and Pitamah are planning to split the kuru kingdom between you and the Pandu Putras, my dear nephew." Shakuni deadpanned.
YOU ARE READING
Beyond Times
Historical Fiction-"And where do I reside?" -"You reside in my heart, Priye!" Two broken souls, who endured pain and loneliness all their life. Destiny united them and they became one. they healed each other. But in the restless time of chaos and distraction what aw...
