Cursed by Destiny

Chapter 9 - The Unshed Tears

"Ahh, I am finally here. I cannot go in from the front door. I will just climb the wall and get inside the palace through the window. Dhara, you are so smart," she thought to herself.

Dhara scaled the wall and jumped into her room, only to find her mother, the Queen, standing there with a few of her personal maids, all of whom were laughing at her surprised face as she tried to dodge the storm that had knocked on her door.

"Mother," I called out to her. "I know you love your daughter a lot, but don't you think you should get some beauty sleep at this hour? You need to take care of yourself, Maa. Go, go, and rest. Look, it's getting so dark under your eyes," I said, holding her hands and caressing her palms.

"You dare to joke around with me now? You have some nerve, my dear daughter. You are grounded until further notice. If I catch wind of you leaving the palace, I will take your sword away. Do you understand?" Lady Varunani said, glaring at Dhara.

"Okay, okay, I won’t leave the palace until you say so. But, Mother, I am really, really hungry right now. Can you please get me something to eat?" Dhara said with doe eyes, her hands on her stomach.

"Alright, alright, stop making those faces. Come with me," the Queen said.

Mother is the best.

Dhara left for the fighting ground as soon as she finished her meal. It was her nightly routine to visit the grounds before bed. It was the only place where she could truly be herself, and she went there at night because it was empty then.

"Brother, I’m back. I was defeated today. I can’t come to save you yet. I’ll have to wait longer. I miss you. When will I be able to see you again? I’ve been waiting for so long," tears rolled down her face as she spoke.

"Why am I so useless, brother? I couldn’t even defeat Kaal. How will I fight those filthy demons and save you? Please help me, brother. Come back, please. I’m really afraid right now. I’m afraid I won’t be able to save you," she sat there with her knees drawn up to her chest, her wet face hidden in her hands.

After some time, she got up. Dhara took out a handkerchief and stood there staring at it for a long time.

Flashback

"Brother, you pricked your hands so many times just to make this ugly handkerchief for me," Dhara laughed as she looked at the handkerchief.

Prince Abhay had made it for Dhara overnight. It showed a deer hugging a frog. "I made this for you. How can you say this to me? I made it so when I’m not here and you cry, you can wipe your tears with it. It will remind you that I’ll always be there for you, no matter what. And you’re making fun of me?" Prince Abhay said with a pout.

"Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made fun of you. I’ll keep it forever with me. Wherever I go, I’ll keep it with me, alright? But why did you choose a frog and a deer here?" Dhara asked, pointing to the handkerchief.

Prince Abhay burst into laughter. "You know, I’m so handsome, so I’m the deer, and you’re so ugly, so you’re the frog," he said, laughing harder as he ran away.

"Brother, you’ll regret this. I won’t let you go today. You’re so dead," she said as she chased him.

End of Flashback

As she recalled those happy memories, a small smile appeared on her face. "You knew it all along, didn’t you? You knew this would happen. But you still left. I know if I had been in your place, I would have done the same thing too. But still, I really don’t know what to say," she said to herself, then cleaned her face and headed back to her room.