Rudra Tara - A Love Bound By Duty

5.ARE YOU A SPY ?

RUDRAKSH POV

Today is Mahashivaratri. After taking a bath and donning my customary attire, I proceeded to the Rajya Sabha to fulfill my responsibilities. I had planned to visit the Mahashiv Temple later to seek Lord Shiva's blessings, as I do every year on this auspicious day. After completing my duties at the Rajya Sabha, I went to see Rani Maa.

I informed her of my intention to visit the Mahashiv Temple. Rani Maa responded, "I have a task for you. This sindoor (vermillion) is very special. You must use it to seek Lord Shiva's blessings. This sindoor is imbued with the blessings of our ancestors and is made using a unique method. If it touches someone's hair parting, it signifies a connection that lasts for seven lifetimes, and its color remains vivid for a long time. Ensure this sindoor is applied only to your bride, and not to anyone else, not even me. When you marry, I will present this vermillion as a shagun to your bride."

I agreed and went to my room to change into more casual attire to blend in as a commoner.

I realized I had forgotten to remove the emerald necklace given to me by my father. I concealed it under my clothes and proceeded to the temple.

Since Mahashiv Temples are within my territory, the visit was swift. To avoid drawing attention, I disguised myself as an ordinary commoner.

At the temple, I joined the queue and began my prayers. I noticed a girl praying nearby. An inexplicable sensation overcame me when she accidentally bumped into me, causing the red vermillion to spill over her head, face, and clothes. She hurriedly covered her face and fled. Panicked, I feared Rani Maa's reaction to the ruined sindoor. I searched for the girl but could not find her. To my dismay, I discovered my emerald necklace was missing-had she stolen it?

As I pursued her, I witnessed a scene I should not have: someone was brutally killing my men. The girl in similar attire appeared to be the assailant. Upon reaching the scene, I saw my men lying dead, their bodies drenched in blood. The girl, with bloodied hands, was gathering the prasad from the ground. I seized her wrist, torn between the impulse to punish her and my mother's teachings-to never harm a woman unless she poses a significant threat.

She attempted to push me away, but I noticed she had a dagger, which she pressed against my neck. Despite the pain, I endured, as I had withstood worse. I tried to remove her veil to identify the traitor invading my kingdom and killing my people. Hearing my soldiers' footsteps, she tried to escape. I chased her, but one of my soldiers threw a dagger that pierced her leg, causing her to fall with a painful thud. My heart ached at the sight, though I understood it was his duty.

I ordered my soldiers to halt and leave the girl to me. I went towards her and caught her wrist again

When I grabbed her wrist, her veil flew away in the heavy wind and thunderstorm. Her fragnance reached me due to the strong wind her fragnance was captivating and utterly intoxicating.

Her long hair flowed gracefully with the wind, and I was utterly captivated by the sight her back was facing me.
Her hair continued to dance in the wind, and I wished for this moment to pause and never end, as if time itself could freeze until my life.

When I seized her wrist, she retaliated fiercely, her dagger slicing into my bicep. I felt my grip loosening, but before she could escape, I caught her wrist again, just as her veil was swept away by the wind. In that instant, I was captivated by her flowing hair, shimmering like dark silk against the rain. Without thinking, I pulled her towards me, and she landed against my chest, the softness of her body pressing against me igniting something inside me that I had never felt before.

My hand instinctively slipped around her waist, feeling the delicate fabric of her cotton garment against my skin. My heart raced, beating in a way that was both exhilarating and frightening. I was acutely aware that this was the first time I had held a girl so close. And just as my mind was trying to process this new sensation, a loud clap of thunder echoed above us, and the rain began to pour down relentlessly, drenching us both.