Dhruv Tara: An End To a Long Wait

Chapter 16 - Victory, but was it?

They had won. It was all finally over! Tara thought, as she sat in Shaurya's bed, putting him to sleep. She had been worried about Shaurya. About him knowing about Bhaiji. His stubborn demand for revenge had been weighing heavy on them for a while. But Dhruv had handled it. Taken care of it. Like he always did. He had made Shaurya understand and see reason. Had made Bhabosa accept defeat, or so she hoped. 

Now that they were free of all this mess, free of her kartavya, she could be with Dhruv, at last. They could be together and go home, to the 21st century. She was positive, now there won't be anything stopping them. It would all go back to normal. Just like it was before. Like nothing had ever changed. Dhruv and her, and now, their 'pyar ki nishani'.

As Shaurya was falling into a slumber, Tara looked at Dhruv, as Dhruv stood there leaning on the wall, watching Shaurya, watching them, for a while. Watching, like he couldn't get enough of him. He had a small smile on his face, but it carried a dark shadow, of sadness. She could see the longing in them. She knew he was worried about Shaurya. Worried about Shaurya's acceptance. They had been relieved, at least Shaurya hadn't been angry. At either of them. But this all had to be overwhelming for him. Who knows how he would react in the morning. She kept watching him, and they lost track of time. After so long, she had found the time to. With everything going on, they hadn't found any time for each other. But now, here they were. After a while, he caught her looking, and straightened up, looking concious. He averted his gaze, looking elsewhere. She found it odd. She signalled him to join them. He looked hesitant, conflicted, then shook his head in a no, and slipped outside. She frowned at that, but didn't say anything.

Now that everything was over, the conflict won, Tara was elated, and she knew Dhruv would be, too. After so long, there was no fight, no politics, no plotting. They still needed to deal with how Shaurya would react, but she had a feeling it won't be as bad. His conversation with Dhruv seemed to have calmed him down about Maharaj's death. He wasn't angry with her anymore. And he had been fine with Dhruv, too. It would be ok.

But something felt amiss, different. Well, she herself was conflicted, having lived her with these people for so long. To see them become such people, commit such unthinkable deeds. She still couldn't believe Bhabosa was capable of being so cruel and inhuman. But then, so had Maharaj. She had never imagined he could ever do all that. That he could do such heinous acts. She had trusted him so much. It was still very hard to digest. Maybe that was it. Talking to Dhruv would soothe it, she knew. He would be there, pulling her in his arms, taking away her worries, like he always does.

Shaurya had fallen asleep, at last. He slept quietly, looking peaceful like he should. It had been ages, she realised, since Dhruv and she had gotten some time together. She headed to Dhruv's room, already feeling the comfort of Dhruv's arms. She went in, smiling, expecting to encounter a happy Dhruv, waiting for her, taking her in his arms the moment she steps in.

The night had set in. It was calm and serene, the only sound was that of the crickets, filling the air. The room was dimly lit. She found Dhruv sitting near the window, gaze fixed at something far away outside. His mind seemed somewhere even farther. Tara stood at the door for a few moments, looking at him. She felt a strange heaviness in the air.

She moved a little ahead, tentatively, suddenly feeling a weight between them. Dhruv tensed a little, indicating he had sensed her presence. But he didn't turn immediately. Tara felt her stomach tighten. There was something about the way he held himself, the way his shoulders were stiff, that felt… different. A far cry from his usual self. Something was off, and she couldn’t quite place it.

"Dhruv", she called out tentatively, breaking the silence.

"Hmm", he replied, turning around finally.

When he finally turned his head to her, it wasn’t with the usual warmth she expected. His eyes were tired, distant, almost as if he were caught in a different world, a world she couldn’t reach. She was a little taken aback. She really had been expecting Dhruv to be enthusiastic, happy, even if a little worried. Or at the very least, optimistic. Dhruv was always positive. All the problems that were keeping them apart, were over. So why did he not look happy about this victory. The uncertainty about Shaurya was there of course, but, had that deterred his mood so much?

"Aakhir hum jeet hi gaye Dhruv. Tumne phir sab theek kar diya. Bhabosa ke shadyontroko maat de hi di. Ab sab theek ho gaya hai na Dhruv.", Tara said, her voice filled with joy, still keeping her spirits high, though a little tinted with uncertainty.

"Haa Tara, jeet to gaye hai." He had a small smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. It wasn't like he didn't mean it, but there was hardly any conviction behind it. Almost like, he didn't believe in it. But why, she almost questioned. She waited for him to continue, to say something more, but he didn't. Was he angry? No... That didn't seem right, he didn't look angry. She knew what an angry Dhruv looked like, and this was not it.

She walked closer, suddenly feeling an invisible fog between them.
"Dhruv, tum theek ho na?", she asked hesitantly.

"Haa Tara.. mujhe kya hoga?" He said, looking almost a little surprised, giving her a brief nod, but it felt almost mechanical. He was almost about to say something, but stopped. Tara could see that, a hesitation. His gaze returned to the window, and Tara couldn’t help but feel the space between them stretch even further. Tara noticed the way he seemed almost lost in his own thoughts. There was no reassurance, no comforting smile, just a hollow silence between them that felt heavier by the minute.

She remembered their conversation from before, the last night. He had seemed distant then too, almost cold. But she had assumed it was because of Shaurya's behaviour.
"Chikitsak Dhruv ne... apne praan lene ka prayaas kiya". Those words came back to her.
It had hurt him. A lot. Expectedly so. But now things were better. So she had hoped he'd be better now. But he still was different. He wasn't cold, but distant. She couldn't understand what it was, but she had a feeling now, an inkling, it wasn't only about Shaurya, was it? This was something something more...

Tara took a few steps closer to him. She didn’t speak, but just stood there, beside him. She wasn’t sure what it was she was hoping for. Comfort? Reassurance? Maybe just something, anything, to break through the silence.

They sat like that for a while. Neither said anything, but something had shifted between them, though she couldn’t name it. They had won against the difficulties, their love had. Then why this sudden heaviness? She couldn't understand.

For a brief moment, her eyes flicked over to him, and she caught the faintest hint of something... a quiet sadness, or maybe just a weariness, that she couldn’t understand. It wasn’t like him. All of this, it wasn't. But what had changed?