The Promised Queen

𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓎

RIDHIMA

The world around me swayed, my head throbbing with relentless, searing pain. Each pulse felt like a hammer, striking deeper and deeper.

I forced my eyes open, though they barely obeyed. The dim, flickering light of the room made it hard to focus, but my gaze was glued to the same spot it had been for what felt like hours.

Avni.

She sat slumped in a chair across the room, her small figure tied and unmoving. The sight twisted my heart in ways I couldn't describe.

"I need to see her," I mumbled to myself, though the words barely made it out.

The pain in the back of my head was unbearable, a sharp ache radiating through my entire body. The warm trickle of blood down my neck had slowed, but the damage was done.

Every part of me screamed for rest, but I fought it. Avni needed me.

I blinked hard, focusing on the chair. She was still there. Still safe.

The faint creak of a door opening snapped me out of my haze. My senses went on high alert, though my body refused to cooperate.

Footsteps echoed through the empty space, hurried and purposeful. A shadow crossed the room, moving toward Avni.

No.

My breath quickened as I watched him approach her. Whoever it was moved swiftly, untying her restraints with practiced ease.

Panic surged through me.

What if it's him? The man who had hurt me. The man who had taken her.

It had to be.

I tried to scream, to tell him to leave her alone, but my voice refused to come. My throat was dry, the pain in my head sapping what little strength I had left.

I could only watch helplessly as he lifted Avni into his arms, her small body limp against him.

No. No, no, no.

Every fiber of my being rebelled against what was happening. I had to stop him.

I pressed my hands against the cold floor, trying to push myself up. My legs trembled beneath me, weak and unsteady, but I forced myself to move.

One step. Then another.

I clung to the walls for support, my fingers grazing the rough, peeling paint. Each movement sent fresh waves of pain through my body, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.

The figure carrying Avni disappeared through the doorway.

I followed, my vision blurring, the room spinning around me. My knees buckled, and I stumbled, barely catching myself against the wall.

"Avni..." I whispered, though the sound was swallowed by the vast, empty space.

My head felt heavier with every step. The pain was unbearable, my legs screaming for rest.

The room tilted again, the edges of my vision darkening. I felt myself falling, unable to stop.

But before I could hit the ground, I felt a pair of arms catch me.

Strong. Steady. Familiar.

Not just any arms.

My heart twisted painfully as I blinked up, my vision hazy and unfocused. But I knew. I knew even before I could fully see him.

"Hruday..."

The word left my lips in a weak whisper, more a thought than a sound.

His face came into view, his sharp features softened by something I couldn't name. His arms tightened around me, holding me close as if he was afraid I would disappear.