अन्तः अस्ति प्रारंभः।
The end is the beginning.
A caterpillar dies, to birth a butterfly. Water evaporates to rain down. Dead carcasses fill the stomachs of vultures.Life gives way to death and death to life. In a vicious circle of different karmas...
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Being alone always came with a dull ache.
Like the standard childhood moments which every child in Kaliyug had. How they try to learn to run faster than whatever was chasing them and their little legs cannot carry them at such a speed and how they get dizzy and fall and then bruises bloom and they stay. They stay for days on end and by the time the bruises fade, the child learns to run fast enough.
Being alone felt like that bruise. Like how it wouldn't hurt at first but then with time it will bloom, seemingly pretty at first but then ugly.
Mihira did not realise how alone she would feel without talking to the second prince. She realised it three days after she stopped visiting the balcony. She also did not realise how much being alone would bother her. She realised that two days later after she had the former realisation.
On the sixth day, even Eklavya noticed that Mihira was stiff, silent and snappish. He and Saini shared a look with each other during their shared lunch hour, a knowing look which instantly told Mihira that they had discussed her previously and she did not find it amusing at all.
Her jaw ticked. Saini looked concerned.
Mihira bit back the snarling words.
"Wild thing, it is really not befitting of you to behave in such a surly manner." Eklavya said softly, as if he did not wish for anyone to overhead them.
Mihira looked up from her lunch and raised an eyebrow. "I was not aware when exactly you became my father." She said curtly.
Eklavya narrowed his eyes. "We are just worried about you, Rude thing. The fate of Princess Rukmini isn't in our hands, no matter how much you loathe it."
Mihira finished the last of her makhan silently before turning towards him and speaking just as softly, "You know as well as I do about the virtue and righteousness that the King of Chedi possesses; which is, none. Princess Rukmini is the reason that I have a job and I can live in this state peacefully and that I have a much better life now than I did at my birth place. And you expect me to not sulk about this cruelty being forced onto her?"
Saini put a hand on Mihira's shoulder in a consoling gesture that made Mihira stiffen.
"My friend," she said, leaning towards Mihira and keeping her tone just barely above a whisper,"Is all your anger towards this misplaced proposal of an alliance or are you so angry because you feel that not only the princess but you were also betrayed by Prince Rukmanetra when he supported the proposal?"
Mihira's eyes snapped towards her and he withheld her tongue with great effort. "I hold myself to certain standards, Saini," she said coolly, eyes half hooded in practised arrogance of being correct. "And I hold the same standards over my friends. If either you had supported the proposal, you too, would not be seeing my face again."
None of them said anything else. Mihira walked away to dispose her banana leaf. ____________________________________________________
A voice in her head started whispering, a cloud of smoke curled around her heart and Mihira once again shifted to the person from Kaliyug that they did not know. The part of her who killed in cold blood, who manipulated a grown man into killing his own parents and siblings just because he spoke ill about Samar Veer.
