𝐀𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚 : 𝐸𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠

~🥀 Silent Surrender 🥀~

💗

The royal chambers were silent, save for the faint rustle of the curtains swaying in the evening breeze. Anubhav stood still, his gaze locked on the distant horizon. The weight of the confrontation with his father hung heavily in the air, but it was no longer his father’s defiance that consumed him.

His thoughts wandered back to Haseena. The moment her name entered his mind, an unfamiliar sense of calm washed over him. It was as if the chaos inside him stilled at the mere thought of her, like his entire world, his mind, and heart, settled into place. A peace he had never known before. He had no logical explanation for it. All he knew was that her name now held power over him—power that no one else could ever possess.

He reached into the drawer of his desk, his fingers brushing against the smooth, delicate surface of a forgotten object. It was the anklet she had left behind during Navratri, carelessly forgotten as she fled the palace, escaping his grasp. He had kept it hidden, a relic of the one time she had been close to him, a symbol of her resistance, of her defiance. But now, in his hands, it was something else. A token. A silent reminder of her presence in his life, however fleeting.

He turned it over in his fingers, examining the intricate designs, the small bells that jingled with a soft, melodic sound. The anklet seemed to speak to him, calling him back to that night, to the fire in her eyes, the rebellion in her every word.

His mind, once so cold and indifferent, seemed to lose its sharp edge when it came to her. He could hardly recognize the man he had been. In his earlier life, he was an arrogant, unfeeling figure, ruthless and detached from all emotions. His world had been one of logic, power, and control, where no one had ever dared challenge him. His heart had been encased in ice, untouched by the whims of mere mortals. He had thought emotions were weaknesses—until she came into his life.

The thought of Haseena’s escape had left him seething with fury, an emotion he had never been familiar with. His reaction to it—it had almost broken him. He had never been vulnerable before, never known how it felt to feel like something was slipping through his fingers, something he couldn't control. That was his greatest fear: losing control. But with her, control slipped away as easily as water through his fingers.

He couldn’t understand it—why was he so consumed by her? Why couldn’t he let go of the image of her running from him, the way she had defied him with such fire and courage? It was as though she had awakened something inside of him, something buried deep, and now he couldn’t escape it.

He thought about what he had become. The cold man he had once been was no longer who he was. His thoughts no longer centered on power for power's sake. His world no longer revolved around politics, decisions, and royal duties. It revolved around her. The warmth in his chest, the pulse of his heart whenever her name crossed his mind, was something he could not deny.

The man who had once considered emotions a weakness now found himself willing to burn everything to the ground for her. His entire being, his very soul, yearned for her. He could not bear the thought of her slipping away again. The world—his world—could burn for all he cared.

All he wanted was her.

---

Darkness surrounded her.

Her body felt heavy, her mind trapped between sleep and wakefulness. She could still remember running, the cold air hitting her face, the desperate hope that she might escape. But in the end, she had been caught. By him.

Anubhav Singh.

The moment she had seen him standing in her path, blocking her way, fear had taken over. His sharp eyes, his powerful stance—it had been too much. Before she could react, everything had gone black.