Love Is Our true Destiny: A Rikara FF

Chapter ten

It felt like time had frozen for a moment. 

The village, Panchayat, Nahaar Thakur, no one could comprehend what just happened. 

Neither could Gauri, for that matter. 

Did he just....make her....his wife? 

Nahaar Thakur, however, was the first to snap out of the spell of incredulity. 

He laughed raucously, clapping his hands. 

Everyone else also came to themselves at the sound of his mocking laughter. 

"I have to hand it to you, Shehri Babu. You have a penchant for theatrics" said Nahaat Thakur, still grinning slyly. 

Omkara narrowed his eyes at his words. 

"Enough of your drama. You thought you would pull a spectacle like this, fill her forehead partition, and save yourselves? I don't know what happens in your cities, but this is our village, our society, Shehri babu. Simply filling someone's maang (forehead partition) does not make her your wife. Stop ridiculing our customs and rituals with your antics" accused the Thakur. 

Omkara heard the murmur of assent around him, and saw people nodding their heads in his peripheral vision. 

"I am sorry, I don't mean to mock any tradition. I will marry the Thakurain properly, if it pleases the people here" said Omkara, in a calm voice.

"You would please no one. First, no one accepts the theatre you played out for us right now. Secondly, the Thakurain is still a member of my family, and the widows in the Thakur family don't remarry. Once the palanquin is brought inside our haveli, only their arthi (procession of dead body for funeral rites) goes out of the family" threatened the Thakur. 

"Again, you make the same mistake. How many times do I have to reiterate the same thing? Your tradition condones condemning a widow to a life of loneliness to keep your family pride? Sorry to disappoint you, but our country has long ago moved on from this age-old nonsense. More importantly, who are you to decide whether the Thakurain chooses to remarry or not? Thats her life, her choice. The only one who can object to what just happened, is the Thakurain" said Omkara, looking at Gauri. 

His eyes conveyed that the decision was left at her door. 

Gauri shut her eyes for a moment to think. 

The horse had bolted the stables the moment she decided to shield the city-dweller with her arms. If she refuses now, then the village would accuse him of harming the reputation of a widow, as well as question her character. 

Vikram wasn't here either, to make this moron, Nahaar, shut up, as the real head of the family. And she didn't want to make things too difficult for him, when he returned. The only way to salvage the situation was what he did. 

She nodded her head slowly, but unmistakably. 

Omkara nodded back, and looked at the Thakur defiantly. 

"It doesn't matter what she wants, she can't marry you" said Nahaar again.

"It doesn't matter what I want?" Gauri spoke up. "Like last time, like two years back, when I didn't want to marry your brother but he compelled me to? Oh, but it does matter, it does. I refuse another Thakur to hold the reigns of my life. You have no right to decide whether I remarry or not. Your brother got away with his wish to marry me, but you are not facing the same Gauri, Nahaar Thakur." 

Gauri clutched her dagger in rage. 

How dare he tell her, that her wish, even if she did not wish to marry the city-dweller, were of no consequence?