Exiled Hearts

10: Hatred

Sumedh

Yes, our clothes had been changed. However, I didn't mind it much, in fact, it felt nice to have a break from royalty. We started following the man, him leading us through the forest. I could feel the girl twisting her hand in mine, trying to get free. I can't take the chance. If she escapes and something goes wrong, my whole plan will fail. I held on tighter and pulled her along. I could feel her looking at me with anger, but decided to ignore the feeling.

Soon, we arrived at a modest looking hut, the surrounding bright flowers giving it a radiant glow. I sneaked a look at the girl, who had a completely different reaction than mine. Almost as if she was mesmerized by the setting.

"Here you go. You two can stay here for now, but we will have to go talk to the village head this evening. It is important that you know the rules around here." With that he left, leaving the two of us alone in the hut.

As soon as he was gone, she jerked her hand away and opened her mouth. I knew it...here we go again. "What do you think of yourself? Who gave you the right to call yourself my husband?! And now this hut and all? Do you seriously expect me to agree to the fact that I have to stay with you here? And first of all, WHO ARE YOU?"

I just couldn't take it anymore. "Ok ok I'm going to answer all of your questions.You see I am Rajkumar --"

"You're a RAJKUMAR? Have you seen your face? Do you seriously think I am going to believe that?"

I ignored her insults. "As I was saying, I am Rajkumar Karmaveer --"

"Karmaveer?! Your actions don't really fit the name, don't you think? The way you abduct girls and bring them into strange forests and make them your wife...doesn't really seem like you have good actions."

"God will you let me finish! So, I'm Rajkumar Karmaveer from Kingdom Zaryani. I have --"

"ZARYANI?!? Just because I'm Rajkumari of Suryani doesn't give you the right to think I'm stupid!! I'm more educated politically and geographically than you THINK! Where even is that!?!?"

Okay...so she's apparently the Rajkumari...and that doesn't make things better. "Let me explain!--"

"EXPLAIN?! You have done enough --"

I was done. This time I cut her off. Putting my hand over her mouth, I pushed her up against the wall of the hut, trying to get her to shut up. She looked into my eyes, with anger and shock. For the first time, I noticed every single detail in them. They looked into mine, not knowing (or caring) for the fact of who I am. For the first time, someone has seen me as someone other than Rajkumar Sumedh of Sondhara. And for the first time, I decided to keep that a secret...

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Mallika

How dare he push me against the wall?! And cover my mouth?! How dare he even think of touching me? I think he's taking this husband wife thing too seriously. I'm going to teach him a good lesson...

Knowing he was distracted by something, I decided to take advantage. Opening my mouth, I bit his hand that was covering my mouth. Immediately pulling it away, he let go of me, holding his hand.

"OUCH! What the -"

"That's what you get for touching me. Don't you ever come close to me. You might not know, but for your kind information, I am very skilled in sword and hand fighting."

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Sumedh

I was so done with this girl. And I decided to give her a piece of my mind. "I was holding back my anger this entire time...but if you continue crossing the limits, I don't know what I'll do. Look...there is a reason why you never heard of my kingdom. And that's because we exist in secrecy...and immense power. Not to boast, but our kingdom's army is the largest and our conquers are countless in number."

I watched as her eyes widened, struggling to trust my words or not. I continued, "If you dare try to escape or do anything stupid...I can destroy your entire kingdom...singlehandedly. If you don't believe me...I'll be pleased to demonstrate."

The only thing I was glad about in this girl was that she was so gullible. She took a gulp and remained silent.

I could tell she wanted to say something, but didn't have the guts to. Maybe I went too far with the threat. I wanted to say something more, to make things better, but this time, my mouth was shut. Her eyes blinked back tears while staring at the ground. She suddenly turned around and went out the door. I knew she wouldn't escape...she might just need space.

~~ Evening ~~

The whole day she stayed away from me, not speaking a word. I didn't blame her. I continued giving her space and privacy. On the other hand, I just continued thinking about what was going on. What is the challenge Journal Uncle was talking about?! Do I need to wait more?...

I was sitting under a tree gathering my thoughts, when I suddenly saw her come out of the hut. Going outside, she looked through a couple of vessels. Finding nothing, she went back inside, dejected.

Understanding her dilemma, I got up to fulfill her wish. I owe her one. Venturing through the forest, I kept my eye on my surroundings. Finding a tree full of fruits, I went towards it. Picking up a rock, I hit the fruits, seeing them plop down, one by one. Gathering a bunch, I made my way back to the hut.

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Mallika

I watched him go, not saying a word to me either. I'm still furious...and maybe a bit scared. I wanted to keep being mad at him, keep not talking to him, but at the same time, I wanted answers to all of my questions. I just wanted to go home...and not be here alone. Bhaiya would be so worried...the swayamvar will be cancelled...kingdoms will get angry. My sudden absence will create havoc. But if I try to escape...another problem will rise. I'm trapped between decisions.

My stomach kept grumbling, knowing I haven't eaten since the morning. Well at least, morning in Suryani. I don't even understand how this land works.

Breaking me out of my thoughts and struggle, the sound of footsteps became audible. He's back. I turned around not bothering to meet his eye. I just listened as he entered the door, paused for a moment, made some noise, and left again. As soon as I felt the zone was cleared, I turned back around to see fruits placed near me. As much as I didn't want to eat it, my stomach convinced my stubborn mind. I, reluctantly, ate the fruit one by one.

That night, I peeked out of the window to see he was fast asleep under that one tree.

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