Nandini

Midnight Love

A new day, a new beginning for nayantara, she was desperately waiting for piyali walking back and forth across her room due to anxiousness. The wait was unbearable for her but all this while nayantara had no clue that someone was watching for 24/7 and she was completely unaware of nandini’s presence and even nandini was so engaged with everything happening in nayantara’s life that she completely forgets about her presence in a place where she doesn’t belong.
There was a mild knocking sound and nayantara immediately rushed to open that heavy door, it was not completely bolted as she didn’t want to wake up her helpers so she opened the door and there was piyali standing on the other side.
Nayantara pulled her in and kept staring at her, for her to give nayantara update regarding her lover but piyali was silent and quite.
Nayantara’s eyes were widening because of this never ending wait.
Finally piyali spoke, “ princess I gave your letter to the king of balvan ghati and he was very pleased to receive your letter and he has come along with me to the palace, as per your instructions he is in disguise of a snake merchant and is hiding near the old cellar”.
She further added, “princess he is waiting for you there but you have to wait until midnight so that no one holds any sort of suspicion”.

Nayantara almost beamed at the thought of seeing her lover, she wanted to dance, she wanted to run towards her lover it was finally the time.
She loved him for three summers and it was the time when she wants all of his summer as he is her lover.
She hugged piyali in excitement but piyali immediately backed off and nervously said, “ I’m sorry princess but I’m not supposed to touch you, it would be an insult to your royalty”.

Nayantara didn’t say a word and she just smiled and later very softly said “ I understand piyali you always abide by rules”.

The day passed like a moment of time and it was the time when she can finally meet her lover after what felt like ages.

She removed all her jewellery before going there as she didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention and suspicion.
She removed her royal dress and wore something which looked close to rugs and also took off her anklet as no other woman in the entire palace had an anklet which would sound similar to that of princess, thus making it easier for people to guess her identity.

She lit a Small wooden stick so that it can work like those huge fire torches
She was moving on a path which was leading her to the other side, where her happiness was waiting for her.
Nayantara entered inside that old cellar, it was dark and creepy, she was having a trouble in finding rakshit her lover, the king of balvan ghati. She moved further, when suddenly someone covered her mouth, her heart skipped a beat, she was scared to the core and most importantly the grip which was holding her was so firm that she was not able to move.
That someone whispered into her ear, “ I wasn’t expecting my future queen to be dressed in rugs and not sticking with her graceful royalty”, by saying this he loosened the grip of her. She immediately turned and hugged him with almost tears in her eyes.
“ I thought I won’t see you again, I was so miserable without you my king”, nayantara said all these words with such a great difficulty as it was sort of impossible for her words to make sense in between her crying voice.
Rakshit hushed her, wiped her tears and very politely said, I’m gonna be here with you no matter what, you can always count on me to be your side.
Nayantara almost blushed and suddenly she felt an enormous amount of pain over her scar, when Rakshit held her wrist to caress resulting her to scream. Rakshit immediately loosened her wrist but brought it close to him so that he could have a proper look. All he could see was a terrible burnt mark on her wrist.
What is all this nayantara, who did this to you, Rakshit screamed from anger.
Nayantara hesitated for a second but then she started telling him everything from the start. How they declined his marriage proposal because of some other king so that they can get benefit themselves with fortune and power and how her parents want her gone so that she could never interfere in kingdom matters, a kingdom which belong to her equally and also the fact that she is a better administrator than her brother. She told Rakshit everything and also how all this tempted her to take revenge from her family and this palace and all the people who ever supported them.
Rakshit was silent for a second and then he finally said, “ what about thus mark, who gave this to you”.
Nayantara sighed and spoke with fire in her eyes, “ Rajkumari nayantara did this. This mark is given to me by princess nayantara, to remind me everytime if I’m having a moment of weakness, to remind me that how was I wronged by my own family and how badly I want to make them pay for it”.
King Rakshit closed his eyes and then when opened them he looked straight into nayantara’s eyes and in that moment she was assured of his presence in her life and that he was going to be there for always and forever.
They were lost into each other, when they heard the sound of approaching footsteps from a distance. With every passing second it was coming closer to them.