The king's first wife

Throne room

" Pari," she stiffened when she heard his voice. In the past 3 hours that she had been alone in her room, she had cried to herself. She had thought that he betrayed her but also concluded that Aditi was his wife too. Aditi had an equal amount of rights over Sohit and she deserved to have a kid too. Plus, she really couldn't blame her husband for having a kid or having sex with his own other wife. She had just come to the conclusion of living alone and right now, she had been running towards her ma. For guidance, support, and help. Nothing more nothing less. Her head was just so much in her thoughts to notice that there was no ghunghat over her head and her heart was too much pained for her to want to meet Sohit immediately. Maybe a day or two at most and she would go back to normal but she really wanted to cry to her mother-in-law first and sleep in her lap once. Only once... 

" Aditi is going back to Raniganj in 2 days," his voice was cold, and not just that but the atmosphere had also started getting colder. The moon was shining in its full glory when dark clouds covered it and she heard lightning coming from outside. And it was when she turned to look at the window that she got aware of where she was currently standing. The throne room. The place where the king and queen tell their verdicts and meet their subjects. It was the holy place where the kings got crowned and the one place the old woman had never let her in. A huge, dark hall that had a stage and only 2 huge thrones in the middle, both made of gold. 

" Pari," he held her hand and turned her around to look at the kajal that had dripped down her eyes to her cheeks and she pursed her lips without looking at him directly 
" You. You really don't need to do that," she kept a hand over his chest, " I'm fine. Really. I just need to go and meet ma this one time," she tried to turn around and walk away but he had heard the shaky way in which she had said all that. 

" I have to do that, Pari. You're not getting it," he held her hand even more strongly, while not letting her away at all 
" Sohit just," she tried to get her hand out of his grip but he only turned her around once again 
" It's not my child, Pari. Aditi just committed a huge sin," he told her softly and for a moment there, was only silence in the entire place. She didn't say anything, just kept looking at his chest as tears flowed from her eyes
" I'm not a fool, Sohit," she pushed him away and made him lose his grip over her hand as she wiped her eyes, " And you really don't need to lie to me on the face because I am fine," she added 
" I'm not lying, Pari," he still held her back by holding her chunni, and she turned back to directly glare at his face 
" Why would any wife cheat on her own husband Sohit?! I'm telling you. I don't need your lies at all," she walked straight to him in anger 
" I'm not lying Pari," he kept his hands over her shoulders while looking at her with a helpless look and she only shook her head. The truth was right in front of her eyes but, she wasn't ready to believe it. He tried telling her 3 times but she just couldn't believe it because of her upbringing. 
" I don't get you Sohit. You want me to learn. You want me to study and then, you also want me to be the one putting a ghunghat over my head so that no one knows how I look. You tell me to kill people. You ask me to learn combat and sword fight. You want me to cook food for you but also eat in front of you. I don't know what you want from me now!!!" 
" What I want from you. Pari? Is that what you think!?" he shouted back at her, after getting a little taken aback by her sudden outburst. So, he shouted back too, not knowing what to do.
" Whatever I have done or made you do is for you. Pari!!" 
" I've always served you, Sohit. Whether you like it or not. All that I do is because of you. Because I thought that we had something but after that child comes in," she just burst out crying without completing and his eyes softened. He knew all that. Just that it coming from her was a little... Sudden for him to process and he began defending himself.
" No. No. You're not going anywhere. Hey," he pulled her closer to him and hugged her tightly while letting her cry there for a long while. 
" I don't ever get any reasons either. Just, plain and simple, Pari, do this and don't that. Why do you do that?!" 
" You want to know why I even want you to be different than the other women? Pari?" she looked right at him 
" Obviously!!" she shouted and he turned to look at the throne directly 
" Because I don't want you to end up like my mother or sister," he started and she just kept looking at him with shocked, unsure eyes. 
" They're literal puppets of Ajji. Her rules, her orders. Even baba can't go against her. I want you to against her and prove to her that you can be someone important without me and her too. I don't want you to end up being only Pari Sohit Kulkarni. Maharani of the land and mother of my first son. No. I want you to have your own name, Pari," he looked back at her and she blinked her eyes, no longer in tears but in confusion 
" I don't understand, Sohit..." she moved a little away from him and he looked back at the throne. Then, he grabbed her hand and dragged her towards it. He just kept dragging her till he reached the king's throne and then, made her stand right in front of it. 
" What will you do if I am not with you anymore and you don't have any kids. Pari?" he asked her as she looked at him with worry 
" Sohit don't-" " Just answer me," 
" I..." she looked at his feet and he half-smiled 
" You'll sati. I know you," he told her and she looked back at him
" I can't live without you!" she shouted with tears in her eyes 
" And you think I want you to die while burning alive in fire?!!" he shouted back in equal anger 
" Then I'll go and I'll...-" " Be a Tapasvini? Leave all human desires and ruin your life? Pari. You're meant to be the queen of this country, not a Sati or a Tapasvini!!"
" You stop talking about your death, Sohit!!" 
" Fine. What if there is a reason because of which either you or me. One of us is on the other side of the boundary and we cannot meet each other. What will you do then!? What will you do if I go out there and then, go missing!??!" 
" SOHIT!" she slapped him and held his kurta strongly, " YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE ME IN ANY WAY! NOT BY DEATH! NOT BY RUNNING AWAY!! YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME!!!" she shook his entire body and he just kept looking at her in shock. She had that in her? A girl who didn't kill even a tiny ant, she could slap him... 

" I want that," he declared, and she looked at him with an even skeptical look. Had he finally lost it? She hoped that he hadn't. 
" Sohit," 
" I want you to be your own person, Pari. I want you to have your own thoughts, your own goals. Be it anything. I don't want you to end up like all the other women in this country," he held her hands and slowly made her sit on the throne, " I don't want you to be remembered as King Sohit Kulkarni's first wife. I want people to remember you by your own name, Pari. Nothing more nothing less. Do something, Pari, so incredible that you don't need me even in your life. I want to be your want. Not only your need. Get me?" he stood right in front of her as she sat on the throne, thinking back to what he just said 
" I want people to call you, Maharani Pari. Not only Maharani. Let me be important in your life but not as important as your own self. Love me but love yourself more than me. Pari, I want you to be one of those women in the outer world's books. I want you to have your own stand, I want you to feel and express and I want you to slap me if needed. Just don't keep everything to yourself and do nothing for it,"