Aradhya ||Indian historical fiction||

30| REDEEM

Why? Why was it hard for Vihaan to breathe when he told himself that he didn't love her? Why was it hard for him when he convinced himself saying that he was over her? That he no longer needed her.

Vihaan curled up in the corner of his room with shivers running through his body. The air of the palace felt like it tried to suffocate him. His tears dampened his robes. He had his crown thrown away at a distance as it did nothing but harm to him and his wife. Nothing but ruined their relationship.

Everything seemed well when he thought of his deeds from a king's view. He had to keep his status up. He had to do justice -even if he didn't really do justice- to people.

But as he moved his head to his perspective of a husband or even a mere human...his deeds were near demonic. His deeds were nowhere near justice and peace. He had caused pain and discomfort and torment to the woman who helped him unconditionally. Who did everything she could do to put his family out of harm's way?

Vihaan's feet and arms gave out. Every muscle in his body went cramped. Almost every breath he took, snatched the life out of him. His every nerve reeked of self-loathing.

"How much of an inhumane moron could you be?" He asked himself, "She loved you, for god's sake. She tolerated her everything for you. And you being the stupid, egoistic monster that you are gave her only pain and suffering."

His hatred for himself grew by a hundred every second. He knew she was still alive and was not in love with him anymore and that...crushed his heart.

Everything that they had, the love, the actual arguments the insults and even the smallest of interactions all played out in Vihaan's head. His head grew heavier and his body, weaker. He hid his face in his palms and wept.

Nandini walked up to him and laid a reassuring hand on his arm. She ruffled his hair and consoled him.

"This won't do anything Vihaan. You hating yourself won't change anything."

Vihaan looked up at her with bloodshot eyes. His face was swollen and red.

"What...what am I supposed to do? I can't change anything no matter what I do. No matter how much I try to correct myself. No matter how much I want for all this to end, it won't."

"You cannot change what happened in the past. You can only ever redeem yourself. You can only give back Aradhya's place in this kingdom. Let everyone know she was innocent. Let everyone know how much she has done to this kingdom."

Vihaan paused for a moment, "You knew, right? You and Rihit both knew that Aradhya was with our child when she left. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What difference would that have made? However, we didn't tell you because Aradhya warned us not to tell you. She took a promise from us."

"Why did she do that? She loved me back then."

"Though she did love you, you broke her trust. Now, you have the chance, Vihaan. Earn her trust, bring her back here, and show her true place to her."

.   .   .   .

Darsh wandered through the thick woods in an attempt to find someone, anyone who was a part of the outcasts. It was evening already. The sun had begun to set and a sheet of the night had started to spread on the orange-tinted sky.

He stumbled across a clearing in the woods where a clear view of Ashokdhar was visible with a small pond resting peacefully reflecting the rising moon.

Chavi sat there with her feet in the pond and with a huge content smile on her face. She looked into the water to see the small fishes nibbling at her feet. She looked over her shoulder and immediately furrowed her brows.

"Which part of -do not try to find us- did you not follow?" She asked as Darsh sheepishly smiled at her. He put down his sword and sat a foot away from Chavi while putting his legs in the water too.

"Ma said that to my father, not me." He replied.

"Why are you calling her Ma?"

"Well, she is my mother too. She was way before she was your mother."

"I suppose."

They sat there in silence for a while taking in the slow sunset. Not a care about what would happen next. Not a care about who would see them. Chavi didn't even pay mind to Darsh being by her side. Her head was dancing at the thought of how pathetic Vihaan would be feeling now.

"What are you thinking about?" Chavi asked out of curiosity when she saw Darsh smile to himself.

"I'm happy. The way you spoke at the court. It was uplifting, to say the least. Father always seemed as though he despised Aradhya Ma. He always would avoid topics that would ultimately lead to her. But now after all this...I think he finally knows how much he loves her. How much she meant to him."

He looked back to Chavi to find her with a frown on her face. A simple knot.

"No," Chavi said.

"What do you mean? Do you not want them to realise their love for each other?"

"Love," Chavi scoffed, "first off, I don't believe in love. It makes you weak. And second off, I think your father and Ma are better off without letting their emotions take over. I would be lying if I said I wanted to see them together again."

"Well...that is your take. Who knows? Maybe they'll get back together. Maybe they will turn to love each other again."

"What do you mean again? They never hated each other. They still do love what all they had or have or whatever. However, what I am saying is that I do not want them to be together."

.   .   .   .

Aradhya sat in a hut with closed doors. She didn't have a single tear in her eyes but her face showed every possible hint of frustration and anxiety. She was tensed. What if the citizens of Ashokdahr rebel against the outcasts. What if they die because of her? And what if Vihaan comes to meet her one on one.

Even a small place in her heart was throbbing to be with Vihaan but she held her down. She had to do better than put love over responsibility.

She caught a glimpse of the tough weather outside. It was almost night. She had to calm her nerves down. If not she may do something unacceptable or even dangerous for herself and even the outcasts.

Her ears caught the slightest of the commotion outside. She stepped out to see Chavi bringing a bleeding Darsh into the camp. He was unconscious and blood dripped from his fingers as they flowed down his arms.

"What in the world happened?" Aradhya exclaimed as Gaurang and others brought Darsh down from Chavi's horse. Chavi stepped down, her saffron clothes now crimson.

"We were sitting at the lake just talking and...he was attacked. By two arrows." Chavi pulled her steed's reins.

Aradhya watched Darsh being taken in by the doctors who immediately got to work. He bled from his shoulder and from his diaphragm.

"That should've killed him," one of the outcasts said out of concern. Aradhya glanced back at Chavi.

"I tend to the bigger one as soon as I could but there was only so much I could do to treat it. So I brought him here." Chavi rubbed her temples with blood-stained hands.

"Did you see who it was? Who it might be?" Aradhya enquired.

"I didn't get to see him clearly but he wore yellow and orange clothes."

🗡️

Hello. I know I've been away for too long. I came down with a serious illness so I wasn't able to post.

But all that aside, tell me how you like the chapter. It is comparitivey a small one but the next chapter will be up tomorrow. So, stay tuned.

And drop a vote. It means a lot to me. And do let me know what you think will happen next.

As of now,
Stay safe.
Until next time
With love
❤️