The king's first wife

Royal decree

" HAVEN'T WE ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT YOU AREN'T ALLOWED IN THIS PLACE?!" for the past few months, he had been going to and fro, from the palace to Raniganj, carrying news of every little thing happening in each place to the two people he believed were supposed to be together forever. Hadn't even gone to his own home because he was too caught up in his sister's life. He didn't know but his wife, who was sitting at his house was wondering how he had changed so very much overnight. Did seeing his sister's pain really change him? 

" I am here to get my sister back. To the palace. It's the King's orders!" armed guards ran into the halls of that place, blocking every way out and really shocking the hell out of everyone in there. 

It was nighttime and the young man was drenched in the rain that hadn't stopped pouring in over a week. Had run his horse and men all through the country to reach there the fastest that he could. Had done everything in his power to get there and now, as he stared at all the women and men sitting around, without a care in the world, he couldn't help but feel even more eager to get his sister out of that place. 

" What?" an old lady approached him with a face of disbelief as everything and everyone around him began settling down in the silence. 

" I said that it was the King's decree to send princess Pari back to the palace. With me. RIGHT NOW!" opened a pocket in his clothes and took out an official page that he handed over to the old lady who just seemed shocked beyond everything. 

He didn't know her. Nor did he know why everyone was staring at him in disbelief. 
He didn't know that not one soul had ever been summoned back to the palace after being banished to that place and he didn't care. 

But the women around him... They just couldn't believe their eyes. Would the prince even want his wife back after she stayed there? After... 
They couldn't believe it. Had thought that her deal was sealed too, like the rest of them, forever. Had thought that they could somehow eventually manipulate her into hating even her husband. But no one had guessed that something like that could ever happen... 

" This can't be happening," another woman spoke up but the old lady just put a hand in the air to shut them all up. 

IT WAS HAPPENING. 

The letter had the Royal seal over it... 
Pari was most definitely asked to be sent back. 

How? The women didn't understand. They couldn't understand that someone's love could be as strong as to even forget every living boundary because they were never loved that way by anyone. 

" We can not send her with you right now," the old lady still, told him in a cold tone and that made him angrier than before
" THIS IS URGENT COURT MATTER, YOU CANNOT-" his voice stopped when he heard a scream coming from the halls of Raniganj. Everyone was there... Wasn't they? Or were those people hiding something from him? Was something happening behind his back? 

" She's been in childbirth since the morning. We cannot send her with you," 
" What?" his voice melted and his eyes began searching for his sister. He had met her just a few days ago and she seemed really happy. Her stomach had inflated but, she had told her that it was the baby. 

" You know... When I feel it move inside me... I don't feel lonely in this place anymore. It's like, I have Sohit with me," her words rang through his ears as the screams increased in volume and almost tears began enveloping his eyes. 

" You need to wait till the baby is here," didn't know why but somewhere, he had felt like his heart broke completely when he heard those words. It would probably take only a little more while but, he felt like he had failed... Wanted to get his sister out of that place as soon as possible but now, he just didn't have any other option than to wait impatiently. 

And in his impatience, he didn't see what the people around him were doing. He didn't see how Vijay and Badi ma exchanged a very concerning eye contact with each other. 

" Have a seat, I will check up on her," he just saw with open eyes when the old woman walked through the door and numbly sat down. He couldn't feel, not think straight, about anything and everyone around just seemed to have their eyes set on him. 

" AAHHHH! SOHIT!!!!!!!!!!" the screams became louder as time progressed and he uncomfortably stood in the middle of a dozen prostitutes. Had never thought that he would see that day come but... He did and it made him realize how bad it would have really been to live among all those women for over half a year... 

~

" Push!"
" I AM PUSHING!" 
" PUSH HARDER THEN!!" and she was too busy to focus on what was happening around her too. 

It was a rainy morning, just a few hours ago when she started feeling restless and then, the pains began. The small girl that she always had around her was sent away, just like she was sent away from Sohit's mother, during the time of her delivery. Everyone in the room with her knew what childbirth was but that was the longest time a woman had lasted. 

Women generally gave up life after a substantial time had passed because there were no pain meds available that could help them. Nor was C-section a possibility. Either, a woman could fight through the pain and do all the work on her own or, lose both her life and her baby's. There was no other option...  

And Pari was on the verge of death at that moment... After being in pain for the entire day and not having a single second of rest, she was about to really give up... 

Give up on life... 
And maybe, she would be able to keep her kid away from the palace's greed and the evil people in it if she did breath her last breaths at that moment...