ENCHANTED- BY LOVE (completed)

6

"Today will be the day we will unite as one," he continued. I immediately froze, the books dropped out of my hands, and my heart started to beat faster.

I got down to pick the books hoping to gain time to compose myself.

"Let me help," the king said and started to pick up the books alongside. "What is this?" he asked as his eyes fell on a new book titled 'The blind eye'. He tried to open it but I immediately placed my hand on the book stopping him.

"It's...a new book...that I am writing," I explained.

"Then I deserve to read it," the king said.

"It's not completed yet," I said hesitantly.

"I'll read whatever is completed," the king replied.

"No but-"

"Remove your hand Vaishnavi," the king ordered and I have no choice but to let him read. 

He turned to the first page and I could see that he is clearly not impressed.

'The nine kingdoms take pride in being the state where guilty do not go unpunished. Is that the reality or is it blissful ignorance where some voices were never heard. Some deserving justice was never served and some criminals were never charged, for no one knows it's a crime. Not even the king. Not even the criminals. Not even the victims.....'

The king started to turn to the second page and I immediately held his hand. 

"You don't have to read this, your highness," I said, "These are just ignorant statements."

"If you really thought so, you wouldn't write them," said the king and I fell silent. 

"I need to see what this book is about," he stated.

I don't want him to.

"Go to our chambers, I'll join you shortly." he added. I don't have a choice, so I reluctantly left hoping that some miracle would stop him from reading.

**********

I entered the chambers to see the bed decorated with rose petals and the curtain is up. Today is supossed to be a 'special day' and I've ruined it. If the king seeing my book isn't bad enough, it's worse that he saw it today, of all days. There is no way I could predict how he would react. He would be angry, for sure, but what would that mean for me. I could only wait and hope.

After what seemed like an eternity, the king entered the chambers. Like I predicted, he was angry. I could feel my heart beat rising as he came closer and closer. I could see him clenching his fist trying to control his anger.

"As if questioning the state isn't bad enough, you decided to write about something that is supossed to be very intimate and personal?" he asked trying hard to control his anger.

I remained silent.

"Speak up Vaishnavi," he said in a slightly louder tone, "If you have the audacity to make such questionable statements, you need to have an explanation for it. What was even going on in your mind?"

I took a deep breath. Either way this isn't going to end well whether I explain my point or not. Silence isn't a choice here. So I decided to just speak my mind out loud. 

"A husband getting intimate with his wife without consent is just as much of a crime as it is for a man molesting a women on the street," I said outloud although in such a low voice that I doubt the king even heard it.

"What?" the king immediately said frustrated. He did hear me. "That makes no sense," he added, "Wife and husband are a couple. They are supossed to want to make love to each other."

"Not always," I opposed, "Would you want to make love to me all the time?"

"Of course not," the king argued, "but when I want to...."

"....I am expected to comply," I completed, "Whether I like it or not."

The king remained silent, perhaps thinking.

"We shall have this discussion at a later time," he said. "But back to your book, what happens within someone's house is not the state's business. The laws cannot dictate what goes on between a husband and a wife."

"But tradition can?" I asked now fully invested in the argument.

The king looked away and signed to control his anger. "Traditions exist for a reason," he said, "It's been like this for centuries and no women ever had a problem with this."

"That's what you think?" I said genuinely offended, "Your highness, it takes atleast a week to reach a stage in friendship where a women could comfortably hug another women. Yet we are expected to undress and get intimate with a man the day we meet him for the first time? Through a process that most of us don't even know about. A process that I was told can be extremely painful. How did you even think we wouldn't have a problem with it?"

The king fell silent and I found myself getting emotional as I continued to speak.

"Perhaps because our screams were silenced by the hands of the naked men above us," I answered, "....or worse.....used as a measure of achievement." 

The king continued to look at me. He didn't utter a single word and that only gave me time to ponder over what I just said and a part of me regretted and feared the consequences.

The king moved his hand beside me and I flinched thinking he would hit me but instead he pulled the thread beside me and the curtain fell down inbetween the bed.

I looked at the king genuinely surprised.

"Your voice will not be silenced,"  he told me. "Use it for good and finish this book," he said and gave me my book.

"Are you not angry?" I nervously asked.

"I am," the king replied, "with myself." Saying this he walked away, put off the lamp beside the bed and went to sleep.

I stared as he walked away and felt myself getting optimistic. Perhaps my life is not that bad. Perhaps the king is a good man and perhaps I deserve to give myself a chance at a happy married life.

I turned to look at the book in my hand. 

'The blind eye - by Vaishnavi' was written on it. I took a pen and corrected the title.

'The blind eye - by Vaishnavi Adinath'

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