Rishte...

Chapter 2

 Year: 1899

Finally, Everything set up in the right place for shivaay. He got what he wanted in his life. The recognition for the talent. But that was not enough for him. He had to go back to the place from where he badly wanted to escape from the moment he was forced to come here at the age of seven. For his ladylove, Milady, Anika Thakur. Another name for goddess Durga. For him, She's not lesser than any goddess. 

It had become midnight when he reached the venue and searched for carts to get him into the village but shockingly, There was none. He had to walk across the forest to reach the village. It was the only shortcut he knew. And he was ready to cross anything to reach her and relieve her from the hell-like place where she's currently living. He started his way ignoring the danger sign in the entrance, He didn't even look at him. He was too determined with his mission. Holding his suitcase in his right hand, He walked ahead having his milady in his mind. 

Thakur killed his parents in his gunpoint when they cheated him and sold one of his properties to English peoples. Thakur couldn't accept British invade to their properties. So he killed them without even thinking once, Shivaay was there, Witnessed everything before his eyes shattered. Splashes of his mom's blood were still there in his face. Next was shivaay. The gunpoint was straight to his head, He was next. He closed his eyes tight in the hope of getting less pain. Instead, he heard Ankle chain's sound. And next, it was the tone of a five-year-old girl. 

"Thakur Sahib... Stop." -  She stopped him running towards him. Don't know where shivaay got the courage to open his eyes. He opened his eyes and saw his milady for the first time. Her eyes, Her smile and the way she stopped the Thakur's gun still captured in his eyes. 

"Takurayan Saiba. What are you doing here? They helped white people. They have to die, You're a Jhansi Rani, Right?" - Thakur asked her in an innocent tone. 

"But, He didn't help, His parents did. Why are you killing him, Thakur sahib?" - Anika questioned him. Then she looked at shivaay who was still hell scared. 

"Do you know your parents helped the white peoples?" - Anika asked him straight to straight while Thakur brings his gun to the floor away from him. 

"No..." - Shivaay replied to her in a scared tone. 

"Thakur Sahib. Leave him." - Anika held Thakur's palm and asked.

"Anything for my wife." - He said while smiling at her who smiled at him back and shrugged him off. 

Guards took him away while anika left Thakur and ran towards the guards and asked them to stop when they threw him away from the entrance. Shivaay still had no idea when she offered him to work with Maharaji (The cook) in the kitchen. He did as he was asked to. Over then, She became his saviour. 

But the darkness of the night brought him back the incident happened in the morning with him and his parents. His whole body started to shiver and he buried his head-hugging his knee points together. While then, He felt a touch in his shoulder which jerked him. He raised his head and relieved to see Anika over there. 

"Hello. I bought raw mangoes for you. Do you like it?" - She asked sitting next to him. He didn't reply anything but continued to shiver. 

"Before my mom's death, I used to fear a lot for darkness. But one day, She came and gave this Durgamaa's locket to me. From then on, I am not scared of any darkness." - Anika said while removing the chain from his neck and attached her pendant in his gold chain. 

"You don't have to get scared until durgamaa is there by your side." - She said with a smile over then, His shivering stopped along with his tears. 

"Anika. My name. Your name?" - She asked. 

"Shivaay, Milady!" - He said wiping off his face and took the bite of raw mangoes she bought for him. But that raw mangoes were not so raw, as it looked outside but sweet inside. 

"It's sweet." - Shivaay exclaimed. 

"Is it?" - She said and take it from his hands and took a bite. He felt different but also liked her special care on him. From then, She also became his courage. 

Thinking about all the incidents happened, He crossed the halfway of forests but stopped when he heard a mild sound of footsteps behind him. He was in the middle of the woods and the moon raised straight above his head, It was a full moon day. He didn't look around When his legs froze at the same place. He felt a chill wind from hitting his back. In a second, The humidity in the place changed into complete chillness. The cherry on the top, His torchlight also stopped working. His hands automatically went to his Durga maa's pendant and touched it closing his eyes. 

"Shivaay, Is that you?" - He heard the voice which he longed to hear for a long time. Tears welled up in his eyes, His heart finally felt the calmness. He turned around the next second and saw his milady walking towards him in her usual attire, But the difference was she didn't wear her veil and there was no sign of any wounds in her body. She approached him with teary eyes. 

"Milady." - His lips whispered along with the tears. 

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Year: 2021

He walked merely in the direction of her chuckles and groans taking her in. He didn't stop But walked so fastly. The forest was full of bushes and trees, He was shivering to the hell but that didn't stop him from going inside. He was almost witnessing his worst nightmare. But his feet walked until it reached the old spoiled hut. Her chuckle sound became stronger. He stopped, His eyes clouded with tears for no reason but he walked inside. 

That old hut became the permanent house for bats and pigeons until he comes inside. Paving the way from the thick spider web, He entered. He focused his mobile phone's torchlight and scanned the entire place from right to left witnessing a flash of some lady's back vision in spoiled clothes. His breath choked but he again scanned it from left to right, He witnessed the suitcase in the same place where he just saw the flash of lady's hairs. He moved ahead, With the shivering hand, he tried to open it. But the suitcase was locked with a traditional lock. In a flash, He felt someone's breath hitting in his nape of the neck. He jerked and turned around but there were none. 

"Oh god! I don't know what's happening to me but please help me." - He started whisper when his lips started to tremble in fear. Over then, He heard a lock opening sound. He turned around to the suitcase and shocked to see the lock present in there before a while was gone. Everything happening so mysterious around him. But that didn't stop him from opening the suitcase. 

First, He found a red bridal saree, Second, He found a gold ring having some red gemstone present in there. He took that both out feeling it in his hands. He wasn't dreaming but it's happening for real. As a third item, He found a painting which was kept upside down. He took it in his hands and turned it around. His whole world stopped in a jerk when he saw Anika Rathore's picture in it as a drawn portrait. And also he saw it in his dreams many times which means whatever he saw in his dream happened to him. He thudded on the floor over the next second when he couldn't able to process anything.

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