Metamorphic Switch

44. Confession of the Royal Eagles

Be your army.

Two tall men lay flat and a bruised girl half their size was standing with a gun pointing at them.

Our sudden appearance diverted her focus and Azam took it as an opportunity and snatched the gun from Pri. "Stay there else I will shoot her." He came near Pri and grabbed her from behind.
I don't know if Goddess Durga entered inside Pri, she elbowed him in his stomach and Azam fainted instantly. "Get up you, bastard. I am not done yet," she shouted in anger.

Badal was trying to get up but Praneet caught him before he could run. He punched him left-right on his face, chest, stomach. He was not even looking where he was hitting him.

"How dare you touch my wife? How dare you think of harming her?" Praneet was looking so dangerous. He was madly in love with Pri. I hoped he realised it soon.

Ragini separated Praneet from Badal who was half dead. I hugged Pratima but she collapsed in my arms.
"Pri..." I screamed and Praneet pushed me aside.

"Pratima, get up Pratima." He shook her but she was struggling to breathe.

Praneet was crying in grief when Ragini prompted, "Give her mouth to mouth you, idiot."
She opened a few buttons of her shirt for comfort.

Praneet hesitated. "You have kissed before, don't hesitate. Else move I will give her. She is collapsing, Praneet." Ragini was so impatient. I was just sitting there crying. I was terrible in crisis management, I realised. Thankfully, Ragini was not.

Praneet blew air in her mouth. It was a romantically sad scene. Pri's breathing became normal after a few attempts but her eyes were closed.

"Let's get her out. This place is suffocating." Ragini suggested and we came out from the main door. All the elders were standing outside. They probably figured out we were inside. I could see all of them were happy to see us. Granny breathed a sigh of relief.
The first ray of sun graced us and I prayed for better days.

"Pratima please get up, Pratima. I can't see you like that. I LOVE YOU." Praneet touched Pri's cheeks with love and confessed. Sadly, Pri was unconscious.

We took her to the nearest room and Praneet's father called a doctor. But before the doctor arrived Pri gained consciousness.

"Granny," was the first name she called out in a feeble voice. Had to be. Granny was the parent every child deserved. Granny hugged her and Pri sobbed in her arms. "I am sorry. I am so sorry. I got carried away, granny. Please forgive me."
Pri's apology made me feel guilty for planning the entire switch. I was not guilty of duping my parents though.

Granny consoled her and comforted saying, "Life is an adventure, my child. You just proved you have the blood of the Runaway Princess."
She gestured me to come and I sat near her, "besides, I met my reflection in Chaya." Granny saw my father and said, "she is also a Runaway Rogue Princess, Abhimaan."
Granny got up and addressed everyone in the room. "Giving birth to a child does not mean you get the right to exercise control over them. Guide them, tell them what's right, what's wrong but let them fall, make mistakes. No one is perfect. Your child is also human and to error is human. We have done mistakes and don't want our kids to repeat them, agreed. But how will they learn? Don't expect your kids to be Bhagwan Shri Ram when you are not Darshat and Kaushalya." I clapped after Granny's speech.

She bow like a lady accepting my appreciation.

"Brilliant speech. Now leave and take away your deceitful granddaughter with you. There is no space for her here. We call off the marriage." Ragini's grandfather still played the villain.