Raunak: The Essence of Life

Chapter 20

I touched Maa sa and Baapu sa's feet to take their blessings before my departure to Ratnapur.

Rana sa was standing beside me for he was also going with me. I am so happy that he is accompanying me I will   introduce him with all  my friends. I was not excited at first to go Ratnapur but with Rana sa I am sure that I will enjoy it there too. 

Rana sa and Arjun were bickering with each other again without caring that the elders were laughing at their antiques. I smiled at them they are so cute together sometimes it feels like I am the third wheel between them.

After a long chat with Devar sa Rana sa mounted on his horse and I sat in the palanquin and soon our carvan started moving towards my homeland.

Last time when I was passing from these same paths, passages, rivers and mountains I could not feel the beauty of them I was so sad and illuminated by anger that I did not even looked outside for once just kept crying till we reach the palace of Malwa. 

Who would have be thought I the happiness that did not know existed will be waiting for me in Malwa. Even If ours was a forced wedding but I am happy with how the events turned out to be. 

I have never been outside of the palace before as I was an illegitimate daughter and my parents wanted to keep me hidden to keep the image clean. It was the first time I am seeing the outside world. It's refreshing, beautiful and alive. 

Our journey was for two day long and I enjoyed each second of it. At night when our carvan stops for making the tent me and Rana sa will roam into the forest alone that felt very good. We even see stars in the sky and he teach me about constellation of stars. 

We reach Ratnapur at evening and even this late we were welcomed with grand celebration. whole palace was decorated with flowers and loud drums were being bitten to announce that someone special has arrived. 

I knew that it was just for the sake of Rana sa they will never be so happy to see me to celebrate my welcoming. They are doing all this just so that Malwa and Rana sa does not get angry with them. After all before marrying him everyone including me considered him as merciless ruler.

Maa welcomed us with doing our arti and both my brother and sister were standing beside her with smiles on their faces, like they were genuinely excited with our arrival.

"Welcome jija sa" My brother the King of Ratnapur said to Rana sa greeting him with a hug.
He hugged him back and nodded him head towards them. He was not smiling, nor behaving like a cute kid like he used to in front of me. Here, he is a completely different person with his strong appearance with shows his authority over others.

Everyone greeted him warmly and take us to a Chamber for rest. They even make a fake story of this chamber being mine before marriage. I felt irritated with their fake stories about me but did not said anything. They left us alone to take some rest finally!

"Princess are you happy? " Rana asked me smiling.
I didn't know what to say at that, I could not come with a lie immediately.

"Are you happy to be here princess, in your kingdom, in your Chamber among your own people, your family, are you happy...... " Rana sa asked me suspiciously like he was reading me.

I did not want him to read me, to know anything about my past, I want to bury that chapter of my life so deep inside me that he will never get to know about it. I broke my eye contact with him and looked outside of the window.

The garden was beautiful just the way I have maintained it to be. I smiled seeing them grown.
"Yes, Rana sa I am happy thank you for coming with me here" I said looking in his direction.

He smiled gently at me, "I will always come with you, no matter what"
He said taking my hand into his.

"The food will be served shortly" An attendee announced outside of the chamber.

"Rana sa you should take bath before the food is being served" I said to him.

"Are you not going to bath? " He asked me back.
"Yes, I will but after you. Now go" I said to him standing up from the bed.

"I have an idea! " He said with a mischevious smile adorning his face.

"What? "I asked cofused

" Let's bath together " He suggested.
"Rana sa! " I said to him blushing hard.
"I am not saying anything bad I just said to bath together why are you blushing like this princess. Do you have something else in your mind princess? " He asked me coming closer to me with each passing second while I was moving backward till my back hit the wall and he caged me between him and the wall.

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