THE RULERS OF RISHABHAPRIYA

28

Surabhi's POV

"I am in love with you, Bhargav!!", I cried and tightened my hold around him. His sobs fell on my ears and soon, his head was on my shoulder and I felt wetness drip down onto the fabric of my uniform. Hearing his sobs, something in me stirred. It was the first time in my life a man had confessed to me and had cried for me. I was asked for marriage by many men, but it was only for political gains. No one who had proposed me before had any genuine feelings towards me. And finally when I had found the right man who actually loved me, time gave up on me and fate was not on my side. 

I pulled away and cupped his cheeks with my palms. "I am so sorry, Bhargav. I need to go", he held my hands and begged me with his eyes to not let go. I shook my head and said," I'm not leaving you. I just want some time alone to think straight. This is a very big step for me. Give me some time, please", I stood on my tip toes and placed my lips on his. 

I pulled away and looked at him for a second but let him go unwillingly and ran out of the dungeons. My hair was messy like my mind and blew with the wind wildly as I made my way to find answers and a way out of the mess. I wanted to clear my mind. I wanted to talk to someone who had always guided me to the right path. I wanted to meet Guruji. I decided I needed to do it immediately and strode towards the stable to get a horse. I rode down from the palace to the Ashram and in a very little time I had reached my destination. 

I tied the horse to a nearby tree and walked into the Ashram. The pupils of Guruji were walking around with holy books in their hands. Some were feeding the cows and others were teaching something to the younger students. "Areey, madam?", I turned to the source of the voice and saw Meera standing just a few steps away from me. A smile took over my face as soon as I saw her. "How are you Meera? All well? No problem have found you from your villagers right?", she shook her head and said," No, madam. But my family had visited me and requested me to return to the village with them. But I declined and cut off all ties with them".

"If it felt like it was right for you, well done. But don't take any decisions that you may regret later", she nodded and was talking about her new life in the Ashram when suddenly her eyes fell behind me and she bowed. I turned around and stepped beside her to see Guruji smiling knowingly. "Bonds do last for lifetimes", he said but I was confused. "Namaste, Guruji. I wanted to talk to you about something important", he nodded and asked me to follow him. He took me to his hut and asked me to take a seat. 

"What bothers you, my child?", he asked. I took a deep breath and explained everything about me and Maharaj. I did not leave anything unsaid to make myself completely transparent. All the time I talked, he kept smiling as if he already knew what I had to say but still, I poured my heart out in front of him. "I don't know what to do. You guided me when I wanted to leave and now I know that I was a queen of this land centuries ago. But what do I do with that information?"

He laughed, "That is the beauty of His creation, Rajkumari. In one life, you did everything in your power to remain a queen and live for your people. But now, when the king literally begs you to become the queen, you are shying away. The same people have become the villains in your story", I put my head down. "You know, Rajkumari, just like I had asked you to do your research to find out about your past life, I had asked your Maharaj to do so too. Not now, though. A few years ago. Do you know what he had found about?", I shook my head but listened to him attentively. 

"He was a king of this land just like you were a queen. He was and still remains to be the best king this land had ever seen. His name was Maharaj Hara Varada. Sounds familiar?", my eyes widened in realization. Maharaja Hara Varadha was the husband of Maharani Shri Durga. That meant Maharaj and I were husband and wife in a previous life. My mouth fell open in realization and I palmed my forehead. "You might have read about the king's brother who tried to assault the banished queen. He was none other than the king who was killed by Bhargav. He wronged you both in a previous life and that continued in this one too. And that is why he put an end to it for the both of you".