THE CONQUEROR'S CAPTIVE

SURABHI IS ALIVE

Surabhi's POV

Flashback ends.....

I heard someone rush into the library and saw Chetan running towards me. I asked him what was wrong and stood up immediately to see what was going on. "What are you doing here, Rajkumariiii!!!!!?", he scolded. "Why? What is wrong?", I asked and he dragged me out of the library and then out of the chamber. He let go of my hand when I stopped walking and sighed loudly. "What the hell happened, Chetan?", he really looked angry. "You remind me of my sister sometimes", I lifted my eyebrows. "Yes, my little sister. Who has no sense of time and zones out all day thinking about her one true love. Maharaj has been murdering me with his eyes all day because you are no where to be seen".

"I made sure everything was set for my family's arrival. Nothing should be the problem. Why? Has there been a problem?", he ran his fingers through his hair and whisper screamed. "How can a royal be this dumb! Your family is here, Rajkumari! They have entered the palace and Maharaj wants you to show your face to them. He waited for you in the royal port to welcome them but you did not show up. Now they are here. Downstairs. He will kill me if I don't return with you now", I immediately grew alert and my hands started to shake. I wondered how long I had zoned out to miss out my family's arrival. My lips turned into a huge smile but fell immediately when I wondered what their reactions would be when they saw me. 

"I'm scared, Chetan", I said in a shaking voice as tears blurred my vision. I looked at my feet and was about to tell him how I felt when he blurted out, "STOP ACTING LIKE A CRY BABY, GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND COME WITH ME", I looked at him shocked. "Yes, I have heard many stuff about you and your kingdom. Act like it is all true. At most what can go wrong? They will say they do not want to accept you and will go back to their kingdom. But will it make a difference? Maharaj is crazy about you. He is waiting for the first opportunity to kidnap you and make you his wife. You won't have to worry until you have him with you. Now wipe those stupid tears and come with me. I am so done with you stupid royals", he muttered and walked away from me. 

I had no idea what he had lased his words with, but it made me snap out of the fear. I wiped my tears and my feet moved on their own as I followed Chetan toward the common chamber. With every step, my pulse rose higher, like drums echoing inside my ears. The soft murmur of voices grew louder. Familiar voices, ones I hadn't heard in five years. Ones I had imagined in my dreams a thousand times.

My heart was thudding so violently, I thought it would leap out of my chest.

I stopped just before the entrance to the chamber. The grand doors were half open. The light from within spilled into the corridor, soft and golden. I raised a trembling hand to push the door further, but froze.

Across from me, a polished bronze shield hung on the wall.

And in it, I saw her.

Me.

The girl I'd become. The woman I was now. Older. Thinner. Wiser, perhaps. But also, a stranger to them.

"Will they even recognize me?"

Tears prickled the corners of my eyes. My fingers trembled at my side, and I had to press my hand hard against my mouth to keep from making a sound. My breath came out in soft, uneven gasps. I wanted to scream. To run inside and throw myself into their arms. But something held me back.

The fear of not being enough.

The fear of having changed too much.

The fear that they had moved on without me.

"We had to visit sooner but my wife was pregnant, and I couldn't leave her in that condition", I heard Dheer Bhaiyya say.

My knees nearly buckled. They were all really here.