The once vibrant and vivacious Swarnbhoomi Palace stood silent, like a house mourning the death of a family member. Everyone was shocked to learn that Swarnima could leave them and go on a solo trip for soul-searching.
Certainly, she was chained to rules since she was a little girl and she adhered to the restrictions imposed on her. She never complained and accepted all because it was for the one, she loved.
However, a person can endure only up to a certain limit, and it seems that Swarnima reached hers. The royals were divided into two groups. One who believed that she had indeed left and the other who couldn't believe she would go without telling them.
When Abhedya reached the palace, Nandini held his arms and questioned him in a dishevelled state, "Abhey, where is Nim? She can't leave us. She can't leave you. Did something happen between you two? Tell me, Abhey." Abhedya didn't answer anything, he was too shaken.
"Nandini, relax. The letter Nim has written says it was her choice and she had been planning and waiting for it for a long time. Abhey had no clue about it. She has specifically asked us not to question or accuse him. Let's take it positively. She has practically lived her entire life on the terms and conditions applied. How much more could a human take? It might be her saturation level. And, she was correct, we would have never allowed her had she asked us we would have sent a security team with her or even tagged along with her. Let's give her the time she wants for herself. We can do that much." Pri tried to explain Swarnima's point of view to everyone and they seemed to be convinced by her arguments.
"I think Pri is correct. Nim must be tired of following rules and codes of conduct. And, yes I... We would have never allowed her to go alone had she asked or discussed it with us. I still fear her security though." Rudra raised his doubts.
"Nothing can harm her. She is 'Ma Bhawani's' incarnation." Eklavya displayed confidence but his voice didn't match his words.
Maan looked the most worried as he had sworn to protect her since she was born. "I will find out where she is and arrange secret security for her."
Randeep knew Swarnima's capabilities well and pointed out, "You think you can find her, Maan? If she wanted to be found out she would have told us her location. Let's just pray for her safety and keep our faith in her."
When everyone was silent Abhedya hugged his mother tightly and wailed as he could no longer hold himself composed. Nandini took him in her embrace and let him cry. However, due to the emotional turmoil, he felt dizzy and fainted.
Abhedya was rushed to the nearest room and Pri attended to him. He was just worn out and needed rest. Pri asked everyone to give him time to comprehend the news.
After hours Abhedya got up and felt a void. He read the letter again and with fresh tears in his eyes he declared, to himself-
"You broke your promise, Sona. You told me you will never leave me, come what may. Then why did you leave? You know I am a fool. You chose to keep Eklavya's promise over me? Sona, why did you do this to us? Why did you? I will wait till eternity for you, Sona. I love you but I hate you more."
Nivedya was silent until now witnessing the varied emotions of his family members. His own state was like that of a leaf struggling against strong winds. He could feel something was amiss and Swarnima could not just go without telling anyone. Yet he agreed with his father who was of the opinion that they would never let her go all alone hence she didn't discuss it with anyone.
It was confusing and he felt helpless seeing his brother's broken state. He wanted to comfort him but he knew what it meant to live away from your lover. He dialled Nimrit's number to share his worries with her but to his surprise, she had gone to Delhi yet again without giving prior information to him.
He didn't give her a chance to explain about her sudden departure because he felt she could have told him. His heart went out to his brother who was witnessing a similar experience. His wife had also left him with no prior notice.
"Justifying one's actions is easy, but persuading the individual who has been adversely affected by those actions is challenging," Nivedya remarked siding with Abhedya who was being forcefully convinced to accept Swarnima's decision. "Nim D had no right to go without telling anyone. If Abhedya did the same you guys would have held him by his collar and reprimanded him."
The royals were taken aback by Nivedya's sudden outburst. They couldn't believe he could question Swarnima's decision. He was known to follow her blindly and he never found her unreasonable. No one did. For them, Swarnima was like god's own child, so perfect and pure.
When Nimrit came back two days later, and learnt the news of Swarnima's disappearance, she ran to meet Nivedya and offer her support to him. She was shaken by the information and tried to think of reasons Swarnima would take such a bold step.
When Nimrit entered Nivedya's room she found him in Arundhati's embrace. Her blood boiled seeing them together but she composed herself and called out, "Nivi".
His eyes sparkled as he heard Nimrit's voice, and when their eyes met, a myriad of emotions flashed.
She raised her arms and Nivedya hugged her tightly. He felt emotional and shed tears while wetting her shirt. Nimrit herself couldn't hold back but she rubbed Nivedya's back to calm him.
When his breathing became even, she touched his cheek and wiped his tears. "How are you holding up?" Nimrit asked with concern.
"Why do you care?"
Nimrit knew he would be angry but she had her reasons. Sadly, those couldn't be shared with him at the moment. "You know I care and I care the most about you. It's just... something very urgent came up and I had to go..."
Nivedya scoffed and remarked, "Of course, it was urgent, else you would have definitely told me. Right?"
Nimrit didn't reply because they both knew the answer. "Any clue about Nim D?"
"Where she is... No one knows but she is safe according to the letters she wrote to all of us before leaving." Nivedya gave his letter to Nimrit which she read and was amused by its contents.
"This doesn't sound like Nim D. She would never leave and go soul searching like this. No. I refuse to believe it." Nimrit disregarded the contents and put the letter on the table.
Arundhati muttered something to herself then spoke aloud, "I am sorry Nivi but I have to interfere. Nimrit you of all should know why it is justified to leave without telling anyone. At least Nim D was thoughtful enough to write letters to everyone informing them about her departure."
"You stay out of this Arundhati. I had my reasons and Nivi understands them."
"No. No. I no longer understand any reasons. You wanted to go, you went. You wanted to come back you came." Nivedya retorted sharply.
Nimrit shivered at the anger in Nivedya's words. Swarnima's disappearance had shaken him, and he was linking it to Nimrit's Delhi trip.
She took his hand in hers and in her most honest voice, she told him, "I am sorry for leaving like that Nivi. Please forgive me. I will stay by your side from now onwards."
A wash of relief swept over Nivedya's face. He was angry with Nimrit but her words meant a lot to him. "Can you shift here for a while? We need you."
Nimrit's face contoured at the request. If it were within her capacity, she would not leave Nivedya's side; however, she had several pressing matters that required her attention. "Umm... staying here would be tough because I... just a little more work of the distribution is left."
