Prithvi... [Vol 2]

Chapter 34

The faint rustlings went on in the foliage, the moon continued on its lazy journey across the star-crowded sky, and still, she remained locked in his embrace. The fingers of his right hand were stroking her hair, while the other arm continued to hold her close. And for the first time in her life, Nandini fully understood the illogical wish expressed by countless poets over the centuries for time to come to a halt when they were with the ones they loved.

But then a small voice reminded her cruelly that somewhere in the distance, hers as well as Prithvi's families were waiting for them. Their return was unavoidable, but she trembled at the thought of going back to a society that wouldn't understand the beautiful insanity that had taken over her heart. 

 "Prithvi," she murmured sadly. 

The imperceptible sigh that went through him at the unspoken entreaty in her voice melted Nandini's already meager determination and she miserably wished she had the luxury to remain silent and stay hidden in his arms forever. 

"I know….they are waiting for us, we must start moving towards home," he concurred reluctantly. 

Nandini made a small sound of agreement and then smiled into his shirt when he made no further movement to act on his words, and instead, tightened his arms in response to the unsavoury idea of letting her go. When a few more moments had passed, however, the inevitability of their departure seemed to bear down on them….brutally shearing away at the frailty of their haven. In an unsaid, distressing agreement, their embrace relaxed slowly and Nandini finally gathered the courage to lift her head up and look up at him. And the tiny fear she had of having foolishly overestimated the extent of his feelings died instantaneously. The truth of the life-altering moments she had gone through smouldered in his eyes as they studied her tenderly in silence. 

Then his arms around waist fell back, and he drew away with an endearing twinge of unwillingness that forced her eyes to drop in confused shyness. But in the next second, a strong hand curled around her palm and caressingly entwined their fingers together. Very gently urging her to his side, Prithvi began walking on the trail through the trees at a leisurely pace. 

Nandini followed his lead blindly with a small adoring smile in her eyes and on her lips. The woods no longer felt even vaguely frightening, and the frequent crackling noises amongst the trees and leaves seemed to be of mild creatures that were part of her newfound joy. The shadows that had been terrifying her became those of the forest spirits smiling benignly at them, giving their blessings through the cool breeze playing around them. They were walking in silence as before, and yet, she didn't feel the need to speak or be spoken to. The stillness was no longer awkward. It was soothing like it had never been before….soothing in the way it could only be in love….

She wished the path would never end, and would have walked to the ends of the earth with him….

But they had only been walking for some minutes when Nandini realized that the track had been widening for a while and there was a lot more space between the trees. A short way ahead, she caught side of an open area a little way ahead of them, and as they stepped out temporarily from the protection of the trees, Nandini felt startled to see a huge structure in the middle of the wide clearing.  

She stopped and Prithvi turned to see what had given her pause.

"It's the temple," she mused, and in a mix of alarm and wonder, she gripped his upper arm and moved closer to him. "Prithvi, how did you find out about this trail?" 

"Couldn't sleep one night, so came to sit here for some time and thought of exploring the forest a little," he answered imperturbably, but his grip on her hand tightened for a moment in a reassuring squeeze. 

"You came here at night? And you went into the forest at that hour?" she asked in dismay. "Prithvi, please don't do that again. This place…it's dangerous! Those priests…they had said something is very wrong with this area. Even people who've been living here for years don't come here after twilight. We shouldn't wait around here too, let's leave," she continued agitatedly and looked around the adjoining dark areas in trepidation. 
  
Realizing that Prithvi wasn't saying anything, she looked at him and saw him regarding her with a curiously perceptive expression. Trapped between embarrassment at his quiet gaze and uneasiness at spending any more time than necessary in this cursed spot, she felt lost for a moment. 

"Is something wrong?" she asked haltingly. 

He didn't reply immediately, then softly said, "There is something you....need to know about me." 
  
"Something I need to know? What is it?" she whispered uneasily, intuitively afraid of what he wanted to say. 
  
Prithvi shook his head slightly. "Not now. Later....after you have your dinner, would it be possible for you to come to the terrace?" 

Nandini hesitated for a moment, then smiled shyly and said, "I'll come." The reward of an unexpectedly warm smile that caused her heart to skip a beat and made her weakly reflect that considering the devastation he could wreck with a smile, she had perhaps been safer with his ill-tempered side. 

"Let's keep moving," he said, and soon they neared the edge of the woods, and the locality came into view, brightly lit by streetlights. It should have been a comforting sight. Instead, Nandini felt overwhelmed with a strange kind of fear. 

They had been safe in the forest….but now they were re-entering a world that abruptly came across as being alien and dangerous…

Just half an hour ago she had mourned the absence of artificial lights, but now their glow was harsh on her eyes, and she missed the comfort of the moon's light. With every step that led towards the locality's square, the tight clasp around her hand relaxed a little. And as they stepped into the streetlamp-lit area, Prithvi's hand cascaded down until he was only holding the tip of her little finger 

Then their houses, and the miniature outline of her mother waiting at the gate, came into view, and even that mild touch was gone. 

You'll be seeing him in a few hours, she derided herself hotly. But as he moved away to a respectable distance, the irrational wrench in her heart only deepened painfully.   

****************** 

Sankatmochan stretched and yawned and looked around the room with bleary eyes, unsure of what had woken him up. Then his stomach rumbled loudly and he chuckled. "Yes, Yes. It is time for the pre-midnight snack, I know," he consoled his insides and lurched out of bed and winced at the pain in his damaged leg. It didn't hurt much usually, but the shattered bone ached sometimes at night. Going down the stairs to the kitchen would be a rough task, but he had already exhausted the snacks he had sneaked up into the room earlier in the day. 

"Damn that Indrajit! And may he be afflicted with diseases in all the unmentionable places," he cursed loudly as he awkwardly descended the stairway. 

At last, he made it to the ground floor and was walking to the kitchen, when he noticed some movement from the corner of his eye. He turned direction and limped towards the living room.

Someone was standing near the large open window, his back towards Sankatmochan. 

It wasn't an unusual sight to see Prithvi awake at this late hour, considering his sleep had always been troubled. He was a light sleeper at the best of times, and had the ability to forgo a full night's sleep and be perfectly active the next day. And yet, there was something poignant in the somberness of his posture that gave Sankatmochan pause. He looked at the kitchen, and then at his young friend. 

Oh well, he could eat placidly after satisfying his inquisitiveness. 

"You've reached!" Sankatmochan said loudly. 

Taken aback, Prithvi whirled around. 

Sankatmochan boisterously continued, "I knew there wasn't any need for worry, but that paranoid old man kept pacing along the hall and the courtyard all evening. He wouldn't eat anything himself and kept glaring at me because I was complaining about the inadequate supplies of food in the house." 
  
"Is that so?" his friend muttered, and looked away. 
  
"It is not my fault that I cannot live on air like you and he can. It annoyed me so much that I decided to take a nap to get rid of the stress."" 

"That's very sad," Prithvi said vaguely. 

That was a highly abnormal response for Prithvi, and Sankatmochan felt even more convinced that something odd was going on. He would have to get to the bottom of the mystery behind the baffling change. 

"Prithvi?" 

"Hmm.." 

"I was thinking about starting a gambling den in the house. What do you think?" 

"That would be fantastic," Prithvi concurred absentmindedly. 

Sankatmochan shrieked, startling Prithvi into spinning towards him again. 

"What are you yelling about, you moron?" he asked angrily. 

 "How can I not yell? You have always had an extraordinary aversion towards all perfectly normal and fruitful activities such as thievery, gambling, alcohol, drugs, and the pursuit of beautiful women. But you agreed with my idea of starting a gambling den in this house!" 

Prithvi evasively said, "I didn't hear you the first time. I was….thinking of something else," 

"There! That's what I want to know. Why are you looking as lost as Sumer Singh in the midst of youthful fun?" 

 "You're imagining things," he mumbled. "There isn't anything to talk about." 

"From what the old miser condensed to tell me, I understood that you were with Nandini all day," Sankatmochan said excitedly, unconsciously sensing the most likely cause of Prithvi's unresponsiveness. "A most excellent day to spend together I must say. At first, I couldn't understand the logic of choosing the hospital as a rendezvous point, but later I realized the wisdom of the decision. Where else would you get so many rooms and -" 
  
Prithvi moved so fast that the hard fist that plowed into his plump face caught Sankatmochan wholly unawares and the tubby man landed on the floor with a thud, and looked up with a bemused expression. 

"I was only joking," he said glumly, massaging the side of his face. 
  
Prithvi looked down at him unfeelingly. "This is the last warning you'll get. If you ever talk about her in that vein again, I'll finish what Indrajit had started that day, and you'll wish it had ended with him back then." 

Sankatmochan stopped rubbing his cheek and stared at him in incredulity and a cautious kind of elation. Was it possible….was it really possible….It did seem too much to ask for, but perhaps, the divine forces were being kind at last…. 
  
"I am sorry, my friend. It will not happen again," he said earnestly. 

Prithvi didn't reply for a few moments, but then proceeded to quietly extend a hand. Understanding that his apology had been accepted, Sankatmochan caught hold of the sturdy support, and rose to his feet clumsily, still gawking at his friend. But Prithvi didn't meet his eyes and turned away towards the window and curled a hand around one of the iron bars. 

Sankatmochan twitched restlessly in the ensuing calm, fires of curiosity consuming his insides. He knew getting any information out of Prithvi would be near to impossible, but how would he be able to sleep with the half knowledge that something historic had definitely transpired in the past few hours in his best friend's life. The only thing he could do to get sleep now was to drink a whole tumbler of warm milk and overload his system into a near comatose stage. He swiveled and reluctantly began making his way to the kitchen. 

"Mochi…" 

Sankatmochan stopped and spun around at a snail's pace. His mind needed that little bit of time to prepare itself for whatever earth-shattering news was about to come his way. 

Because Prithvi hadn't called out to him with that particular inflection in his voice for years …at least not since his best friend had been a frail 8-year-old, vulnerable and terrified. 
  
"Am I destroying her life….by making her part of mine?" Prithvi asked hesitantly. 

Transfixed to the floor, Sankatmochan stared at him with tremendous shock writ large on his chubby features, and distantly noted that the knuckles on the hand holding the rod had turned white. Then everything in front of him turned blurred and hazy. 

"Prithvi, I have seen you go through the kind of hell that could bring out the worst in any ordinary human being, and even turn them into animals. And I am prepared to swear in front of God Almighty if needed….that you wouldn't be able to bring the slightest harm upon an innocent life even if your very last breath depended on it," he managed to utter hoarsely. 

"Who knows what I'm capable of with the blood of men like my father and grandfather running in me?" Prithvi said with slight bitterness. 

"I don't know anything about your father and I wish I didn't know anything about your grandfather, but I've known you from the time you barely came up to my shoulder," Sankatmochan said doggedly, trying very hard to blink away tears. "I'm not sure of what transpired all those years ago with your parents. But I do know that if you have truly made the decision I think you have, even the shadows of pain or sorrow will not blight that girl's life ever again."

Prithvi remained silent. 

"My brother, I know you hate me doing it, but could this day be an exception?" 
  
Prithvi turned and looked at him doubtfully. "What do you want to do?" 

Sankatmochan tumbled towards Prithvi as fast as his deformed limb would permit and threw his fat arms around the dumbfounded boy. 

Overcoming his astonishment, Prithvi pat him clumsily on the back. "It's great that you've got that out of your system. You must have come down to stuff your face in the kitchen, so go ahead and do that. And keep in mind that the next time you get the urge to give someone a bear hug, direct it to Baba." 
  
 "This strict quota of hugs does not apply to Nandini I assume," Sankatmochan beamed deviously while releasing him, and chuckled as the young boy's fair face turned crimson.
  
"Shut up," Prithvi snapped, and strode away to the stairway to go to his room. 

Sniggering, Sankatmochan started to limp to the kitchen, then suddenly found that he wasn't hungry after all. Something that hadn't happened ever….

It could have been a sign of digestive trouble. But it was more likely that it was because he had never felt like he was going to burst with happiness up until now. 

***********************
 

Nandini picked up the chair and shifted it slightly to the right of the table. Yes, that was better….or maybe not. She pushed it a little so it was back in its original position. She looked outside the window against which the table was placed. The room she was peeking into was in pitch darkness. 

Sighing, she turned and walked towards the bed and sat down, absently swinging her legs slightly. Then she remembered her mother had said it was detrimental to the health of elders in the family, and stopped instantly. She drew her legs up onto the bed and tried to loosen the clasp of her anklets to take them off. But the metal refused to budge an inch even after she put in all her strength. Giving up wearily, she clambered down the bed again and walked up to the door and paused in the act of opening it, trying to reach a decision. 

She hadn't had time to think from the instant she had come into her mother's vision. Sarojini had thrown open the gate and rushed towards her, with Prakash trailing behind. Reassuring herself that her daughter and Prithvi were fine, she had profusely thanked Prithvi and placed a motherly hand over his head in gratitude and blessing. Just then, Prakash had caught hold of Nandini's hand and had started pulling her inside insistently. 

Almost at once, Sumer Singh had also come hurrying out of Ayodhya, and after assuring himself that both were fine, he had hustled Prithvi into the house, ranting about poor network coverage which had not let him stay in touch with his nephew in the past hour. 

Just before she entered the house, she had looked once in Prithvi's direction as he followed Sumer Singh inside the gate, and their eyes had met for the briefest instant. Then Prakash had tugged her arm, bringing her back into the present.

Once inside, there had been a flurry of talk and movement. She had spoken with her grandfather on the phone to reassure him that she had not been attacked, kidnapped or killed on the way home. Her mother had gone into the kitchen and brought tea and snacks and a vessel of hot water for her to soak her tired feet. And then Nandini had answered her mother and brother's unending questions about how she and Prithvi had made their way home. Nandini had done the best she could to give as truthful an account as possible, barring all those moments that would hopefully never leave her lips as long as she lived. Sarojini had also given her a mild scolding for not telling her in the beginning itself that Prithvi had been with her, as it would have relieved her mind completely. 

Prakash had remained at her side while her mother went to prepare dinner, and Nandini ended up creating a highly colourful and action-packed version of the events of the day to satisfy his boyish curiosity about the whole fiasco. Even during dinner, he hadn't moved from her side, and had insisted on eating from her hands. 

It was quite late when she had been able to return to her room and as she looked around for fresh clothes to take her evening bath, she had caught site of her reflection in the mirror. The image had shocked her. Drawing closer, she had found herself looking at a stranger. 

Her face seemed to be glowing with an almost frightening radiance, her black eyes seemed to have become larger, and her lips were redder than usual. Every single change seemed to have been laughing at her, proudly proclaiming themselves to be marks of Prithvi's permanent possession. She had been stamped with his imprint….now there was no going back….

She had stumbled and collapsed into a chair weakly, reeling from the unexpected comprehension that her life was never going to be the same again. When Sarojini had come to check in on her an hour later, she had still been sitting in the same pose, staring blankly into the opposite wall with her clothes bundled on her lap. Her questions had startled Nandini, and she had quickly risen to her feet mumbling incoherently, and had rushed into the bathroom for temporary succor.

And now, hours later, she was caught in another raging confusion.

Should she go to meet him at all at this late hour….what if her mother or brother saw her traipsing up the stairs to the terrace at this of the night when she was supposed to be sound asleep in bed. What would she tell them…. 

They had retired to their rooms quite a while ago even as she waited on tenterhooks. And though she was reasonably sure that they had fallen asleep, she had been pacing and fidgeting in the confines of her room for two hours so as to be absolutely convinced that no one would see her late-night expedition. And there was her own conscience demanding to know if it would be respectable and proper for her to go at this hour to meet a boy in the cover of darkness… 

All said and done, he had been born in wealth and luxury. Perhaps, even in royalty. And he had lived in a foreign land. On the other end of the spectrum was her family, which still lived on the foundation of orthodox values and traditions from an era that seemed to be vanishing into oblivion with every passing day. 

But you let him embrace and kiss you, another voice reminded her mockingly. And her fingers traced an unsure path across her forehead, her cheek and her lips….and a small smile of guilt and bemused enchantment lit her ravishing face again. 

It would be impossible to explain to anyone on earth, but her trust in Prithvi was curiously as strong as her faith in God almighty….  

But the longer she delayed her excursion, the worse it would be in case anyone came upon them. 

She had to leave her room now, or she wouldn't leave it at all, and possibly, she would be back in her room within a few minutes. Or perhaps, he would already have tired of waiting for her and left and she wouldn't have to face anything at all, she hoped.   

 Steeling her nerves, Nandini opened the door very slowly, wincing at the tiny squeaking sounds. She placed her right foot outside and tentatively looked at her mother's room on the opposite side, and then to her left towards Prakash's room. Both doors were shut. Feeling slightly better, she stepped out and gently closed the doors to her own room, leaving her in darkness. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the absence of light, and then, with very light steps, she uncomfortably made her way to the stairway leading to the terrace, feeling a shock of guilty fear every time something creaked around her. 

Just outside the terrace door, she stopped again, once more assailed by doubts of the correctness of what she was doing. After all, she had an option….she could still return to her room and try to sleep, ignoring the fact that he was waiting for her in the loneliness of the night….ignoring her own yearning to see him again even though they had parted just a couple of hours ago. 

No…. she was wrong….she didn't have an option at all…. 

She nervously rearranged the dupatta on her shoulders and patted her open hair to ensure it was in place. As the door opened, she hazily wondered why its handle seemed to be made of ice…or was it her hands that were freezing… 
  
As the door swung open, her anxious eyes scanned the moonlight-washed terrace…..the practical side of her hoping that he wouldn't be there, and the emotional half dreading the thought of his absence. 

The spot appeared empty.

Before she knew it, she was rushing into the open, feeling horribly distressed and angry with herself, not seeing the dark silhouette of a boy waiting patiently in a remote corner. 

He must have decided to leave after having waited for her for long, believing that she had regressed on her word…. Why had she wasted time wavering in her room..…

"Came to make sure I've left?" an ironic voice asked.

In joyful astonishment, she whirled to her right and saw Prithvi standing at the far side of the terrace. He was lounging against the wall bordering the terrace, arms crossed over his chest.  The heady relief and happiness that he had waited temporarily wiped out her worries and nervousness, and she walked hesitatingly towards him in a mixture of eagerness and anxiety.

Prithvi's hands fell to his side, and moving from the wall himself, he strolled towards her in absolute silence. Nandini came to a halt and waited with a painfully thumping heart as he made his way towards her. But when he was still some feet away, he paused and stood gazing at her.   For once, she felt grateful to the dim light, at least it would be merciful and help conceal the innate vulnerability that rose from having fair skin, which always gave away all her emotions remorselessly. But far from obscuring it, the austere light of the celestial bodies was only accentuating the ethereal beauty of her face. And Prithvi's eyes were tender and thoughtful as rested on her lovely features, and the jet-black tresses that were currently twisting about her because of the breeze.

"I thought you had gone back," she mumbled with a heart beating loud enough to wake everyone in Shamli.

"I suppose you were hoping I would have," he said dryly.

"That's not why I was late," Nandini blustered uneasily, struggling to hide the guilt.
  
"It doesn't matter. You came," he said simply, "I…hadn't really thought you would." 

"I am not that big a coward," she lied proudly, striving to sound offended that he thought so poorly of her, but secretly feeling eaten up with shame that she had come so close to giving in to her cautious side and doing what he expected. "But what is it that you wished to talk to me about?" she asked quickly, frantic to change the topic under discussion. 

She cast a fearful glance towards the door. They were standing at a far corner of the big terrace and no one who walked in would see them immediately. But what if Sarojini woke in the middle of the night, and came to check on herself and Prakash, and found her daughter's bed empty…..

Prithvi followed her gaze, and when she returned her attention to him, she saw the suggestion of an amused smile racing across his lips. 

Blessing the cover of darkness that concealed the embarrassed colour on her face, she looked down at her tightly clenched hands. "It's not because I'm afraid," she said speedily. "I have to go back soon - and - and if anyone comes up here and see us -"

"You don't need to explain," he cut in smoothly. "I won't keep you here for long. It's just…there is something you need to know about – my background," 

His charismatic face looked ominously serious, and she felt unaccountably tense. Did he want to talk about his family, which she suspected held a place and position greatly above her own. 

"Your background?" she repeated weakly.

"There are some things you should know if we -" he stopped uncomfortably, and then appearing to reinforce himself, he spoke again and the casually spoken words sent a crushing burst of horror through her.

"There are certain people in my life who want nothing more than to see me dead," he stated impassively. "You've only met one of them – Indrajit. There are others…who are more dangerous than him. I couldn't care less what happens to me. But anyone in my life…anyone I -" he halted again, struggling to find the right words.

Nandini looked at him mutely, as the unconcern in his tone as he uttered such chilling words ripped at her heart. A tearful constriction rose in her throat at the thoughts of what he must have gone through to annihilate the desire to live….to laugh….to love…
  
 "Anyone I…care about…will also face danger and may have to pay the price for the sole crime of being by my side," he went on brusquely after the tricky silence. "I know I've made everything difficult for you, but it was important that you know this."  

Difficult…..Yes…it was difficult….it was difficult that she wanted time to come to a still so she could look at him forever…. 

"You can think about it and let me know. And if you've decided already that you - don't want to go ahead, and if you want to end everything in this instant, I'll understand. You only have to turn around and walk away, and rest assured, even the mention of this evening will not come up again," he said quietly.

In a flash of agonizing pain, Nandini realized that he was giving her the chance to go back to their every day lives, pretending that nothing had ever happened….. 

How could he even think it would make any difference to her. And how could she reveal that even a few moments spent by his side meant more to her than several lifetimes without him. 

Hot tears clouded her vision as she stood torn between societal mores and her heart. Then tugged by forces that were far stronger than her inherent modesty, she began moving towards him numbly. 

Prithvi looked at her tears in endearing confusion as she neared. "What's wrong," he asked in bewilderment.

But Nandini continued walking until she was standing right in front of him, and gazed at him lovingly through her tears.

The confusion in his face deepened, and his brows knit in a frown. "Nandini, why are you cry-" 

Before he could complete the question, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

His hands remained at his side at first. Then they tentatively wound around her, but so lightly that she remained very still, fearing that he would move away if she even fidgeted.

"Is this your nice way of saying goodbye?" he enquired lightly, but the underlying wariness in the outwardly teasing tenor increased the ache inside her.

The words rose to her lips on their own. 

"If being by your side puts me in danger, I don't want to be safe ever again," she whispered with her cheek resting against a strong shoulder. 

There was a moment's hiatus, and then she felt the unbearable strain in his tough form drain away. "Are you sure?" he asked in a serious undertone against her hair. 

"Yes," she murmured huskily into his chest and smiled with pleasure as he gathered her closer with gratifying force. 

Several minutes later had passed before he moved back and looked into her shining face. His fingers gently ran across the side of her face. 

"It's late. Go back inside," he muttered, pulling away reluctantly. 

Blushing, she nodded meekly. But as she began turning away, another pressing question that had been gnawing at her mind for long suddenly raised its head and she halted. 

When she spun around, it was to see Prithvi standing at the same spot, waiting for her to return to the house before leaving himself. He looked at her questioningly.  

"Prithvi, can I ask you something?" 

"What about?" he asked tentatively. 

"Why does Indrajit want to - to kill you?" she stammered.

"Nothing serious. He doesn't like me much."

"But why?" she asked urgently.

"Plain jealousy. Because I'm incredibly more brilliant and good-looking than him," he nodded.

She couldn't stop herself and chuckled, inwardly understanding that he wasn't telling her the truth so as to keep her as far away from danger as possible. "You are so much sweeter too," she said loyally through her giggles.

"You do know I find that word insulting, don't you?" he asked tetchily. 

Nandini nodded, and then, with a playful laugh divulged, "I find that very sweet too." 

As Prithvi frowned in disgust, goaded by the lightheartedness in the air, she impulsively asked another question that had been tormenting her incessantly over the last couple of days. 

"Are you related to any royal family, Prithvi?" 

In the next second, she winced in dismay at the reckless question and began to erase its stupidity with a request for forgiveness.

But the shock on his face stopped the apology on her lips and gave corroboration to her fears even before he replied. 

"How – how do you know that?" Prithvi spluttered. 

"So it's true," she said faintly, feeling stunned despite having expected it. It was one thing to conjure distressing ideas in the security of her head, and quite another thing to bear its affirmation.

"Nandini, who told you that?" he asked sharply.

 "No one told me anything," she said dully, all merriment forgotten. "That night when those two men had broken into Ayodhya, one of them called you 'your highness'. It happened right before I fainted. I had forgotten….until something happened that brought up the memory. And that day….Indrajit and all those men. The way they were dressed…the swords…everything. It was the only explanation that made sense."  

Prithvi continued to stare at her and she wondered in despair if she had destroyed her happiness even before it had started.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You're not angry, are you?" she enquired uncertainly.

"I'm not angry, I'm impressed," he said slowly. 

"Impressed?" she repeated suspiciously, and peered into his face to check for signs of amusement, but found none. He really was impressed, she realized, and felt a spurt of delight and pride, before the gravity of what they were talking about wiped away the feeling. 

The vague recollections of the taunts leveled by Indrajit about the blood running in Prithvi's veins that had occasionally troubled her thoughts in the past few days also came to the fore now. Since they had the same father, she had naturally assumed the jibes could only have been targeted at Prithvi's mother, who must have been a commoner like her….but something told her matters weren't that simple. 

"You want to ask something more, don't you?" he asked amusedly.

She nodded and sensitively asked, "Prithvi, who is it that actually belongs to – your mother or father?" 

"Both, actually," he answered casually.

"Both your parents belonged to royal families?" Nandini asked in dismay, and felt abruptly short of breath. The truth of his birth was rising before her with terrifying power, and seemed to solidify into an invisible wall that was separating them. She backed away from him and dazedly turned and walked towards the boundary of the terrace and stared at the shadowed structures of nearby houses and the temple. Her body felt robbed of all heat and she rubbed her arms absently, battling to keep calm. 

Lost in depressing thoughts, she didn't sense Prithvi's movement and felt startled when he came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. As he nestled his face in the fragrant curve of her neck and shoulder, warm colour flooded Nandini's face, and she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly in the passionate imprisonment of his arms.

"Neither of the families holds any importance in my life," he said softly. "I've seen hardly any of them, apart from my brother, more than once in years now." 

"But that doesn't change the fact that you are highborn," she whispered, brought back to harsh reality. "And I'm only -"

"You know nothing about what you are," 

"Yes, I know. At least I know what you think - that I'm an idiot and a coward," she said gloomily.

"Actually, I think you're kind of cute," he murmured teasingly.  

Nandini twisted and glared at him, trying to muster some anger at the pitiful flattery. But she failed in face of the devilish grin that sent her heartbeats racing again, and quickly looked away to the front again.

"You always do this….tease me to your heart's content and cast me aside when you're done playing," she mumbled resentfully. "I have the same place in your world that a toy has in a child's life." 

"What I feel for you has no relation whatsoever with the innocence of a child," he whispered roguishly, and kissed a soft cheek.

Pink-faced and flustered, Nandini looked around keenly and tried to think of something less dangerous to talk about. The houses, the temple, the trees…all bathed in the light of the moon….how beautiful everything looked….they seemed to glow with an exquisiteness that she had never noticed up until this night. This could have been the most wonderful moment of her life….

If only….if only she hadn't asked him about his family….

"Prithvi, you're not actually- I mean, you are just distantly related to – to royalty, aren't you?" she asked with desperate hope.

"Very distantly. So distantly that it doesn't even matter," he said calmly, tightening his embrace.   

"So you wont go away some day and leave – everything here?" she asked anxiously, incited into looking at him yet again. 

Prithvi withdrew his hands from around her waist, and his fingers slid warmly up her arms and he turned her around gently by the shoulders. His right hand reached up to her chin and tipped it up so she was looking into riveting eyes that were lit with an extraordinary luster.  

"Not until you ask me to, because you want more rent or better tenants," he confirmed solemnly. "At this moment, almost everyone who matters to me lives within the two houses owned by your family." 

Nandini gazed at his magnificently handsome face affectionately, and they smiled at each other, their faces separated by merely inches. Then the intensity of his gaze made her redden, and she dropped her eyes nervously. Prithvi also let his hands fall away from her and retreated slightly, silently giving her the freedom to return to her room.  

But another relatively small worry was niggling at her. 

Shouldn't she have received some affirmation of his feelings in words at all? He didn't love her, at least not as yet, and not the way she loved him, and she didn't expect any declarations about the same. Nevertheless, he could still have said something about what he did feel for her….

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" she asked hopefully.
 
"Well, if you came prepared for something more, then I admit I wouldn't mind repeating some bit of what happened earlier," he contemplated, and the sizzling gaze that moved down her face and stopped at her lips didn't leave any doubts about which part he was talking about.

"No!" she squeaked, moving out of his reach immediately.

"Are you sure? It's peaceful here and we have so much time," he said enthusiastically, stalking her as she hurriedly moved backwards towards the door of the terrace.

Not seeing the mischievous laughter in his eyes, Nandini felt alarmed for the first time since she had rushed into the terrace. Her back banged into the door finally and she twisted her hand behind her back to grab its handle and open it.

"I think I heard some sound downstairs. Could be mother….or Prakash. He has the habit of going to drink water in the kitchen on some nights. And he sometimes calls me to go with him because he gets scared of the dark. I'll go and check. Good night," she hastily rattled and closed the door and fled before he could get in another word or come forward another step.

"Good night," Prithvi wished the shut door with a grin and murmured, "But I don't think you'll be getting any sleep tonight."  
 
Then he looked up at the gorgeous night sky and sighed, "At any rate, I won't." 

And all the billions of stars in Shamli's sky twinkled down at him in affirmation. 
 
     
*********************************