Deceiving Veils

Chapter -64{Nowhere else to be}

And it's 100K for Deceiving Veils! 🎉🎉✨

I want to thank each and every reader of DV. Thanks for being part of this journey... 💕💕

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Exuberant green mountains smiled at Nandini as she looked at the endless view. Wind was brisky, nothing like those bone-piercing winds of North. Sun was on horizon about to set. She could see a town leisurely expanded across the green vale. How she couldn't smile back at view like that!

She smiled and her horse neighed as if acknowledging the change. Her hair were braided in a long french braid and some loose strands tickled her face. 

"The eighth day"

Nandini came out of her thoughts as she heard Manik speaking. She looked beside her and found him gazing the same scenic beauty with a content. 

"The eighth day brought a smile on your lips," He uttered looking at her. She smiled for him again.

Harshad's demise had left each one of them in grief. Nandini couldn't bring herself to smile when she knew Aashi was mourning and she herself couldn't come at terms with departures, not yet. They had resumed their journey back then after giving a proper cremation to Harshad. Time had been tough ever since. 

"How could I not!" She exclaimed inhaling the fresh air. 

Manik rode his horse quite close to hers and patted the white beauty. He had chosen the horse for Nandini when she told she couldn't travel in cart any longer. It was suffocating her. It was a white horse, possibly the eldest one in the lot. Her request to resume her journey on a horse had met several responses. Veer wanted his horse to escort Nandini to the east while Aabid Bhai was adamant on how she should travel in cart itself. 

She amid everything had looked at him when he was patiently trying not to hover her. He had tried to rein her and almost lost her. He wouldn't want her to be away from her destiny anymore. He knew he couldn't help protecting her but he definitely was trying to give her space. 

When she looked at him adjuring to help her out, She didn't know a thing about those creatures but she was fascinated. She wanted to lead her pack like a leader despite sitting in a cart. He chose the eldest horse in the convoy for her, knowing she knew very less of horse riding and was not prepared to take a juvenile and enthusiastic horse. That white horse was calm and equipped to take her on rough paths without making her anxious and it did. Manik caressed horse's creek and smiled a bit. 

"He is serving you well," He asked looking at Nandini who was busy admiring the mountains. They were standing on edge of mountain which was displaying a snippet of their destination. They were almost home, new home, for the time being. 

"He is," She replied smilingly. 

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"Almost home," Veer informed excitedly as he joined Nandini on the concrete path. 

"You've no idea how excited my people are to see you and your father," He added with admiring smile. Nandini smiled back. 

"I hope I live up to their expectations," She murmured and Veer replied, "You surely will."

They had left the rough paths behind and now were walking on metaled roads. Nandini could see fields adorned with grain as dusk allowed a bit of golden of it. Her nostrils could catch the fine smell of civilization. It had been long she had lived in an actual home. 

"I will be waiting," He said with a smile and accelerated his horse on those roads. She could see him disappearing in the grey of evening. She looked around and found people smiling knowing they had reached their abode. Those soldiers had been away from their families for rescuing her. She still didn't know if she held that much worth or not but then she inhaled deep. She couldn't keep doubting herself over and over when she knew there were so many people who had vested their hope in her.