Captured

Chapter 3

"Hukum," Kumar knocked on the door and Ranvijay looked up at him. "Prince Randheer is here."

"Oh, ask him to wait. I will be meeting him in a second. I just have to finish this. Veer, take these reports and tally them." He handed over some documents to Veer and strode out. He frowned when his eyes met the empty lounge, "Where is he?"

"In...in the south wing." Kumar replied, not matching his eyes and Ranvijay breathed hard in boiling hot anger. "Why there? I have ordered to bring him to the palace but haven't asked him to stay put in the dungeon." His voice raised and Veer materialized in the room, his eyes moving between both the men. "What's wrong?"

"He escorted Randheer to the security room." Ranvijay seethed, gesturing an arm to Kumar who was shifting uncomfortably to his legs. Veer eyed him incredibly. "Kumar. You know it's disrespectful. Why did you…"

"I beg your pardon, Hukum but the prince refused to hear us. We didn't have any choice, hukum. He refused to stay in the Palace, Hukum. We've pleaded with him but he said if you want to meet him, it will happen only at one place." Kumar explained desperately.

A flash of remorse and anguish ran through Ranvijay before he hid his emotions expertly pulling on a facade of hollowness. He should've seen it coming. He knew Randheer was offended on discrete invitation. "It's not your fault, Kumar. He is so stubborn."

"Okay, I'm so confused right now." Veer raised his arms. "Why did he refuse to wait in his suite?"

"Because I called him for interrogation." Veer's eyes widened and he gloated at Ranvijay. "You did what?"

"You heard me." Ranvijay countered, miming Kumar to leave and fell on the sofa, throwing his head back. "I called him secretly because I wanted some answers not because I wanted to confront him. Idiot!"

"Bro, everything's going over my head." Veer boringly scratched his nape. "What answers do you need?" Ranvijay gave him an irritated look and ended up reiterating everything. Veer's jaw hung low and he gaped at Ranvijay in disbelief. "Dad knows about this?"

"Absolutely not!" Ranvijay snapped and rose to his feet. "What should I tell him? That my brother wants to kill me? That my grandmother used him? That my cousin influenced him? Whole Maangarh is working on their agenda; kill Ranvijay and get the throne. As if I want that damn throne." He barked out the last part.

Veer came up to him and squeezed his shoulder in sympathy. "Don't make up your mind yet. You know how Raghvendra is. I'm sure it's a trap. Randheer will never do this to you. He isn't greedy for the throne. He's not greedy for anything. He really loves you, bhai.

"I know." Ranvijay murmured, closing his eyes and sighed. "I just want to believe this. Without him, Maangarh will be just another hell for me. Nothing else.”

“That place can never be hell to you. It was your home.” The same place where your grandmother tried to kill you. “It was where you belonged to.” The same place where your mother died. “It is your… salvation.” The same place that still haunts you. Ranvijay kept interpreting each line with his own until he was surrounded in darkness of his dark, disturbing past.

"I need to go to see him." He heaved a sigh and decamped to the security room. Bhushan opened the door for him, leading him to wooden cabin where guards arrested off duty. Ranvijay's eager eyes spotted Randheer seated on the stuffed couch, folding his elbows over his knees and hands dangling between his legs, waiting patiently for his brother's arrival. Something twitched in his heart.