Let's Stay Together

Chapter 1

Devyani stared out of the window, at the heavily pouring rain. She rested her head against the window grilles as she strained her ears to listen to the commotion outside, but, in vain, all she could hear were the muffled sounds of her parents.

Paying no more attention to her parents' conversation due to the futility of her effort, she turned her attention to her room. She wanted to etch every detail of her room in her mind, before she left for her marital home the following day, as she couldnt take any of it with her.

She was being given a very grant trousseau as well before she left for her husband's house but she was not allowed to take anything from her current room because according to her mother she was starting a new life and her new life was to commence with only new and rich things.

Her father was a very rich money lender in her village but unfortunately for her and her parents that was not enough to get her exciting proposals from prospective grooms. She was born as a mute and no man wanted a wife with a handicap causing her parents to worry incessantly regarding her future and her unmarried status had also proven to be a hurdle for her parents to get a good proposal for her sister as well.

The current marriage alliance her parents had fixed for her was one that she was particularly not interested in but she had to relent to it in order to appease her parents as she did not wish to be a cause of distress for them anymore.

The man she was going to be wedded to was the head of the royal family of their province and was as old as her father and had already been married twice before.The maids that served her family had told her, in a bid to rile her up and break up the engagement, that he had two grown sons as well-who would now summon a very very young Devyani as their mother and they would be the ones who would inherit all his riches and title upon his death and not Devyani or any of her future offsprings. Devyani had brushed aside all their whisperings. She did not care for any of that. Even though she was deeply disturbed by the creepiness of the whole arrangement of her marriage, she had no option but to try and lead a simple and content life with whoever her parents had chosen for her. She was tired of all the sympathetic glances from her relatives and the misery she was putting her family through.

Right then, she heard a knock on her door. As soon as she opened the large and ancient door of her room, she came face to face with her sister, Dhanusree who looked very pained and upset to be anywhere in Devyani's vicinity.

"Come with me, quick. Mother and Father are summoning you.", she said hurriedly, before grabbing one of Devyani's wrists and pulling her towards their Parents' room.

Devyani was greeted by her sombre looking father and her very anguished looking mother, in their room.

"Dear, we have something to tell you. The wedding is not happening tomorrow ", her father said gravely, looking everywhere but at her. She looked up at him questioningly. Her father sighed and patted her head.

"Sweetheart, A messenger came from the Royal household. Your betrothed passed away earlier this evening." and as soon as he uttered those words, her mother started weeping uncontrollably. Her father tried to provide her the comfort of some soothing words but she just walked out of their room and shut herself in her room.She tried to cry at her misfortune but she could not as she only felt relief spread all over her body.