Warrior Hearts

Sight For Sore Eyes

Manik's POV

Sighing, I rise from my chair. If I stay within the confines of this room - staring at crawling letters that have now begun to swim in front of my eyes - I will be sure to lose my mind. As I slip into my coat, habitually, my eyes land on the gap underneath the door. Sure enough, I see a shadow lurking outside. Anusha. As per routine, she is awaiting my company on the other side.

"You're here!" Anusha squeals, as I exit the study, shutting its door behind me. Offering her a tight smile, I gesture for us to make a move.

"Where else would I go?" I murmur, allowing my shoulders to slouch forwards with fatigue. Frankly speaking, I owe half of my exhaustion to Nandini. Ever since the day I met her, she has invested every last ounce of strength into upsetting my life. Oh well, who am I to complain? At the end of the day, this situation of ours is all my doing.

"Has Dadi thrown a feast tonight?" I question, halting with a jerk.

"Um...Not that I know of, Your Highness." Anusha replies, as I strain my ears to close-in on the source of the commotion. I can very well hear laughter, clattering dishes and loud chatter. What in God's name is going on in my house?

"Then what's this noise for?" I murmur, more to myself than to Anusha, as I march in the direction of the dining hall. Sure enough, as I near my destination of choice, the voices grow louder.

"I call dibs on the last bun!" Is that not Veer's voice? What the hell is he doing in the dining hall?

"Shut up! It's all mine for the taking." Smiling, I shake my head at the sound of Jiya's feisty reply. Of course, she's ever ready to break forth into an argument. 

"Hush, the two of you." At once, the smile gets ripped off my lips. Nandini. "I will be breaking this bun in half, so you both are winners. Agreed?"

"Done deal!" Veer and Jiya chorus in unison. As confused as a sailor without a compass on the ocean, I near the entrance of the dining hall.

"What's going on in there?" I question the guard, nodding my head towards the source of this racket.

"Your Highness, your family has assembled inside for dinner." The guard replies, bowing his head. Scoffing, I let out a disbelieving bark of laughter.

"Dinner...impossible," I murmur under my breath. This man doesn't know what he's talking about. No one in this house has assembled for a snack in years, much less an entire meal. Waving him aside, I step into the light, my eyes taking in the scene that I am now faced with. At once, a gasp of surprise escapes my lips, as I cast my gaze from one end of the dining table to the other.

"Good God," I whisper, leaning against the doorframe. The guard's right - everyone has gathered for dinner tonight. Almost as if I'm seeing a mirror image from my memory, Dadi is seated at the head of the table - just like she used to before - surrounded by a crowd of children; all fighting for the last bite from the various dishes that are spread across the table. Whereas the adults of the household are gathered on the other end of the table. This side, of course, is much quieter. Nonetheless, though, everyone's engaged in conversation here as well. Although I try to strain my ears so as to pick up a few words of conversation, I can't hear much over the mixed buzz of everyone's lively chatter and the children's enthusiastic yelling.

On its own volition, a smile tugs at the corners of my lips as I witness my family all gathered in one place after years. Clearing my throat, I glance down towards the floor as my vision grows cloudy. Good God, whatever's the matter with me? How can I - Manik Malhotra - get emotional over what I'm currently witnessing? How foolish of me!

"What is going on in there?" Anusha asks, as she leans into my side.

"You know, Anusha, when my father was around, we'd assemble just like this - within the walls of this very dining hall - for every meal." I explain, casting my gaze around the dining table, still unsure as to whether or not I'm hallucinating. "The walls of our house would echo with joy three times a day." Sighing, my eyes land on the chair that's positioned opposite Dadi. It's empty. Of course it is. After all, that's Father's chair, and no one else has the right to occupy it. He may be gone, but this house can never - and will never - replace him.

"So you're telling me that wife of your's is digging up skeletons. I mean to say, news has reached me that she's the one who has gathered everyone for this meal." Anusha says, the words rolling off her tongue like venom. "She's stepping on your aching nerve. In any case, don't worry, Your Highness. I'll speak to her tomorrow and reprimand her at once for mocking your wounds in such a manner." 

On cue, my eyes land on Nandini. She's seated at the centre of the table, dividing the young ones from the adults. I watch as she scoops up a spoonful of gravy, and drives it into Shivam's mouth. Grinning, Nandini caresses his head, as he gulps the food down obediently. In the next second, I watch as Chachi grabs Nandini's attention, leaning into her side so as to be better heard over the noise. In response to something that Nandini then says, Chachi chucks her head back, her shoulders shaking with loud laughter. 

"No," I reply. "Leave her be." Unable to wipe the smile off my face, I shrug my shoulders. "It's nice to see everyone like this." Frankly, this is a sight for sore eyes.

"B-But, Your Highness..." Anusha trails off, as I raise my hand, silencing her protest. In this given moment, I simply wish to focus on the miracle that's unfolding in front of me. Unblinking, I continue to view my family from afar, my gaze repeatedly finding its way back to Nandini. It's quite obvious that she is shying away from conversing with the adults, while engaging with the children seems to come more naturally to her. I didn't know Nandini had such a soft spot for the littles ones. Shaking my head, I dispel this thought at once. What the hell am I thinking? I barely know anything about the woman, and neither am I the least bit interested in educating myself on her. What do I care? 

"Manik!" Dadi calls out, pinning me with her ever observant gaze. Grinning, she beckons for me to join them. "We were just one member short, and here you are." Smiling, I nod my head at Dadi.

"I'm coming," I reply enthusiastically.

"Your Highness," Anusha says, drawing my attention back towards her, before I can so much as step across the threshold of the dining hall.

"Uh." Pausing briefly, I turn to face Anusha. "Let's meet later in the night. Alright?" Without awaiting her reply, I hurry into the dining hall, eager to join my family.