Warrior Hearts

Unwilling Partners

"You're the one who I don't understand. It's impossible to figure out a multi-faceted woman like yourself." On its own volition, laughter escapes my lips as I recall Malhotra's words. Shaking my head, I bite down on my lower lip. Lord, the man called his lover shallow without even realising it. What a joker!

"I-Is everything alright, Your Highness?" Celeste asks timidly, trailing close behind my heels. Clearing my throat, I wipe the grin off my face at once.

"Absolutely," I reply, squaring my shoulders. My lady-in-waiting must surely believe that I've lost my mind, for bursting out in absolutely random fits of laughter is surely not symbolic of sanity. Truth be told, Celeste could quite possibly be right. I mean, just the fact that I'm replaying Malhotra's words proves my lack of mental stability.

"Will emeralds do?" Once again, my shoulders begin to shake with mirth. From where in the world did such an absurd thought creep into Malhotra's rusty brain? His lover may very well be starved for such materialistic possessions. However, I have absolutely no interest in them. Also, if I did have any such desires, I would simply fulfil them on my own. Perhaps Malhotra forgets that he needs my kingdom to gain power, and not the other way around.

"Power stole my most valuable treasure from me - my father - and so how can you say it means nothing?" As much as I absolutely hate to admit this, Malhotra's right. Power, for any man, is the ultimate weapon, and once in hand, it can move mountains as per the owner's demand. I can't blame him for being such a power hungry king. After all, he's right; had he not been a helpless prince at the time, perhaps his father would be with him today. Grimacing, I purse my lips. What in the world am I thinking? Regardless of whatever transpired in Malhotra's past, his actions of the present are not justified.

"We have arrived, Your Highness." Celeste says, coming to a stop in front of a door.

"So this is Malhotra's study." I murmur, casting my gaze around the exterior of it. A guard is stationed on either side of the door, almost as if Malhotra is doing any work of importance in his study. In fact, I can bet half my treasures that he merely lazes around all day, while his advisors do all the work behind the scenes, and make him seem like an honourable man in front of the public.

"Your Highness." A guard says, spreading his arm out in front of the doorway, as I step towards it. Raising an eyebrow, I trail my gaze from the makeshift barricade in front of me all the way up to his face.

"Yes?" I question, folding my arms in front of my chest. How dare this man block my path? I guess Malhotra's staff is as cocky as him.

"Y-You cannot..." The guard stutters, trailing off as he turns to face his comrade, seeking out the latter's aid. Adorning a tight smile, I fix my gaze on the other guard. Let's see what he has got to say to me.

"Yes?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"He means to say, let us get the door for you." The second guard says, hastily grabbing ahold of the handle and pulling the door open. Nodding at him, I head into Malhotra's study. Unlike his comrade, this one's a wise man.

"What the fuck?" Malhotra hisses, as I glance around, taking in my surroundings. Languidly, I trail my gaze along the interior of the work space that I am in. My eyes widen in surprise as they land on a cosy alcove, which is on my right. Truth be told, this corner has a great view of the surrounding gardens as well. However, the real cherry on the cake is the miniature pond, which is located right in front of the alcove. A grin spreads itself across my lips as I catch sight of three turtles, who are having the time of their lives in the crystal clear water. Who would've thought that such a vile man, such as Malhotra, can own this pleasant work space?

Clasping my hands together, I allow my eyes to wander towards the floor length bookshelves that are facing me. Oh well, these are most certainly for show. After all, Malhotra, I'm sure, fails to read a sign on the road, much less a collection of novels. As I turn towards my right, a sigh of disgust escapes my lips, my shoulders slouching forwards at the mere sight of the man in front of me. This is by far the worst corner of the room, for Malhotra has his work table set up here. Oddly, however, it is littered with parchments. Perhaps those - just like the bookshelves, and the books on them - are just for the sake of show. So that no one dares to question his dedication to the crown, which he's done nothing, whatsoever, to earn. I'd say it's a charity, but then again, so is mine.

"I said, what the fuck?" Malhotra spits, his eyes popping out of their sockets at the mere sight of me. Rolling my eyes, I make my way towards the alcove.

"I don't suffer from short-term memory loss, Malhotra." I say, as I eye the swimming turtles. "So you don't have to keep repeating yourself like an irritating dog."

"How dare you enter my study?" Malhotra yells, making me wince. Although my back is turned towards him, I can bet my life that his chest is heaving with helpless rage. Smiling down at the tiny creatures, I lower myself onto a vacant footstool.

"Hello there," I say, trailing my fingers along the surface of the cool water. "How's life with this rotten tomato?" One of the turtles, which was desperately trying to climb the side of the pond, slips back into the water with a splash. "That bad, huh?" I ask, laughing at his demonstration at how life truly is with Malhotra.

"Oh for God's sake, you're truly a gone case." Malhotra says exasperatedly, from the other side of the room. "If only I'd known that I'm bringing home an animal-talking nut job." Raising my eyebrow, I turn my head towards Malhotra.

"You'd have not married me?" I question, smiling at him innocently. "Or seduced me falsely?" Pursing his lips, Malhotra narrows his eyes at me.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asks, his eyes absolutely dead serious. Well, if Malhotra means business, then I shall be more than happy to comply with him.

"I'm here to work," I announce, glancing around the interior of the room. "It's shabby, but it'll do, I guess." Shrugging my shoulders, I release a melodramatic sigh of helplessness.

"Pardon?" Malhotra questions, tilting his right ear towards me. Rolling my eyes, I meet his gaze.

"Malhotra, if you thought that I'd roam these hallways, aimlessly, all day - for the rest of my life - then you're highly mistaken. Like you've told me before, this is our kingdom and so I have every right to work in its favour and have a say in all the decisions that you make for it. As unfortunate as this may seem, we are in a partnership now." Plastering a smile onto my face, I spread my arms out on either side of my body. "So here I am!" In response to my words, I watch Malhotra stare at me blankly. Lord, the man is in a state of shock.

"However, regardless of this new arrangement of ours." I continue, as Malhotra registers the blow from my words. "I won't be in your way. I mean, this side of the room," I explain, gesturing towards the alcove. "Is mine for the keeping, and your side stays yours, of course." Rising to my feet, I make my way towards the bookshelf. "Oh, also, Celeste will be bringing down a few trunks from my chambers. You do remember the books that I packed?" Folding my arms in front of my chest, I turn to face Malhotra, innocently. "You see, Malhotra, I need a space for them and what's better than these bookshelves? Rest assured, I'll handle all the rearranging and you can just continue on with your work." I nod my chin towards the papers that are laid out in front of him. "You seem busy, so please, go ahead."

Now recovering from the shock, I watch as Malhotra leans towards me from the other side of the table. Placing his elbows on it, my enemy entwines his fingers as he watches me, amusement flickering in his brown orbs.

"And by doing this...this drama," he begins, smirking. "Or by trying to upset my lifestyle, do you think you're gaining the upper hand?" Mirroring Malhotra's smirk, I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly.

"Trying to?" I repeat, allowing a surprised smile to spread across my face. "I thought I already did."