The Two Kingdoms (Completed)

8.

Meera woke up with a thudding headache, rays of light were falling on her eyes and her head felt like it would explode. Mera groaned with pain and she could hear shuffling but didn't dare to open her eyes.

She tried to sit up on the soft surface she presumed was her bed, and a hand quickly came to assist her, she recoiled at the touch.

"Meera kya ho gaya hai ?" (Meera what happened ?)

"Kanika." A confused groggy Meera asked.

"Let me help you." Kanika said and helped Meera sit against the head rest of the bed.
"Kya ho Gaya hai Meera, kal raat -."

"Oh my god!" Meera cried and her eyes shot open, and pain shot through her head like current, she clutches her head and groaned in pain.

"Meera? I was so scared, after an hour of waiting outside that tent yesterday, when I entered you were sitting alone, not talking not blinking, it felt like you weren't breathing and then you fainted. I  was so scared, I called the guards but nobody dared to touch you or help me, then the Mughal chief came in and helped me by carrying you to the tent. Meera I -."

"I married him."

"What."

"He made me." Meera whispered, a lone tear slipped out of her eye but her face was expressionless.

"Meera what are you saying ? Please! You are scaring me right now."

"He made me do it, he made me marry him."

"Who ?"

"Haider Ali Khan." She said and looked at her friend, her eyes were red, she was holding back tears and anger, anger against the man who was now her husband.

"Meera are you -."

"Salam Rajkumari." Hania entered the tent interrupting Kanika.
"The King has asked for your presence in the main tent, you father is waiting for you as well."

"Leave ." Meera said in a rough tone taking Hania by surprise, how did the sweet princess sound so bitter overnight she wondered.

"Kanika please get my clothes ready." Meera said in a calm tone and moved towards her bath.

Meera slipped into a completely white lehnga and pulled the dupatta down covering her face, she then walked towards the main tent along with Kanika hot on her heals.

Kanika was worried for her best friend, she had never seen Meera so broken not when Meera had lost her favourite horse, not when Rani maa insulted her in public, not even when the prince of Amer Shivang Pratap Chauhan had left her days before their marriage.

Kanika followed her friend into the main tent and pulled her dupatta too to cover her face, back at home they never followed such rituals of covering the face or head, but here among foreign men, they felt safer doing so.

She remembered the tent from yesterday but taking in the entire tent today it felt huge and so royal.
The interior was ruby red, a huge chandelier hung above and the whole space reflected  its light. It was beautiful. Her thought were broken by the guard announcing their presence.

She looked up and saw a couple of men bent upon a table looking at parchments.

"Oh you are early !" One of the man around the table said, she recognised the voice from yesterday. She looked up from her veil to look at the all mighty Sultan Haider Ali Khan.

He was a sight for sore eyes, dusky skin tone, tall, broad shoulders, his eyes were a different shade of green with specs of brown, a sharp nose and a chiseled jaw.
Kanika did not notice that he has covered the distance and stood a couple of steps away from her, right in front of Meera.