She waited for something she didn't wanted but it never came.
"look. You can not stop me." he asserted.
He ruffled her hair as kaya opened her eyes, he gave the paper to her as he sat back on the small charpai. Observing her.
"...." She analysed the text carefully and gasped.
"You are giving us a new place to live in?"
"Yes. Not just that. Your family will have your own servants and you will have your own agricultural fields." He explained.
"I don't want any of that." Kaya said in a form voice. " I know why you are doing all this so I'm not going to accept any of it." She rolled the royal message.
"What do you mean?" Rudra was shocked. Who would want to reject all of this, infact marrying him would have been enough for someone like kaya. However he still even went overboard and thought of her family as well.
"Just as you heard. I'm not accepting any of it." she said firmly, throwing the rolled royal paper at his feet as she turned around to leave.
Rudra was speechless and pissed too. What would a women want if not all of this? He was not like other men, he was not only willing to give her whatever she desired but also was going to give her all his love and affection.
"What a women..."
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"Mother, what is there for dinner?" She entered the kitchen and subconsciously took a carrot. She glanced at Arya who was chopping the vegetables.
She kept her eyes but Arya didn't even spare her a glance.
"Anything the princess wants. The princess wants to eat something sweet with " Her mother said affectionately.
"Princess, do you need any help? You look tired...?" She knew the journey was tiring. She had herself travelled the same way to come here.
Yet she could not find a single indication of exhaustion ok her face.
'She is pretending!' kaya knew it. The princess despite of her feminine traits liked to act tough.
Kaya swiftly sat beside her but Arya didn't gave her any response.
"Princess, let me do it." Kaya offered. "You should go and rest.
"no. I can do it on my own." she rejected in a flat tone. Her eyes were glued to the vegetables. It looked like the princess was giving a cold shoulder to Kaya.
"Yes, you can do it, but I think you should not do it. Please go and have some rest." Kaya's voice softened.
"..." The princess in her eyes, finally. She kept staring at her for any sign of lying. When she thought she was satisfied she nodded and washed her hands.
"You two look very close. Princess Arya, how did you both became so close?" Kahini asked.
"I found her in the abundant carriage--"
"I-in the the temple! They then used a c-carriage ... to take me to the palace to look after me! I told you already mother." Kaya interrupted nervously as she glanced at Arya.
' please help me.' she mouthed but arya didn't say anything which made her even nervous.
When Arya opened her lips to say something, arya was dreading whatever she was going to say next. "I took her to the place and there i took care of her, kaki." She concluded.
Kaya was beyond relieved. The princess was strict but not evil....
Arya watched her and a soft discreet smile played on her lips. It was so much fun to trouble her.
"Meet me at the rooftop, after you are done." Arya ordered.
"But aren't you going to have some rest?" She asked with genuine concern.
"You know I can't sleep during the day, don't worry, I'll have a proper sleep at night." Arya added noticing her expression.
"Alright I will." Kaya passes a swift smile.
Just like that Arya left after giving her kahini a quick glance.
"...."
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Kaya stepped up on the roof quitely and the silhouette of arya came in her view. Her chiffon dupatta hanged from her left shoulder.leaving her back bare.
Kaya was not someone who would gawk at something but the exception was made here for the first time. She felt like a pervert to herself.
Yet she could not help but keep staring her graceful curves. A strange wind washed her face.
Arya's long hair was tied loosely at the bottom. A few strand of her brushed her cheeks playfully.
"Hm hm" Arya cleared her throat.
"I know you are there, stop staring at me and come here."
Kaya gulped visibly before moving near her.
A long silence rolled out between them. "What is it? ....Why did you called me here?" Kaya broke the silence.
Arya turned her head slowly and looked at her with a low gaze. "What is all this?" She questioned in a cold tone.
"..." Kaya stayed put, hinting for her continue.
"A time traveller, who came from the future , probably years forward..... the time traveller is you but....you have your parents in this era who belong to this time only....?" She enquired.
Kaya shook her head in distress. She realised she has to explain so much to the demanding princess.
"Princess it's true, I'm a time traveller. I came in this village because I honestly don't want to marry your brother. Not just him, no one will do. I cante afford to build relations here BECAUSE I know that I'm not going to stay here forever and I'll just end up hurting everyone around me if the relationship gets serious," she took a deep breath and continued, "since i don't know for how long I will be here, I wanted to cancel off this marriage proposal...for that sole reason, I had to come here to get my parents consent."
Arya narrowed her eyes at her when she said 'parents' and kaya knew what she meant by that.
She took another deep breath and rested her hand on the railing as she looked in front of her. Trees and bushes on a wide blanket of honey tinted land covered her sight. Arya looked dubiously at her.
"Her name is kahini and she thinks I'm her daughter...well she would, her daughter quite resembled me. Except her eyes were black, deep black unlike mine, otherwise we are identical...."
"Her daughter? Identical to you? How do you know that?" Arya was beyond surprised.
How was this possible!?
"I got to know about her daughter who has the same name and face as me, when i came here. Her photo is there in the cupboard under mother's clothes. Initially I just came here to get the marriage cancelled. But..."
"But what?" Her expression hardened.
'looks like the situation is much more complex than I thought' araya concluded.
"But I can't leave her alone. Your time kaya's father is violent and abusive nature, mother is ver submissive, even if that mad man kills her.. she stilll won't say a thing. I won't feel at rest of i leave her behind with a man like him." She clarified.
"That's normal over here...you can't do much about it. Men hold the real power kaya, a women only get some power and freedom, when she's married to a rich man. Women are subjected to such abuse and disrespect commonly." Arya sighed
"I have studied about this in my time, princess. It's a lot less in our time, women atleast have some right where they can seek justice.
" Kaya remembered her history lessons and what her professor taught her about the social life of people in medieval era."
"Really? Then you must have learned about me too?" Arya asked jokingly.
"No not really. Tell me more about you, I might be able to recall " kaya urged.
"The xxxx Dynasty, year 1623 of xx clan"
"Hm I think I have read about it...what?! 1623?? This is one 1623?!!" Kaya growled in shock.
"Yes, why? Is there any problem?"her eyes widened hearing her gasp like that.
" Britishers... invasion!! Britishers are going to come to India, they are going to take over the Mughals and kill the last successor of it to. India will not remain the same as it is now!" Kaya could not believe it. She was in the era where British had just came to India. Only a decade or so has passed.
She was excited as well scared to be witnessing this period. After all it was full of surprises.
"Oh you mean those men who wear tight trousers? What the problem with them. They don't see that bad..what harm could they possibly do?"
"Oh God you don't have a clue, do you? Leave it, I'm just relieved that not much will happen atleast till your are alive and grow old and die someday. Things will be peaceful for now atleast."
"Yeah, and don't you worry. Our kingdom has the strongest army in the whole india. We rajputs are not afraid of anything." She said as the frown on her face disappeared.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever you say princess " kaya chuckled at her 'rajputs talk'.
Arya was cute when she talked about being a rajput with pride. Kaya believed that no one can break this confidence of her!
"Princess Arya. Kaya both of you come down." Kahini called them from downstairs.
"Coming mother!" Kaya acknowledged.
Arya silently followed kaya, her brain busy with some thoughts.
'do all girls in her time dread marriages, to the point of running away? Well she's truly a unique piece'Â a voice in her mind said.
'but what about rudra bhaisa? He'll be heartbroken if this marriage is called off, this is the first time he's ever decided to chase a women ..' another voice said.
Arya was in a state of conflict. She didn't knew who to support. Rudra's feelings or kaya's rebel...