Aradhya woke up to a baby's cry right beside her. She woke up with a gasp. She saw a man, in his twenties, probably almost or older than Vihaan, sitting by her side. He was tending to her. Aradhya looked down at her gut and her heart skipped a beat.
He was stitching up an almost four-inch long cut on her belly. The man gently smiled at her and calmed her down when Aradhya started to panic. She was in a straw house and she knew not where.
"Don't stress yourself out. Your stitches will pop out." The man said, "I'm Gaurang. I see we've met before."
"I saw you the last time with the outcasts," Aradhya said. A realisation hit her. The cut was on her belly. She looked at Gaurang who looked back at her with a pang of similar guilt on his face.
"Does...does this..." Aradhya stuttered. Gaurang nodded and sighed.
"Yes, you...you are no longer with child. The assassin aimed directly at your gut. I had to remove your womb. If I hadn't done that it would have affected your stomach and also your other internal organs."
"No! Just tell me this is a joke. Tell me this is all a lie!" Aradhya wailed. Gaurang did nothing but hang his head.
Aradhya tried to get up but he held her down. Her wound was tended to very carefully and her panicking was not on the side of the healing wound.
Aradhya sobbed. She was truly left alone now. The one who she determined to live for was now dead. Dead before even being born. She felt Gaurang's comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I know. This child was important to you. It was the last thing that connected you to him." Gaurang spoke as though he knew everything. As though he witnessed it with her.
"How do you know that? You weren't even there." Aradhya asked.
"I don't have to be there to understand you Aradhya. It is the talk of the kingdom that he casted you out." Gaurang stated as he walked behind her. He picked up a child from a cradle made of cloth. He put it in Aradhya's arms.
"This one lost her mother and you, your stillborn child. I found her by the tree where you lay unconscious. She was most probably abandoned. I'm not saying that this is going to be the same, but you can look after this one like your own."
"But before all this? How long has it been since the attack?"
"I was surprised really. That you still managed to push that assassin off the cliff after he stabbed you. And you slept for four months like it was nothing."
. . . .
Back in the palace of Ashokdhar, Vihaan's attitude changed like none other. He became ruthless. He never took peace or understanding as an option. He only ever saw war and blood as the solution for everything.
Though through all his coldness, there wasn't a single night Vihaan had gone without remembering Aradhya -though it was to hate her- he didn't love her. At least that is what he told himself.
Vihaan had moved Aradhya's belongings away from his room. Everything she touched and everything that was in her possession was pulling at his heartstrings and there was nothing more frustrating than that.
Four months had gone by since Aradhya had left. Everything seemingly had gone back to normal again. The people had forgotten about the incident. Rajmata's corpse had been burnt and from then on nothing mattered to Vihaan.
Acharya Chitrabhanu grew concerned about his behaviour. He had tried his best to stop Vihaan's careless behaviour. But he knew now that with the departure of the person who was Vihaan's love, the heart in him had broken. There wasn't any care left in him.
Acharya called for Rihit in his room. Rihit fell to his teacher's feet and sought his blessings. Acharya sighed exasperatedly.
"What do you think we can do about Vihaan?"
Rihit turned silent. He had his fair share of Vihaan's coldness blasting toward him. Vihaan had gone over the line and had considered Rihit as nothing but an army general. He kept his distance from everyone.
"I am not sure what we can do, Acharya. He has become an animal." Rihit spoke.
"We cannot just let him be an animal. He has been out for seven wars in the past four months. That is concerning."
"I'm afraid I can't talk to him. He doesn't even think of me as his friend anymore. But I can't see him like this too. What do you suggest we do, Acharya?"
Chitrabhanu stood looking out the window where Vihaan rode his steed after coming back victoriously from the battle.
"I have to go welcome him...but, Rihit, find Maharani Aradhya."
. . . .
Though in disbelief of what was happening Aradhya had to bring herself to accept the fact that she was and could never become a mother ever. As the people said, without a womb, a woman was nothing but dead.
But Aradhya stood in the same straw house with her body now holding way more energy than she remembered. She looked down at the tiny life in her hands who had somehow grown so comfortable to Aradhya even though Aradhya was sleeping almost all those months.
Aradhya believed Gaurang had something to do with that. He was a man way too intriguing and way too puzzling for her to understand. The baby in her arms reeked of Aradhya's aura. She had the same eyes Aradhya used to lose herself in. She had Vihaan's eyes. The tot was seemingly still a four-month-old.
"You are beautiful. Why would anyone abandon you." Aradhya asked the little one. The baby did nothing but cackle at her filling her heart with more pain that the baby wasn't hers and adding to her pain as she realized that she had lost her and Vihaan's child.
Gaurang entered the room with a beaming face. His face was ethereal. More beautiful and handsome than anyone Aradhya had seen. He had a merely darker complexion compared to Aradhya's. His matte black hair stood out. His eyes matched Aradhya's in a shade of dark brown. He had a normal physique but still, it held a lot of enchantments. His beaming smile was the one that arose a feeling in her heart that she was too familiar with.
"Let's go. People want to meet you." He walked up to her and took the baby. He put a supportive arm around Aradhya but strangely enough, the touch was more assuring than anything sexual. Aradhya felt safe in Gaurang's hands more than she did with Vihaan.
He carefully walked Aradhya out of the house into an open space in the deep woods. Aradhya immediately realized that she was with the outcasts of Ashokdhar. Everyone looked at her with hopes in their eyes.
"Thank you all for looking after me these four months. But I'm afraid I cannot help you all out now. I am no longer the queen." Aradhya spoke with a tired voice.
Everyone there looked at Gaurang. They all smiled at him. Gaurang turned around a smiled at Aradhya.
"We all knew you would say you can't help us. We all value you thinking about us even when you are the one who is at so much loss. And as for helping us. You will." Gaurang spoke.
"I can't, Gaurang. I have no power now. I am not the Maharani anymore."
"No. You are better than that."
. . . .
Nandini bobbed Darsh on her shoulder and went through a book of medicine before her. She now had all her roles filled in. She had to take care of Darsh and handle the diplomatic affairs with Acharya Chitrabhanu, she took in the role to complete the queen's duties beside Vihaan. She stood as moral support to Vihaan and Rihit and on the side worked hard to complete her goals.
A yawn slipped out of her mouth while Nandini's eyes drooped. Vihaan walked into the room. He threw aside his sword and pulled off his ornaments. He glanced at Nandini but the expression on his face didn't quite become softer. His eyes were always enraged and his brows were always seen drawn together.
"Get some sleep." He said as Nandini shook her head and put Darsh back in his crib. She sort of had been keeping her distance from Vihaan.
"I still have to check the finances and also I have to study for the yearly examination for doctors," Nandini replied which reminded Vihaan, particularly of Aradhya. The way she took the whole palace to her head when he was down.
"You can do the finances later, study now." He said as he didn't really know what to say. But Nandini was ever so stubborn and a bit straightforward.
"You should look for her," Vihaan's eyes landed on her with a glare, "Aradhya."
"Keep her name out of your mouth when I'm around. And I for one won't be looking for someone who killed our mother for stupid revenge of hers." Vihaan brought himself to utter the words he never thought he would use in context with Aradhya.
"Stupid revenge?" Nandini scoffed, "it wasn't stupid revenge in the first place and even if it was she would be right. Would you not take up revenge if some random king of some kingdom killed me?"
"No."
Nandini stood in shock at Vihaan's words. Vihaan made it clear to her that he wouldn't be enraged over losing her. Nandini shook her head and held back the tears that were pooling in her eyes.
"Good. I feel extremely happy knowing that I mean nothing to you. Keep this up and you will lose everyone who loves you. You've lost Rihit and me. You'll be a dozen more too."
Nandini walked out of the room slamming the door. Vihaan's mind lingered on her words for a moment or two before completely ignoring them. He walked over and pushed Darsh's cradle a few times before walking to his bed and falling asleep. If sleep did come to him.
. . . .
Aradhya sat leaning against a tree on a raised platform with Gaurang handling the baby beside her. Everyone else sat before Aradhya.
She had to help them. She knew she could. Because no one is weak. The Aradhya the outcasts knew, and the outcasts Aradhya knew were all strong. They didn't need to depend on the king to live a life. They just lacked direction within themselves.
"Maharani Aradhya, please guide us. You have led this kingdom so successfully from the time you became the Queen. We need a leader." One in the crowd spoke.
"But I thought Gaurang was your leader. Is he not-" Aradhya was interrupted.
"I'm completely okay with sharing my role, Maharani," Gaurang replied with his usual charm. Aradhya smiled at him and turned her attention to the people again.
Her mind sparked an idea in her head.
"You all are well versed in your own fields, then why are you all not using it?" Aradhya asked. Silence spread over the crowd.
"How can they use it? They do not have any resources." Gaurang intervened.
"What resources do you need?" Aradhya asked the crowd.
"Well, Maharani. We have groups of farmers. Even if we want to cultivate anything, we need seeds. There are many seeds we can use here but none of them can be sold as they are not commercial crops." A seeming farmer representative informed.
"And the doctors, we do have the things we need to prepare medicines. We tend to each other here well. But the civilians of Ashokdhar only buy medicine from a trusted retailer and as of experience, the retailer is corrupt. He demands things to retail people's products." One more spoke.
Aradhya stood up with Gaurang's help and got down the platform.
"We just need money. I and Gaurang will visit a local market and buy some food seeds and I will also talk to the retailer." Aradhya pulled her veil over her head ready to leave.
"But we do not have money to buy those things. We need investment." Gaurang spoke again.
"When will these come of any use?" Aradhya gestured to the ring on her finger, her nath and alone necklace, the one Vihaan had tied, hanging at her neck. Everyone talked to themselves. Why would she do that? Even her marital chain. Though they all were shocked they didn't stop her. As though Aradhya could be stopped.
The crowd dispersed and Aradhya turned to Gaurang suddenly.
"Why me? Why do I have to guide you all? Why not others?"
Gaurang again put his arm around her for support. Aradhya winced loudly as her cut skin stretched. And yet she wanted to know why she was chosen by them.
"We all have been waiting for you from the day you sought us to help Maharani Sadhana. I believe they told you that you can only help us when you become one of us."
"You mean one with the outcasts. You knew all along that this will happen?"
"We had our doubts."
Aradhya's eyes went behind Gaurang's shoulder where the woman collection of outcasts stood with a worried expressions on their faces. Aradhya just smiled at them.
"Don't worry. I have thought about you all too. You will be doing business, ladies. You all will be stronger than most here."
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Hello. I'm back again.
Let me know what you think about this chapter.
What do you think of Gaurang? Do you think Aradhya will get over losing her child? And do you think Vihaan will come back to his senses?
And don't forget to vote on the chapter if you liked this chapter. And you can always ask any doubts or questions in the comments. I'll try my best to clear it.
And until next time.
With love
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