Aradhya slowly stepped into her room where sobbing resounded. She wiped away her tears and looked around. She spotted Vihaan sitting on the floor beside the bed, curled up with his face in his hands.
She sat knelt before him and gripped his arm. Vihaan looked up with bloodshed eyes. His face had gone red. He looked at Aradhya and scoffed.
"Laugh at me, Aradhya," Vihaan spoke.
Aradhya denied it by nodding. She took his hands in hers and sorrowful comfort encircled Vihaan.
"Laugh at how pathetic of a king I am. How am I a king when I couldn't even save my wife? My friend. My Sadhana." He spoke.
"It was not your fault. You have already punished the maid who poisoned Sadhana. You've done everything you can. Don't beat yourself over it."
"How can I not? I was supposed to take care of her. I was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to keep her happy but I couldn't do any of that."
"I understand, Vihaan. I know what you're going through. Just get this sorrow out of your heart. Then you'll be able to think properly."
"She is gone, Aradhya. She isn't coming back. Please...tell her to come back..." Vihaan buried his face in Aradhya's palms.
Aradhya felt her emotions pull through. She found her heart breaking into pieces when she saw Vihaan like that. She brushed her thumb across his face, wiping away his tears while he still sobbed.
"You can cry all you want, Vihaan. Get it out of your heart. I'll be here with you. We're in this together." Aradhya and Vihaan sunk into her.
He wept on her shoulder, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He let all his sorrow burst through him as he wailed in Aradhya's arms. A strong firm grip for him to be vulnerable in. Aradhya held him as she felt his tears trickle down her arm. She looked up not letting her tears fall from her eyes.
.  .  .  .
Everyone was gathered in a room of the palace. Vihaan was there with a composed mind now. He was there with a strong mentality. Aradhya stood beside him. Nandini stood beside Rajmata. Rihit also stood by Vihaan, trying to meet Nandini's eyes but couldn't. Tamasvini stood proudly beside Rajmata with a false expression of sorrow on her face.
"On what basis did you punish that maid alone?" Rajmata asked. She was furious.
"The medicine given to Sadhana by the maid had poison in it which is what killed her." Vihaan spoke confidently.
"Do you know on whose account she gave the medication to Sadhana?" Rajmata's eyes immediately shot at Aradhya, "Tamasvini heard the maid say that it was given by Aradhya to Sadhana. Did you ever question her?"
Vihaan raised his gaze to look at his mother with eyes almost ready to fume. He stood up from his seat. He sensed Aradhya getting tense beside him. He sensed her discomfort. He turned around and nodded to Aradhya and walked a few steps to the centre of the gathering.
"I won't hear a single accusation against Aradhya again. She was with me the entire day. I heard her blame herself for not giving Sadhana her medications. How is it her fault is she didn't even give her any medication in the first place? How is it her fault if someone else delivered poison on her account to Sadhana without her even knowing it?" Vihaan defended.
"That...that blind trust of yours will lead to horrible things, Vihaan. That blind love will result in you a hefty loss." Rajmata walled out of the room, offended at his words. His son was against her and that was the worst that she could have imagined.
Aradhya now was confident that Vihaan trusted her. She was sure that we were the safest with him. She was the most secure with him.
Vihaan turned around to her with eyes still mourning. With his eyes still puffed. He cupped her face with one of his hands. He stayed for a moment before walking past her to the room's exit.
.  .  .  .
Aradhya smiled sadly at Darsh who had calmed down now. She took him in his arms and pecked him on his forehead.
"You are going to have to deal with me now. This problematic, egoistic, jealous woman. I was the root to all this right?"
Darsh stayed quiet. He just looked back at her with the end of the cloth in his mouth. Aradhya sighed and removed the cloth from his mouth and pushed back his little stray hair.
"If I wouldn't have come here. If I wouldn't have accepted the proposal to marry your father. If I hadn't obstructed whatever Amar was planning...maybe then you would've had the chance of seeing your mother, healthy and fine. I am a problem factually."
Aradhya rested her head on the edge of Darsh's crib. She shuddered as Darsh tried to get out of her hand. She feared that he would get hurt. She held onto him with a firmer grip.
"I'm sorry, Darsh..."
"Don't be." Vihaan walked into the room. He still had anger and sorrow liking through his gaze. He took in the sight of Aradhya holding Darsh and his flooding memories got the best of him. Sadhana holding Darsh was all on his mind. He sniffled.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. None of this is your fault. You couldn't have possibly pushed our wedding. I was forcing it on you. You have been nothing but a help to us. To Ashokdhar." Vihaan sat down beside her as Aradhya lowered her head looking at Darsh.
"I cannot...I just cannot stand myself now, Aradhya. I hate myself. If anything, I'm responsible for this. This is all my fault." Vihaan spoke again. Aradhya put Darsh in his arms. She meekly smiled at him and drew in a sharp breath.
"Don't hate yourself. Don't hate anyone now. You have to teach him," Aradhya gestured at Darsh, "you have to teach him to love. You have to teach him to be loved."
.  .  .  .
Rihit knocked on Nandini's door. The door creaked open and he stepped in. He saw Nandini sitting on her bed crying while she hugged her knees. She looked up at him with her kohl spread around her eyes. She immediately wiped at her eyes.
Rihit walked in with brows drawn together. It made him a bit unhappy looking at Nandini like that. He cleared his throat as Nandini stood up.
"Are you okay?" Rihit took a step forward only to have Nandini take a step back. Rihit halted in his place, a little hurt and a bit disappointed.
"Yes," Nandini replied with a stern voice that still was feeble. She had a desiring look in her eyes but she rather fought it off. Their rocky relationship was still an issue.
"I...uh...just wanted to see how you are doing. After everything..." Rihit lowered his head.
"I am and I can do very well on my own. Thank you. I think you should leave now. What would people think of seeing a just army general in a princess's room?" Nandini coldly replied.
Rihit nodded. A sliver of disappointment ran down his spine. To be honest, Nandini had to bring great courage into her to speak the way she did. It was unusual for her to speak to Rihit like that. She always used to look at him for comfort. His hugs calmed her down. When his caring gestures meant that much to her it was certain that his words meant ten times more.
Rihit turned around and stepped out of the room, pulling the doors close. Though he knew he was Nandini's comfort, she wasn't his. Though he was comfortable around her. Though he was completely aware of the things he was feeling for her, he found comfort somewhere else.
He found comfort when he was with Aradhya.
.  .  .  .
Aradhya bobbed Darsh on her shoulders. It was already the peak of the night. That was when she realised what Sadhana went through as a mother. A mother is never off work.
She smiled at Rihit who sat there patiently waiting for Aradhya. He found everything about her familiar. Her every action. Her every word.
Aradhya finally sat a few feet away from him and sighed. She smiled and cocked her brow at him.
"What is it?" Aradhya asked.
"Nothing. I just wanted to be here. But I do have a question."
"Tell me. I'll answer as truthfully as I can."
"You haven't cried. For two days. I haven't seen a single drop of tear fall from your eyes."
Aradhya sighed and nodded.
"If Vihaan sees me break too, he's going to lose hope. He's weak already. He is leaning on me to give him strength. I can't become weak myself."
"I thought so too..."
"What happened between you and Nandini?"
"Since when do you know about that? And how do you know is what the real question is."
"I've seen how you look at each other. It's still the same gaze but you two don't meet each other's eyes."
"Yeah...it just...me. It was my fault. I said that we should not continue whatever we had. It was risky and overall heartbreaking. We are never meant to be anyway."
"And how did you come to that conclusion?"
"Can you not see? I'm just a slave to this monarchy and she is the monarch herself. She is supposed to marry someone wealthy and someone great."
"Like my brother?"
Rihit looked at her with his face showing the turmoil more clearly than anything else. Aradhya just sat there with a nostalgic smile on her face.
"What do you mean? You brother?" Rihit asked.
"Vikram. He liked Nandini. He used to love her actually. He has been here, at Ashokdhar several times."
"Wait...your brother, Vikram loved Nandini?"
"Yes. That was the only reason he came here with a disguise on. He just saw her from afar and came back. He used to always talk about her. Amar used to use her as bait to get Vikram to do things for him."
"Wow...I guess I wasn't the only one in love with her."
They both went silent for a while. They both just looked at each other. Something about Rihit's gaze set a feeling of warmth in Aradhya too.
"Why do you look at me like that?" Aradhya asked.
"Like what?"
"Like you're seeing your whole world in me."
Rihit smiled at her. He finally knew what it was. He finally knew what he saw Aradhya as. There ever was only one person who was his whole world.
"You are like my sister."
"You have a sister? You didn't tell me about it."
"Correction...I...had a sister."
Aradhya's face fell. She grew serious. Rihit scoffed.
"Well, I had a sister. Her name was Maya. She was my entire life after my mother passed away. She was just like you. She was bold, courageous, silly and healthily egotistical. I had taught her swordplay as well."
"What happened? How did she?..."
"Though I used to guard her with my life, I was only ever able to protect her from the world outside. She," his voice creaked, "died of a brain illness. Her brain had multiple overgrown tissues. The doctors couldn't save her."
"I'm really sorry."
"It's fine. I know this may be a bit too early after Vikram but, just know, you have a brother here too."
Rihit stood up and shot her a last glance before turning back. He walled a few steps before he was halted by Aradhya's voice.
"These past few days...I've realised that I can lose someone so close to me so unexpectedly." She spoke as Rihit turned around. Aradhya made her way over to him, "and I would not like to take that chance again. Just wanted to let you know that you will have a sister here too."
A smile was etched on each of their faces. Rihit nodded with a thin line of tears in his eyes. He turned around and walked to the door to again be stopped by Aradhya.
"Remember what I said. You can lose someone you love so unexpectedly and quickly. So speak so well that even if they die the next day, you won't have any regrets remembering the last thing you said to them."
.  .  .  .
Vihaan sat in their room after he had returned from somewhere. He was still crestfallen. He was still broken. Everyone in the family was except Tamasvini.
Aradhya again was putting Darsh to sleep after he had awoken again. She looked at Vihaan.
"I think you should stay somewhere else for a few months. Darsh is going to be loud at times."
"Where should I go?"
"You know, you have Rajmata's room, your sister's room and even Rihit's room. Oh, and Tamasvini's room."
Vihaan made his way over to Aradhya and rested a hand on Darsh's head. He looked Aradhya in the eye.
"I'll be here. I want to stay with you two."
Aradhya handed Darsh to Vihaan and held his face. She drew in a deep breath.
"I know this may be too early..." She spoke as Vihaan tentatively listened to her, "you need to grow out of this. You need to move on."
"So you are saying that I should just get over the death of my best friend so simply?"
"I know...I know it is hard. And I'm not telling you to just get over her as soon as possible. Take your time. Have all the time you want in the world. But don't sulk on her death. Don't...burn yourself away with her."
Aradhya brushed his tear away.
"All I'm saying is that you have people counting on you. You have your citizens. You have your mother, sister, friends and your son leaning on you."
"You are not?"
"No...I'm in this with you. I'll be next to you in every part of your hurdle Vihaan. You can rather count on me."
"I don't...I don't know...how"
"It's okay. Just let the past go."
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So here is the next part. I don't even know why I am updating it at this hour. It's 12:45 AM.
But anyway. Tell me how you like the chapter. Was it good, was it bad? What do you think of everything that happened?
And don't forget to leave a vote. It would mean a lot.
Until next time
With love
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