Everyone was utterly taken aback to see the outcasts walk freely on the land of Ashokdhar after almost a decade. The outcasts had their head held high. No remorse and no worry was on their face...unline their minds. Everyone spoke illy about them but it didn't phase them now.
Chavi led the whole throng on her own while Aradhya hindered behind trying not to grab attention. Unlike the people around her, Aradhya was trembling. Gaurang stood like support behind Chavi though she didn't need it. The crowd moved efficiently through the kingdom and stood before the building where the tax was collected. Chavi and a couple of other people who carried the taxes went in while the rest of them halted outside, earning judgemental gazes from many.
They set their taxes down and the minister who sat there examining the produce scoffed at them. Chavi eyed him suspiciously as he again rolled his eyes.
"You? Where did you all steal this from?" He sarcastically asked. Chavi sighed.
"Sir, we are here to avail the taxes. We are being honest that we've lived on Ashokdhar's land for all these years and that we have to pay this. Do not disrespect us or our hard work. We aren't here to cause any trouble. It's better you don't start too."
The minister looked more offended than anyone. He huffed and jotted down in his scroll about the payment of the taxes. He then glared at her.
.  .  .  .
"You aren't going there, Chavi. None of you will. Do you understand?" Aradhya strictly spoke when Chavi mentioned visiting Maharaj Samrath Chakravarthy Vihaan.
"But why? I need an explanation from him. No, actually, I want to let him know how much of a good husband he was." Chavi argued.
"Not everything is about me and you, Chavi. There are people who can get into trouble if you do some nonsense like this."
"No, Ma. How long are you just going to keep on forgiving him for what he did to you? He does not deserve your kindness."
"I haven't forgiven him. And I don't want any more words out of your mouth. Get everyone we are leaving. I have to go get Gaurang. Make sure you get everyone."
Aradhya pulled the veil over her head again and walked out of the alley they were talking in. Chavi stood there disappointed. No matter how much she wanted to go and give Vihaan a piece of her mind, she couldn't possibly go against Aradhya's words.
But the raging anger in her was nowhere near the state of calming down. All the times she heard Aradhya sniffle at the memories of her and Vihaan. All the times she fell sick. All the times she would lose herself in thinking about him, all that ran in Chavi's mind.
"There hasn't been a single day in the past seventeen years where you haven't suffered, Ma. What would it take for you to just go up to him and talk about how much you resent him?"
Chavi hit her fist against a wall in the alley while she raged inside. Aradhya didn't give birth to her and yet took care of her as she would have of her own child. She had nothing but love to offer to the child she found laying beneath a tree and yet she made her strong and wise.
It stung Chavi that she couldn't bring her mother justice. It wasn't like she couldn't bring her mother justice it was just that her mother was nowhere near accepting the fact that she needed justice. She was still, in fact, in love with Vihaan, the person who gave her a lifetime of misery for a fault which wasn't hers.
Chavi felt a hand crippling around her wrist. She turned back and saw a man with a smirk on his face and lust in his. He smelled of alcohol.
"Beauty like you deserves better than this alleyway. Come with me..." The man spoke. Chavi brushed his hand away. It was not a big deal for her when she had dealt with worse. She threw a disgusted look at him and turned to walk away when her mind sprang up with an intense idea. Chavi's eyes lit up with evil. She turned to the man with a smile.
"One way or another."
.  .  .  .
Everyone outside looked at the scene of Chavi hitting the life out of the man. Her knuckles, bloodstained. Though Chavi felt a pang of guilt in her heart about using the man for her own purpose she brushed it away when she realised, he too was a molester and no better than anyone else she had beaten up.
She felt a couple of guards of the kingdom pick her up and hold her back and she seemingly surrendered. They took Chavi back a couple of steps and stood her before someone. She looked up to see Darsh with an uncertain look on his face.
"Why is your fist your first option to any problem, woman?"
Chavi smiled in satisfaction. Everything was going according to her. She launched a beaming smile at Darsh and let her head fall with tiredness hitting her muscles. She did lose a considerable amount of energy hitting the man.
"You'll be taken to the king now. He will listen to your explanation and also that of the man's family. Why do you get yourself into this?"
Darsh asked with hints of concern in his eyes. Chavi scoffed at him.
"I wanted to get myself into this."
.  .  .  .
Vihaan sat prestigiously over his throne with his crown stud with elegance. His gaze was stern. Guru Chitrabhanu sat below him looking at the scene. Nandini sat on her seat while Rihit stood beside Vihaan.
Chavi stood in the middle of the courtroom while all the outcasts huddled on the sidelines. Aradhya hadn't returned from getting Gaurang yet. Everyone was tense, except Chavi. She had his burning rage of fire in her. She was filled with untamable resentment.
"Why did you hit that man?" Vihaan asked. Chavi stayed quiet. She didn't want to reply too soon and make her availability known.
"Her silence tells everything, Maharaj. She is guilty." The man's brother defended him. Vihaan got down from the throne and descended the stairs. He stood before Chavi.
"I'm asking you again, why did you hit the man? You can answer confidently. But if you stay silent I will have to punish you."
Chavi looked at him once and again, Darsh, who stood beside Nandini caught her eye. It was almost like he urged her to say what happened but just from looking at her.
"The man was touching me in a way that is deemed sickening. I know his brother might argue saying he was drunk but that does not, in any way, deny the fact that he is a molester."
Vihaan's eyes shot to the man who just turned away admitting his faults. It was surprising to see a genuine rage in Vihaan's eyes. It hadn't been there for a few years.
"But you could have just complained to me. I would have dealt with the matter. You cannot just go around violating my people. Violence never did anyone good." Vihaan replied as a kingly emotion took over him.
Chavi scoffed at him. She took a couple of steps back from where she stood distancing herself from Vihaan before she dropped her real matter.
"So...is violence just physical, Maharaj?"
Everyone was taken aback seeing Chavi talk back to the king. Guru Chitrabhanu's face turned into an expression of familiar surprise. Chavi was the first one after Aradhya who spoke to Vihaan informally.
"What about the violence you did? On my mother. What about the violence you all did, everyone in this kingdom? On my mother's soul."
Vihaan grew nothing but confused at her words. He didn't even know her. How would he know his mother?
"What are you even talking about? What violence have I done to your mother?" Vihaan uttered.
Chavi drew a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh. She met eyes with Rihit who stood with anticipation. It was as though he knew who Chavi was speaking about.
"What have you done to her? You stole her trust. You broke her apart. You took away her sleep. Her peace and even her freedom."
Vihaan, as he listened, thought Chavi spoke about one of the outcasts. Maybe a mere outcast who was deprived of everything.
Chavi glanced at the throng of outcasts who stood there nervous. No one really wanted to stop Chavi but nor did they want Aradhya to get into trouble.
Vihaan mistook Chavi's glance and believed her mother was in the crowd. He turned to them and asked Chavi.
"Who is your mother here? Tell me I will do my best to give her justice."
Chavi couldn't believe the words that came out of Vihaan's mouth. As if he ever could erase Aradhya's troubles. As if he ever could feel her pain.
"Tell me. Who is your mother?" Vihaan asked as he still had his eyes locked onto the people rather than Chavi. Chavi's gaze did not meet anyone but held at Vihaan's turned face for an unhealthy amount of a moment of silence.
"Maharani Aradhya."
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Hello again. Here's another chapter.
Vihaan knows now about Aradhya. Chavi has gone against Aradhya's warning. Do you think it was a bad move?
Do tell me how you like the chapter. And drop a vote if you liked it.
I'll see you all again in the next chapter.
(And "Aradhya" hit 2k reads. Thank you to all who have supported me.)
Until next time
With love
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