24 - When my Saviour reached down for me(S1)

Prithvi stopped his car in front of the Agnivanshi villa.

He removed his seatbelt in frustration, closed his eyes, and paused for a moment. Then, he came outside, marching.

"Is Abhimaan here?" Prithvi asked a worker entering the house.

"Ji, Yuvraj, they are resting in their room," the worker replied.

Prithvi nodded and went toward Abhimaan's room.

He knocked at the door.

Abhi lazily opened it.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys? Let me sleep. I told you not to disturb me," he said, then looked angry. "Oh."

"Abhi," Prithvi said.

Abhi closed the door in his face, while Prithvi closed his eyes in patience. Everyone around him these days was testing his patience limit.

He scratched his forehead and with a weary sigh, he said, "Abhi," knocking again.

Abhi opened the door. "I don't know, Mr. Who are you? Sorry," and started closing the door again.

But Prithvi placed his hand in between.

"At least listen to me," he said.

Abhi replied, "I had enough of being friends with a jerk like you, you ungrateful brat."

"Please listen to me. Look, we can talk," Prithvi said, explaining himself, like he was dealing with an angry child.

"I was angry," Prithvi said.

Abhi opened the gate and said, "Okay, come, say what do you want and then return back."

"I went too far and told you things I shouldn't have—"

"Wait, do we know each other?"

"Abhimaan, please stop."

"Oh, you know me again? Sorry, I apologize, I don't know you."

"Abhi, what's this drama?"

"Sir? Drama? Last night you told me I'm nobody to interfere in your matters,"

"Abhi, seriously?"

"What, you don't believe me?"

"See, here's the proof. Probably you might be so busy in your life, so you must have forgotten."

"Abhi, look."

"No, sir, because of you, I had to go through rounds of questions and interviews in front of my parents about how I always get myself in trouble."

"I apologize, listen, I have nowhere—" Prithvi started.

"Sir, I request that you leave through the exit door that way," Abhi said, pushing him out of his room and closing the door again on his face.

"Okay, I agree, I was wrong, but I have nowhere else to go. At the palace, everyone just has a list of questions. My room, you know! The whole story," Prithvi said frustratingly, accepting the reality of chaos around him, and he needed an escape from that.

Abhi opened the door.

"I'm sorry—I was high, yeah, without alcohol, you know, everything to digest, and I said whatever comes to my mind. But Abhi, I didn't mean it."

"Sit here," Abhi said.

"Sit for what? You just told me to get out of here."

"Prithvi, your hand is badly injured," Abhi said.

"Oh," Prithvi respond as he looked at his hand, realized, and muttered, 'My hand was injured, right?' he said to himself. 'She was helping dress it—'

"What are you talking about? Dude, it's not even been 24 hours. You created a whole mess, and now you're coming with a deep cut on your hand."

"Are you even in your mind these days?" Abhi said again while dressing it, and Prithvi came out of his thoughts.

"How come no one said anything to you?" Abhi was done dressing.

Prithvi calmly said, taking his hands and stretching his fingers.

"Because it's me, Prithvi Chauhan."

"Yeah," Abhi said, mocking.

"By the way, what did you tell your family about her?" Abhi said, sitting on the bed.

"I said I love her," Prithvi confessed casually while fidgeting and distracting himself with a paperweight.

"Okay, then it's good," Abhi said, relaxing on the bed, then said, 'Wait, what?' in shock.

Abhi shook his head in disbelief. "What you told them you love her? What if they start probing into the details? You know how families can be."

Abhi raised an eyebrow, clearly perplexed. "Love, marriage, and now drama. You're living in a Bollywood movie, Prithvi."

"That was the only safe option I had at that moment, instead of explaining something with no probability or an idea of how they will react," he remarked, returning the paperweight to its place and taking a seat next to him.

"You always choose to play it safe, but then too? You married her?" Abhi asked.

***

Back at home, the helper made Niharika sit in the center of the hall, as she was instructed, with a big veil covering her face. She looked nervous; a lot of women were present, making her uncomfortable. Her body language conveyed her uneasiness and feeling of being out of place in unfamiliar surroundings. She constantly picked her fingertips with nails, trying to cope with the anxiety she was feeling.

Rajmata arrived, and the women present greeted her.

The ceremony began, with each woman presenting a gift to Niharika and taking a look at her. Until now, everything was going smoothly. However, one woman asked Niharika her name, and when Niharika started speaking, the lady noticed and made a comment that didn't go unnoticed by others.

"What, Rajmata? She can't speak one word without stuttering," the woman remarked, and Rajmata and Bua Sa got up in shock.

"What?" Bua Sa said in disbelief, and the ladies around started whispering and gossiping.

Another lady, who had introduced thousands of royal family girls to Rajmata, but all were rejected by rajmata in the end, said, "Maaf karna, Rajmata. Main bolungi toh aapko bura lagega. Iss ladki ke liye apne Mhare laye hua rishto ko thukra diya. Ab dekho, yeh chori, yeh isko hum apni Yuvrani ya Rani bole."

"Btao, bheno," the lady said, looking towards the others, and they all agreed with her.

Rajmata stood still, holding back in silence, while Bua Sa said, "No, we didn't know about this. There might be some misunderstandings."

She approached Niharika and asked her, "Ladki, tum kya bol nahi sakti, dhang se?" to confirm their doubts.

Niharika silently clutched her lehenga, visibly anxious.

Shaking her by the shoulders, Bua Sa sought confirmation, but Niharika remained silent. Frustrated, Bua Sa exclaimed, "Speak, girl! Why are you making a mockery of us and Bhabhi Sa? Answer You couldn't even speak correctly,"

Meanwhile, in one corner of the hall, Hukum Dadi Sa was witnessing the whole thing unfold, "Now the real drama begins." said.

Another lady spoke up, "Maaf karna, Rajmata, magar Yuvraj ko yeh ladki mili thi shadi karne ke liye. Yeh na toh sundar hein na hi dhang se bol pa rahi hai. Apne kuch nahi kaha kya?" Rajmata remained silent.

Another lady commented, "I think even Prithvi Yuvraj doesn't know about that. He wouldn't marry a girl like her otherwise."

Bua Sa replied, "This girl, I think her family played with our Prithvi. I don't know how they convinced Prithvi for this. What do you say, Bhabhi Sa?"

There was still no reply from Rajmata.

"Bhenji, aap log toh jante hain, she is no match for our Prithvi," Bua Sa said, degrading Niharika.

The ladies, convinced with Ashwini, said, "Arey mujhe lagta hai, Ashwini Sa, sahi keh rahi hai. Yuvraj Prithvi ko bhi nahi pata hoga iske bare mein. Iske maa-baap ne jhoot bola hoga unse."

"Haan, behen, mujhe bhi lagta hai. Isne hi apne jal me fasaya hoga Yuvraj ko. Main achi tarah janti hu iske jaise ladkiyo ko. Paise ke liye maan, samman sab bech dena mein samay nahi lagta,"another lady added.

"Thakuryaan, stop all of them," Vanshi, the helper, said, standing next to Dadi Sa, witnessing the cruel side of people.

"No, we can't; it's supposed to be handled by Prithvi and herself," Dadi Sa said.

"But Thakuryaan, she is not speaking any word," Vanshi commented.

"I'm feeling scared; something would happen to her. These ladies won't stop," she said.

"Call Yuvraj. Where is he? Does he even know what's happening behind his back? He should be here; why is she facing the wrath of people alone? He should either protect her or bear the shame like she is bearing," Dadi Sa said.

"Ji, Thakuryaan."

"Inform him. Tell him to come fast; only he can help her."

***

"I still can't believe someone like her can do something like that," Abhi remarked, his disbelief evident in his tone.

"My intuition does not support those statements made by her sister," Abhi added firmly, standing by his gut feeling.

"But we both saw everything with our own eyes. We can't deny the evidence," Prithvi countered, though it seemed he was trying to convince himself as much as Abhi.

"Yeah, but—"

"Okay, leave that aside. I can't hold back anymore. Just tell me the real reason why you married her? It's not like you were forced. You knew her true intentions, yet you married her," Abhi pressed, his frustration evident in his tone.

Prithvi appeared distant, lost in thought, and didn't answer immediately. Just as he was about to respond, his phone rang. "Phone?" he said to Abhi, showing his phone, as if finding a reason to avoid the question.

"yeah, answer it, avoid my question, that's what you've been doing until now," Abhi said with a long sigh, clearly frustrated with Prithvi's evasiveness, pushing his coffee mug towards.

Prithvi answered the call, "Hello, yes, who's there?"

"Bhaiji, Vanshi, can you come to the palace quickly?" she spoke in a rush, her voice laced with concern.

"Why? What happened? Tell me properly," Prithvi demanded, his concern growing.

"They are insulting Bhabhi Ji, the Yuvrani, all the royal ladies at her muh dikhai. They are passing comments that she can't speak properly, and on her family. She's sitting there, shaking abnormally and muttering something. I'm scared," Vanshi explained, her voice trembling with worry.

"What?" Prithvi exclaimed, rising from his seat.

And muttering to himself, "Damn, how could I forget?" Running his hand through his hair in Worry.

He spoke to Vanshi with urgency, " Vanshi. Take her to our room or do -- or wait I'm on my way." Ignoring Abhi's worried questions, Prithvi rushed outside and started the car.

***

Niharika's pov :

"Ladki, chup kyu baithe ho? Bolo, tumhari family ne humare Prithvi ko kaise fasaya (trapped)," his bua stated.

I didn't know how to respond. I was scared. Why were they all blaming me? Tears couldn't stop streaming down my face. I couldn't control my body anymore; it was starting to get numb. I couldn't see anyone's faces, but their voices, their comments, were enough for me to imagine the disgust they held towards me.

"Bolo ladki, chup kyu baithe ho?" his bua said again, shaking me.

"Mujhe toh Rajmata or Prithvi ke liye bura lag raha hai," someone else commented.

Please stop; I want to run away from here, from this feeling, far away. I can't tolerate any more comments.

They are not stopping, and worse, they are becoming harsher than before. My family, my dignity—everything is targeted. Their accusations are enough to break my soul into a thousand pieces. I want to curl up and cry, at least for a moment. It would free me, lighten the burden for some time. I want to cover my ears so that I can't hear their harsh comments anymore.

"Selfish and useless child, leeching off their parents, this type of girl's just shameless," another aunty commented.

"you should die "

" g..girl "

"You want to play with us ?"

Their laughter is mocking me.

I want to tear my skin off.

Why is the air suddenly getting thicker? It's becoming hard to breathe.

Another distant laugh starts haunting me.

"Iski family or yeh dono hi fraud hain," another lady commented. I clutched my lehenga in response.

"swabhimaan jaise naam ki toh koi cheez hi nahi hoti iske jaise ladki pe. Bas bade ghar ke ladke or unka paisa dikhta hein," they continued.

"Bechari bhabhi sa," his bua said again, showing sympathy to his mother.

'Please stop; I can't bear it anymore,' my mind made its own comment.

"Kitne bade sapne the unke, kitni hopes thi unki. Kabse Prithvi ke liye ek perfect saathi dhoondh rahi thi," someone added.

"Aur iss ladki ne sab barbaad kar diya," another person said.

"Niharika, you are the biggest disappointment of this family," my dad shouted and slapped me.

Why are all these memories circling around my brain like a big monster, getting bigger and bigger?

"I hate you from my core; your face, I hate the most about you," he, too, hates me.

I muttered to myself, "N..o.o one l..l.ikes m..e..e. E..everyone th..h.inks of me as a b..burden."

I realized this is my reality, and tears escaped my eyes. Once again, everything started turning into black.

Then into cold silence.

(A girl crying in the background while folding her hands and burying her face in her small lap in a dark room.)

Then suddenly, doors swing open.

"Bacchi, bacchi, are you okay? Why are you sitting here? Stop; first, take long, deep breaths."An older girl, seemingly in her early 20s, said, wiping away the tears from Lil girl.

"They locked you here?" she asked the little girl.

The little girl nodded 'no' in fear; if they get caught, they will punish her more, lock her in a bigger and darker room.

"Choti sun, no, don't cry. Remember whenever you feel the world around you starts eating you, swallowing you up. You will repeat this; it's your mantra."

"What...di?" the little girl asked, abnormally sobbing and shaking.

"First, you make a promise. It will be our secret,"

The little girl nodded.

"Take deep breaths, repeat after me in a single breath," she instructed her.

"Jugli jugli jhul jhul jugli jugli jhus," the older girl said.

They both said together in unison, "jugli jugli jhul jhula jugli jugli jhuus"

"Yes, keep saying, focus on your breath, but not on the darkness surrounding you. Keep repeating to yourself, don't focus on anything, any comment. Just focus on your breath pattern. You promised me you won't open your eyes until I or someone comes for your rescue, until your saviour shows up."

The little girl nodded and started speaking next time to herself,

"ju..g..gli ju..gli j..jhul jh..hula ju..g-gli jug..li jhuus !"

And I started following that little girl.

Who is she? We both started muttering to ourselves, "ju...g.gli ju...gli jh..h.ul jhu..l..la ju...gli ju..u.gli jh..h.uus" closing our eyes.

"j..u.ugli j..ugli jh..hul jh..ula jug..g..gli jugli jhuus!"

Everything started blurring out once again, as I couldn't hear anything anymore.

That little girl too disappeared into thin air.

Now I can just only hear my breathing pattern and big steps of someone walking towards me, the fragrance, the cologne, hit my senses, the unfamiliar warmth. Coldness started disappearing.

"Are you okay?" the strange voice echoed.

I opened my eyes slowly, saw him sitting at my level. His eyes showed concern, a real concern, warmth.

Now I directly looked into his eyes, and so? Why did I feel like I have seen him before? Not only eyes were familiar, but his face too. I saw him before.

But where did my promise go? Did I break the promise that little girl made, that I won't open my eyes until my savior shows up? He is not.

Then did I really break her promise?

"Are you fine?" he said, his voice laced with concern for me.

Can I, for a moment, forget that he hates me? He didn't say all those hurtful things, because I want to be saved like that little girl was saved by an older girl. I want that little girl's promise to not break, and he be my protector, even for some moments. I can't stand any stronger. I want someone to say good things to me.

"No, stop crying. No, I'm sorry," he said, wiping my tears with his hands, then taking my face between his palms.

"I'm here, okay?" he said, nodding, convincing me like a child, and I nodded in response.

"Get up," he said, taking me behind him. And I clutched his shirt with my fingers, hiding behind him like he's my shield.

He blurred out something in anger yet a calm voice.

I thought at first I was mistaken, but why did his voice still show concern? Everything he said, or blurring out, didn't reach my ears, but I felt like, for the very first time, someone's taking a stand for me.

But why out of all people! him? The one I least expected to be. Isn't he supposed to hate me?

Maybe he's frustrated seeing my vulnerable side, which I never let anyone see. Does he pity me?And why is he going against his family for me? Every upcoming thought is clouding my thinking?

He then grabbed my hands, my hand still shaking. I looked at him first, then my hand, which he grabbed more tightly in his hold.

He started running, and I followed his steps, keeping up with the pace.

Note : The quote i used jugli jugli is an inspiration from, sapne vs everyone, i used that quote coz I find it strong yet weird, weird in sense of other.