Chapter 9 - His Own Moon

Ahankara quickly ran to her room, and closed the door behind herself, also proceeding to lock it. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves, as her heart hammered away in her chest. She realized she was shivering, and she held her shawl closer to herself as she was feeling something completely foreign.

Never before had any man came that close to her, or talked to her that way. And the worst part was, she did not even feel utterly disgusted by it. She sighed, still catching her breath, and made her way to the large mirror in her room, throwing her shawl aside. Ahankara stared at herself, as his words echoed in her mind.

"How can the Moon be in the sky, when it is standing right in front of me?"

Heat crept up her cheeks, before she scowled at herself.

How dare he say that to her? As if it was the most normal thing to say to a Princess? Had he been taught no morals, no etiquettes?

But of course, even if he had, he would not care. He was the Crown Prince, the Yuvraj of Kalang. Yashvir Rathore - the arrogant warrior, as everyone knew him to be. He did not care about the delicacies, nor the honour of a Princess. He was known to be fierce and cruel, with a merciless, unforgiving heart. He had the blood of millions on his hands, those who could have been spared easily, but he chose not to. Because he was a killing machine, a complete brute. A jerk.

Ahankara scrunched her nose up, and ran a hand through her hair. She hugged herself, starting to pace around the room, thinking of the unending nightmare her life would become if she married him.

Not only was Yashvir cruel and arrogant, he also seemed to be a womanizer by the kind of advances he was making on her. Who knew how many mistresses he would keep, how many slaves he would have? Then he was a misogynist on top of that.

"Ugh!" Ahankara groaned, feeling her blood boil. Her head was starting to ache now, and she lay down in her bed beside Neharika. Just as she closed her eyes, another thought crossed her mind.

What if someone saw us? Haye Bhagwan, what would they think? She wondered, and her eyes shot open. She turned her head and looked at Neharika, who was sleeping peacefully. What would Neha think of me if she saw me in such an... Intimate position with him? He was so close to me I could feel his breath. Aye Shiva, please help me. Get me out of this mess! She thought while staring at the ceiling.

But Yashvir wasn't planning to leave her mind, or her life, anytime soon.

- - - -

Yashvir smiled, leisurely walking back to his quarters, where Kabir was waiting for him. As soon as he entered the room, Kabir studied his expression, and frowned.

"She hasn't said yes yet," Kabir said, as Yashvir closed the door.

"She will," Yashvir said confidently, smirking.

"What if she doesn't? Will you actually wage a war?" Kabir raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think?" Yashvir raised an eyebrow at him, still smiling, as he walked over to his bed and sat down.

"Why are you smiling?" Kabir frowned, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm coming back from a small meeting with your 'Bhabhi Sa'," Yashvir smirked, loving the sound of it.

"Bhabhi Sa," Kabir chuckled. "As in, my brother's wife. Your wife, you mean. You'll let me call her that and not something fancy like 'Maharani Ahankara, the Queen of Kalang, the most beautiful woman to ever exist'?"

"Yeah, of course," Yashvir laughed. "You're like my brother, and the title you just said sounds ridiculous." Yashvir grinned.

"What happened?" Kabir narrowed his eyes, now crossing his arms.

"What?" Yashvir chuckled.

"What happened when you met? You're annoyingly happy. I feel weird about this," Kabir scrunched up his nose.

Yashvir now narrowed his eyes at him.

"You can't see me happy, can you?" He questioned.

"Never," Kabir shook his head. "Now, did she say yes or something?"

"No, not yet," Yashvir replied. "But I've said a few things to her, which will definitely make her consider saying yes."

"Hmm, by said you mean you've threatened her. Got it," Kabir smiled sarcastically, and Yashvir returned him an equally sarcastic one. "Now seriously, will you actually go to war, for a woman?"

"I will do whatever it takes to have her in my arms, Kabir. Whatever it takes," Yashvir replied, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Yes, but... As your wife, right?" Kabir asked, and Yashvir shot him a look, glaring at him.

"Of course as my wife, Kabir! Think before you spit out such rubbish!" His voice boomed through the room.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Kabir raised his hands in surrender. "I just asked a question."

"Have I ever taken any mistresses, that you think I will take her as one? What are you even going on about?" Yashvir said in disbelief.

"Well, in my defense, never before have you even threatened to wage war against a kingdom over a woman," Kabir shrugged. "So when it comes to Rajkumari Ahankara, you're pretty unpredictable."

Yashvir sighed, before smiling softly.

"I don't know what she does to me, Kabir. It becomes so hard for me to control myself whenever I'm around her. I just act, without giving it a thought. It's like I work instinctively, as if she is something I need in order to survive, and my survivals instincts kick in whenever it comes to her," he explained.

"Okay," Kabir nodded, blinking at him. "I'm gonna go to sleep, and you can sit here gushing about your favorite Princess. We have an early morning tomorrow, and then a long journey to undertake. I would suggest you get some sleep as well. Khamma Ghanni," Kabir smiled sarcastically, standing up to leave the room.

"I haven't slept properly since the day I saw her," Yashvir chuckled. "You think I'll be able to sleep knowing that she's under the same roof as I am?"

"Oh, if that's the case," Kabir smirked, "I'd suggest you do not marry her, since you won't be able to sleep for the rest of your life then."

"Wasn't planning on it," Yashvir smirked, winking at him.

"Oh, God, stop!" Kabir scrunched up his nose, pretending to barf.

"Tch," Yashvir rolled his eyes. "You're so unromantic."

"Says the Warrior Prince of Kalang," Kabir retorted, laughing.

Yashvir could not help but chuckle himself, slowly shaking his head, as he walked over to the window. He heard Kabir walk out of the room and close the door, whilst he stood there, staring at the night sky. He missed the moon's beauty gracing the sky, but he did not mind it that much. He knew that very soon, he would have his own Moon, her beauty gracing his life till the end of time.

His beautiful Rose.

His Ahankara.

- - - -

"Rajkumari, wake up," Neharika called out, while drawing the curtains. "It's late!"

"Hmm," Ahankara only offered a hum in response, turning away from the light.

"Rajkumari," Neharika walked up to the bed, and climbed in. She shook Ahankara by her arm. "Wake up. Maharaja Karan Singh was asking for you."

"Let me sleep," Ahankara muttered, pulling the covers over her face.

"Rajkumari, it's really late. Why are you even so sleepy? You didn't sleep that late last night," Neharika frowned.

Last night. Hmm.

Ahankara's eyes shot open, and she sat up, removing the covers.

"Has Yashvir left?" She asked Neharika immediately.

Neharika blinked at her, taken aback by her question.

"Normally, you say your prayers the first thing in the morning, and now you're taking the name of that Yuvraj? I know they say that husband is like God, but he's not even your fiance yet," Neharika teased.

"Tch, stop talking rubbish." Ahankara scowled. "Just tell me yes or no."

"Yes, he left in the morning. By the way, since when did you start calling him by his first name?" Neharika bit back her grin.

"Last night," Ahankara whispered mindlessly.

"What?" Neharika almost shouted, her eyes wide.

"Huh?" Ahankara frowned. "Oh," her eyes widened in realization, "I mean, last night I decided he doesn't deserve the respect I give him by saying his title."

"Oh," Neharika nodded in understanding.

"I feel so... Groggy," Ahankara whispered, running a hand through her hair. "I wanna go back to sleep."

"You can sleep all day, if you want, Rajkumari, but Maharaja was asking for you. So I suggest you go see him first."

"Something tells me that I won't be able to sleep after that," Ahankara sighed, holding her head in her hands. "He's going to ask me my decision, Neha. What am I supposed to say? How will I decide what to do in only three days? My head hurts."

"Relax, take a deep breath," Neharika placed her hand on Ahankara's shoulder. "I'll draw you a warm bath. It will help you think. I'll also ask Meena to prepare a nice cup of tea for you. You can drink it while I can comb your hair. I'm sure you'll feel better after that. Is that alright, Rajkumari?" Neha smiled.

"Or..." Ahankara trailed off. "I could just go back to sleep and you tell Bhai Sa that I'm sick."

"Oh?" Neharika raised an eyebrow. "So the Rajkumari wants me to lie to the Maharaja. You want to get me killed, is that it?"

Ahankara groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Why did I have to go to the pond that day? Why did that stupid Prince have to be there? Why did he even see me?!" Ahankara cried, while Neharika sat there rubbing her back.

"He what?" A voice boomed from the doorway, making both of them look up in shock. Neharika instantly got off the bed, bowing her head down in respect, while Ahankara stared at her brother with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

Karan Singh stormed inside the room, a hard glare on his face, his jaw clenched tightly, as he gripped onto the hilt of his sword tightly.

"Bhai Sa..." Ahankara trailed off, thinking of how to handle the situation.

"What were you saying right now? Answer me!" He snapped, and Ahankara gulped, slowly getting off the bed.

"I met the Yuvraj at the pond a week ago. I didn't know he was there at first, but then a maid spotted him and covered me with a shawl. We argued, and he told me who he was, after which he left," Ahankara explained.

"That is exactly why I shouldn't be letting you leave the Palace, Ahankara!" Karan Singh scolded, making her flinch. Her eyes were downcast in guilt. "Now see, the kind of problem it has brought upon us and our Kingdom! No man had ever seen your face unless I allowed it! Now he is obsessed with you. How will we solve this mess?"

"Bhai Sa, forgive me, but he could have done the same thing after he saw me in the Palace yesterday, for the first time. You didn't stop him from seeing my face yesterday," Ahankara retorted, trying to defend herself.

"Yesterday was different, my world," Karan Singh sighed. "It was a formal meeting, and I did not know why he was coming. Plus, he would not even have thought of ever visiting our Palace if it weren't for you. I wish you would have at least told me about your encounter. I would have stopped this before he made any such moves."

"And how would you have done that, Bhai Sa?" Ahankara whispered. "Would you have not allowed him into the Palace, or would you have lied about my engagement? This man is willing to go to war just to marry me. You think we could stop him?"

"You are right, Ahankara, and what's done is done. I can't blame you for any of it. But what now? I don't know how to save you from that monster's clutches," Karan Singh sighed. "For the first time in my life, I'm feeling so helpless. It's up to you now. If you will want us to go to war, we will, and if not, we won't. It's your life, after all. So the decision should be yours too."

"I... I need some time to think, Bhai Sa," Ahankara said softly. "I feel too exhausted. I need to calm my nerves."

"That's alright," Karan Singh nodded in understanding, lovingly running his hand over his sister's hair. "Take good rest. And let me know your answer whenever you're ready. We'll have to prepare our army if you choose war." 

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