This part is written by Diksha_chaudhary

freakswithus and judges do check it

Here the story continues..

HALL 

Everyone rushed back to their rooms, when King Shekhar ordered them to leave the place as soon as. All left, except Sanskar.

Sanskar was still looking at the arrow and that chit with intense expression. His eyes were all red.

He could remember his friend Madhav in that state, all because of Vikram. God forbid, if anything would have happened to Madhav, how would he have faced his family then? What if his children would have asked him about his father? Would he have any answer? 

NO. He would not have any answer to give them. That time he could not do anything, but now.......now he swore to find that Vikram soon and hang him to death, for Madhav.... and ofcourse for RAGINI.....

Sanskar remembered how Vikram tried to force Ragini. All his mind was occupied with the rewindings of that night, when Vikram misbehaved with Ragini..... his Ragini. Her pretty eyes which were filled with pain and tears.... all because of Vikram.

His eyes were all red due to anger. This was more than enough. He need to find him soon and to punish him for his deeds. 

In anger, he held the front part of the arrow in his fist so tightly, that it pierced his hand, resulting into oozing out the blood. But the injury seemed not to be bothering him as he was all lost. He could not even feel the pain. 

"Prince Sanskar!" A voice brought back Sanskar into his senses. He jerked with the voice and turned to find Prince Raghav there with a worried expression. "Prince, Your hand!" saying so, Prince Raghav was about to hold his hand, but Sanskar gently took his hand back and nodded negatively.

Prince Raghav gave him a confused look.

"No Prince Raghav. I don't want this to be heal. I want it to remind me again and again that I have to catch that Vikram for my friend Madhav and My Rag....." just as Sanskar was about to complete, he stopped in the middle, realizing what he was about to say infront of Prince Raghav. 

He looked up into Prince Raghav's eyes, in order to cover it up. But Prince Raghav was smart enough to decode that he was about to say RAGINI. A satisfied smile crept on his lips, but soon he hides it. 

"My..??" Prince Raghav queried intentionally raising his brows and looking into Sanskar's eyes. 

Sanskar closed his eyes a bit and cursed himself under his breath for creating a blunder for himself. 

"Uhh.. no-nothing serious. You here?" Sanskar asked immediately to cover up the situation. 

Prince Raghav smiled a bit and placed his hand over his shoulder.

"I knew you must be still here. Don't worry Prince.... we'll find him soon." saying so Prince Raghav turned towards the other side. "He ought to be hanged soon....... because he is a big threat to my sister's life and I can't see anyone playing with my sister's life. I'll kill him." said Prince Raghav with anger-filled eyes. 

Assuring him, Sanskar immediately left to his room , but he felt like someone was following him.  He stopped for a moment and looked back with a jerk but found no one there.

"I think there was someone...." thinking so with a confused expression, he again examined the view, but finding no one there, he shrugged his shoulders and went forward towards his room.

~BACK IN THE HALL

Prince Raghav was still looking at the way where Sanskar went. A smile again appeared on his face, when he remembered about Sanskar's 'MY RAG....' Though it was left incomplete, but he very well knew what Sanskar meant. 

"I know Prince Sanskar that you love my sister. I can see it in your eyes. Not only in your eyes, but in my Ragu's eyes too. I'll be the happiest person if u win the competition, and I am pretty sure that you are the only one who deserves my sister. But still, I am compelled to present a riddle among you..... and I don't want it to be an easiest one." said prince Raghav to himself.

He knew that Sanskar is the best person for Ragini. He has all those qualities which he wanted to see in Ragini's future husband. But for now, he did not want to take a decision in a haste. 

Two riddles were still left, but seems like the brothers were already impressed by Sanskar, and personally all six of them wanted Sanskar to win the swayamwar and their sister.

~ SANSKAR'S ROOM

Sanskar marched inside his room and held his bleeding hand. 

"Vikram Chalukya, I won't spare you. You took upon this hostility with a wrong person this time. Had it been only me, I would have thought to spare you once, but now when you have dragged Princess Ragini and my friend Madhav into it, I won't leave you." said Sanskar with his blood shot eyes and was about to punch his bleeding hand on to the wall, but was held by someone at the correct time.

He looked at the hand holding his wrist tightly, preventig him from hitting the wall. His eyes rolled up from the person's hand to the face of that person. 

As soon as he saw the person infront of him, all his anger vanished within a second. 

"Princess Ragini?" He asked looking at her confusingly. Confused not because he saw Ragini there, but because of what he saw.

He saw Ragini's eyes welled up all in tears. Her innocent face was losing that beautiful smile of hers, and her eyes were showcasing only pain.

He immediately cupped Ragini's cheek with one hand. "Why are you crying Princess Ragini? Is everything alright?" Those tears in ragini's eyes made him ask these questions worriedly. 

But Ragini.......Ragini did not reply anything. She unknowingly just hugged Sanskar. For a moment, Sanskar's heart skipped its beat. He looked on with a blank face. His heart was fluttering with joy, but his brain was motionless. But at the same time, was confused about Ragini's sudden reaction. He could feel ragini's tears on his chest. 

He responded back to the hug and embraced her in his warm hug in order to console her. This was definitely a special feeling. For sometime, both RagSan forgot where they were. They were jusy lost in each other. All they could feel was one another's presence and their closeness. 

Ragini came back to her senses, and realized what she did. She immediately broke the hug and stood a little far from Sanksar bending her head down in embarassement, with a blush clear on her cheeks. She did not know what and how to speak further. There was an awkward silence for a minute. 

Sanskar noticed her expression. He went forward towards her with a teasing smile. Ragini felt him coming near him. She started stepping back, but Sanskar was fast enough to catch her. He held her wrist and pulled her towards him. Ragini landed on his chest with a jerk. They looked into each other's eyes and had an eyelock filled with immense love for each other. 

Ragini realized their position and again lowered her head blushing. She tried to get out of sanskar's hold, but in vain. In the process, Ragini hits him on his injured hand, unintentionally, to which Sanskar winced in pain as a reflex.

She hurriedly held his hand and started murmuring sorry. The pain, Sanskar felt for once, now vanished somewhere. He was again lost in Ragini's innocence, her love, her care. 

"I am fine Princess" he said with a sly smile on his face, assuring her.

Ragini immediately teared her dupatta and started tieing it on the wound. While sanskar kept on looking at her beautiful face. He could feel LOVE for him in Ragini's eyes, which she never expressed in words, but has expressed it through her actions, always........

"Can't you take care of yourself? I witnessed what you did to your hand in the hall. I knew you must be there only, so i just came to check upon you when I saw Raghav bhaiya coming that side and had to hide. It was Raghav bhaiya who came at the right time and stopped you. You did not even think about me once. What if anything would have happened to you?" Ragini said non-stop without giving Sanskar a chance to speak. 

He placed his hand on Ragini's mouth and she widened her eyes.
"Shhh princess. I said I am fine now." Sanskar replied with a smile, looking deep into her eyes. 

He felt happy that Ragini came there at the hall, just to see him. He smilingly took his hand back while Ragini blushed. 

(PS- The person sanskar felt was following him, was NOT Ragini.)

"Why were you worried for me Princess?" Sanskar questiomed with his eyes staring deep into her orbs. 

Ragini did not reply but smiled blushingly. She was about to run from there, but sanskar held her wrist and again pulled her back. Her heart beat stopped for a moment and her breath was not normal.

Sanskar held her hand and kept a rose in it. Ragini looked at it and then at Sanskar lovingly. She smiled and ran from there, while Sanskar brushed his hair remembering those recent moments with Ragini.

Just as Ragini left the room, two eyes were shown watching ragini with blood red shot eyes and then towards sanskar. That person's hand is shown which turned into a fist while looking towards ragini.

~ NEXT MORNING 

Ragini was sitting in her room with a smile on her face and eye twinkling with happiness. 

Her mind was rewinding the last night's moments with Prince sanskar. All that made her blush so hard that her cheeks become crimson red in colour. Just then she heard a voice of anklets in her room. She looked up towards the owner and found a dasi with a veil standing there. 

"Yes?" Ragini replied, to which dassi just came inside and placed a thaal on the table, without speaking anything. 

Ragini looked at the the thaal, while the daasi looked upon something. Ragini was still examining the thall covered with a red cloth. Just as she was about to ask the daasi about it, she found no one there.

She looked here and there in confusion but then decided to look herself what was there in it. She took out that red cloth and looked at it with narrowed confusing eyes as she found a letter in it. She opened up and started reading it. The time she started reading it, her eyes could be seen wideneing with fear. Tears started flowing her eyes. She looked here and there being scared. Her hands were trembling with fear. 

~ THE COURT

All were present there for the swayamwar and to listen the sixth riddle with a hope to try their luck on Princess Ragini. Except for Ragini and Sanskar..... all were present there. 

A dasi came there and informed them that Princess Ragini is not feeling well and is not willing to attend the court meeting today. All became tensed. Prince Raghav even wanted to postpone the meeting, but Prince Shekhar asked him to proceed. 

Prince Raghav unwillingly came forward but his eyes searched for Prince Sanskar.  He was not to be seen there. He so dearly wanted him to solve the riddle, but he was not present there. But nothing could be done now. He needed to proceed. 

"Pita shri, shall we wait for Prince sanskar?" Asked Raghav after contemplating whether to ask this question or not. Ragini's brothers and shekhar wanted Sanskar to come, but rules were rules. They could not make the other princes wait. 

"I am here Prince." replied a voice which was undoubtedly of Sanskar. King Shekhar too smiled happily seeing him there. Even before the completion of seven riddles, Sanskar has won everybody's heart in the Rajmahal. But those present there for the competition, that is, swayamwar.....were definitely worried after Sanskar's arrival. For them, they have the most toughest comepetitor among them. 

"Please be seated Prince Sanskar." saying so, Prince Inder gestured him to sit. Just within a minute of Sanskar's arrival, there comes a voice of announcing the arrival of Princess Ragini in the court room. 

All were confused as to how did she come when she had refused once. Prince Naman and Prince Ishaan stood up and went near Ragini. 

"Ragu are you fine.?" asked both of them in unison. "Yes Ragu, a daasi informed us that you are not willing to come." asked Prince Arjun. 

And before anyone else could question, Ragini looked up towards Sanskar and answered her brothers. 
"Yes bhaiya I am alright. And I want to attend this meeting too." just as she said this, Prince Garv noticed Sanskar nodding his head towards Ragini, as if assuring her about something. He felt something fishy, but thought to ignore this for now. 

As everyone seated, Prince Raghav went forwards to ask his riddle. But before he asked the question, he signed someone, and withing a minute that person brought a box in his hands. All were wondering about what it could be. 

Prince Raghav took the box and opened it, and there everyone could see a pearl in it, whose size was nearly that of the duck's egg. 

"So my riddle is WHAT IS THE MYSTERY OF THE PEARL OF THE SIZE OF A DUCK'S EGG?" asked Prince raghav. 

Everyone present there were literally confused by the question. They looked at eah other's faces being puzzled.

Prince Raghav examined their faces and showed up the pearl properly, to everyone present there. He informed them that the pearl was arranged in six layers with unscrambled words. It was clear that somehow they needed to use the correct words to solve the mystery. 

'Hey bhagwan.....utha le. Mujhe nahi baaki rajya ke rajkumaro ko. Then I'll be the only one to answer the question. And even if I don't solve the riddle....I'll be the only one left whom they'll marry their sister.' said the Prince of Junagarh in a meek voice with a pity face praying to God. 

'Oh God.... already I am so hungry. And after this question, I feel like I am double hungry now. Kya karun kya karun?' The fatty king thought. 

"I can give you all a hint." said Prince Raghav, to which everyone looked up to him so as to get closer to the solution. 

"Paanch mushkilo ka hal hai jiske paas, use hi pata chalega is moti ka raaz." hinted Prince Raghav, to which everyone became even more puzzled. But Sanskar keenly listened to the hint and started wondering over it immediately. 

(The one who has the solution to five problems, will get to know about the mystery of this pearl and the answer to the sixth question. )

"Humein apne dimaag ke ghode daudane padenge" said Prince Ratan looking towards the floor, thinking deeply.

Just then the Prince of Junagarh  heard him. "Do you have horses staying in your brain.?" He asked very innocently, to which Prince Ratan just rolled his eyes. 

That prince looked up towards the sky. "God I am noticing that you are becoming very naughty these days....sabke dimaag mei ghode de diye, parantu mujhe to diye hi nahi." He said looking towards the sky with complaining eyes. 

Prince Ratan heard him. "Bhagwan ne to aapko dimaag bhi nahin diya. And here you wants to get married. Atleast grow up before marrying. Thode bade ho jaiye." Saying so, he turned towards the other side, again getting engrossed in his thoughts to get an answer to the riddle. 

Meanwhile, that Prince looked towards Prince Ratan in anger. 
"Huh! He himself does not know anything....and here giving me lectures. Itna bada toh hu.....aur kitna bada hou?" saying so, he shrugged  his shoulders and started looking here and there at the faces of other princes'. 

Ragini's gaze was stuck upon Sanskar. She was confident that Sanskar would definitely get an answer to this riddle. Shekhar looked towards Ragini, who was smiling looking towards Sanskar. He too smiled understanding that his daughter has chosen the one for him. 

"All of you will get only one chance to solve it. So better be prepared with a proper answer." informed Prince Raghav. 

Just then Prince Indresh from Raigarh stood up. "Shall I try Prince Raghav?" 

Raghav nodded positively and signed him to come and try. 

That Prince gave everyone an over-confident look and started walking towards the pearl. While walking he said "Don't try too much friends. Because I am going to get the riddle solved." With this he raised up his head in honour.

But right then, when he was busy being over confident and challenging the others, he missed a step while getting down of the floor from his seat, and fell down. "Ouch!" was all that he managed to say. All other princes' started lauging at him. 

Prince Naman and Prince Ishaan too started laughing wholeheartedly, but stopped seeing Prince arjun glaring them. 

Prince Raghav signed some soldiers to pick him up. 

"What happened Prince Indresh? Hahaha...... look forward while walking instead of giving those over confident looks to others." mocked one Prince, making all others laugh again. 

Prince indresh just glared them all and gets seated back on his chair again. 

"What happened Prince Indresh? Why are you not coming?" Interrogated Prince Garv, to which he just nodded his head into a no, annoyingly. 

Prince Indresh's two daas who had come with him, lowered to the Prince's ear and whispered "Why didn't you go Prince?" 

At this he smirked. "They would call me themselves again. Just wait, they will request me to come."

Prince Raghav sighed. "Anyone else?" He asked resulting in the wideneing of Prince Indresh's eyes. He had thought that he would definitely request him to try again, but none did that. He felt insulted and looked towards the other side angrily. 

Both his daas started whisper-laughing. "Karwal li na bezatti" said one daas with a hand over his mouth. two laughs covering their mouth

"He knew that he can't give an answer, so just seated back again. And them he thought that these people will fall into his feet." The other daas remarked laughing. Prince Indresh looked at them angrily, while both of them turned their faces to the other sides, preventing themselves from his glares. 

"I know the answer" stood that fatty king, holding his belly and adjusting his dhoti. 

"Please come forward." gestured Prince Raghav. 

He went near the pearl and was so lost in its beauty, that he was again to be informed by Prince Raghav that he was there to solve the riddle. He composed himself and started joining the words, but the layer did not open. Prince Raghav lowered to see the word he was trying to solve it. 

"Food?" questioned Prince Raghav narrowing his eyes in confusion, making all others laugh. 

"This is the wrong answer prince. We are sorry." said prince Raghav gently. 

"Arre this pearl has something wrong with it definitely. Otherwise food is the only thing which is the solution to the every problem. Paanch kya dass mushkilein ho bhale hi...but food is the only solution." He said so casually being cent percent sure over the answer he gave.

He went back to his seat murmuring.

'Paanch mushkilo ka hal hai jiske paas, use hi pta chalega is moti ka raaz.' These words were ringing in Sanskar's mind  again and again. He knew that the answer must be in the hint itself. 

One by one, all the princes too tried their luck by using different words, but in vain. None could get the proper answer.

Prince Sanskar stood up and looked towards the pearl determinedly. Ragini smiled and hoped for the best. 

As he started walking towards it, Raghav's hint was still ringing in his ears.

A soldier held the pearl and Sanskar started making a word. Just as he was joining the words, Prince Raghav smiled seeing the answer he was making. 

"True love" answered Prince Sanskar and showed it Prince Raghav and others present there, and they witnessed the layer opening. All were awestruck. 

Prince Raghav had a satisfactory smile on his face and a lone tear escaped his eye. He was happy that sanksar was one more step closer to win Ragini, and this was all he wanted. He wanted a person like Sanskar to get married to his beloved sister. Prince Arjun patted Raghav's shoulder knowing what he was thinking and they smiled looking at each other. 

"Kindness" answered Sanskar as he showed them all the second layer opening. 

Everyone stood up from their seats with their eyes wide opened. 

"Karma" he again answered when he joined the words, resulting in the opening of the third layer.

"Truth" saying so, he opened the fourth layer too. 

"Courage" he said uncovering the fifth layer too. 

Prince Naman and Prince Ishaan hugged each other in happiness, but then composed themselves. Ragini too looked towards Sanskar with her eyes moist. 

Sanskar looked up at the sixth layer. This was the last layer and he has to be sure while trying. Lots of stress, lots of tension. He looked up towards Ragini and her one look removed all her tension and stress. Just as he saw her angelic smile, he found a new strength in himself. Now he could not look back. He has to do it for HIS RAGINI. 

He started joining the words. "INTELLIGENCE" he answered waiting for the layer to open. He closed his yes hoping his answer to be correct. He opened his eyes when he heard someone clapping. He looked up and saw Prince Raghav clapping with a wide smile on his face. He looked up towards Raghav and he just nodded at him smilingly. Right then, Sanskar noticed the sixth layer opening up. His lips curved up into a smile and same goes with Ragini and everybody else. 

In between the clappings, Prince Indresh looked at him arrogantly. "Huh! That is the reason I didn't answer. I thought if I will give the answer, then no one else would have been able to win. Otherwise I already knew the answer." said he to his two daas' who looked towards each other and burst out laughing pointing their hands towards him in a mocking way. He glared them but did not stop laughing. 

Prince Indresh frowned in anger and stood up from there leaving the court room, followed by both his daas still laughing at him secretely.

There that fatty king kept both his hands on his waist and looked towards Prince Raghav. "Were his answers better than mine? " he asked himself and shrugged his shoulders and started clapping. 

All this while, someone was watching this in anger.

Sanskar stood up being amazed when he found something kept inside it. He took it out and showed it to everyone. It was a ring inside. Ragini kept her hand over her mouth in happiness and tears escaped down her eyes.

" stop.how prince sanskar  know the correct answers that to without failing for once..I think he did cheating"a prince stood up and questioned

While sanskar and all brothers looks at him

"no I don't think because I gaveyou all the hints but only Prince sanskar catch it."Prince Raghav replied back

These were the answers of five riddle which we gave earlier.

True love

Kindness

Karma

Truth

Courage

And this one is to check intelligence.

These are the qualities which we are finding in the person who will marry our sister

Raghav said with a pride

"Now you get it how Prince sanskar is more intelligent than you Prince Rudradev"mocked Prince garv as he got angry when he blamed Sanskar

Just then a daasi came there and informed them that Madhav had gained consciousness. Sanskar's happiness knew no bounds. 

King Shekhar came towards Sanskar. "Well done Prince. I am proud of you. But..........." saying so, he turned towards the other princes's. "But still one riddle is left. And that would be the deciding one. Till then, I would request Prince Sanskar to give that ring back to Prince raghav."

All the brothers looked sadly towards their father. But they knew that now whatever may happen, Prince Sanskar will win at any cost. 

Ragini's smile vanished listening to her father's words and a little annoyance took over her expressions. She stamped her foot a little, in annoyance. This did not go un noticed by the naughty twin brothers Prince Ishaan and Prince Naman.

They stood near Ragini and whispered "Control Ragu. You can't express that you are unhappy that still one riddle is left between you and Prince Sanskar." 

Ragini widened her eyes and looked at both her brothers in embarassement. "Uhh..... no-nothing is like that. I wasn't thinking so." she replied biting her tongue and looking towards the floor embarassed. 

Prince Ishaan side-hugged her. "Don't fool us my dear sister. We very well know that you love Prince Sanskar...... and what all is happening between you two these days."  

To this, Ragini widened her eyes and looked up towards Prince Ishaan and he fake glared her.

Prince Naman said "We didn't expect this from you Ragini. Did you forget about all our cultures, traditions, respect, rules, prders, regulations, values, love, re...... "(Prince Ishaan signed him to stop this word game) 
"You... you've let us down Ragu" he said in a fake angry tone and Prince Ishaan controlled his laughter.

"Yes, we both saw you that day in Prince Sanskar's kaksh (room) when we came there with Garv bhaiya. Weren't you there behind the pillar?" 

(A little fb is shown where Prince Ishaan noticed Ragini behind a pillar, where she was visible a bit from the sides of the pillar. He signalled Prince Naman and they forced Garv to leave Sanskar alone for sometime.)

"Vo toh humne tumhe bacha liya..... warna pta nahi Garv bhaiya kya sochte." said Prince Ishaan with a serious face.

Ragini lowered her face. "I-I am sorry bhaiya. Ac-actually I was just....." just as Ragini was about to speak further, both the brothers started laughing. Ragini looked upto them with a confused face.

Ishaan pinched Ragini's cheeks. "We are happy that you found your love in Prince Sanskar Ragu."

Ragini smiled happily and looked towards both of them. She pinched Ishaan and Naman's arms to check whether it was a dream or a reality........ and they winced in pain. Everybody turned towards them hearing their scream and saw them caressing their arms. Ragini bites her tongue and hits her head a little.

They made some excuses when Arjun asked them about what happened. They were again engrossed in their talks, while Sanskar simulataneously observed all people in the court room. He looked keenly at all the servants and daasis there. 

Sanskar looked towards Ragini who was busy laughing and talking with Prince Ishaan and Prince Naman. He smiled watching her. But something caught his attention when his eyes fell on the scene behind Ragini.

He observed a daasi coming towards Ragini with a veil. He noticed her body language and knew that something was definitely wrong. He knew that she was only the one about whom Ragini had informed him. (You'll get to know about this in the next part 😁)

He noticed her clearly and saw something which made his eyes go wider in fear. He looked towards Ragini and then again towards that daasi, who was smartly moving towards her without getting noticed by anyone. 

That daasi reached at the back of Ragini. Sweat could be clearly seen on sanskar's  forehead.

He ran towards Ragini, but stopped in the mid when he heard her scream. The court went in a complete silence hearing her loud scream. Sanskar stood there motionless with a shocked expression, while King Shekhar and all the six brothers were too shocked to witness the scenario infront of their eyes.

**********************

So how was the part?

The final part is written by me😆😉