One morning, Daro woke up alone, as she was most mornings. After her wake up routine, she exited her room to find people busily bustling about. Daro snagged one of the workers to ask what was going on.

"Jutt jaa rea ajj. Odhi tyarri karne peyan," the boy revealed.

So, Maula was leaving somewhere, and he didn't make the effort to inform her. Daro went all around, hunting the man to get some answers. She spotted him in the courtyard, having a practice session.

"Kitthe turne peyo?" Daro asked, leaning against the bleachers.

Maula knocked his opponent down and turned to her.

"Apne kaar, hor kitthe?"

"Kedda kaar?"

"O hi," Maula came to stand in front of her, arm against the bleacher so he could lean into her, "jehra tere abbe ne tabbah kitta."

Daro looked away. He sounded like he was holding her accountable for her father's actions, but she didn't really care for him either. He had attempted to bury her right when she was born, and would have been successful if it hadn't been for Noori.

Maula grabbed her chin and made her look at him. His eyes gave her a once over. "Noori ne jo vi kitta, lekin ik gunnah hon ton rok leya."

He stopped to look around, his men still surrounding the yard. "Ghoom, oye!" He directed them.

"Lekin Mauleya, enne tuannu maar ditta te? Eddhe kolon hamesha hathiyaar honde ne," a guard argued.

Maula smiled. "Husn vaalon nu hathyaaran di lorde nai hondi. Farishte gir jawein, Maula te phir vi mard ae."

Daro blushed at his compliment, but pushed him away. "Mennu dasseya beghair tur paene? Kalle chadd jaoge mennu en sabh vich?"

Maula pouted. "Ghussa hai? Toh aa lardh le," he pulled her into the grounds.

"Sadde husn ton fida nai hua abhi tak?" She teased him.

Maula faked a curtsy, instigating her. "Tannu kinne kehyea ae haseena!"

Daro growled and swung at him, releasing the blade she had snuck in her sleeve into her hand. Maula jumped back laughing, avoiding her strike. He danced around her, and she chased him. At one swing, he grabbed her hand and positioned himself behind her, trapping her between his arms.

Daro turned her face back towards him, their rapid breaths intertwined. He was leaning into her, his grip loose on her hands. Daro took her chance and dropped her blade, stealing the two hanging at his sides. Maula laughed as she stanced herself in front of him.

"Maula kaddi hareya nai," he revealed, panting.

"Tavin te saddi jori baraabar higi," she acknowledged, and threw one blade at his head.

Maula sidestepped in time to only lose a few strands of hair. He immediately engaged her in a sword fight, both of them on par with each other. They equally attacked and escaped each other's advances until Daro pinned him against the bleachers, her dagger digging against his throat.

"Maule nu husn ne maat de di," Daro announced.

"Ore aggar Maula dil kaddh ke le jaave," Daro looked down to see his blade tip pressing into her left rib, "teh shah maat maan leve."

Daro smiled and stepped away, offering to return his blade. Maula took his own back and returned hers.

"Kalle jaa re o?" Daro asked him as they exited the courtyard.

"Aho. Hunni te sirf vekhn jaareyan, odhe naal ki kitta jae," he revealed, planning an evaluative visit.

"Aur main ki karan kalle?"

Maula chuckled. "Ohi, jo tussi meran toh pehlan kardi si."

Daro stopped walking. "Aithe mera koi nai. Pehli fursat ton sabh mennu maar devein."

Maula slipped his hand into her hair behind her ear, placing her against the wall as he kissed her. He pulled away slowly, head against hers.

"Tu Maula di izzat ae," Maula began, and Daro had tears in her eyes as she remembered their first encounter. "Maule de ghar to koi akkh utha ke vi nai vekh sakda."

"Maulea!" A female voice interrupted them and Daro quickly pushed him away.

"Oho!" Mukkho whistled. "Main kidde vich tang te ni ardh ditti?"

"Nai to!" Daro announced. "Kuch vi nai si," she ran away to her wing.

"Be fikr jao, Maulea," Mukkho wrapped her arms around his neck, "sardaarniye de assi khayaal rakhaan ge. Mukkho da vaada!" She winked at him.

Maula laughed and pecked a kiss before walking her to their room. Later in the evening, he convoy was ready and he bid farewell to his wives from the front yard as one of them waved from the front door and the other watched him leave from her balcony.

The next day, Daro refused to leave her room. Her ladies brought her breakfast and she had it tested before she ate it herself. After breakfast, she spent her morning with a group of her ladies. Obviously, they were all of her own clan, and they gossiped about their shifting society.

In the evening, Mukkho invited herself in, along with her own ladies and tailors. She was getting dresses made for herself, roped Daro in to have her design her own outfits as well. Daro had a style of her own that she had perfected, but Mukkho inspired her to have some clothes that a Jattni would wear.

The day after went fine, and Daro even made rounds around the palace. The evening had a pleasant weather and the two Sardaarnis had their own picnic dinners out in the gardens.

The next morning brought trouble. Convinced by the safety of the previous day, Daro dared to reclaim her home on her own. She was confidently walking through the hallway beside the veranda when she found herself confronted.

The men, dressed in the black colors of the Natt clan, slowly surrounded her. "Ais vaar Maula tennu bachaun vaal nai ae."

Daro unleashed her own daggers. "Mennu ohdi lor nai."

The assassins screamed first, running out to attack her. Daro was doing her best to fiend them off. Skill was on her side, but the numbers didn't look so good. The noise had brought an audience, the Jatt guards surrounding them, but they only watched.

"Oye!" The Queen they liked shouted. "Maulea di kuddi nu sambhal leo. Warna je main dassea na Maula nu, ohne tannu chadna nai."

Two of the Jatt guards stepped in to pull the other queen away while the rest fought off the assassins. They arrested them and took them to the dungeons while the other two took a screaming and resisting Daro to her room.

The next evening, Maula made it home just in time for dinner. He was greeted by Mukkho, and she escorted him to the great hall. The room was filled with people, but Maula could sense something wrong.

"Daro kitthe hai?" Maula asked, and half the people stopped moving. Maula looked up at them with a crooked brow.

"Ik gal mann meri, Maulea," Mukkho said, and Maula hummed. "Tu na sardaarniye nu bebe kolon bhej de."

Maula choked on his food as he laughed. "Kiyunke bebe ohnu bada pyaar kardi ai. Bebe ko toh Maula vi na rok sake."

"Nai, oye," Mukkho patted his shoulder. "Bebe kol reh ke, oh thoda jeya Jattni banjawe gi. Pher tere loka nu ohde naal koi masla nai."

Maula went alert at her comment. He had warned them to not have an issue with his wife. Maula drank his glass empty and threw it away. He stole his table knife and began walking to the exit, passing through the middle of the room. He stabbed his knife apparently absently into a nearby table and someone yelled as the blade cut through their hand.

The man rose off his seat, clenching his hand. Maula turned and pressed the man back into his seat. The man questioningly presented his hand to Maula, asking the reason for the pain.

Maula held the man by his collar, glowering in his face as he yanked out the knife. "Maula di izzat nu hath launa, maane hath gawaana," he sliced the knife without even looking, cutting the Natt's hand clean off.

As guards dragged away the screaming man, Maula took the knife against everyone watching. "Ajj toh baad kisi nu sardaarni de naal masla ae, toh Maula nu ohde naal masla ae. Howe Natt, de Jatt." He threw the knife into the floor and walked out.

Maula knocked at Daro's door, but got no reply. He smirked and shrugged as he decided to pursue another means of entrance. He went outside the castle and managed to climb all the way up to her balcony.

"Mennu te laggeya si ke tu mennu satton pehlan mile gi," he joked as he jumped onto the balcony.

Daro stormed to him, and he expected her to hug him, but she punched him square across the jaw.

"Ki keya si main!" She hit him again. "Kyun kalle chad gaya mennu?!" She hit him with each complaint and Maula let her hit him until he grabbed her last swing and pulled her into a hug. Daro still had a bit of  fight left in her, but his tight grip around her made her break down.

Maula sighed as he felt her cry against his chest. He drew his hands down her back to console her, but found himself startled. Curiously, he raised his wet hand to his sight and saw it red. Maula immediately pushed her a little out and held her face so he could observe her. His thumbs stroked her cheeks and he kissed her without care for who was in the room. Daro gasped in pain when he scooped her up, carrying her to her bed.

"Ruk!" Maula ordered the women who were leaving with the wash cloths. The women stilled at his dark voice. He wiped his blood stained hand on his own shirt sleeve and took it off, handing it to one of the women.

"Mennu har ik boond da hisaab chahi da," he said to no one in particular, requiring the ladies to wring out each bandage stained with Daro's blood.

Maula took his dagger and stabbed it into the palm of his own hand. Daro hissed, feeling his pain. "Kiyun kitta?"

"Jinne vi tuadda khoon bahaya, sabh to Maula saza dega," he told her as he bled almost twice the amount of her blood that had covered his hand.

Daro reached out for him, closing his hand with her own and pulled him close with the little strength she had. Maula slipped in bed beside her and held her the whole night.