Sanjana

"Please Sanjana, trust me. What will I achieve by lying to you about this?" Brandon pleads silently, as we walk through the palace again next morning. We got an appointment with the royal family today, my secretary had to pull some strings to help Akmal with the process.

I shake my head at him.

"I never said you're lying, Bran. I just think that your brain has somehow mixed the reality with that dream when we recreated it. It's not your fault and I'm not blaming you for anything at all. Our brains works strangely sometimes, it's not in our control."

"I don't know. I mean, it wasn't like I was asleep in that moment, we were dancing after all. I couldn't have imagined you in that dress, that hairstyle, that personality in a split second. I even saw your face clearly in the dream last night."

"But Bran, if that were true, I should have some memories of this palace, some recollection, some trigger, anything. These interiors aren't even close to what my dreams show me. Also, spending time here brought you a new dream of that tunnel, but nothing for me. My dream was exactly the same last night. I don't even feel any other emotions except a sense of amazement at seeing the architecture."

He sighs and looks away and an uncomfortable silence hangs between us. Spending time with him always feels so natural, this awkwardness is unwelcome and unsettling. I struggle with finding a way to go back to our normal companionship.

"How about we talk to the royal family about our situation? We'll tell them everything and ask if they have any suggestions. We don't really need permission to visit that hall anymore, and we don't have any other leads on what to do next."

"Yeah, that makes sense", he whispers and sighs heavily.

"We'll figure this out, Bran, stop worrying so much."

"I just don't want you to think I've any ulterior motives behind this, I swear I'm not fabricating any story here", he says in a faint voice that breaks my heart a little.

"Oh Bran, why will I think that?" I say as I stop walking and turn towards him, taking both his hands in mine and squeezing reassuringly.

"I don't know, okay. This is too complicated and you have no reason to trust me. For all you know, I could be a liar trying to trap you in a complicated situation to exploit you or loot your money."

She huffs, "Yeah, as if you aren't as rich as me, if not more. Honestly, that's a stupid thought you're harboring there, so drop it alright. I'm not doubting you, I trust you, I really do. Please don't be so hard on yourself."

He studies my face for several moments, before nodding in agreement.

"Okay."

"Good, now how about a relaxing stroll by the lake behind the fortress? We have a couple of hours till the appointment with Prince Aval", I ask with a gentle smile, which he returns, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Sounds perfect."

_________

"That's a really interesting story, Ms. Sanjana, but I'm afraid it's not very believable", Prince Aval says with a forced smile plastered on his face.

"I understand, your Highness, we have no proof our authenticity, except our word. But, you must agree that the way Brandon navigated the underground tunnels without faltering and with total ease, it's impossible unless what we're saying is true."

"You're right, Ms. Sanjana, those tunnels are not public knowledge and they haven't been accessed in decades. I have no clue how you found out about them. Even if I assume that your story is indeed true, I really don't see how I can possibly help you. Unless -"

He stands up abruptly and walks to a nearby sitting room, signaling us to follow him. The room looks like a mini museum, with life sized portraits, artefacts, swords and armor in enclosed glass showcases. He halts in front of a large bookcase, and pulls out what looks like a huge album.

"This is our family album, it is in use since last seven generations. Perhaps you can find a familiar face if you believe you've visited here before. But please handle this with care, it's an invaluable family possession."

"Of course, your Highness, we'll explore it very gently."

"Okay, you've an hour, I've to attend a video conference meanwhile, and then I'll come find you  back here. The room keeper is right here, so I expect you not to trespass my property."

"Thanks a lot for your help, Prince Aval. We'll stay right here on this couch and won't touch a thing", I smile kindly, to which he nods and leaves.

We sit at the nearby couch next to each other, the huge album spread over our laps. We turn each leaflet with care as we observe the faces frozen in black and white snapshots, smiling at the camera with unmatched grace and grandeur. It goes way back to late 1890s, and as we turn each flap, our curiosity and anxiety peaks exponentially.

We're halfway through the album when I finally spot the familiar handsome face in black and white. Same almond shaped eyes, strong jawline, light hair - the similarity is remarkable. I find myself running a gentle finger over the face, as the photo Brandon smiles back proudly, his British uniform adorned with several decorations to display his bravery.

I turn to look at Brandon, who's now looking at the photo with widened eyes and an awestruck expression.

"We found you", I whisper gently and a broad smile breaks through his expression.

He gently traces the timestamp under the photo.

13:20, May 10, 1920.

"It's almost a century ago", he says gently, his eyes fixed on the date.

"Let's look ahead, maybe there's more. Or maybe you can identify someone from the same timeframe."

He nods and we continue turning the leaflets one by one, until the black and white snapshots are replaced by colored ones. We keep looking, but don't find anything else.

"At least we have a date. We can probably look up history books or literature or something else", I suggest hopefully but his reply is cut off by another voice.

"A date? I reckon you found a familiar face then?" , the Prince says with a smile that isn't forced anymore.

I open Brandon's picture and pass the album back to him and he looks as surprised as we were. He keeps looking up from the album to Brandon's face, as if to reassure himself that it's really alike.

"This is unbelievable", he says to himself as he looks at the album one last time, before putting it away.

"You're right", he continues, "you should look up in our royal history books or old newspapers. The Jaipur Royal Museum has a private library that preserves royal artefacts. You'll definitely find something there. I'll write you an express recommendation to visit the restricted royal section, it contains uncensored information about royal family. But you'll have to sign non-disclosure agreements there, in case you find something scandalous."

He grins good-naturedly, and continues, "You'll have to ensure nothing is damaged as well. The library opens only on Fridays and Saturdays, so you'll have to wait for two days."

He pulls out a scroll from a drawer and writes down the said permission letter, then hands it over to us.

"Thanks a lot, your Highness, this will really help us", Bran says with unmistakable respect in his voice.

"It's a pleasure young man, I wish you good luck for your endeavors."

________

Next morning, I enter Brandon's room with his breakfast, since he didn't come out in the dining area at our usual time. I expect to see him sleeping or resting, but never in my dreams did I expect to find him painting.

I saw his sketch on that website several days ago, and he told me he has a hobby of sketching. Hell, he even told me he designs game layouts as a profession, but listening him talk about it is no match to watching him do it so passionately - his brow furrowed in concentration, his eyes trained on the canvas, his hands working expertly at what I assume are confident strokes of paint sitting on the side table.

It's an incredible sight, and I don't find it in myself to break his concentration, so I stand there and watch as he continues working on his masterpiece effortlessly. I can't wait to see what exactly is he working on.

After a couple of minutes, he finally puts the paintbrush aside and a small smile graces his lips as he observes what I assume is his completed work.

"Do I get to take a look?" I ask, causing him to startle and his eyes to snap towards me immediately.

He abruptly moves away from the canvas, turns it away and walks towards me, his face laced with worry.

"It's nothing. Sorry, I lost track of time, let's go to the dining area and have breakfast, my room is a mess."

"You're asking me to get out politely, aren't you?" I ask with a stern expression, trying to suppress the giggle bubbling in my chest to escape.

"No! Of course not. That's not, I don't-"

The giggle bubbles out at his gobsmacked expression and his tensed face relaxes.

"You're mean", he says with a huff and crosses his arms over his chest. I grin in response.

"That I'm. Now, move out of my way, let me see what you were working on. I'm sure it will be something amazing."

He gulps and looks away, then closes his eyes to calm himself. I look at his face curiously, as I try to understand the reason of his nervousness.

"Alright, but please let me explain if you decide to freak out."

He moves aside and sits on the bed, clearing my way to the canvas. His words spark my curiosity further, and in no time I reach near it. As I turn to face the canvas, my breath is knocked out of my lungs at the beautiful painting before my eyes.

Adorned in a beautiful golden dress and wearing heavy royal jewelry, my own face looks back at me with lowered eyes and a half smile that shows unmistakable grace. It's me, but it somehow isn't me at all, the face is gentler, calmer and happier. Is this how I look when I run through that palace in my dream? So royal, so elegant, so beautiful.

"Is this how I look in your dream?" I ask Bran without removing my eyes from the painting.

I hear a loud intake of breath, followed by a faint "Yes".

"This is beautiful", I say breathlessly and I'm met with an empty chuckle in response.

I look back at Brandon, who has his head buried in his hands.

"I mean it, Brandon. It's really beautiful."

He looks up from his hands and meets my eyes, as I offer him a smile. He doesn't smile back.

"That's because you're beautiful. This, on the other hand, is really messed up!"

My cheeks warm at his disguised compliment, and I can't find it in myself to reassure him that it's quite alright. I mean, who wouldn't like to see such a beautiful painting drawn for them?

"If you drew this just from a dream, I wonder how beautiful you'll sketch with a live model."

"You're not angry?"

I roll my eyes at him.

"Not at all, this is flattering, and breathtakingly beautiful. How can I be angry at it? In fact, you should draw more for me, I love it."

"I actually have another one", he pulls out another canvas from the bedside and shows it to me.

My eyes are closed and I'm leaning on a window, wearing my sky blue dress, my hair flowing behind me, as if blown by wind and the sun in the backdrop shining brightly around me. I look relaxed, yet somehow tired, there's no smile, or grace or gentleness like the other painting, this is really me.

"This is from the car journey the other day?", I ask him and he nods in agreement.

"It looks so real, you're really talented Bran", I smile at him and he finally looks relaxed as he smiles back.

"Thanks, I was worried you're going to call me a creep or something."

I shake my head in amusement.

"You need to relax, you know. I'm not judging you every minute of the day. We're together in this, remember?"

His smile broadens as he scratches the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'll try to remember that more often."

"Good, now let's have breakfast and go sightseeing, I've heard Jaipur is a beautiful city and there's so much to explore around here."

"Okay, I'm going to try to enjoy this like a true vacation for these two days."

"Sounds like a plan."

_________