For the next few days, Talia followed the advice Dusan had given her.

It was the first time she had confided in anyone about something so personal to her but Dusan had proved to be a good choice for her to share her concerns with. He had advised her that it would be better to let the rumors cool down first and he would help her in making sure that no one in the League held the wrong idea about Talia and Veruna.

As for what she should do about her feelings, he had told her to wait and make sure that Veruna too felt the same way before taking any other step. If she did then it would depend on the two how to go forward with their relationship, but if she didn't then Talia would have to refrain from forcing her into anything.

She found the latter part ridiculous because she was very certain Veruna only considered her as a woman who had saved her from the execution block. Deep down she knew there wasn't a chance of her ever getting that close to Veruna as she wanted to.

But for the time being, she was going to put the matter at rest.

It was also the first time Talia got to know a little about her brother as well, making her realize that despite being siblings, she knew very little about Dusan's life.

It was almost as if they were still strangers to one another but from that day onwards, they had decided to acknowledge each other as siblings.

As Talia had shared such a deep secret with him, he offered to tell her a secret of his in order to keep things fair. And that was when he told her about Armeena, a love of his that he had to let go of.

She learned the real reason Dusan had left Nanda Parbat to go to Cape Town after Talia had been chosen the successor. And coming to know everything from his perspective, she could see clearer than ever that the whole concept of the Al Ghuls governing the League and the Demon Head holding a supreme position over them all was extremely unfair, even to those who were part of the Al Ghul family.

It was a warning to her that just like Dusan had been forced to leave Armeena, Talia might have to face being separated from Veruna as well if Ra's found out that the rumors were true.

As a result, she had to be on her guard more than earlier.

She should have put some distance between herself and Veruna but that couldn't be possible. Veruna was the only woman in the League whom Talia trusted fully so she also served as a personal attendant to her.

She often did the tasks of brushing Talia's hair, helping her in getting ready for either battles or the normal days when she would be joining the Demon Head in the throne room and making sure that she looked her best on every occasion.

Veruna was the only woman who had permission to Talia's chambers. However, there were very few times when Talia would allow the other female attendants to tend to her as well and usually, those times were when the Al Ghuls would be attending some special event held by the neighboring countries.

At Nanda Parbat, they were like royalty though the only difference was that they were not confined to geographical boundaries. The League's hold spread far and wide, from Nanda Parbat to central Asian lands and to some extent the Middle East and by then to the far West as well.

Right then, Talia sat on the stool in front of the mirror as Veruna brushed out her hair carefully. The wooden comb glided smoothly through her long black hair and Veruna gently undid the knots where needed. 

It was one of the very few times of the day that Talia didn't have to think about her responsibilities and would instead ask Veruna to tell her about her day or anything interesting she saw as a distraction.

"Vera, did you go to that peasant family to give them food and warm clothes?" She asked, recalling that last week Veruna had asked permission from her to go and see them.

"Yes, my Lady," her fingers were trailing akin to a feather against her scalp every now and then soothingly such that Talia had closed her eyes, finding herself relax. "They were very grateful."

Talia had noticed that Veruna somehow brightened each time she talked about that family. "You seem fond of them."

Veruna paused, assessing whether her fondness for them could be something Talia wouldn't want. But she dismissed the thought, focusing on her task at hand.

"Why did you stop? Tell me about them," Talia spoke up, "were they pleased when you gave them everything you prepared for them?"

"Yes, they were delighted. Amma is very old but very kind," she resumed, "and those twins, Habiba and Assam, they were so happy with the sweaters that they kept twirling around in delight. It was rather cold that day too so the gifts were much needed."

"Habiba, Assam and Amma. Just three people... They are quite a little family, aren't they?"

Talia beckoned her to stop brushing her hair and gestured to the kohl and rouge on the vanity table. Veruna obliged, picking up the small round box that held kohl with which she would line Talia's beautiful eyes.

She had applied it to her eyes and Talia was silent for that time, but when she was done, she spoke up again, "it makes me wonder how just the three of them are able to survive in such cold and drastic conditions. Do they have no one else to look after them?"

Veruna was slightly surprised that Talia wanted to know more about them. And at the same time she knew that there were a few things that if Talia got curious about, she would get to the bottom of the matter on her own.

"Vera, I asked a question," she reminded her, observing that the woman had stiffened slightly as if not wanting to tell her more. So she softened her voice further, coaxing her to continue, "come on, you used to tell me everything."

"Amma's son and daughter-in-law died in the war," Veruna carefully chose her words, "but she has another son who looks after them and supports them. He's not related to them but treats them as he would treat his own family."

Talia felt that there had to be a reason Veruna was hesitant to tell her about that other son who wasn't even a part of that family. There had to be something because Talia had never seen Veruna's cheeks taint red like that.

It was almost as if the rouge she was applying on Talia's lips had been smeared on her face as well.

"You and I have spent so many years together. Do you still feel like you can't tell me anything freely, without being worried about how I'll react?"

She shook her head, the red fading from her cheeks into that pale complexion she usually had, "there's no such thing like that, my Lady. I was just surprised that you were curious to know about them."

A smile played upon those red lips as Talia remarked, "anything that you're fond of makes me curious as well. That's all."

Veruna felt slightly uncomfortable telling her anything more about Saahir. For some reason, she felt that Talia would stop her from going to visit the family often if she did.

"What's his name?" Talia's hand had closed onto Veruna's wrist, stopping her from leaving. And though the grip was gentle, it alarmed her and her face paled further. "If you don't tell me, I'll feel that you've stopped trusting me. Don't be scared, my dear, I simply want to know."

"I don't know him that well to be on a first name basis with him," she stuttered, fear beginning to grip her heart that she was somehow endangering Saahir's life by telling Talia about him, "and he's not there when I go to visit. But Habiba and Assam call him Akkhi. Elder brother. Because he fulfills that role for them."

Talia hadn't let go of her hand yet and interlaced their fingers together, watching the contrast her tan skin made against Veruna's milky white. "And is he handsome?"

The abrupt question shook her and as Talia was holding her hand in hers she could feel the tremor pass through her. Veruna did not answer but the pale complexion tinted red ever so slightly and it didn't escape Talia's notice.

She stood up swiftly, turning so that she was more than comfortably close to her, fingers still interlaced with hers. Veruna felt as if she would be punished for something and she had stiffened, hoping her instincts were wrong.

"Why are you so scared, Vera?" Her tone was almost sad as she asked, eyes focused on her intently, "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I think I have gotten my answer."

She let go of her hand and gently pushed her out of her way so that she could leave. But Veruna felt as if something had hurt her terribly and it was all her fault.

"My Lady, it's not like that. Please don't..."

But her voice trailed off as Talia's hand reached out to very gently touch her face, "what do you know what it's like? My lovely Veruna, you know nothing."

Right then it felt as if there was something that had churned Talia's heart in pain but she was choosing not to tell the reason to Veruna.

Just like she had chosen not to tell her much about Saahir.

"I hope someday you will be able to trust me just as much as I trust you," she retrieved her hand at last, a haunting sadness radiating off her.

It was an expression Veruna had never seen on those fiercely beautiful features and it made her both alarmed and concerned for her.

Talia left the room right after but the sudden change in her mood from curious to sorrowful left Veruna with a lot of questions. She did not know what had triggered such a change in Talia's mood but for some reason, she felt that it was due to her withholding to tell her about Saahir.

But she didn't want her to know about him either. She was scared that if Talia judged that she was slowly getting close to him, it would put him at risk.

And she did not want that peasant family to lose another member due to the League. She couldn't let that happen.

***