Veer's POV

After that sparring session with Nakul, I avoided him like plague. I also tried to stay away from Laxita because I didn't want to trouble her. I had already went ahead and provoked Nakul for no reason. The last thing I needed was Nakul accusing me of eyeing his fiancé. I literally had two more years left before graduation and I wanted to spend them in peace.

Spending the days by goofing around with my friends was helping me in nursing my broken heart. But the heart wants what the heart wants. My stomach still fluttered when I caught a glance of her in the premises sometimes. It was as if my heart was not ready to move on.

Months passed and holidays arrived. The University was closed for the festive season and all of us headed home. Despite being away from my mother for the past few years, I still missed her a lot. So, I parted ways from my friends mid-way and headed straight to the Vedashikha Gurukul, which was on the outskirts of the kingdom. I made a mental note to meet the king later. He doesn't show it but he probably misses me.

My mother is a teacher at the Vedashikha Gurukul. When my father was alive, she was a soldier by occupation, personal guard of the queen to be exact but after he was gone, she left her position and started teaching at the Gurukul. There were two reasons for it - (1) Som Nagari was filled with my father's memories which was sometimes too much for her to bear (2) She discovered that she loved teaching young girls.

Vedashikha is a Gurukul which was established by the previous king of Somapura to provide education to the young girls from poor households. It was free of cost for the families who couldn't afford education at prestigious institutions like Gyanadeep.

My mother loved teaching at the Gurukul. I had spent half of my childhood here at Vedashikha and the other half at Som Nagari.

As soon as I reached the gate of Vedashikha, I received a warm welcome from my cute admirers which instantly made me happy. The little girls here liked me very much. Whenever I was home, I taught them a bit of my swordsmanship techniques which they learnt with full interest. After meeting each one of them, I made my way to my mother's cottage.

It was a small cottage but it was all warm homely from inside. My mother was standing with her back to the door doing something. I knocked a few times to get her attention. As soon as she saw me, her face lit up with a beautiful smile. Since, she was a soldier in the past, she can be intimidating at times but as you get to know her, you realize that she's kind and welcoming. She stretched out her arms and I ran to hug her.

"Mera chota Veer kaisa hai?"

("How's my little Veer?)

"Maa, I'm not so little anymore. I am already taller than you."

"For me, you'll always be a little boy."

I smiled and took a seat beside the table. I didn't know for how long we sat there, chatting about the current developments in our lives but it was soon nightfall. I went out and greeted the other Gurumaas as well. They were also very happy to see me. All of them pinched my cheeks and by the end of the day, my cheeks were beet red from their sweet assault.

(Gurumaa - female teacher)

I spent the next few weeks at the Gurukul before making my way to Som Nagari. I promised my mother that I will visit her soon and asked her to take care of herself. She had tears in her eyes when she bid me farewell.

When I reached Som Nagari, I received a grand welcome from the king. He was all too happy to have me back. I saw my two friends, Nitya and Chitrasen yet again. Raghav was a resident of Varshapura so we didn't get to see him during holidays. The three of us spent the rest of the holidays causing trouble in the palace. The queen called us three little troublemakers because whenever the three of us met, we turned the palace upside down. And no, we didn't get any punishment, just a little bit of light scolding that too from the mage association's head, Bhargav ji. He was tired of our tantrums.

While enjoying my vacations, sometimes my mind drifted off to someone. Someone, I should probably forget about but wasn't able to. On some days, I lied on my bed at night and thought about her. These peasky feelings really weren't going away.

It seemed as if the vacations ended too soon and we were back at the University.

"I just blinked and the vacations ended." Chitra sighed.

"We share the same sentiment brother," I said. We were in his room and he was unpacking.

But I was excited as well because I could see her. I know, I know, I planned to give up on her but it's not that simple. She's literally engrained in my brain. Maybe if I go out right now, I may cross paths with her.

I was mulling over my thoughts when Raghav suddenly came running and slammed the door. "Veer....there's a... terrible news." He was panting hard.

"First of all, breathe. You're freaking us out!" Chitra said.

Raghav took a few deep breaths and continued, "I was talking with some of my friends when I came to know that Laxita's parents have passed away during the vacations. It was a carriage accident."

I was too stunned to speak. When I was enjoying my vacations, she was probably attending her parents' funeral. It felt as my heart had dropped to my stomach. I can't even imagine her pain.

"Shit. How's she doing?" Chitra's voice grew concerned.

"She's holding up, barely. I saw her on the way here, she's as pale as a ghost."

I can't concole her. I can't even give her a shoulder for her to cry on. We're strangers in her eyes. It's making me feel helpless by the moment." I choked out. Honestly, my throat was clogged up with emotions. I wanted to do something to make her feel better but I couldn't think of a way. Raghav and Chitra just looked at me with sad eyes.

That night, I tossed and turned the entire night, thinking of ways to make her feel better. But every time I racked my brain, I came up empty.

The very next day, I saw her. Like Raghav had said, she was holding on but barely. Her eyes had lost the light and she was no longer smiling. Everyone at the University must have been knowing about her situation. They gave her pitying looks but she seemed unfazed. It was as if she was going through the motions of the day without any emotions. Her eyes, those big beautiful hazel brown eyes were looking dead. Seeing her like that constricted my heart. I was not even involved in her life and it was giving me so much anxiety. I couldn't even imagine what it must be like for her.

For the next few days, I kept an eye on her. She didn't seem to be alive. Her friends were constantly stuck by her side as if mirroring my concerns.

One random evening, Chitra came to our room. "What is the occasion Chitra? You have graced is with your presence..."

"Drop it, Raghav." Chitra responded, annoyed.

He looked at me dead in the eyes and said, "Veer, I have noticed that you've been watching her like a hawk. It's literally creeping us out. You've got to keep your emotions under control." Raghav just nodded in agreement.

I rubbed my hands across my face. "So what do you suggest I do? I am so worried about her."

"That's why I have brought you news you might be interested in...."

That got my attention. "What is it?"

Chitra sensed the desperation in my voice and continued. "Since, her parents are gone, her uncle is her guardian. From what I've heard, she's not on good terms with him. He's a drunkard. So, she's saving money by giving swordsmanship lessons to students who need it. Doesn't matter if they are elite or commoner. The fee is also minimal so anyone can afford it."

"How's that related to him?" Raghav asked, genuinely confused.

"I really have two idiots for best friends."

"Hey!" We protested in unison.

"What I mean to say is, you can join her class Veer. That way you can be close to her and console her if she needs it."

"Hate to burst your bubble Chitra but Veer is quite famous in the elite class after that incident. Everyone knows that he's an excellent swordsman. There's no way she hasn't seen him or heard about him. There's only one Veer over here who hails from Somapura." Raghav pointed towards me.

"I also can't join her lessons because she might know me as I am from elite class. That only leaves us with..." Both of us whipped our heads towards Raghav.

"Oh, no, no, no. I can't do this. I am an ace when it comes to swordsmanship but I am a terrible actor. I probably won't be able to act like a rookie in front of her."

"But you're our only hope Raghav. She doesn't know you." I gave him a pleading look.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. But you owe me one." I gave him one of my greatest smiles and jumped to hug him.

The plan was as follows - Raghav will enroll in her lessons and I would accompany him. Chitra was covering the costs because both of us were broke. We love you, Chitra. He would take her lessons for a while and I would stay close to her, in case she needs someone. Once we had ensured that she was alright, Raghav would quit the lessons and I would give up on my feelings for her. I had to do that because to my utter dismay, she was still engaged to him. I was pretty sure that Nakul would break off the engagement but he didn't. At least he wasn't a complete asshole. I wanted to stay by her side, just until I make sure that she is alright. Yeah, sounds like a perfect plan.

The very next day, we headed to the garden after our classes. It was where I saw her for the very first time. As soon as she saw us, she gave us a small smile.

"I think my student was Raghav..." She looked at us. And damn, she was even more beautiful up close. I think I was not breathing at that time.

"Yes, that's me." Raghav chuckled nervously.

"So, shall we begin?"

"Y-Yes." Why was he stuttering?

"I am his friend, Veer. He wanted to me to accompany him so I am here. Don't mind me, I am just sitting over there, under that tree's shade."

She nodded and I turned to leave. I just prayed that Raghav didn't screw this up by accidentally revealing his true skills.

A few moments in and Raghav was already doing a shit job at this whole act thing. He was stumbling on purpose and making the same mistake which he had already done like 15 times. At this rate, she will know that something was up. What was I thinking? Why did I put Raghav into this? I mentally face palmed myself. I should have done this instead of him as she didn't really recognize me.

Luckily, she didn't pay it any mind and patiently taught him. She was so kind and patient. If I was in her place, I am sure I already would have punched the guy in the face because of frustration.

My attention was on Laxita for the entire lesson. She really handled her sword with so much grace. I was in awe.

After the lesson, Raghav thanked Laxita and jogged back in my direction. Once we made sure that she had left, I glared at Raghav.

"You are a really terrible actor."

"I already told you that I wasn't cut out for this. But hey, she didn't suspect anything." He gave me a smug grin and I officially wanted to murder my best friend for almost ruining everything.

The following were similar. We headed towards her for the lessons. Raghav did a shit job. We bickered and were back to our room. Laxita was doing much better now. Her face was no longer looking pale but she also still didn't smile as much.

The next day, the weather turned gloomy. There were dark clouds swirling in the skies and there was immense lightning. And then, all of a sudden, it started pouring.

There was still a bit of time until dinner, so I was roaming in the hallways. They were empty as expected.

It was then, I saw a silhouette in the hallway, crouched down on the floor. I ran towards the person and when I reached there I found that it was her. What was Laxita doing out here?

"Hey." I knelt down in front of her. "Are you alright?"

When she lifted her face, I saw that it was tear stricken. It broke my heart to see her like that. "I miss them. It was a day like this when they...." Her voice broke and she started crying.

She didn't have to finish that sentence. I knew what she was talking about. To console her, I took her in my arms and hugged her tightly. I patted her head to soothe her. I wished I could take away all her pain but I couldn't. A few moments later, her sobs subsided. She lifted her head to see me.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded and said, "Thank you....I am sorry for suddenly crying."

"Don't apologize. I completely understand." She gave me wry smile and started getting up. I helped her to stand and checked if she really was alright. "Thanks for helping. I'll be fine on my own." She gave me a single nod and then walked away.

I stood there for a long time, stunned. My thoughts were a mess. My palms were clammy and my heart was racing. These feelings were getting out of control. Today, I hugged her and I don't know what I may end up doing in the future if I saw her in pain again. She had a fiancé for God's sake! I had to move on from her. And the only way I could do that was to put some distance between us.

I asked Raghav to withdraw from the classes. He must have seen something on my face because he didn't ask me anything.

I didn't meet her after that. I caught a glimpse of her sometimes but that was it. The time passed and two years later, I finally graduated, without ever confessing my feelings.

I thought that I would never see her again. She was just a lucid dream, I concluded. That was until I saw her again, at Soma Sangha. She had saved my life. I will forever be grateful for that.

Somehow, she was even more beautiful than the last time I saw her. My heart soared as I met her again but she didn't recognize me. Figured, I was in her life for a very short duration.

And when I came to know that she was no longer engaged, I was overjoyed. That's when I decided, I had to make her fall in love with me this time. I want her to choose me this time...

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Hello Lovelies🩷

Veer's flashback ends here. I hope you liked it✨

The story will continue from where it left off!