Veer's POV

Today is our haldi ceremony which means that just two days are remaining until our wedding. I seriously can't wait for the moment when I would be able to call her mine. Ugh! I should stop this. Or else, I'll really go crazy.

"Veer!" I heard my mother's voice.

"I'm here, maa." I replied from Nitya and Chitrasen's room. I was camping in their room since early morning and they were kind enough to allow me to not only lounge in their room, but also listen my mindless chatters.

I had changed into my haldi ceremony attire already - a yellow loin cloth with golden borders. I liked it, the outfit I mean. Since, it was the haldi ceremony, everyone had opted for yellow outfits - men in yellow kurti paired with the loin cloth of their choice and women in yellow sarees.

"Here you are! I have been searching all over for you. Why are you not in your room?!"

"That's what I am trying to tell her maasi. He's loitering around here when he should be in his room." Nitya complained.

(Maasi - mother's sister)

I glared at her and she just stuck out her tongue to tease me. Typical Nitya.

"I was just heading towards my room. And look, I am all ready." I tried to appease my mother.

"You should go to your room before your mother yells at you." Chitra whispered in my ear. I nodded and headed towards my room. Along the way, my mother told me about how the ceremony was going to be.

After a while, I was summoned to the hall where the haldi ceremony was supposed to be held. Every corner of the hall was illuminated with morning sunshine and chatters of friends and family.

There was a copper tub in the middle where I was supposed to sit. So, I went up ahead and sat in that tub.

"Lagta hai humare var ko bahut jaldi hai vivah ki. Dekho kaise bhagta hua jaake baith gaya." Raghav teased me and this elicited a roar of laughter from the audience.

("It looks like our groom is very eager for the wedding. Just look how he ran and sat down.")

Yes, I was eager. Very, very eager. And I took no efforts to hide it.

"Let's start the ceremony." The king ordered.

My mother was the first one to apply haldi on my body followed by the king and queen.

It was my friends' turn next. Raghav, Chitra and Nitya came together and stood in front me. Wait, this didn't look good.

Before I could protest, the three of them took a fistful of haldi and smacked it on my face and body. I gasped in shock.

I cleared a bit of haldi from my eyes and lips. "What is the meaning of this?" I tried to sound angry but it came out like a puff of air, making everyone laugh. I wasn't actually angry, just surprised. But then again, I kind of expected it.

"Do you remember how you doused me in haldi during my wedding? Let's just say that I settled a score." Chitra said with a smirk.

"You three are so done." I got up from my spot and took a fistful of haldi and smacked it on Chitra's back.

Soon, everyone jumped into our game and by the end of it, everyone's faces were smeared with haldi. Despite looking like that, everyone was grinning from ear to ear. The atmosphere was so joyous with everyone's talks and laughs.

I was shirking haldi from my body when I saw the twins approaching us.

"Wow, what just happened?" Devansh asked quizzically. "It seems that all of you were swept in a yellow storm..."

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the bride's haldi ceremony?" Raghav asked, mirroring my thoughts.

"There's still some time left until the bride's ceremony so we decided to check on the groom." Devika replied.

"This is not time for idle chatter," the queen interrupted. "We are already late. Let's move on to the next segment of the ceremony. Surekha, bring out the oil we prepared for the ceremony."

Maa nodded and went to fetch the oil. My haldi ceremony continued peacefully after that fiasco.

Laxita's POV

Today's my haldi ceremony. I know, right? Just two days were left for my wedding...

"Laxu!" My aunt called out to me. "Are you finished getting ready?"

"Yes, aunt." I shouted back from my room.

Since, the king had taken the responsibility of the wedding, he had assigned a few palace servants to me. They were there to help me to get ready for all the functions.

I had chosen a bright yellow saree for the ceremony. It had beautiful red borders paired with a blouse of same colour. My hair was tied in a loose bun to prevent my hair from entering my eyes. I wasn't wearing any jewellery except my earrings.

My aunt came inside the room and saw me. A small smile played on her lips while she instructed Devika to bring me to the hall where the ceremony was being held. I was informed that the groom's ceremony was almost complete. So, I guess it was time for me to head out as well.

Devika took me to the hall where the ceremony was supposed to take place. Everyone had already gathered and were waiting for me. My aunt seated me on an elevated platform and began the ceremony. She was the first to apply haldi followed by uncle and then the twins.

Everyone who was present at the ceremony applied haldi to my face, arms and feet one by one. Devansh told me that our ceremony was calmer as compared to the groom. In his words, their ceremony was wild.

Once it was done, we moved onto the next segment which was applying oil on my arms and feet. After everything was completed, my aunt instructed me to take a bath.

A special bath was prepared for me. The bathing tub was filled with rose petals and fragrant bathing oils. As soon as I dipped inside the tub, my body immediately relaxed. The warm water glided through my body making it all soft and glowy. When I stepped out of it, I literally smelled like a flower.

My mehendi ceremony was supposed to take place that same evening. So, I rested for a while and then started getting ready for the mehendi ceremony. It was truly a busy day.

For the mehendi function, I chose a dark green lehenga with golden borders which matched perfectly with my golden-green blouse. My hair was tied in a neat braid this time and a little makeup was applied on my face. I opted for minimal jewellery. Just the earrings, a dainty necklace and a waistchain completed my look. I have to admit, these palace servants were pretty good at what they did.

The crisp evening air greeted us as we stepped into the palace garden for the mehendi ceremony. Devika was my official escort for all the functions.

I sat on the metal bench which was chosen especially for me and the ceremony began.

"Toh, kya lagta hai? Mehendi ka rang kitna gehra chadega?" Devansh took a seat beside me and nudged my shoulder.

("So, what do you think? How dark will the color of the henna become?")

How could I forget? The mehendi ceremony was supposed to be the one where the bride was teased a lot.

Devika occupied the other spot beside me and nudged me with her shoulder. "Arre gehra kyu nahi hoga? Humare Veer jijaji itna prem jo karte h humari jiji se..."

("Hey, why wouldn't it be deeper? Our brother-in-law Veer loves our sister so much...")

The entire crowd burst in fits of laughter because of the twins constant teasing. My face was getting redder and redder with each remark. I was getting all shy with these comments. My cheeks hurt with the amount of smiles I gave that day.

Soon, the ladies began singing and dancing on the rhythm of the dholak. All in all, this day was turning into one of the best days of my life.

Veer's POV

I was getting restless. And when I say restless, I mean very, very restless.

The mehendi ceremony of the bride was going on - which meant that the groom was free for the evening. I was lazing around in my bed with my thoughts looping around a certain woman who had turned my world upside down.

It had been four days since our last meeting. I missed her, a lot. You see, my impatience knew no bounds. Our last meeting was very short, I needed more time with her.

When she took the initiative to kiss me for the very first time, my restraint almost snapped. I wanted to trap her in my arms and do a lot more than just kissing. I was barely able to control myself, so I ran away from there before I acted on my desires. Just two more days Veer, control yourself!

But that's the thing. I couldn't control myself. Not when she was concerned. I wanted to see her. When I say that I want to see her, I mean that I want to see her right this instant.

Since, I was moping around like a lovesick idiot, I decided to actually go see her. I decided that I won't get closer to her, I would just take a peek and come back. Yeah, that sounded easy and simple.

I pushed off from my bed, donned on a kurta which was laying around, set my hair a little and made my way towards the palace garden where the ceremony was being held.

I had more than fifteen years of experience of sneaking inside the palace so reaching the palace garden unnoticed wasn't a big deal.

I was on the first floor of the palace - the nearest and safest spot to see her. I hid behind pillars to avoid anyone's gaze and was pretty successful in it as well.

I stopped behind a pillar which was supposedly nearest to the palace garden and peeked down.

My eyes roamed all over the place until I saw her. And, there she was - all radiant eyes and beautiful smiles.

Vo jab bhi sanvar kar hamaare saamane aayein,
palaken jhapakna bhool gayein aur dil ne saath dena chhod diya...

("Whenever she comes in front of me after dressing up,
Eyelids forget to blink and the heart stops cooperating...")

She was dancing with the ladies. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were split in carefree smile and she was glowing.

I realized one thing that evening - I can't imagine a world without her in it. When I saw her smiling and laughing without a care in the world, I wanted to do everything in my power to protect that smile...

Hello Lovelies 💞

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The next chapter is the wedding chapter!!!

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