Eliana released the snake which slithered slowly towards Nandini. Just as it was about to bite Nandini, she moved and the snaked missed. Instead it slithered away into the forest.

"Arre....itne paise deke kharida aur isne to dassa hi nahi! Uss saapwale ko hum chodunge nahi." Eliana gritted her teeth. She then decided to leave before anyone noticed she was missing. 

Meanwhile, Nandini noticed Manik pouting about loosing to her and she started laughing. Manik turned to her angrily but couldnt stay mad looking at her. Instead of glaring, he slowly chuckled to himself.

Suddenly he felt a sting on his leg. "Aah!"

Manik looked down and saw the snake slither away. Things got blurry as Manik tried to keep his balance.

"Maharaj!" Nandini shouted in concern seeing Manik fall to the ground. She ran to him and kneeled down beside him. "Maharaj kya hua?"

"S...Saap...." Manik managed to say, gasping in pain. 

"Hay bhagwan!" Nandini was shocked. She quickly ripped a strip of her saree and tied it tightly above the snake bite on his leg. "Rukhiye...hum abhi aate hai. Behosh mat hoyiye.... hum bas abhi aate hai."

She stood up and ran deeper into the forest. Manik tried his best to stay awake and soon Nandini came back with a bunch of herbs in her hands. Using a nearby stone, she crushed the herbs quickly into a paste. By the time she was done, Manik had fallen unconscious. "Maharaj! Maharaj uthiye....uthiye Maharaj!"

Nandini gently shook Manik but it was no use. She then used her mouth to suck out some of the poison and spit it out beside her. After that she applied the herb paste on his leg and then went and brought the one horse back to where they were. 

"Humme Maharaj toh mahal vapas leke jaana hoga..." Nandini said in a determined voice. "Kuch nahi hone denge hum Maharaj ko."

She used all her strength to pull Manik up in a standing position and then pushed him onto the horse. She then got onto the horse infront of Manik and and allowed him to lean on her back so he. With one hand she held the reigns on their horse while holding onto Manik with her other hand so he wouldn t fall. 

"Humme maaf kardo...hum tumhe saath nahi leke jaa sakte..mahal pauchte hi hum kisiki ko bhej denge tumhe laane ke liye." Nandini apoogized to the horse and then rode back to the palace.

"Manik!/ Maharaj" Shaan & some guards noticed Manik unconscious on Nandini's back as she entered the palace grounds. "Bhabhisa....yeh kaise hua?"

"Woh....saap.....saap ne kaata." Nandini told them. Shaan & the guards lowered Manik and he was taken to his bedroom. Out of concern, Nandini followed....not leaving his side for even a second.

"Manik...." Eliana was horrified to see Manik's condition as he was being brought to his room. 

"Vaidji ko bulaao!" Maharaj Prithvi called out. He & his wives followed then into Manik's room.

"Yeh kya ho gaya.....saap ko toh uss Nandini ko kaatna tha....humare Manik ko nahi!" Eliana was in tears.

"Kahi isme....Rani Eliana ki haath toh nahi?" Priya looked at Eliana suspisciously but shook her doubts away. "Nahi Nahi...woh chahe kuch bhi kaare...par Manik ko kabhi haani nahi pauchayegi."

The royal doctor was called & he checked Manik. "Yeh...jari buti kisne lagaya?"

"Humne...." Nandini replied.

"Bohot acha kiya aapne Ranisa...yeh jari buti zeher ki asar ko jald hi khatam kar denge." Vaidji replied. "Maharaj ko kuch nahi hoga."

Nandini sighed in relief. Sumitra hugged Nandini crying. "Shukriya Nandini....tum nahi hoti toh humara beta-"

"Ranima....aap humme shukriya mat boliye. Maharaj akhir humara pati hai...yeh toh farz hai humara." Nandini replied. Priya realized this was a good chance so she told everyone else to leave.

"Hum sabko jaana chahiye. Nandini...tum yahan Manik ke saath raho. Usse kuch chahiye hoga toh tum madat kar dena." 

"Rani Nandini yahan kyun rukhegi? Uske hote hue Manik ko saap ne kaath liya!" Eliana protested. Priya got angry but before she could speak up, Nakul did.

"Humari behen koi saparan hai kya? Iss hadse mein woh kya kar sakti thi? Phir bhi jitna kar sakti thi utha usne kiya!"

"Aur Manik agar thik hai toh sirf Nandini ki vajah se hai." Prithvi announced. "Aaj raat Manik ke saath Nandini hi rukhegi....yeh humara akhri faisla hai."

Eliana of course couldnt say anything now and she left angrily. Everyone else left & Nandini was left behind to take care of Manik. 

********************************************

Manik woke up and found Nandini sitting by his bed, her head awkwardly leaning on the pillar next to his bed. She had been up all night, making sure Manik wasnt uncomfortable. Manik remembered bits and pieces of when he was conscious...like her tying her ripped saree on his leg and also while they road back to the palace, with his head on her shoulder. As he admired Nandini, her head slipped and she was about to fall forward but Manik caught her head. This movement made Nandini wake up.

"Maharaj....aap uth gaye? Thik hai aap?" Nandini smiled.

"Tum puri raat aise soh rahe they? Gardaan akar jayegi na...aise kaun sohta hai?" Manik scolded her as he sat up in bed.

"Bilkul thik hai aap." Nandini answered her own question. "Hum....Ranima ko bulate hai."

She stood up to go but Manik grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him. Nandini fell ontop of him but stopped her landing with her hand. Manik gently touched cupped her face. "Tum thik ho?"

"Saap ne aapko kaata....humme nahi." Nandini told him.

"Haan par tum humme wahan se mahal tak leke aayi....woh bhi akele. Thaklif hui hogi na?" Manik replied.

"Aap...apko...kaise...paata?" Nandini asked in surprise.

"Kuch kuch hosh mein they hum..." Manik explained. 

"Pitaji!" At that moment, the three princess ran into the room and Nandini rolled off Manik in a surprise. But she didnt realize how far she rolled and fell off the bed with a thud.

"uff!"

"Nandini...." Manik looked at her in concern.

"Chotima!" Avantika ran to her and helped her up. "Aapko chot lagi kya?"

"Nahi...hum thik hai." Nandini replied.

"Pitaji...." Chavi & Meera hugged Manik. "Aap thik ho?"

"Pitaji mahal  mein sab keh rahe they ke Chotima ki vajah se aapko chot lag gayi." Avantika told him.

"KYA?" Manik got angry hearing this. "Kaun keh raha tha?"

"Kuch sainik. Par humme paata hai ki Chotima ne toh aapko bacha hai...woh bilkul kahani wali Hero ki tarah hai." Chavi added. Manik smiled and carassed his daughters hair.

"Aap teeno jao aur khelo." Manik said. Avantika took her sisters and ran off. Manik stood up and Nandini tried to stop him.

"Maharaj...vaidji ne aapko aaram karne ke liye bola!" Nandini said. Manik didnt listen and marched towards the training grounds where the soldiers were training with Shaan. 

"Manik...tum yahan? Aaram karni chahiye tumhe." Shaan said as he saw Manik.

"Kisne bola ki Nandini meri halat ki zimmedar hai?" Manik asked angrily. Shaan looked confused.

"Kya? Bhabhisa....aisa kaun bolega?"

"Wahi toh puch raha hoon...KISNE BOLA!"

The soldiers all looked scared and kept quite...until one spoke up.

"Maharaj.....woh Adarsh aur Jagat bol raha tha." 

Manik turned to face two young soldiers and stepped closer to them. "Himmat kaise hui tum dono ki? Woh Mewar ki Choti rani hai....HIMMAT KAISE HUI?"

"Maharaj!" Nandini ran upto him, finally finding him.

"Manik....hum dekte hai inn dono ko. Tum jao...kamre mein aaram karo."

"Nahi karni hai..." Maik replied.

"Maharaj aapo shart yaad hai na?" Nandini said. Manik froze and looked at him.

"Shart? Kya Shart?" Shaan asked.

"Maharaj ne shikar karte waqt shart rakhi ki agar hum jeete toh woh humari haar baat manegnge agle 7 din tak...aur hum jeet gaye they. iss liye hum keh rahe hai ki aapko aaram karna hoga....aur shart ki mutabik aapko yeh baat manni hogi!"

Shaan stifled his laughter as he saw Manik speechless for the first time. Usually nobody could control him when Manik was angry but somehow Nandini managed to do it.

"Chaliye ab! Aap aaj kamre se kahi nahi jayenge." Nandini demanded. She pulled Manik away with her and all the soldiers watched in awe as Manik silently followed.

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Thoughts?

Like the change in MaNan's relation?

Will Eliana change her ways?

Will Manik find out what Eliana did?