He scoffed lightly and abandoned her hair, smoothly recanting his fingers away from the entanglement without hurting her. "Him... the love of my life." He was on his feet again. "These days... I see how freely, albeit with slight prejudice, people accept love as it should be. Irrespective of gender or... or anything else." Clicking his tongue, he resumed pacing around in a languid fashion. "But it was considered a crime in Suryagarh five hundred years ago. A crime punishable by brutal death." He shut his eyes and shuddered. "My sister came across this secret of mine that I had been harbouring for a couple of years by then. I was in love with a man. Oh, the shame!" He scoffed again. "She managed to defame me in front of the entire court full of ministers, the king, the queen, everyone. And," he suspired, "an edict was issued. I was spared from the death sentence because royal blood flew through my veins. Instead, I was banished to a small kingdom on the outskirts of Suryagarh."

She wiped her mouth with the back of her bloodied palms. "Is that the reason why you have become such a monster? Killing people? Innocent people?"

"Innocent?" he snapped. "People of Suryagarh are anything but innocent. The very ancestors of all these people," his arms went up to gesticulate towards the rest of the fort to his right, "stoned him. Stoned him to death."

Her eyes widened all over again. "The man you loved?"

His fists clenched. "Punishable offence, as I said. I was let go. I was banished. He..."

Unbeknownst to her, a drop of tear escaped her eyes too. "I am so sorry."

He chuckled. "I used to be the favourite prince once upon a time, you know? People loved me for my humility, wisdom, compassion. Within the span of an evening, all thanks to my dearest sister, I lost everything close to me. The unwavering affection of the citizens, my father's trust, my mother's love, and... him." He tugged at the base of his hair and raked his hands behind his neck. "I lost everything, Miss Awasthy. And they called me the beast! I was tagged as the monster!"

Silence ensued between them, and even the faint wailing of the sirens of police cars was no longer audible.

When moments passed and he didn't utter a word, she peered at his broad back, discerning how his form shook, convulsing and shuddering. "I understand that you were met with injustice, but why cast such a ghastly curse on the princesses?" she whispered.

He stiffened. Then he slowly spun at his spot. An expression of pure loathing and incredulity marred his otherwise handsome features. His bloodshot eyes brimming with tears stared at her. "Did you not listen to what I said?" he hollered. "It was my sister who ruined me. Snatched everything dear to me. My kingdom, my family, my..." He gulped. "I was in a fit of rage that evening when I came to know of the brutality he was on the receiving end of. Stoned to death and chopped to pieces."

She gasped, and her palms were over her mouth as shock rattled her senses.

"Fed to wild animals." He trembled with fury, and bestial wrath took over him as he conjured a sharp sword out of thin air and forcefully stabbed the hard ground very close to her feet, a mighty roar escaping his throat.

She shrieked due to the action, drawing her feet nearer to her body, and muffled her cries when she comprehended that he willingly evaded wounding her.

But then his shoulders were slumped, and he was shedding silent tears with his head bowed down, on his knees, his firm grip on the hilt loosening, his eyes shut tight.

A wave of pity and sympathy pervaded her senses, and her quavering fingers hung in the air, very close to the fabric of his shirt, until her resolve overpowered her dread. Her warm palm pressed onto his shoulders.

He froze for a second before dissolving into a fit of audible sobs at the warmth of her touch. "Fed... to... animals..."

"I am so sorry," she murmured.

"And do you know?" He wiped his nose with his sleeve. "That was not the extent of my sister's abhorrence for me. She was planning an ambush on Shauryagarh too so that I could be taken captive and not allowed to be a good king to the citizens of the town. She envied me. She was insecure about the growing support I was garnering in Shauryagarh. Not only did she label me an abomination of nature, but she also distanced me from my kith and kin to the extent that all of them, to this day, despise me. Just like Aarush does."

Her brain tingled due to the name at the tip of the immortal's tongue, and all the earlier sentiment of compassion towards the broken man disappeared when the anguished expression of a brother and the dilemma of a sister crossed her mind. Briny fluid overflew out of her eyes while her gaze hardened on the man. "So, it was your sister who wronged you. Not the other princesses. Not Adya or Aarush's paternal aunt. They never harmed you."

He detected the change in her tonality, and he was quick to brush his tears away before standing up to his full height. A derisive grin appeared on his features. "I never gave them the opportunity to betray their brothers, did I? They should thank me, fall on my feet and worship me for the kind gesture I displayed aeons ago. None of the Chauhan men need to be bothered about their worthless sisters anymore. And I am a compassionate man, Miss Awasthy." He chuckled. "I could have cast a different curse, one that would have killed them the moment they were born, but I didn't do that. I provided them with enough time to grow up, be a teenager, giggle like the sweet girls they were, sprint down the galleries of Agni Bhawan, and become a young, beautiful, breathtaking woman." His smile dropped, and a dark rage took over. "But before they can even think of backstabbing any man, their lives will be cut short. Ergo, everyone wins."

She felt like someone had impaled her in the gut. His words were too crude for her fragile heart. So, she scrunched her nose and looked away in disgust.

"And to keep winning," his icy voice led to the drop in temperature in the surroundings, "the curse needs to live. For the curse to live, you need to perish."

Her head snapped in his direction, and the desperation to escape his clutches ruled her mind.

An air of arrogance and nonchalance engulfed him as he peered at his nails again. "Once you die without any powers inside of you, I wonder," he frowned, "will nature be finally deceived? Will She lose?"

She gulped hard, disregarding the bits of delinquent rambling of the man but completely comprehending the intent he had. The mystery man's words flitted through her mind.

He is going to draw a sword and drive it through your heart.

She eyed the sword with apprehension before her gaze went back to the immortal. He was gaping at her without blinking and a firm resolve led to the clenching of his fists and jaws. She perceived how his purposeful stride and menacing steps were leading him closer and closer to her. She managed to slide backwards, her palms behind her and her feet propped on the ground. "You don't need to kill anyone." Sweat beads appeared on her forehead, and her lips trembled. "It is no longer five hundred years ago. People have changed." She shook when she heard the clank of the blade getting drawn across the stony floor. "People's perceptions have changed too over the years. Move on from the hurt in your heart."

He scoffed and snorted. "Why don't you give this advice to your dearest Princey?"

She whimpered again when she saw how he was bringing the rapier to the level of his eyes. "Listen to me." Traces of desperation and helplessness graced her cadence. "You... listen to me!"

He quirked his brows and shrugged. Conjuring a knife out of thin air, he peered at the glint on the edges of the blade. "A sword to behead or a knife to carve your heart out?" He weighed the two weapons in his hands, his head bobbing to either side as he contemplated his choices with a pout on his lips. "I really can't choose."

She sucked in the air and struggled to stand, but much to her chagrin, she failed yet again, for there was something in the environment preventing her from getting to her feet. "You... you have carried a lot of negative sentiments for people who don't even know your story. Adya... she is innocent, and if you are worried about her betraying Aarush... you are mistaken. They love each other so much." Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she sniffled. "They only have each other. Please don't do this to them."

His brows furrowed, and he tilted his head to the side. "I am confused. I might kill you in two seconds, and you are worried about Aarush and Adya?" He giggled. "Be concerned for yourself, Miss Awasthy. Don't you have family? Won't they mourn you? Think about them. Not these strangers you met a few days ago."

Goosebumps arose on her skin, and she suddenly felt the constriction loosen in her chest. The knots in her stomach unfastened on their own. A breath of vigour touched her soul, and she felt a calmness wash over her. She could swear the immortal was going to stab that sword in her heart, and quite brutally at that, but she could still not be fearful. In fact, she was strangely feeling a sudden bout of bravery rear its head inside her heart, for the warmth seeping through her cells provided her with a sense of security. The same kind of security she had experienced in the embrace of a certain short-tempered individual. Her lashes lowered, and she gaped at her ankle. She was injured, and she was in acute agony too, but a smile still appeared on her lips. "Aarush..."

Adhyayan swished the blade in the air with finesse, his arms moments away from impaling the heart of the young and fragile woman in front of him when he noticed the gentle smile on her fatigued features. "Quite mad you are, aren't you?" He frowned. "On the brink of death and joyous about it." He grinned. "It will only hurt a bit, I promise." A flick of his wrist caused the pointed end of the sword to land on her shoulder, hovering very close to her neck. "Should I behead you or stab your heart? Your pick."

All her pain seemed to vanish when the spot on the back of her neck stung. Her heart swelled with joy. The sensation of dread that had percolated through every last drop of her blood evaporated, and she was suddenly feeling whole again. Her eyes full of unshed tears went to him, and she smiled wider. "Aarush..."

He was puzzled, and his arm wavered slightly. "What?"

And much to her amusement and Adhyayan's displeasure, the prince's voice boomed behind them the following instant.

"Leave her alone. It's not her fight."

Both their heads snapped back, and a watery chuckle escaped the girl's throat. The prince was slowly ambling down the narrow path, twiddling with the phone in his hands, and a stark determination plastered on his features. He was not peering at the girl as his gaze was unblinkingly trained on the immortal, but she was giddy with that mushy excitement—a marked and noteworthy component of every interaction she had with the man.

Adhyayan, however, was very displeased at the intrusion. The scowl on his face was severe, and he recanted his arm, throwing the rapier and the knife aside. Once they landed on the ground with a thud and a clank, his hands went to his hips. "Prince Arnav couldn't stop you from reaching me, I see. Just pathetic!" 

"Miss Awasthy," Aarush's tone was measured, but he didn't look at the girl, "go back to Agni Bhawan. Now."

She struggled to stand up again, partly due to the magic in the air and partly due to the throbbing pain in her ankle. With her nose scrunched, she tried to be on her feet but failed repeatedly.

However, the two men were busy glaring at each other. Though Adhyayan had an air of indifference around him, the spasm of his brows narrated the wrath coursing through his body. Aarush, on the other hand, was out and out radiating outrage and fury.

"How are you, Aarush?" Adhyayan tipped his head. "You have grown up to be a handsome, young man. When I saw you last at your parent's funeral, you were a small child."

Aarush's fists clenched, and his jaws twitched. "Shreya," he gritted his teeth, "I believe I asked you to leave."

She huffed. "If only I can stand up, Princey!"

His cold gaze flickered to her for a moment before going back to the immortal. "Lift the bindings on her. Let her go."

Adhyayan's brows shot up. "And why would I do that?" He crossed his arms in front of him. "My plan for this evening is to behead Shreya, meet my family members, and have a cup of Suryagarh's renowned tea. It has been years since I sipped the beverage." He chuckled. "I hope I am invited to dinner too. Wouldn't mind trying some nice delicacies. I have heard your kitchens have preserved the recipes concocted in the town over the centuries."

Aarush's eyes narrowed at the man. "Leave her out of it. Don't bring outsiders into a family feud. Doesn't suit our stature. Especially some random commoner who," his fists clenched again, "was only visiting."

Her lips drooped when she heard all the nice things he had to say about her, but when her eyes fell on the way he had his fists in a tight clasp, comprehension dawned on her. Her breath hitched in her throat. What if... what if all the time when he tagged her as the outsider, it was him protecting her from harm? It steadily became clearer to her that the more she got sucked into this vortex of Suryagarh's clandestine mystery, the higher the chances were of her getting hurt. What if... what if he was not letting her on everything from the beginning to keep her shielded?

Adhyayan took his sweet time to notice how Shreya was gaping at the prince wordlessly while Aarush evaded meeting her gaze and was instead solely focused on the immortal. Tilting his head to a side, he said, "Give me the necklace, and I will consider letting her go."

Aarush's fingers twitched for a second. "We lost it."

Adhyayan snorted. "I don't buy it."

Aarush shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Adhyayan clicked his tongue and resumed pacing the spot again. "If you are this insistent," he grinned, "how about you choose? Shreya Awasthy," he gestured at the dumbstruck girl, "or that unborn child whom you are protecting with everything you have because it is Meera's descendant. Your pick."

A flicker of shock crossed Aarush's features before he masked it with his usual air of nonchalance. "You are on my premises, Adhyayan Chauhan." He smiled like a gentleman. "You don't get to place demands and make me choose sides. I will be the one calling the shots. You will let Shreya go, and I will definitely treat you to a nice, steaming cup of tea. Then you will go back to Shauryagarh because that's where filth like you should reside."

The way anger flashed through Adhyayan's eyes, Aarush was certain the immortal would be taking a rash step any moment, but the man, too, masked his fury with a polite smile. He took a deep breath. "I can see how Devendra Chauhan brought the siblings up. Without values and no regard for culture or seniority or..." He scoffed. "But then it's not entirely his fault. His grandfatherly affection could never make up for the discipline imparted by a parent." He clicked his tongue. "Had those two not tried defying me, they would have been alive. Adya wouldn't have grown up as an orphan."

"Adya is not an orphan," Aarush said, gritting his teeth.

Shreya finally took her gaze off the prince and centred her attention on the monarch of Shauryagarh. Disgust and a strange sense of melancholy passed through her entire self upon realizing that the man was shamelessly admitting to his crimes, acknowledging that the deaths of Aarush's parents were orchestrated by him. Aversion surged through her heart, and she glimpsed around herself, trying to find something to hurt the immortal. A few seconds later, her eyes fell on the sword and the knife lying close to her feet, and she didn't even think twice before picking the latter up and hurling it at the man.

Adhyayan was busy relishing the anguish on Aarush's features as he recounted in excruciating detail how he had learned of his parents' true intentions behind going to Ulhaspur where the seer lived, and he completely ignored what the girl was up to. Only when a flying blade appeared in his line of vision did he take note of what that seething girl had done. He managed to jump sideways in a mission to avert the attack, but the blade sliced through the skin on his cheeks before falling behind him with a clang.

"Shreya!" Aarush screamed. "No!"

Agony shot through the gash Adhyayan had sustained, and remorseless wrath bubbled through him. His eyes red with rage went to her, and he growled. "Messed with the wrong person, Shreya Awasthy."

She was breathing rashly due to the anger she was experiencing, but she managed to articulate nonetheless. "You really got what you deserved," she spat. "He died because you don't deserve love."

The black glimmering eyes darkened further, and his face lost all colour. He was advancing towards the immobile girl with purposeful steps—menacing and threatening. But she gaped on without trying to escape. Her eyes brimming with a fiery resolution looked back at the ones with that beastly shimmer, and her fingers slid across the rough ground to curl around the hilt of the sword.

A flick of his wrist caused the rapier to vanish and only a wisp of smoke remained behind as she attempted to flail and grapple against thin air to feel the coolness of the metallic hilt, but before either Adhyayan or Shreya could grasp it, a powerful burst of a violent conflagration sprung into existence behind the girl, hurtling straight for the seething immortal and sliding past her. Only when the inferno whizzed across, crackling and whooshing, Adhyayan and Shreya's focus shifted.

However, this time, Adhyayan got no chance to react as the blaze was directed at him. Although his eyes widened temporarily, the blob of fire hit him smack dab in the middle of the chest with the utmost force, and he was thrown backwards. His body was in the air due to the collision before getting projected and flung towards the thick trunk of a banyan tree a hundred feet behind him. His head made contact with the rough bark of the tree, and a deafening crack echoed in the night air. His limp body slid along the length of the trunk before he was lying on his stomach with his cheek pressed to the rough ground. A pool of murky brown blood coagulated near his head, and the mass of conflagration vanished, leaving him unmoving and lifeless.