•••••
Hayat

I have been awake all night, praying to Allah to do some miracle. To take me out of my misery but I don't think he is listening to me.

I hope that at least Rukhsat gets to get out of this situation somehow. I don't want her to suffer the same fate as me. I don't even know how Rajkumar Arjun is treating her. I am so scared for Choti. Ya Allah! Please protect my Choti. I can't see her getting harmed.

She is a little stubborn and when Maharaja Angad has been like this with me eventhough, I have mostly been cooperative then I don't know what Rajkumar Arjun is doing with Choti.

I decide to get up from the floor now. I have cried enough.

I washed my face and took a quick bath in the adjoining bath area that I was provided with.

I came out of my room, dressed in a simple white suit and decided that it was time that I meet Rukh.

I asked the First woman I saw coming towards my direction.

She looked at me in surprise. I am sure she had already seen my earlier when we came then why was she so surprised when she saw me?

Anyways I asked her if she could show me where Rukh's room was and she nodded.

She took me to her room where I found rukhsat still sleeping in her bed. She looked so innocent and happy in her sleep. Not wanting to wake her up but still wanting to spend some time with her, I decided to join her in bed. Whenever one of us was felling a little under the weather, we would go into each other's room in the middle of the night to sleep with the other. Rukhsat got a lot of nightmares actually so it was more of her coming to my room. This became a sort of sacred practice between us after Ami passed away.

As soon as I sat on her matress, she awoke with a little jerk which meant that she just woke up from having another nightmare.

"Choti, it's just me, okay? What happened? Are you alright?" I asked with worry.

"Yeah, I am sorry Baji. Thanks to you, my nightmare ended a little early. You are in my room early during the dawn. You haven't done this in a while. What's on your mind?"

"Choti, I think you should run away", I suggested.

"Baji? What are you talking about. I cannot run away. This is a part of my fate now and one can never run away from fate.", Rukh said looking distant.

"Choti, tell me honestly, is Rajkumar Arjun treating you right?", I asked with concern.

"Hayat Baji, this is something I should ask you. How dare Maharaja Angad raise a hand at you? How could he do that?" Rukh asked. Okay, what?

"He did not hit me Choti. Why would you think so?"

"Then explain the blue marks on your neck Baji. You don't have to hide your pain from me."

I need to be honest with her now. I don't know if it would have been better if I had the marks because he had hit me or because he decided that he wanted to leave bite marks.

"There is pain but not the kind you think it is. Rukh, these marks on my neck are hickeys. It is a thing that ummn couples do to stake their claim on the other". I awkwardly explained her.

She looked at me surprised by what I just said. Then she just nodded in understanding.

"Choti, I don't want you to be treated the same way. They don't care about our boundaries. They don't respect our religion enough. He very well knew that it was a sin in our religion to touch a non mehram but he has been doing that despite everything. After the wedding, we would barely be able to do anything to improve the situation we are in. We would be trapped here for sure. If you run away right now, I might be able to handle the situation". I tried convincing her.

"Baji, how selfish do you think I am? That I would leave you here, all by yourself. I am your sister and I will stay here with you besides that Rajkumar Arjun has said that he will make me fall in love with him first before he goes further." I told my sister shyly.

"Go further? That means he has already tried touching you didn't he?" I was enraged now.

"Baji, how different do you think two brothers can be. That's not even the point anymore. If I leave then you will be punished for it and I will not have it. I simply cant ask you to do this for me".

"Think about it Choti, you have really less time left. You can leave only tonight before dawn because after that the wedding takes place", I told my sister.

Just then a maid entered the room and said, "the Wedding dress is here, Shehzadi".

That statement made me realise that there was only going to be a Hindu wedding and not a nikkah. I need to talk to Maharaja Angad about this.

"Choti, we should have put our demand for a nikkah forward earlier, I hope it isn't too late now. I will go talk to Maharaja Angad. You think about what I said. Okay?"

I got up and left the room to find him. My future husband.

I was told that he was practicing with swords right now so I went there.

Him and Rajkumar Arjun were practicing beautifully and the sight was almost enchanting but I was here for an important reason and I should talk to him about that.

A few seconds later our eyes locked with each other and he started walking towards me, leaving Rajkumar Arjun surprised and amused.

"My little bird came to me willingly today. Where did the sun rise from today Arjun?"

He asked in rhetoric. His brother smiled at him, shaking his head and left to go away from the scence. He nodded towards me out of respect and then walked away.

"Maharaja Angad, I have something important to say. As you very well know that the wedding in our religions are different so I wanted to request you to arrange for a nikkah as well".

"Hayat, I will marry you in front of all the gods I can for it is something that I have waited for so long but you might have to do me a favor right here". There was mischief in his eyes when he said the last words.

"You let me kiss you. Right now".

I knew this cruel man would never do anything just for free. I really wanted to have a Nikkah though. If we never got married according to my religion then my entire wedding life would be a sin. He might be a sinner but I don't want to be one.

"Maharaja Angad, why must you do this to me?" I asked hoping that he would change his mind.

"Simply because I can my princess, I can and I will" saying that he grabbed me by my arm and smashed his lips to mine.

This kiss was a little gentler than yesterday but its intensity was no less. If he wasnt holding me by my waist, I would have already fallen down without any other support. He used on of his hands to hold me and the other was roaming on my waist and back.

I tried struggling in his arms. I hadn't even realised that tears had formed in my eyes. I cry so much because of this man, I should stop wasting my tears on him.

He broke away after he realized that i was almost gasping to breathe.

"Hayat, when i kiss you, you can still breathe from your nose" he smirked while saying that and then turned around grabbing my hand and dragging me alongside.

He dropped me at my room and left do some work.

Anger surged through me.
This is it. I can't let Rukhsat be a part of all of this. Rajkumar Arjun might also be just like his brother.

I went to Choti's room and she was sitting near what I assume was her wedding dress.

"Choti, you will leave tonight. They have no respect for us. He kissed me in open tonight like I was some common whore. Maybe that's what I am to him. I don't want all of this to happen to you.
You leave tonight for good" I told her with a strict face.

She just wordlessly nodded.

"Baji, if I get caught?"

"Rukh, I hope you won't. If you make it back safely, dont write a letter or anything. Just stay away from this kingdom" I really hope that I can save my sister this pain.

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Author's Note

Dear Readers,
I hope that you are enjoying reading the book as much as I am enjoying writing it. For people who don't know, this book has an Accompanying Book called 'The Game of Fate'. I hope you guys read it too.

Don't forget to drop a vote if you liked the chapter.