Sita: I chose to marry the man who vowed to treat me as an equal.

ShriRam: Love preaches equality, Sita. Love is composed of a single soul inhibiting in two bodies.
Look at me Sita.
Wipe your tears.
The moon is the most divine of all lights, but, it's the stars that makes the night so beautiful. As for you, you're the most divine in my eyes, but, it's the star twinkle in your eyes that makes you more beautiful.

Sita: What If this twinkle is lost in the ways of the world? What if....

ShriRam: Trust your love enough to overcome any challenge.
Love like there is no tomorrow... And, if tomorrow comes... Love again!

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

It's a simple law of attraction that governs our universe. The more love you give, the more love you attract. And, the more love you attract, the more love you receive.
Almost entire Tulsipur had gathered in the Zamindar Haweli premises to witness the holy union of ShriRam and Sita Mata. Their quivering lips and teary eyes reciprocated their heartfelt emotions. The pious resounding of conches echoed in the air, filling the sky with a divine asetheticity, and in turn, blessing the union of the two souls that stood still in each other's embrace in the small spot by the poolside, sheathed from the outside world by a thin wall of bamboo sticks.

A faint melodious tune of flute floated in the air from far away, adding to the serenity of the ambience. The music was straight from the nature, and it connected the two hearts, binding them in the most primitive law of nature.

Anirudh and Bondita both stayed silent, wrapped in each other's arms, as they swayed gently under the music.
Oblivious to the entire world, all they could hear was the soft sound of the flute, the sound of their heavy rapid breathing and the pounding of their hearts.
Anirudh's hand glided down from Bondita's shoulder through her arms as his fingers intertwined with hers, filling the gaps in between.
Bondita's hands trembled under his touch.

Her brain stopped working as she felt an overpowering shyness taking over her senses. Moving away from his arms, when she tried to pull away, he grasped her hands firmly and swirled her around, pulling her closer once again. Her chest collided against him.
Gasping at the exchange of electric sparks at the touch, Bondita looked up to meet his gaze.
Her breath was caught at her throat as his dark stormy eyes reflected the wildest emotions of love.

Raising a hand, Anirudh brushed away a single strand of hair from Bondita's face, smearing away a little of the vermillion from her forehead in the process.
It made her look even more irresistible!
Bondita shivered at his touch.
His eyes roamed on every inch of her face, as if to memorize them, as if to immortalise the moment!
He brushed his knuckles against her soft cheeks.
In a trance, their lips inched closer, in unison, diving deeper into their souls through the warm longing entrance of their mouths.
Time stood still as they stood lip-locked in each other's embrace. Bondita had lifted her toes to reach upto his face, and, Anirudh held the back of her neck with one hand, while the other roamed freely on her spine, feeling her in every way possible.

Another conch roll arose inside, aided with the soft sweet faraway flute.
Detaching their lips gently from each other, they sat together on the bed on soft green grass, slowly, hand in hand. It felt as if they knew what their heart wanted, what their soul craved for.
Gentle breeze blew as the twinkling stars overhead blessed them with their eternity. Bondita and Anirudh sat, facing each other, eyes locked. The scarlet Krishnachura tree that formed a partial canopy above the small spot, shedded a few red flowers on the duo, proclaiming the nature's approval of their love.

Anirudh smiled, as he picked up a red flower that had tangled in Bondita's hair.

"I... I want..." Bondita trembled.

Anirudh touched her lips with his finger.

"Shh... it's alright." He hushed into her face.
"I'll give you what you're afraid to ask for."

He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her fragnance, as his hands started to play gently with the curves of her body.

Bondita felt his warm breath searing her skin with an ardent desire. She wanted him in ways that she found hard to explain.
But, his heart probably knew its way to her soul already.
He held the back of her head to lay her down on the grass, as he hovered over her with a passionate tenderness.

Anirudh trailed south on her body, reaching her toes, as Bondita giggled softly.
"They are making a lot of noise!"
Anirudh kissed the sole of her feet one by one, as he removed the jingling anklets from her toes. He ran his fingers along the red painted margin of her feet making her quiver with the touch.

"I could vouch my life at your feet Bondita!"
Anirudh gaped, admiring the beauty of aesthically painted feet as his hands slowly moved up her slender white legs.
The scarlet Benarasi was in contrast with her creamy skin, and Anirudh couldn't help but bury his lips in its softness.
He moved up on her legs, kissing her passionately, and lifting her saree slowly in a rhythm.
Bondita moaned as she grabbed the tender grass in a grip.
Anirudh moved further up, reaching in between her thighs as he planted a wet kiss on her core.
Bondita's breath hitched and her heart pounded in response.

"I want you." She finally said earning herself another kiss on her honeypot.

Anirudh looked up to meet her eyes.
"I know." He smirked.
"I want you, too..."

He left his ministrations on her feminity and moved up her body to reach to her face.

"Bondita, I didn't plan this to happen, here... Like this... But..."

"There is no but..." Bondita hushed.
"I want you, here, right now."

Anirudh needed no more invitation.
Without making any efforts of removing any part of her clothing, he simple pressed his knees in between her legs, forcing them to stretch apart for him. He positioned himself in between her thighs, aligning himself on her entrance.

"Ready Bondita?"
He whispered under his breath, bearing his eyes in her soul, as Bondita hummed a yes.

Anirudh untied his dhoti minimally, freeing his upsurged length,as he gently plunged himself deeper into her core.

"Ahh... Anirudh..."
Bondita let out a scream as a feeling of subtle pain mixed with an immense pleasure overwhelmed her senses, letting a drop of tear roll down her temple.

Anirudh kissed her lips as his body started to move on hers in a sensuous rhythm. And, Bondita's body reciprocated.
It was the ancient, wildest poetry... with a passionate untamed rhyme scheme that nature had let the duo compose.
Bondita's arched her back to meet up to his undomesticated intensity of love. His thrusts on her increased with every passing second, making her scream his name in ecstasy. Her toes curled up in pleasure.

"I love you... I love... You ... Bondita..!"
Anirudh growled seductively, letting his body lose control over his actions for the moment, while his soul sealed a deal of eternity with hers.

........................................................

ShriRam: There is never a time or place for true love, Sita.
It happens accidentally, in a single heartbeat, a single flashing, throbbing moment.
Come to me, Sita...
Lets embrace our love, let love embrace us with its divine power.

Sita: Words can not measure the depth of my emotions for you, RaghuPati.
My heart, my soul, my life and my eternity...
I devote myself to you.
I submit myself to you.

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

"Hummm.... Busy....!"
Batuk tried to sound as gruff as possible, impersonating his elder brother, as he heard a soft knock on the door.
His heart started to beat faster in anticipation of getting caught in the ruse.

The knocking stopped for a moment.
Batuk tiptoed towards the door and pressed his ears on the translucent glass.

"Batuk Da... Batuk Da, it's me!"

Batuk let out a sigh of relief as he heard Nakul's hushed whisper from the other side. It was only him whom Batuk had taken into confidence, sharing this little plan of sweet deceit.

He quickly opened the door a little to let Nakul in.
"What Nakul, I told you not to come here... What if anyone had seen?"
Batuk spoke in a suppressed tone expressing his displeasure.

"Batuk Da... It's Hariharan Kaka... Parvati's husband! It's urgent Batuk Da... The old man might not survive the night." Fearful apprehension was written all over his face as Nakul pleaded help.
"Else, I would have never disturbed you like this!"

Batuk's jaws tightened. All his childish, playful attributes somehow vanished at once.
What would his Dada have done if in a similar situation!
Batuk took a deep breath, and without further hesitation, he darted out of the room.
"Grab my medical bag Nakul, backdoor, we need to run!"

.......................................................

Trilochan wiped his tears as he witnessed the holy union of ShriRam and Sita enacted beautifully infront of him.
The actors bowed to him after every act as he praised them with money.
He saw his lovely daughter-in-law sitting quietly on a flower decorated couch with other women, her head covered completely in veil. Trilochan couldn't help but feel proud.
'Thats the beauty of a true Vedic marriage! It teaches shame, patience and devotion to women at once...' he thought.

....................................................

"Parvati di... What happened?"
Nakul was panting from the run as Batuk blurted out the question.

Parvati started sobbing. Her heavy protruded belly made her look fragile and tired.

"He was playing the flute for me... After a long time... it was beautiful... he looked happy. And, and suddenly he started to cough blood!"
Parvati covered her face with her hands and started to sob convulsively.

"Parvati di... Don't cry... Don't cry... Please... Think about your baby."
Nakul tried to pacify her as Batuk checked Hariharan's faint pulse.

"My baby? Do you think he will live if my old man dies?" Parvati touched her belly and continued shedding tears.

"His pulse is getting weaker... We have to get him to the town hospital." Batuk remarked with an urgency.

"Town hospital? Dada... In this condition, he won't even survive the journey." Nakul hesitated.

Batuk took out a small glass bottle from the bag and poured it in the old man's mouth.

"Parvati... Parvati..." The old man groaned.

Parvati touched his searing forehead with her cold hands as a drop of tear fell on on him.
Hariharan opened his eyes.
"Forgive me Parvati... My time has come. I couldn't do anything for you."
He spoke in a strained low voice.

"Don't say that... Don't!" Parvati sobbed.
"I am fortunate that you are my husband, I now know what love feels like... I know you are older to me... A lot older! But you have always loved me."

Hariharan smiled faintly.
"I will always love you Parvati... Through our child..." He coughed out some blood again. " You are my inspiration Parvati... You are the music in my flute!"

Nakul's eyes flew down as he helped the woman stand and shift her position away from her husband.

"Kaka... I'm giving you an injection. This should hold you together for the night... But, we'll have to rush to the hospital by tomorrow." Batuk pulled out a needle and pierced it on his wrinkled skin.

"Ah.. I... I don't want to go to the hospital choto Zamindar Babu." The old man breathed the words.
"I've lived for seventy two years, now it's my time to leave." He held Batuk's hands in a fragile grip.
"You call my wife your sister. Promise me choto Zamindar Babu... You will take care of her and my son."

Batuk nodded his head, his heart felt as if it weighs a ton.

"Kaka... You will be alright. Don't worry." He swallowed a dry lump uttering false assurance to the old dying man.

Hariharan chuckled.

The entire village was mesmerized by the enchanting enactment of Ramleela at the Zamindar Haweli, as the two Roy Chowdhury brothers ventured into the night in glory of their love.
The elder one basked in the glory of his unparalleled love for his soulmate, while the younger one seeked to comfort two unmatched loving souls, following the path shown by his idol, his elder brother.

"Isn't that the Barrister?" A shadow hissed from behind the thatched hut near Parvati's house.
"Yes, he is! In his groom's clothes.."
Another man hushed a reply in disgust.

"This one has a habit of coming into paths... This one can massacre all our plans."

"No, no one can come in between me and Hariharan's property!" The first man clenched his teeth in determination.
"I'll kill this bloody Barrister if needed!"

They hissed like a venomous serpent, lurking in the darkness, as they gauged the silhouette of the younger Roy Chowdhury tending to the old man, trying to relieve him of his pains.

..................................................

ShriRam: Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation?

Sita: Raghunath! Why the talk of separation when I'm in your arms?

ShriRam: Day cannot have it's glory, in the absence of night...
Good cannot be worshipped, in the absence of evil.
Love cannot be glorified, if not for separation!"

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

Anirudh lay wasted on the wet grass, breathless, beside Bondita, acclaimatising himself with the reality, after the prolonged, euphoric ecstasy, that his soul had just experienced.
Bondita was still shivering from the exhilaration of her release as she felt her heart, mind and body fluttering in sync, feeling as light as a feather.

"Bondita..."
Anirudh rolled on his side, crutching on his elbow as his face stooped down on hers.
"Bondita, I want to tell you that...
I belong to you,
I've belonged to you since the beginning, since before I even knew that I did..."
He kissed on the smudged vermillion on her forehead.

Bondita smiled at him bashfully.
"If this is what love feels like, Anirudh Roy Chowdhury, I'd like to be a worshipper to this love as long as I live."

"You will be...
We both will be...
As long as I live."

Bondita brushed her lips on his, plastering that angelic smile on her face,

"As long as WE live."

....................................................
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As we are edging towards the end of this book, another super long chapter for all my dear readers.
Let me know your views.