| Abhiya FF - His Firefly | COMPLETED Chapter 108 Pg 88 - Page 19

Awesome chapters

Awe Pia is so excited to know the past

I feel yamini is evil & selfish

Just to get power she use Maithili 😡

First she didn’t give her love coz Maithili is girl

Maithili was really hurt by her mom behavior

But at least she got love from her dad step mom & sister🤗

In childhood both Maithili & madhu were so close same goes with Abhay & siddarth😊

Pia totally love past version of Abhay❤️

He was so fun full of life😃

Pia was so glad to horatia just coz of her she is seeing past

Madhu & siddarth first meeting was really funny madhu still tease siddarth abt it🤣

Awe when madhu meet Abhay first time she poked her fingers in his dimples😆

Pia was surprised Abhay sharp tongue

Somehow right now I’m feeling bad for Maithili she is suffering coz f her mom😭

Oh god the leader killed amba😲

Finally Pia saw that monster anshuman

Hopefully she will get to see all the truth which will help her in present

Continue plz

Originally posted by: cuteariya

Awesome chapters

Awe Pia is so excited to know the past

I feel yamini is evil & selfish

Just to get power she use Maithili 😡

First she didn’t give her love coz Maithili is girl

Maithili was really hurt by her mom behavior

But at least she got love from her dad step mom & sister🤗

In childhood both Maithili & madhu were so close same goes with Abhay & siddarth😊

Pia totally love past version of Abhay❤️

He was so fun full of life😃

Pia was so glad to horatia just coz of her she is seeing past

Madhu & siddarth first meeting was really funny madhu still tease siddarth abt it🤣

Awe when madhu meet Abhay first time she poked her fingers in his dimples😆

Pia was surprised Abhay sharp tongue

Somehow right now I’m feeling bad for Maithili she is suffering coz f her mom😭

Oh god the leader killed amba😲

Finally Pia saw that monster anshuman

Hopefully she will get to see all the truth which will help her in present

Continue plz

It’s about to get sadder 😈

Thanks 🤗🤗

Chapter 48

Growing Affections and Distances

March 16th, 1706.

The runes had disappeared by morning, just like Horatia said they would. Maithili sat up, staring into the mirror, and touched her cheeks. It didn’t hurt anymore.

What were they?, she thought. And would they come back?

She felt a hard object just underneath her, sandwiched between the mattress. Carefully stepping out, she lifted it up and took out the spell book. It looked nothing like the books she had read in the library. It had mosaics of spiraling patterns and markings. The glyphs were impossible to interpret. As her hands fared over the cover, it glowed and shook, unaccustomed to its new wielder. She dropped it and backed away slowly, frightened.

Yamini came back just then, and closed the door behind her. Maithili burst into tears, and ran into her arms.

“Maa....what’s happening to me?” She sobbed into the silken cloth.

“I will explain everything later tonight, my dear. Patience.”

She had her sit down, an assortment of fruits in hand. Maithili already felt better, unable to remember the last time they spent this much time together, even if it was a little.

Piya grimaced, and hated knowing this was all likely for show.

She picked up the spellbook, still lying face down on the floor, and pushed it back under the mattress.

“That book.....it was glowing when I touched it.”

There was only a nod, and diversion of attention with more fruit. Maithili was left alone, once again and for a while longer, to wallow in her own confusions and new identity. She doubled checked her face after Yamini left, put on a wavering smile, and began to get dressed.

Everything else looked normal outside. She exhaled and looked around for Mandu. She tugged on the clothes of a passerby servant.

“Where’s didi?”, she asked.

“She is at the barracks, princess.”

She nodded, letting him go by. It was business as usual for the rest of the palace. Except for her. She felt out of place from it. A shard of glass that didn’t fit with the rest. Wandering in the company of her own thoughts, she ran into Indranuj next, who smiled and caressed her hair. She found some semblance of a real smile then.

Piya too felt relieved.

“Maithili, are you feeling better?”

She assumed that sharing this topic was forbidden beyond her and her mother.

“Your mother told me you weren’t feeling well.”

She shook her head.

“I’m okay now, baba....”

“Is that so? Alright.” He smiled and touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry about your lessons for today. Rest is important.”

She nodded and waved as he and a few soldiers exited the palace.

Piya turned about, looking at every face in sight. There was someone missing, who she thought would be there by now.

“Where is he?”

“Ayushmaan?”

She nodded.

“A simple entry would be too boring for him.”

The king, along with an entourage of soldiers, looked to be in preparation for a leisurely hunting trip. Horatia guided Piya in his party’s direction, while Maithili went off on her own to find Mandu.

“She’ll be okay, right?”

“For now, yes. I wonder if your sympathy will hold later on?”

Piya sighed. If anything, this trip was giving her an idea of how the three must’ve felt after everything fell apart. It was like feeling a kinship with certain characters in a novel, only to have the story change them in irredeemable ways. Conflicting emotions.

Things I can never forgive her for, Abhay had told her.

“What did she do.....?” She murmured to herself. It was all she could ask.

Horatia pretended to not hear and kept moving. As they drew closer towards the forest, Piya could see Ayushmaan hiding between the trees, dragging a edged dagger across his arms and back. It wasn’t some illusion; he was actively injuring himself. Blood spattered onto the rocks near his feet.

“And he’s so young....”

“For your time, yes. In the 18th century, people were often married off at this age.”

As the party entered the area, he staggered and threw himself onto the dirt roads, exaggerating his pain and exhaustion. He had a story already cooking in his mind, his identity of an abused b*stard child, who finally mustered the courage to run away from home, outrunning pursuers his family had hired for coin. If they needed more convincing, he could also enslave their minds, though he hoped he wouldn’t have to use his powers to begin with.

One of the guards pointed, bringing the caravan to a halt. Unaware of any intelligence hinting at an attack from foreign adversaries, they waited for long enough to make sure this wasn’t a trap. Hands left the hilts of swords at that moment.

“Your highness, he doesn’t look to be a threat....”

“Of course not.”

Indranuj jumped off his horse and approached Ayushmaan, leaving his sword behind to appear non threatening himself. He helped him up, finding splotches of blood stained on the cloth of the backside and arms. His eyes were wide with relief and fear, body shaking.

“Please save me.....king....”

He fell to his knees, hugging Indranuj’s ankles, and blubbering between heaving of breaths.

If there was one thing Piya was impressed by, it was his acting skills. Even she would have been fooled.

“Don’t worry. You are safe with us.”

A snake was getting an open invitation to the palace. It was one of Indranuj’s weaknesses, often placed blind trust towards those who ruled over. They cleared space on one of the carts and turned back, making haste. Many looked past as Ayushmaan was led carefully to the servant quarters, towards a clean bed and a visit from the royal physician. Soon was he bandaged up and left to rest.

“Can’t he heal himself?” Piya asked.

“Sure. But that would then make it more tedious to keep up an act. He needs time to gain everyone’s trust.”

Piya was astounded by the lengths one could go to deceive. And if he was still around, lurking in her time, his objectives weren’t yet complete.

Or he was selfish enough to want more.

The training grounds happened to be near to the servant quarters. She saw Mandu looking curiously in their direction, pulling off the worn breastplate and adjusting her hair.

He saw her face through the low window, and a obsessive pining ached his body. He had never seen a lady quite like her. It was an instant attraction.

So beautiful....

Piya felt chills, reminded of how Jeh used to stare at her. Just like that. But at least he was gone now. Ayushmaan was still alive.

Mandu could feel someone staring at her, and it raised the hairs on the back of her neck. It was easy to feel uncomfortable even when not fully able to see. She brushed it off, and found Maithili looking for her. She too knew that she wasn’t feeling well last night, and let her rest without any disturbances on her part.

“Are you feeling better?” She touched her cheek.

She smiled and nodded. “Are Siddharth and Abhayendra coming today?”

“In the afternoon.”

They shared a hug, as tight as comfort would allow. Piya smiled watching the two sisters.

Where did that love go?

Piya wandered inside the palace, finding Indranuj filling in both his queens on their temporary guest. They went to check on him together.

Ayushmaan was awake, and had his eyes dead locked in Yamini as she walked into the room last. And Yamini, she knew one of her own kind by just looking. Her eyes began darting about, making sure Maithili wasn’t even remotely around.

If he stays for long, I won’t be able to hide her.

“Don’t worry; you’re safe here. Our physician will take care of you.” Revati said.

To her and Indranuj, he looked like an innocent person. To Yamini, a personification of shrewdness. That’s how they all were. That’s how she was. And it all conflicted in the most destructive manners.

“Thank you....thank you so much.”

Yamini faked a smile.

This isn’t good.

She never thought they’d send someone to watch her, after all the efforts they made of cutting ties. She wasn’t prepared, and now that Maithili was in sights, her plans were now in danger of being compromised.

“Is Maithili that powerful?” Piya asked.

“Yes. And imagine what would happen if her power was used to gain more than originally planned.”

They moved to a small pond next, where both girls were sitting on the edges of. They dipped their toes into the cool water.

“Does he treat you well?” Mandu asked, knowing that she often felt better when talking about him.

“Who?”

“Abhayendra.”

Maithili turned several shades of red and lay on her back, splashing with her toes. She nodded quickly, pressing her hands to her cheeks.

“He’s very kind. Even if I don’t say much, he still likes my company.”

She had feelings for him.

“Why don’t you tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

“That you feel something for him?”

“Didi!” She buried her face in her palms, rapidly kicking the water to create background noise.

Mandu burst into laughter, holding her sides.

“Didi stop! It’s embarrassing....”

She turned over and buried her face under her arms, kicking her heels up and down. A smile was already returning to her lips.

Piya had seen, how much they were together. The pairs became more and more obvious, one constantly bickering and teasing the other, and one that basked in the silent company of the other. Abhay did tell her that Maithili was reserved. They didn’t need words, it seemed.

It was evident that the blossoms of love were beginning to sprout. Piya watched with interest, even whilst dealing with the jealousy of her own heart.

He had loved her so much. Was it possible for such a love to be completely erased from one’s heart? Sure, he had given Piya that spot now, but watching him fall for someone else didn’t go by without bothering her.

Once night fell, her skin began to burn and itch. She stared at her reflection in the glass of a hallway window. Before she could understand what to do, Yamini pulled her by the wrist, shielding her face with her veil.

“Don’t lift it.”

Abhay was looking for Maithili, wanting to give her one of his favorite books from home to read. The last place to check was her room, having found her no place else. He knocked on the doors, but she didn’t say anything.

“Princess.....are you there?”

Total silence. He hugged the book to his chest and knocked again. She muffled her tears with the pillow, staring at herself in the mirror in between.

Yamini returned with some concoction in her hands, finding him too close to her room. She walked over.

“I don’t believe you have permission to be here, Abhayendra.” She said coldly. “Run along now.”

His eyes dropped.

“I’m sorry, your highness.” He muttered, running off. There was a bad feeling he couldn’t shake off.

Once she had left, he slipped a note underneath the door frame, along with the book at the door’s edge. All it said, was to let him know if she was okay, and that he brought her book he thought she would like.

She didn’t have to talk if she didn’t want to.

And as such began the passing of notes. It was the only way he could keep her company before he went home. Whatever his father gave him to do, he finished it quickly just so he could squeeze in some time. They even talked through the door, although she never disclosed why she was always brought inside like this, every night.

This continued for the next year, until her 11th birthday. That night, Abhay brought tools to pick the locks, working his way in when no one was around.

Enough was enough.

The lock snapped open. He should’ve asked for permission to come in, but he was far too impatient, and worried.

“Princess—“

She looked at him, horrified. The markings, she was supposed to keep them a secret. Now he knew. And now she’d lose him too. She looked scary to her own sights. Then how on earth would he stay?

Their eyes didn’t leave one another. Hers began to fill with tears.

Abhay was more confused than afraid. He didn’t know what had happened to her, but she didn’t look happy about it either. She broke down in front of him, as he quickly shut the doors.

“You’re——“

She turned away and continued her quiet sob, hiding her face into a pillow.

“Please leave. I don’t want you to see me like this.”

He touched her shoulder.

“Like what?”

Piya now understood what Horatia meant when she’d find the situation familiar. It was just like hers and Abhay’s, except that Abhay took Maithili’s place, and Piya his.

“It’s not safe for you.”

“Why not?”

It was such an innocent question. But she couldn’t answer. She was always warned that those of their world and humans weren’t allowed to be this close. He could get hurt. She could hurt him.

“But she seems to be getting a hang of her powers.....with her restraint, hurting him is near impossible.”

“It’s not her power that can hurt him necessarily, but something out of both their hands.”

“What?”

“Nature. There’s a divide that it likes to keep between both worlds, human and supernatural. Those that cross it aren’t safe from its wrath.”

“Is Nature like you? Something that can manifest in a form like yours?”

She nodded.

“Though we’ve never met directly. I personally wouldn’t want to.”

Piya’s heart ached. She regretted asking.

“Then.....does that mean...we can’t be together either?”

“No. Not at all. Fate has tied you to him. And things dictated by Fate cannot be thwarted by Nature. Even Future and I are subject to its whims.”

Tied to him? In what way?

“To put it simply, Nature is like a picky eater. Imagine a plate filled with many dishes. Everything in it must be kept separate. Should anything accidentally mix, the tantrum begins and the plate is thrown over.”

She took her hand.

“Let’s take a quick detour, to your time. I included some of it just for this moment.”

Piya wasn’t sure of which part, but saw the scene and immediately remembered. Their walk by the stream, when she first tried to confess.

“Although Nature can’t punish you both, it can certainly threaten. What do you mortals call it?”

Piya was fixed on him. Though she was looking at him then, there was a certain fear on his face that missed her eyes then.

“Ah, pettiness.”

Her own dead body, his own bloodlust, and the threatening voice of Nature that sought at nothing more than to deter him. It was evident in how he held himself back, and how grief-stricken he was to see her dead because he dared to love her, a mere human.

If Piya was in her body, her cheeks would be soaked with tears.

“That’s why he lied.......”

Horatia brought her back, to where he was comforting Maithili. She looked just as afraid. And Piya, she was beginning to have a grudge towards Nature.

“If you weren’t bound to each other, you’d have met a similar fate. Just like he did.”

“And Maithili?”

“Oh, her? She’s part of the guilty party.”

——————————————————————

Abhay’s nights at the palace were now spent most with Maithili, sneaking into her room out of her mother’s sight. It would be tough to explain regardless if anyone saw. She often showed him some of the spells she was learning, as he watched in wonder, not the least bit afraid.

A pile of flowers lay wilted next to her as she lifted herself off the ground. He looked at them.

“Do the flowers have to die?”

She stopped and nodded, not keen on the action either.

“It’s the only way I can do anything. If I try to use my own energy, it hurts me.”

“But that means you won’t tire, right?”

She nodded, flipping through the pages.

Piya was watching from the corner, leaning her head against the wall. Surprisingly, she didn’t fall through.

“Only he knew, huh?”

“Yes.”

Piya expected the person to be Mandu, but Maithili made sure that no one else beyond Abhay would find out. Yamini was the most watchful of her anyways, knowing that she would obey her orders. On top of that, with the growing separation Ayushmaan was creating between the two sisters, it made sense as to why.

And Maithili kept allowing herself to get manipulated.

Ayushmaan, in the last year, had become a mainstay at the palace. One day while recovering, he entered the court on a whim, and offered his counsel on the prospect of a brewing territorial dispute. He proved to be quite knowledgeable in such affairs, and only added to Indranuj’s trust in him. But he wasn’t interested in all this. As long as Maithili was there, he needed to be there as well.

If she joins us, our kind will become unstoppable.

“Revenge is a dangerous emotion, isn’t it?” Horatia touted.

Pandher was soon at war, and while she didn’t show Piya the fighting, she did make a note to her that Mandu would be absent from the palace, also fighting in it. In fact, she took Piya to the same fort that still stood in Dehradun, the one that nearly plunged her to her death had Abhay not saved her.

I still have to thank you for it.

The walls were bare, and the structure was well-fortified and intact. Piya brushed her fingers past the empty wall that was now painted over.

“No wonder the girl in that mural looked like her. It was her.”

“It was painted after the battle that took place here, as an honor to her hand in the victory. Like a ruling queen would.”

“And Maithili?”

“Maithili wasn’t the best at physical combat. Instead, she found interest in botany and medicine, along with strengthening her magical power. She raised some of the newer parts of the garden you’ve been seeing.”

She did, and it was beautiful.

Indranuj loved both sisters equally, with much praise for either of their talents. But he was obligated to give his heir more attention in preparation for the inevitable, giving Ayushmaan more ammunition to convince Maithili she was being sidelined in favor of her sister.

He revealed himself to her one winter night, as she tended to the horses at the stable. She had been teaching herself to hide the runes, and could hold them back for a couple hours more. It hurt, but the hours away from the locked room was worth the pain.

She didn’t think to talk to him much until the reveal. There was someone who she could share her frustrations with. While Abhay was doing the same already, there was only so much he could understand.

Ayushmaan was just who she needed.

“Why have you come here?”

“To help you, of course. I’m sure keeping all this bottled up wasn’t easy for you. Even your own mother.....she could’ve done more to help.”

She sighed and caressed the mane of her favorite horse, Rajan.

“I feel bad for you sometimes. She forces you to hide and appear weak, while your sister gets to do whatever she wants and take all the glory.”

Her hand stopped.

“What a terrible sister.”

She didn’t think twice and slapped him square across the cheek.

“Don’t ever talk about my didi like that again. Understood?” She hissed through her teeth.

Ayushmaan grumbled, palm to cheek, and watched her storm off, seething in his own humiliation.

Piya cursed him under her breathe and went after Maithili, as the seeds of doubt and division sowed in her mind.

This wasn’t the end. He concocted many lies. At every opportunity, he sought to convince her that she wasn’t important in the house.

He incited her as Mandu began to become more known as the crown princess.

“Don’t you wish you were born first?” He sometimes whispered while passing by. “You could’ve had it all.”

When she began to accompany their father in travels to other kingdoms.

“She doesn’t have time for you now.”

When she could meet Siddharth freely, whenever she wanted.

“Look at her with Siddharth. Don’t you wish you and Abhayendra could meet the same way?”

When Revati always saw to her with love and affection.

“Her mother loves her much more than your own mother loves you. Don’t you wish she was your real mother too?”

Even if Revati treated Maithili just like her own daughter, it wasn’t the same.

“Don’t you wish you had everything Mandakini has?”

She began to take them as he wanted, personally, all affecting her behaviors and mental state. She made more mistakes, lazed around, and began to garner the disappointment that he convinced her she was getting.

Maithili ran off one new moon night, somewhere deep in the forest where no one could find her. She fell to her knees and screamed at the sky, tears of anger and envy streaming down her cheeks.

It’s unfair. It’s all unfair.

Why did she not get to be as happy as her sister? Why wasn’t she considered good enough for anything?

“Oh no....” Piya whispered, witnessing her breakdown. It was far too late. Even Mandu’s reassurances wouldn’t quell her rage now.

The devil on her shoulder, which now shared Ayushmaan’s voice, whispered in her head.

But you have something she doesn’t, Maithili. Magic. It is your power. She’ll never have it.

Piya wished she could stop this.

“Let the fall begin.” Horatia said.

——————————————————————

May 23rd, 1712.

Her sixteenth birthday marked the day her powers awakened completely. But with it, the distance to her family grew.

She kept to herself, holding onto her relationship with Mandu, believing that their family was at fault instead of Mandu, and only fully expressing herself with Abhay. Ayushmaan was just there as a mentor, who taught her uncommon spells when all were asleep. Things Yamini could never even attempt.

“You’re so powerful, Princess.”

The validation was a poison. A poison that could spread quickly.

One day, while the four of them sparred against each other, her envy grew upon seeing Mandu jump for joy as she singlehandedly beat all three of them. When it was her turn to spar with Abhay, she went so hard that, despite beating him, the tip of the sword struck him and a small cut opened under his eyes.

“No—“ Piya shot her hand out as he touched his fingers to the cut. Thankfully, he was okay. She dropped the sword and frantically apologized.

“It’s alright, princess. It’s only a small cut.”

He could’ve lost his eye. Why can’t you control yourself? Didi would never make such a mistake.

Her gaze fell and she walked off, hiding from everyone else. Abhay followed after, holding a cloth to his cheek.

“I’m really sorry, Abhayendra......” She whispered, wiping tears.

The only thing she had that brought her a special joy was him. She didn’t want to lose it.

He softly smiled and brushed her tears away.

“It’s alright. I’m okay, see?”

He pulled away the cloth, the cut already scabbing over.

“You don’t have to lie. It must hurt.”

“I’m not lying. Promise. Now don’t cry.”

She nodded and pressed her forehead to his chest, hair obscuring her face. He looked around, kissed her head, and hugged her back.

“Abhayendra——“

“No one’s looking. It’s okay.” He lifted her chin. “Now smile.”

She did, and he touched their foreheads together.

At least I’m lucky enough, to have fallen in love with you.

Soon, even his love wouldn’t be enough for her. Even if he gave her so much of it. Theirs was a relationship of little words and more feeling.

Both couples were weaving their love stories, away from public eye. While the younger two confessed earlier in the year, Siddharth too had confessed a few days later, but came back without an answer.

“I....need to think about this.” Mandu had told him, leaving the front gates in a hurry.

He put himself in a work slump, as a distraction.

It was past midnight, but Siddharth was awake, drafting a treaty in his father’s stead. As he finished penning the last few sentences, a white dove with a note attached to its neck perched itself on the windowsill.

Abhay was asleep, and Siddharth was weaving daydreams at night, in love with his best friend, the crown princess of Pandher.

Piya found Abhay’s sleeping position bordering Misha’s, funny enough because of how they didn’t get along. He lay on his stomach, one arm and leg hanging off the side. It looked cute, and Piya couldn’t stop staring.

She wanted to ruffle his hair.

As soon as the dove fluttered its wings on landing, Siddharth was startled out of his dreamland and seat. Abhay stirred and mumbled something incoherent, before falling back asleep.

What is this?

He approached the dove, carefully undoing the note from its string. A single candle burned at the table. He unrolled it and read. Piya peered over his shoulder. Mandu had sent it.

I thought it over. Want to hear my answer?

- Mandakini

The excitement sapped all sleepiness from his eyes. And his smile, it was brighter than the wick of the candle. If this dove had flown by at this time, surely she must be awake. He tucked it in his pocket, starting towards the door. But there was no way he’d go alone, this late at night. He stopped, and looked to a sleeping Abhay.

He won’t mind. What’s helping your elder brother once in a while?

“He’s going now?” Piya blurted out, surprised.

“He’s going now.” Horatia affirmed.

Siddharth carefully walked to Abhay and kneeled, tapping his cheek a couple times. He stirred again and turned to the other side.

“Abhay?” He shook his shoulder.

“Mmm....what....”

“Get up.”

Abhay was a deep sleeper. Siddharth grew impatient, and filled a small jug of water from the clay vessel in their room. Tipping it over his ear, the water drenched his face. He shot up, wide awake and upset, and glared at Siddharth.

“Good morning!” He exclaimed in a hushed tone.

He lay back down and pulled the covers over his head.

“Abhay, please.”

“Go bother someone else.”

“I can’t. Only you know the shortcuts to the palace.”

He sat up, threw the covers aside, and waited.

“What is it that can’t wait till morning?” He angrily whispered, keeping watch at the door to make sure their parents didn’t wake up from the noise.

“Look.”

Siddharth held up the letter. He took it and squinted while reading.

“How can you be sure she’s still awake?”

“Lover’s intuition. Let’s go.”

Abhay rolled his eyes.

“No.”

“Please, Abhay. I’ll make it up to you.”

“How?”

“I’ll do anything you ask.”

“Anything?”

He nodded quickly.

“Okay. For one week, any work Baba gives me, you’ll do instead. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“You didn’t even think about it?”

“I don’t need to. Let’s go.”

Abhay knew the paths of the forest well, thanks to his escapades with Maithili. It was much faster than taking the cobblestone path, and led right under the nose of the balcony. They snuck out with only a candle to light their path.

“What on earth are they doing?” Piya said.

Horatia laughed, at the way the two brothers tried to get to her balcony. Siddharth climbed upon Abhay’s shoulders, reaching for the railing.

“Baba is going to beat us if he finds out.”

“Relax. We’ll be back before he wakes up.”

Even Piya had a hard time believing it. Their father woke up really early, as early as the rising sun.

Atop the balcony, Mandu was awake, hugging a pillow in her bed, also daydreaming about the outcomes of the note she sent him. She blushed and hid her face in the fabric.

A pebble landed on the floor and rolled a few centimeters forward, accompanied with hushed bickering.

Who....?

She peeked outside the curtains to see a hand reaching over the balcony. Her eyes narrowed and candles were blown out. The dagger at her side was unsheathed, poised to stop anyone whoever dared barge into her chambers this late at night.

The bickering continued.

Why does that voice sound familiar?

Piya shielded her eyes, convinced that Siddharth would be mistaken for a thief and stabbed in self-defense.

His face popped into view just as she raised the sharp blade. She almost shouted, but his palm pressed itself against her lips. He frantically shook his head.

“You can look now, Piya. He’s fine.”

She peeked through her fingers and sighed in relief.

“Siddharth, you’re...here? At this hour?”

She knew her letter reached his home, but didn’t expect him to drop everything and come now. She set aside the dagger and blushed.

“I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.”

“Of course you’re both wide awake.” Abhay muttered from below. Mandu looked down in shock.

Abhay shook his head and tapped his foot. He was losing sleep over his brother’s love affairs. He never dragged him to see Maithili at night. Not that he could anyway. They had a secret to hide.

Mandu cupped his cheeks and hugged him tight.

“You didn’t have to come now.”

“Well, I couldn’t sleep, and Abhay was awake too.....”

“No I wasn’t.” He said, loud enough to hear. She giggled. Then they went back to ignoring him.

“Then....your answer?” Siddharth asked.

“Now that you’ve come so far....what do you think it is?” She blushed and looked down at their feet, leaning her head into Siddharth’s chest.

“I want to hear it out loud.”

“You’re so shameless.”

“What’s so shameless about this? It’s not like anyone else is here.”

“Abhayendra is right there. Please....not right now.”

“No.”

He trapped her in his arms.

“Siddharth...!”

“I won’t let you go until I hear it.”

She turned cherry red and sighed.

“Fine.....I....I love you.”

His grin spread to the corners of his lips, and he hugged her back tight.

“I really hope this isn’t a dream....”

She pinched his arm. He bit his tongue. Both hurt.

“There. That should be convincing enough.”

Even Abhay couldn’t hide a smile for long.

The guards were making their rounds, their torches catching Abhay’s eye. They had to leave, now.

“Go. Before you get in trouble, and my parents get me married off to someone else.”

“I’ll die before I let that happen.”

He kissed her on the cheek, whispering an ‘I love you’ into her ear, then leaping down in front of Abhay. They hid in the bushes, as she waved goodbye.

“Are there more moments like these? Something happy?” Piya wondered. This was a heartwarming example.

“There are, just a few more.”

Chapter 49

Strike of the Blade

December 20th, 1715.

“How much longer?” Abhay grumbled to Siddharth, lowering his voice so their parents wouldn’t hear. The painter shot him a nasty glare for moving, which he unashamedly ignored. His legs could give out any minute.

“You can’t rush perfection.” He whispered back, unyielding from his position.

Piya watched the royal painter swipe his delicate brushes across the canvas, a soon to be portrait of the Rao family, taking peeks at Abhay intermittently. In a time when cameras were a budding invention, and still unknown to many countries, paintings were the only way to capture likenesses. But he didn’t like staying still for them.

“How much time does he have left?“ Piya asked. She had lost track of the dates as they travelled, and couldn’t lose sight of what was happening to do the math herself.

“About 5 more years.”

It wasn’t a lot of time, in hindsight. In five years, he’d lose his humanity. This Abhay was different, adding another facet to the others she already knew of him. The truth was that she had fallen for someone else, even if they were the same person, credited to the arrival of death, and to a pain so deep that he chose to smother that smile.

Abhayendra Rao was wiped from the face of history. She only really knew Abhay Raichand.

“A person can change in a month, a year, and so on. And he’s been around for centuries.” Horatia said.

And change he did. But Piya loved his laughter, appearing without regards to the poor painter’s sanity. The latter furled his greying mustache and angrily cleared his throat, after which Abhay returning to standing still.

Her color turned a soft pink, as she lost herself in a daze created by his look in more formal attire. Darker colors suited him from the get go, stunning in dark maroon and beige. And the painter was capturing his features to Piya’s liking.

She could stare all day at him.

Soon the exhaustion reached his ankles. Even as a seasoned fighter, standing still took all his strength, and then some. It wasn’t a habit of his to keep still. He tried to place a knee on the armchair that their parents sat on, as gently as possible while keeping a straight face. Devagya sharply scolded him, under his breath. He stood up, like a soldier ready to salute to his commander, back into the pose.

Piya burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

Back at the palace, both sisters had an easier time with portraits. In recent years, an Englishman had been making exploratory trips to India, and visited Pandher often. William Berkshire, he called himself. A shorter, stout man with charismatic light blue eyes and a golden pocket watch in hand. He often came to trade with Pandher, for their teas and spices.

This time, he brought a strange looking box with him. Piya recognized what it was, but was still intrigued by it. She had never seen an early camera before.

“It looks heavy.” She said. Nowadays cameras could fit in your pocket, and create a perfect picture just seconds after taking it. This one took time to set up, and execute. But having not seen such a contraption before, many of the ministers in the court were curious as to how it worked.

He took one picture to show it off to the curious spectators, first of the two princesses. One that winded them both in how long they had to sit, but not as bad as posing for a traditional painting would. Once it had been treated properly, he unveiled it the next day, captioned at the white space at the bottom with their names in a fancy cursive script. It was the same photo that lead Piya down this journey to begin with. And it was possibly the last time Maithili ever smiled around her sister.

——————————————————————

January 1716.

It became evident, as the years went by, that Maithili began to see Ayushmaan as a close well-wisher of hers. Not friends in any sense, strictly a well-wisher, and someone she could relate to. Her mother was powerless and uncaring. But besides her, Ayushmaan was the only other one to aid her in understanding her own power. Abhay couldn’t do that. He was just a normal human.

I have no importance here.

That irresolute distrust grew without limit. On nights that she didn’t spend with Abhay, Ayushmaan took her to his land, calling it her true home. Where many of the Vitael in the country resided. She was told there were more, around the world, and they too would swear their fealty to her.

“This is where you belong, my Queen.”

Queen.

The horses stopped short of the misty boundary that hid the area from human eyes. Maithili stared onward, giddy from satisfaction of being called queen, to the scours of her kind bowing to her as she walked past.

Exalted ruler.

“Your mother, she descended from the original bloodline, this line ending with you. The throne belongs to most powerful of that family. My father is the ruler right now, but now that you’re here.....”

She looked at him, eyes twinkling with hope.

“We are all your subjects.”

All....mine...

Gazing around, surrounded by those who shared the runes she had. A collection of red lights in a dark patch of the forest. They were just like her.

“Importance, belonging, power, and your love....Abhayendra. He can join us. You can see him whenever you wish, with no restrictions.”

Conveniently, she wasn’t told of why her mother never came back herself to visit.

“Are you speaking the truth?”

“Have I ever lied to you, your highness?” He bowed before her. “You won’t have to live in the shadow of your sister any longer. This is all yours. Your birthright.”

Without power, you are nothing.

She dreamed of the day where she could become one with him. But Abhay was getting threats of his own, to keep his distance, in the form of awfully gruesome nightmares. A baleful, feminine voice narrated his doom every other night, something about crossing a line. He knew very little of the supernatural world then, but didn’t think much of it, as Maithili still had humanity in her. She had grown up amongst humans, in their world, then why was he crossing a line?

Was loving her a crime? If it was, he lacked understanding as to why.

His naivety would soon cost him. The once devotional love she felt for him was tainting itself with unhealthy obsession.

Her changing behaviors didn’t escape notice.

Mandu made sure to have this conversation alone. She made haste towards her father’s study one night, knowing he would be awake in writing. Both Siddharth and Abhay expressed their concerns about Ayushmaan already, seeing how Maithili’s behavior was changing for the worse as a result of his frequent company. Things he has said to them personally, didn’t sit right. And Maithili, she wouldn’t listen to any of them, forcing Mandu to take this step. Only she had the immediate authority to question the king’s appointees, being his daughter.

He scrawled away at a thick parchment, not having to look up to know who had come to visit him this late. Piya stood just outside the room, like she didn’t want to interrupt.

“Come sit, Mandakini.”

She sat down, and started immediately.

“Baba, I’m sorry to bother you at this hour, but.....this is an important matter....”

He placed the feather quill to the side, dripping its ink back into the bottle, and looked up. Maithili passed by outside, now standing right where Piya was.

“Oh no....” Piya said out loud, backing off.

“It’s about Ayushmaan.....I think....he needs to be dismissed from his post.”

Maithili wasn’t planning on being awake, but a headache kept her so. The pain got worse. Her palm bunched up into a fist.

“I worry that he’s becoming a bad influence on Maithili.”

Piya focused her attention on Maithili, who began to listen with more fury. She didn’t want to go outside for fresh air anymore, she wanted to hear every bit of conversation between the king and his favorite daughter.

“How so?”

She narrated it all to him. Things she noticed, things that were now different when he first came to the palace. Ways Maithili seemed to avoid her with bitterness in her eyes. Tears trolled down her cheeks as she spoke, her heart feeling the pain of separation.

“I’ve tried talking to her, but she turns a blind eye.”

“I see...” He stroked his beard and nodded. “I shall see to the situation, and then we’ll come to a decision...”

Which meant he wasn’t convinced.

“But baba—-“

He held up a hand, eyebrows furrowed. There were trade-offs to be made, and an unproven allegation.

Maithili stormed off and slammed the doors of her room shut, rattling the ceilings of that wing of the palace. Light fixtures and paintings shook in their place.

The next night, Indranuj asked Ayushmaan to join him in his study for a chat, shutting the door to eavesdroppers. Mandu waited anxiously in the throne room.

Siddharth was just leaving, surprising her out of her thoughts.

“Siddharth, you haven’t gone home yet?”

“I was just finishing up some work....” He went to her and cupped her cheeks. “What happened? You look worried.”

“Nothing. Baba is talking to him right now.”

Siddharth grit his teeth and nodded.

“Hopefully for the last time.” He kissed her hand. “I should go. It’s late.”

“Ride safely...” she said, bidding him farewell. Unable to find a distraction inside, she went to the barracks, remembering some weaponry that needed polishing.

Piya stayed by the study door, peeking her head in. As she expected, Ayushmaan was denying all allegations and blamed Maithili’s behavior on a rebellious nature she naturally possessed. He claimed to just be looking out for her.

“He trusts so easily....”, she noticed of Indranuj, leaving before she got angry herself.

Mandu was cleaning and polishing the weapons with stress-induced vigor. Once she finished the last shield, a chill crawled up her spine. Slow footsteps approached her from behind. She turned around, finding Ayushmaan inches from her face.

Her exit was blocked. He had bolted the doors.

“Where are you going, dearest Mandakini?”

He looked far too happy. She slapped his hand away as it reached to brush her hair away from her face.

“To where I’m supposed to be. I suggest you do the same. Outside the palace gates.”

“I would never deny your orders, beautiful princess of Pandher. But unfortunately for you, your father wishes to keep me.”

“Keep—“

Her eyes widened.

“I must say, you did make quite the ruckus against me.”

“And I’ll do it again. Over and over, until you stay away from my sister.” She roared, pointing a finger. “I don’t know how you convinced him, but it won’t happen again.”

She shoved him back and tried to hurry away. But her feet suddenly felt heavy. He seized her by the wrist, throwing her back against the wall, staring down her body with perverse eyes. A cheap smirk was plastered on his face

“Let....go.....”

“What happened? I thought you were strong, and suddenly you call for help.”

He squeezed her jaw. She screamed louder, eyes blistering with rage.

“Oh, that’s right. You’re powerless before me.”

There was nothing he wanted more than to satisfy his loneliness with the crown princess. Her veil was torn away, along with the sleeve of her blouse, drawing tears from her eyes. Her body felt weak, and violated. He was using his power to have her.

Piya turned away, reminded of her own trauma, unable to watch. She hoped someone would find out before it was too late. The screams continued.

Siddharth had bad feeling nagging at his conscience, and turned back. He heard the screams as he stepped down from his horse, dropping everything and rushing towards its direction.

Some handful of guards were engrossed in breaking down the heavy doors. Siddharth rushed to help, having his own weapon tucked at the side.

He charged at the disgusting excuse for a man as soon as the bolts fell, drawing his dagger and throwing Ayushmaan to the ground, the latter not expecting anyone other than the guards. In a matter of seconds, the blade sliced through his face, from the right eye down to the opposite cheek.

Piya peeked for a moment and then covered her eyes again, as the blood splattered everywhere on the floor and back walls.

Thank goodness, she thought.

He staggered back, screaming and covering his face with a bloody palm. One eye stared back with a flared vengeance. The guards stormed in, right as Siddharth covered Mandu with a woolen shawl, and hurried her out of there.

The scenes moved past them quickly. He was immediately punished, and was sentenced to death. But he disappeared before the execution, leaving a dozen dead guards behind.

Maithili had enough by then, convinced that her own sister had lied in order to oust him from the palace. She didn’t say it aloud, or show it on her face, but Piya found it obvious from her behavior. It was the final nail in the coffin for their relationship.

“How could she trust him over her?”

“He’s been working to gain her trust for so long, and by constantly feeding her lies, she believes them to be the truth.”

——————————————————————

November 18th, 1716.

A girl of Mandu’s age would’ve been long married by now, and certainly with a child or two. But being the next ruler allowed her many escapes from what was considered normal in society at the time. As unnatural was it for a woman to be crowned ruler of kingly estate, it was just as unnatural for her to stay with her family after marriage. With this in mind, her future husband would have to be accepting to the idea of leaving home himself, but be granted the title of King along with it.

These conditions already dwindled the suitors of their status, not one of them wanting to let Mandu keep power in the long-term. But Siddharth was glad this was happening. It made his work easier. The palace was like a second home to him anyways; most of his day was spent there. Adjusting after marriage would be of no difficulty.

“Nervous?” Abhay teased, watching him dress for the big day. To ask the king for her hand. Only the two of them knew this was to happen. None of the parents had an idea, and it was meant to be a surprise for Mandu. At the end of annual harvest festivities, he would pose the question before the entire court.

“Very much. What if they throw me into the dungeon?”

“That’s absurd. The worst they can do is banish you from Pandher.” He smirked.

“Don’t scare me like that, Abhay.” Siddharth complained.

The entire kingdom was decked in festivity. The nobles and elite of Pandher were special guests to a grand feast at the palace, where the Rao family was headed.

Siddharth requested the audience of all those in the court, after the dinner had concluded, standing tall and in wait. Maithili stayed by Abhay’s side, hiding with him behind of the pillars that stood off to the left entryway.

He started as soon as everyone was seated and paying attention.

“Thank you for your time, your highness. I promise I won’t take much of it.”

“Very well, Siddharth. Tell us, what is on your mind?”

He cleared his throat and cast a side-eye at his parents, who looked baffled beyond wit. It was a classic expression on any parent’s face; don’t do anything stupid.

“Your highness, I....wish to ask for Princess Mandakini’s hand in marriage.”

Thousands of echoed gasps and hushed chatter bounced off the walls.

He gazed forth with confidence, while his parents were taken aback. Abhay gave him a nod of approval. Mandu blushed and hid behind her mother, her eyes covered with the veil.

Indranuj slowly nodded and pondered over it, but didn’t say anything in the affirmative or negative. Instead, he stood up, and took Mandu’s hand, bringing her right in front of Siddharth. The chatter grew in intensity. He could see the implied ‘this is your fault’ that her eyes reflected under the veil.

“Mandakini, dear, I wish to hear your answer.”

Both were dumbfounded, looking at Indranuj. Piya leaned forward with great interest.

“My king—-“

“Sit down, Devagya.” He scolded, ordering him with a flick of the wrist. He looked to Mandu.

“Your answer, dear?”

It wasn’t a secret that they were attracted to each other, no matter how much they tried to hide it. He would keep her happy.

“I.....I....accept....” she breathed, glad the red color of her sari hid the color of her cheeks.

“Then it is settled. Siddharth Rao will be your husband.”

Abhay smiled for them, but noticed Maithili’s downtrodden expression. Something had been bothering her of late. He leaned closer to her ear, whispering softly.

“Soon, I’ll ask for your hand too. Just like that.”

In front of everyone, for all to see.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Abhay lied about knowing anything of the plan, and let Siddharth bear the brunt of the scolding once they got home. Once he was free to retire for the night, he left for the firefly meadow, meeting Maithili there. They both had become accustomed to making timely escapes, at any time of the night. She lay in his lap, plucking petals off a flower, as he leaned back on his palms, watching the glowing insects sway in their nightly dance.

The petals shriveled up as she dropped them, one by one, crumbling to dust as they reached the soil.

“You won’t tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“You don’t have to lie to me, Maithili. Or to Siddharth, or your sister. We’re all worried for you.”

Piya sat nearby, listening into their conversation. She hoped he’d get through to her somehow.

Doesn’t it feel strange to you, Piya? Rooting for them despite loving him too?

Maithili stared up at the stars and dropped the stem. She chose not to answer.

“You won’t leave me, right?”

He ran his fingers through her hair, and shook his head.

“Only death can separate us.”

Quite literally. Piya frowned and watched the fireflies too. They were like tiny stars that fell from the sky and made their home on earth.

“Not if you could live forever. Then even death can’t touch us.”

“Immortality? That isn’t possible for me, only you.”

If only you knew, Abhay...., Piya thought.

Horatia was standing a few yards away, her dress blowing in the wind. She skipped over, laying next to Piya.

“You’re turning green again....” she chuckled. Piya looked at herself and sighed.

“What’s on your mind?”

“You already know.”

“Ah, what a silly question to ask.”

——————————————————————

September 17th, 1717.

The wedding went off smoothly, both bride and groom taking their vows with the purest love in their eyes. Piya stood at the mandap, watching the rain of marigold flowers landing upon their shoulders. Another happy moment, a beautiful procession and lavish ceremony. No historical film could do this scene justice, it was that ethereal. But the number of such moments had been dwindling rapidly. She couldn’t help but feel that something bad was going to happen soon.

The beginning of the end.

It only took a month for those fears to come true. The palace felt empty, after Mandu left for the night. Being both the crown princess and a married woman, in this time, she split time between both houses, until it was time for the couple to take the throne. Maithili was in her room, sitting upon the bed and staring at the night sky.

Someday, Abhay would see her as a bride too, his bride.

But Yamini wouldn’t approve of this match; she didn’t approve of anything that Maithili did of her own volition. She saw it as a waste of time, a product of her immaturity. Ayushmaan, her enabler, only encouraged the growing thought that her mother would never let her be happy. She was the biggest obstacle, then was everyone else. One of the thorns at her side.

There was no tantrum, no apparent emotion. Her stoic expression worried Piya. Was this the beginning, of the child burning down the village?

A dagger lay at her feet, one that was conjured from the souls of a few dead. It pulsated with an energy that Piya found unsettling, causing her to back away. Maithili kept it safe for this moment.

“Is she....?”

She lifted it and examined the blade. It was to meet someone’s heart tonight.

The winds howled as all went to bed. She waited still all human movement had ceased. Something within her snapped. She wanted freedom. And this was the only way to get it.

She clutched the dagger in her palms, only visible to a Vitael’s eye. No evidence, no blame.

She entered Yamini’s bed chambers, staring at the woman sleeping soundly.

She’s using you. As long as she’s there, she’ll never let you to happy.

She plunged the dagger deep into her heart, twisting it as blood soaked the blade. Lifting it again, she plunged it several times, taking out her suppressed rage with every strike.

Piya looked on in horror.

“How do you feel about her now?” Horatia asked, unfazed.

“I—-“

She had killed so easily.

A ghoulish light emerged from Yamini’s body, that of her soul. Maithili held it in her clutches, feeling its power for herself.

She wanted more.

“See you in hell, maa.” She whispered, leaving the body to rot.

Wow Meghana

I loved it so far.

She killed Yamini 😲

I have one question were is Haseena? Why is she not with Abhay currently.

I finally caught up. 😆

Originally posted by: Abhiya29

Wow Meghana

I loved it so far.

She killed Yamini 😲

I have one question were is Haseena? Why is she not with Abhay currently.

I finally caught up. 😆

Thanks! 🤗❤️

Give me a few more chapters for her to appear 😆

Amazing chapters as always👏

In the beginning I really felt bad for Maithili

She was so scared & in pain😭

Glad Abhay didn’t get scare to see Maithili like that but he stayed with her console her🤗

Her mom used her for benefit🤢

At least she got love from her step mom dad & sister😊

But that bloody anshuman destroyed that love also😡

When that monster saw madhu first time he got obsessed with her😡

Pia felt the same chilled seeing the same obsession jay had for her🥶

At least now that monster jay is dead but anshuman is still alive

It didn’t take anshuman much time to manipulate Maithili against her families😡

Coz being crown Princess madhu had to involve with works

Didn’t get much time to spend with Maithili

In anshuman company Maithili changed so much which madhu also noticed

Uff king was really naive how easily he trusted everyone

Oh hell that bloody anshuman tried to force madhu disgusting😡

Glad siddarth came on time & saved her🤗

But Maithili thought madhu frame anshuman

Oh dear god I couldn’t hold my laugh with siddarth propose to madhu🤣

He was so desperate to know her answer that he woke up Abhay to go to palace🤣

Finally siddarth got relieved when madhu said yes to his love😉

Somewhere Pia was jealous to know once Abhay used to love Maithili

Horatia told Pia that she & Abhay r ties with destiny

Wow siddarth proposed madhu for marriage in front of everyone😲

Glad he was lucky that king accepted his & madhu love🤗

Soon madhu & siddarth got married❤️

Oh god Maithili became more dangerous with passing time

On the other hand Abhay getting nightmares warning him to not to cross his line

Poor Abhay didn’t understand that time which he pays with his humanity💔

Oh god Maithili killed her own mother😲

Continue plz

Originally posted by: cuteariya

Amazing chapters as always👏

In the beginning I really felt bad for Maithili

She was so scared & in pain😭

Glad Abhay didn’t get scare to see Maithili like that but he stayed with her console her🤗

Her mom used her for benefit🤢

At least she got love from her step mom dad & sister😊

But that bloody anshuman destroyed that love also😡

When that monster saw madhu first time he got obsessed with her😡

Pia felt the same chilled seeing the same obsession jay had for her🥶

At least now that monster jay is dead but anshuman is still alive

It didn’t take anshuman much time to manipulate Maithili against her families😡

Coz being crown Princess madhu had to involve with works

Didn’t get much time to spend with Maithili

In anshuman company Maithili changed so much which madhu also noticed

Uff king was really naive how easily he trusted everyone

Oh hell that bloody anshuman tried to force madhu disgusting😡

Glad siddarth came on time & saved her🤗

But Maithili thought madhu frame anshuman

Oh dear god I couldn’t hold my laugh with siddarth propose to madhu🤣

He was so desperate to know her answer that he woke up Abhay to go to palace🤣

Finally siddarth got relieved when madhu said yes to his love😉

Somewhere Pia was jealous to know once Abhay used to love Maithili

Horatia told Pia that she & Abhay r ties with destiny

Wow siddarth proposed madhu for marriage in front of everyone😲

Glad he was lucky that king accepted his & madhu love🤗

Soon madhu & siddarth got married❤️

Oh god Maithili became more dangerous with passing time

On the other hand Abhay getting nightmares warning him to not to cross his line

Poor Abhay didn’t understand that time which he pays with his humanity💔

Oh god Maithili killed her own mother😲

Continue plz

And the killing won’t stop there 😉 thanks dear 🤗

Chapter 50

Death is Coming

The shrieks and screams that came with the break of dawn, didn’t do much to stir Maithili out of her slumber. Piya stayed in her room, taken aback at how peacefully she had slept after committing a murder. Now she sat beside the bed, on the floor, and away from the door.

Her arms were crossed over her knees, and she stared at a vibrant ruby red gem, swirling with energy, with a blank gaze. Yamini’s soul, among many others, was trapped within it. A personal keepsake of hers, that held sources of power for her spells. The amount of souls didn’t measure a Vitael’s power, only how they used it. Maithili was now skilled enough to use the smallest amounts and still be threatening. This supply would last her long.

She rested her chin on her knees. Calm. No regret, no gloom, not even shock, at what she had done. For her, it was just another morning.

“Prepare yourself to see more.” Horatia said once again, taking Piya’s hand and pulling her into the empty halls.

Just outside Yamini’s bedroom, everyone but Maithili had gathered. But no one thought to call her just yet. It was a sight they considered too gruesome for her to see.

Piya looked inside, holding her breath.

Pools of blood formed beside the bed, where the dead queen lay, eyes closed in rest by the priests. Revati consoled Indranuj, as she sent for a messenger to the Rao manor. The last rites were to be performed soon, and all of family needed to be present.

Piya moved away nervously, her chest tying itself into tight knots. Scenes like this were familiar to her. The crying, the dead, and the atmosphere. She had cried the same that day.

“Can we keep going?” She asked, feeling suffocated.

“Sure.”

Scenes shifted quickly on her request. Piya focused on Horatia to divert her attention, who used her power to fast-forward past the grieving, until Maithili finally stepped out of her room. They watched from farther away this time.

The doors were shut after she took a look. She pretended to be confused and lost. They hugged her and consoled her like she had any love for the woman. Nothing felt different with her gone.

Except, a little taste of freedom.

Maithili stood quietly, not saying a word, not acknowledging anyone. When all was said and done, she walked out, sat in the gardens, and pretended to be in shock to explain the lack of tears. No one bothered her after that.

Indranuj ordered his men to scour the kingdom and borders for any individuals of suspect. But there was a lack of evidence at the scene of the murder, making the search difficult. And to check within his own family, it never crossed his mind. Especially Maithili.

No time was wasted with the funeral. She resigned herself to watching the burning pyre from under a tree, Abhay taking occasional glances back. Mandu stayed closest to her, and held her hand, but she held on without much grip. She wasn’t interested in sympathy.

Wisps of dark red and black licked the flames, causing a hushed gasp from the priests conducting the last rites, as they had no reasoning to their occurrence. An evil eye, or black magic, they called it.

Piya saw the anger in her eyes rise with the height of the flames.

The grudges and greed kept festering.

——————————————————————

She waited for Abhay to arrive with his proposal, though knowing well that he wouldn’t while the family was in mourning still. But there were many others, shameless and seeing of an opportunity to marry a beautiful princess from Pandher. Marriage proposals flooded in, from princes and kings who still wished to marry her even if she was past marriageable age. Every single one was sent back, with her simple rejection.

The slightest things began to anger her.

Soon they’ll stop crying over her. And soon after that, they’ll get rid of me.

She wasn’t the crown princess, after all. Her presence in the palace was meaningless. She would become fodder to these reigning men if she married any one of them, while they remained to hold power and the only thing she was to do was to please them at night.

She wasn’t done here. If she could take the throne, the humans who lived here would also bow to her. As ruler of the Vitael, she wanted their kind to rule all the others, even the other supernatural, after centuries of being shunned from all alike.

She knew what it was like to feel ostracized, to be remembered when only convenient. Not anymore.

“If she had been born in different circumstances, would this have happened?” Piya wondered.

“Who can say? In any alternate universe, there’s another Time, another Past and Future. I, personally, wouldn’t know.”

Abhay expressed his wish to marry her to his family already, somehow convincing them against their apprehension of having two royals married into the family. Piya grew more and more sorry for him, for the love that shone so greatly in his eyes would be broken apart so ruthlessly.

She was told the deaths would only rise in number.

He didn’t tell Maithili of his plan, to catch her by surprise the way he promised he would. The day he was planning to push forward his proposal, however, the king and queen had left for another kingdom.

Maithili had already done her work, growing needlessly impatient and paranoid. She knew the route they would take. The night before, she snuck out and placed a curse upon the carriage. Once near the cliffsides, it would steer itself into the ravine below.

No human could survive such a height.

And then, they passed as well.

“How does it feel, my queen?” Ayushmaan asked, as they stared at the wreckage.

“Liberating.”

The bodies were disfigured and torn apart from the impact. Maithili arrived to take their souls, then lighting the remains as a makeshift pyre.

I’ll let you play queen for a little bit, didi, she thought, finding herself closer to the throne.

Piya stayed at a distance. Even she became terrified at what Maithili was doing. No one was safe. She was killing them, one by one.

When the king and queen didn’t return home, an uproar emerged from the palace and spread through the kingdom. Remnants of their carriage, dead horses with broken limbs, and charred bits of clothing and jewelry, were found at the bottom of the wide ravine.

It’s moving....so fast.

Pandher had lost its rulers. And its next-in-line had isolated herself out of grief. Both sisters were orphaned. The court was assembled the following week, all ministers harping the same thing to Mandu.

“Princess Mandakini, we must move forward with your coronation....”

Piya wished to embrace her. Her lips quivered from holding back tears, yet it was obvious she had been crying from her dry eyes. She held up her hand, to silence them.

“I need....some time....,” her voice choked. “Please...I trust you all to handle things in my absence.”

She wasn’t fit, physically or mentally, to be a ruler right now. It had been a few days. Their bodies hadn’t been found. If they fell into nature cradles, who knows what wild animals got to them first?

Maithili watched the argument unfold from the balcony, hiding her pleasure with a fabricated mask of woe.

But Pandher couldn’t do without a proper ruler. And Mandu had been preparing for it since her youth.

The coronation was done eventually, and quickly, without the fanfare and pomp that usually came with the ceremony. She was queen now. But even after learning so much and preparing to take her father’s place, she still didn’t feel ready. Siddharth became a great help at this time, and they ruled in tandem, as equals.

And once the things had settled, before Abhay’s 25th birthday, they got Maithili and him married. She didn’t want a large wedding, she just wanted him. In any way possible. Abhay didn’t mind, and respected her wishes. They married in the presence of the priest and his family. A small ceremony, holding hands as they took their vows.

Unlike Mandu, she was expected to live in the Rao manor. She didn’t protest this, convincing herself soon that she would be the one on the throne soon.

Abhayendra is mine now, at least.

She smiled under her veil, waiting for him to join her in *their* bedroom. Piya asked Horatia to take her elsewhere, knowing what was to come next for a newly wed couple on their wedding night.

“I wasn’t intending on letting you watch. Unless....?” She lifted a eyebrow. Piya shook her head and grabbed her arm.

“Nope. Take me somewhere else please.” She spoke quickly, embarrassed. Horatia chuckled.

“Where to? A few weeks later?”

It only lasted a month, he had said.

“I think that’s a yes.”

This was it. The last of Abhay’s humanity.

It was nighttime.

They appeared still around the manor, this time outside the wooden fencing. Devagya was outside, meeting with someone in secret. An informant, or spy? Piya looked under the hood, finding the gnarly scar and two colored irises.

“Ayushmaan.”

She saw him hand off a letter and cloth bundle to Devagya, whispering something to him before leaving.

“How did he not recognize him?”

“Illusions. Since we’re not affected by them, we can see his true face.”

The letter revealed details about Maithili being behind the murders of the king and both queens, something he had been persistently looking into since their occurrences. Inside the cloth bundle, fabricated evidence against her. Articles of her clothing and accessories.

“He ratted her out?”

“He needs Maithili to join them. Not stay here. And as you can probably notice, she’s very impulsive.”

The next evening, while Abhay was at the palace, he confronted her at a slight distance from the house. Threw the evidence at her face, yelling at the top of his lungs.

“I can’t believe a child could repay their parents in such a heinous manner.”

She shed her mask of innocence, having enough of this additional nuisance.

“You can believe it, baba. Because I did it. With great pleasure.” She sneered. Devagya raised his hand and slapped her hard. Her cackle sent chills up his spine.

“I didn’t want to do this.”

She suffocated him by drawing the air of his lungs. It silenced his screams, and made him flail.

“A king’s most trusted minister shouldn’t ever leave his side. You can join him.”

His eyes bulged as the life was sapped from his body, and remained so as his heart stopped beating. A scream pierced her ears, just behind them. Girija went after them, likely worried about her husband’s anger.

Maithili didn’t spare a moment of thought. Before she could curse her and call her names, Maithili twisted her neck and broke it with the contraction of her fingers.

“Sleep well. I surely will.”

Abhay reached home late. Usually his mother never slept until they were home safe and sound, but there was no light visible through the windows tonight. He went inside, and checked the rooms. Maithili was missing as well.

Where are they?

The horse began to neigh and lift its front hooves. His heartbeat raced. Something was wrong. He lit a small torch, and journeyed around the perimeter of the manor for any sight of them, calling their names.

“Baba! Maa! Maithili!”

Girija shrieked just then, in the direction of the forests. He whirled around, eyes wide. A vulture circled over his head.

Maa...

He took off towards the forest, as some of the neighbors emerged startled by the sounds. It didn’t take long for him to see it happen.

Maithili killed them.

“No......”

He threw the torch aside, and embraced their bodies. Maithili watched him wail and dirty his face with his tears.

“How could you?”

He stood up and took several steps back.

“Why Maithili? Why?”

She didn’t have an answer. She didn’t want to give an answer. She only had anger.

“You won’t understand. You never will.”

She raised her hand, immediately putting him to sleep. Beside her, a circle of Vitael, all donning cloaks that covered their faces, arrived.

“Come with us for now, your highness. We’ll make sure he doesn’t try to run away.”

Piya ran after them as they disappeared into thin air, taking Abhay prisoner. Just the bodies of his parents remained.

“What are they going to do to him?”

Her question was answered in the blink of an eye. They had trapped him in a room up in that spiraling tower, while Maithili thought of what to do next.

I need to stay here. They’ll think we’re missing too.

Abhay threw strong punches at the door after waking up, but unable to make a dent in the wood. His knuckles bled.

“Maithili!” He yelled, furious in grief.

“How long are you going to let him hurt himself, hm?” Ayushmaan asked, pacing back and forth slowly.

“He’ll get tired eventually.”

She stared at her hands, those hands that were guilty of taking life. They closed into tight fists, hanging at the sides.

“His soul is a powerful one. If you decide to not need him, then—”

“Do I remember asking you about our relationship?” She snarled. He sighed and lowered his gaze.

“My apologizes, my queen.” He bowed and left, occupied in crafting his own plans.

Abhay did get tired. After bashing his limbs into the door to break free, he sat next to it, exhausted and crying. His sorrows didn’t melt any bit of Maithili’s frozen heart.

He slapped her hands away when she came to see him. Their love had taken its last breath. This monster wasn’t his wife.

“You killed them. You killed all of them. That’s the truth, isn’t it?”

The refute to his accusation never came to her mind. Because she was as guilty as he now thought she was. She pressed her hands to his chest, the latter disgusted. He failed to recognize her. This wasn’t his Maithili.

“I did it for us, Abhayendra. Those people wouldn’t ever let us be together. They wanted to take away my happiness, including you.”

He threw her arms away, standing up and backing away.

“Abhayendra, join me. Then we’ll never be apart.”

Her outstretched hand now glowed with the beginnings of a spell to grant him immortality, at the cost of all the souls that she kept trapped in her gem.

He looked at the ball of magic, and shook his head.

“If you were my Maithili, perhaps I would’ve given it a thought. Things are different now.”

His Maithili?

“I am your Maithili, Abhayendra.”

“Really? I know my Maithili. She would’ve never done this. She would have trusted us over the lies of a stranger.”

He glared at Ayushmaan, who stood at the doorway.

“We were there for you. Always. Then why?”

Even the love of her life was pushing her away.

“So you think I’m at fault as well?”

Her voice dripped with ice. In a second, the love she held for him was gone as well.

The spell faded, taking the souls she expended on it as a cost. Her hard work was gone, all because of this ungrateful man. She threw him out of the room and stories down, in a sonic boom that destroyed the rocky floors of the tower. He lay flat, bleeding and broken. But miraculously, not dead. Nature wouldn’t let him die without dealing him his own punishment. Piya screamed his name and ran to him.

“Run. Run away from here. Before I find you, and kill you too.”

Piya echoed the same sentiment. He had to escape with his life.

Please run, Abhay.

——————————————————————

December 27th, 1720.

He ran deeper and deeper into the night, soon to become a part of it. Running down his ankles, the warm red liquid marked a vivid trail behind his blistered feet, as he began to lose consciousness by the minute.

I need to get home safely. I have to warn—-

Before the most necessary thought crossed his mind, his body gave up, and began to shut down. His legs went first, throwing him face first into the soil.

Every breath was shallow and painful to take. He reached up, arm shaking towards an exposed tree root.

“I need.....to get home....”

He was too weak to do anything. Death loomed over his head in wait, its scythe ever so tempted to mark the end of his life with a single swing.

Piya’s heart twisted. She almost burst into hysterics, had Horatia not reminded her that this was history, and that he would live.

Still, it scared her.

“Abhay.....” she cried, kneeling over him.

He mumbled incoherent things, shaking his head from side to side.

Hang on. Please.

There was a rustle in the bushes. Two figures, both wearing black cloaks over their shoulders, approached Abhay’s dying body. The man was tall, possibly above six feet, following a woman half his height.

They followed the trail of blood to him.

Horatia took Piya’s hand, and pulled her away at a slight distance. Her feet were reluctant to budge.

“This is the last few moments of his humanity.”

That meant these two were vampires.

The woman looked more fascinated in him than worried. She had her hair tied into a loose braid, violet eyes locked on him. The man bared his fangs, more interested in the blood, itching to pounce on the unconscious victim they had found.

She stuck hand out, palm up.

“Jovan, stand back for a while, if you may.”

“Forgive me, Lady Iolanda.” He breathed, placing a palm over his eyes and turning away. “It seems like you’ve taken interest in him.”

“His soul. One of those potent kinds,” she said, nodding quickly. Abhay’s features were hidden somewhat by the bleeding from his forehead. “An unfortunate fellow. He looks to have been through a lot.”

“Who is she?” Piya asked.

“Iolanda. One of the first vampires to walk this Earth. Abhay’s creator.”

Piya sighed in relief, knowing that he’d be okay soon. Okay in the sense that permanent death had been thwarted.

“Stronger than mine?” Jovan chuckled, having regained control over himself.

“Having me choose favorites already, hm?” She laughed, and then looked at Abhay. “Now, let’s keep you away from that persistent grim reaper, shall we?”

These opportunities were not to pass up. She turned his head to the side, exposing his throat. His heartbeats spaced out gradually. He was still fighting for his life, but barely holding on.

A mist crept up in the distance, rapidly moving towards their direction.

“Keep watch and us hidden, Jovan. Those worthless Vitael might find us. They’ve been acting up lately.”

“Yes, of course.”

He turned away and outstretched his arms. A bright red enveloped his irises and thickening shadows that emanated from his body wrapped themselves in a ring around the area. A barrier against those with weaker eyesight.

Piya felt a familiar chill on the back of her neck, knowing she had seen this phenomena before. The deepening darkness, with only glowing eyes of unnatural color to follow. Abhay had been doing something similar, likely to hide himself from her. Or to hide her from something. Probably both, knowing him.

“Thank you. Now....”

Piya shut her eyes as Iolanda bit into Abhay’s throat, followed by another sound of flesh being cut into. There was an eerie silence that permeated the air, until the ritual was complete and a verse was chanted. She opened one eye and looked around him, surrounded by a blackened flame that vanished a second or two later.

“Let’s take him with us.” Iolanda finished, carrying him easily over one shoulder. The ring of darkness followed its wielder, hiding them all the way back to their residence. The mist retreated at the same time.

It was a small stone cottage, hidden in the depths of the forests and looking as ruined as an abandoned shelter. It was empty inside, save for a hatch under the twigs and soil. What lay underneath the surface was completely different. A home, embellished in darker colors, lit in every corner with torches. It was synonymous to what Piya assumed a traditional vampire lair would look like. The stereotype had to have come from somewhere.

A single room with some seating and an old wooden table lined with filled glass bottles. Piya realized it was all blood, and only one of some other drink, likely alcohol. A bedroom lay to the back, where Iolanda placed Abhay to rest. Piya stood at his bedside, watching the wounds healed on their own, and his blood turn into a deep black.

So that color wasn’t my imagination.

It was a rapid transformation. Piya noticed his changing features more closely as the blood was cleaned from his face with a damp cloth, its dried smell no longer appetizing to either.

Jovan held his arms behind his back and pondered.

“You’ll have two of us now. That’s tied with Lady Lerae.”

“Oh not quite. Lerae created another one a month back. She sent me her regards just to gloat about it.” She mumbled. “Those Vitael were likely after him. It’s a shame that we got to him first.”

Obvious sarcasm.

Piya turned to Horatia.

“What are they talking about?” She asked, staying close to Abhay.

“Abhay is a rare kind of vampire. But he’ll explain it best for you when you meet.”

For now, Piya was waiting for him to wake up in this plane. This was the beginnings of the Abhay she knew, the vampire who was deemed her soulmate, and whom she loved so much.

“How much longer?”

Horatia paused for a moment.

“An hour more.”

Piya nodded and kneeled, touching her fingers to his hair even if they passed through. She never wanted to see him like this again. She’d never seen a man so broken.

“Let’s go. He’ll wake up when he’s ready.”

He was left to sleep alone. And Piya could see the effects of the bite already. Through his torn shirt, the tattoo of the crescent moon she saw earlier was making its mark. Every wound of his had been healed, with the exception of the bite itself. That would fade on its own later.

These were questions Abhay could answer best. She kept them to herself, walking outside, stunned to find more vampires in the hallways. Blood stained all their faces.

“How was the hunt, my friends?” Iolanda greeted, throwing herself on the rickety chair with a goblet of her own in hand.

“Why call if a hunt when the humans are picking off their own? We just helped them....clean up.”

Piya felt uncomfortable with the constant talks of blood and gore, and went back to Abhay. He would be like them now, and she realized what they did was out of necessity, for survival. He’d need it too.

His body began to convulse, bones fusing back together in an effort to heal. Every limb seared with immense pain. He screamed, wide awake, eyes so deep red that it startled even Piya. She stumbled back, nearly falling through the back wall. It was the feeling of fear, even if it was just an instance of it.

“Are you alright?” Horatia asked.

“Yeah....” Piya ran her fingers through her hair. “He woke up....so suddenly.” She breathed.

A black shadow emanated from his chest, similar to what Piya faintly saw when he was protecting her, and what Jovan had been conjuring earlier. The bite wounds finally closed as he felt them, leaving behind a small purplish insignia. A mark of some sort.

Where am I?

His senses felt sharper. As did his teeth. Abhay pressed his fingers into his throat, and looked around for something to drink, feeling an arid dryness. He was so thirsty. But not for water. It wasn’t until his fangs cut his lip that he noticed something was very wrong.

Fangs.

A drop of blood fell onto the back of his hand. The burn raged. He couldn’t concentrate.

A knock on the door alarmed him. Piya could see the own fear in his eyes. Jovan peeked his head in.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

He stared at the taller gentleman who looked to not be from around here. A foreigner.

“Where am I? What is happening to me?”

How am I not dead?

Jovan didn’t say anything, and stepped out for a moment. When he returned, he walked up to Abhay, holding a large goblet with what Piya could only assume was fresh blood.

He stared at it point blank, its smell rousing. Piya thought she saw the red in his eyes darken, an animalistic snarl escaping his lips. He swiped the goblet out of Jovan’s hands and emptied it in seconds. The burn subsided as the richness cascaded down.

What was it?

He didn’t care at this point; it tasted good and it make him feel better.

“More.....” he breathed, crumpling the sheets in his palms. All that he could think about was that tasty red drink, warm and refreshing.

Something felt different to him. His own body, it felt new. He clutched the fabric of his shirt, expecting to feel the gentle thump of his heart, but only feeling it’s silence.

More, his internal thoughts chanted.

After several more glasses, he calmed down, able to coherently think without thirst nagging at his senses. Little did he know it would come back soon with a vengeance.

Abhay stared at the tendrils of his arms, confused, and saddened. His family, or what remained of it, would worry. Any thought of Maithili was cast aside. She wasn’t the Maithili he knew and loved anymore.

Iolanda went to him next, standing beside the beside. His thoughts were louder than most, which drew her interest in his backstory.

“You can’t go back. You’re different from them now. This is your new life.”

How did she know what I was thinking?

He looked at her, confused and angry. Their lives were likely in danger. He couldn’t just sit around and let Maithili hurt them.

“What am I? What did you do to me?” He questioned. Something was wrong with him, but no one would say. These strangers were very secretive.

“You’ve been given a second chance, as a vampire. If you don’t know about our kind, I will kindly give an explanation.”

Vampire?

He didn’t need an explanation. Maithili had shared with him stories of many supernatural creatures, the vampire being one of them. Creature of the night and undead, preying on the blood of humans to survive.

A monster to any human. A dangerous beast.

His eyes widened in disgust. He drank blood, just now. And he liked it. So much that he wanted more.

He stood up, throwing the frail bed frame aside, baring his fangs.

“Why? Why did you save me? Just to drink

blood like the rest of you?”

There was a physical effect that his rage and confusions had on them, but mostly towards Jovan. His head was splitting.

Iolanda didn’t flinch, and squeezed his shoulder. The crushing pain tamed and humbled the young vampire onto his knees.

“Pity.”

He scoffed and pushed her hand away. One mistake, and his entire life had changed for the worse.

“What is your name?”

He debated his answer. The name Abhayendra, reminded him of his parents, who chose that name with love, and of Maithili, who always made it sound so sweet whenever she took it upon her lips.

That Abhayendra was dead. That name was dead.

He looked up, gritting his teeth.

“Abhay.”

very scaring chapter

pia got really terrified seeing maithali's crime

maithali was really dangerous & she isn't even sorry for her crime😡

she killed her own parents without any regret😡

everyone thought maithali is in shocked no 1 knew she is just pretending

now she was waiting for abhay to come with marriage proposal

madhu was so heart broken losing her parents🥺

she did her coronation with heavy heart😭

glad she have siddharth abhay thei parents & her love one🤗

god that bloody anshuman he is so disgusting😡

bcoz of him all these horrible things happening😡

abhay got married to that evil maithali

oh god that bloody anshuman told abhay's dad maithali killed her parents

it was huge mistake on abhay's dad that he confront her alone

maithali killed abhay & siddharth parents😡

at least i'm glad abhay saw evil maithali

it was really heart broken to see the girl he love is the 1 who gave him the horrible pain🥺

maithali wasn't ready to stop even tried to force abhay to become like her disgusting😡

she throw abhay hurt him badly😡

poor abhay was in so much pain but still tried to go to inform madhu & siddharth abt maithali🥺

pia was cring seeing abhay so broken & in pain she wanted to hug him😭

don't know what to feel that lolanda trun abhay but at least she saved his life

seeing all these it pain pia it was really hard for her to see abhay like this😭

finally abhay woke up as vampire & drunk so much blood

when he realize what he is now he felt disgusted

it's gonna be tough for him to accept his new identity😭

he intro himself as abhay to lolanda

continue plz