Chapter 78
Proposal
Outside the gates of the Dobriyal mansion, Maithili observed the slew of decorations that workers were putting up along the sides of the walls and doors. Swinging her arms behind her back, her two subordinates trailed in lockstep behind her, all cloaked from the eyes of humans. She took great jest in knocking the workers off their feet with strong gusts of wind, or extinguishing lamps with the flick of her wrist, making their work ten times harder. Some were spooked by the random occurrences, superstitious lot they were, like they had angered or seen a ghost. Giggling like a petulant child, she ignored her primary goals for the time being and took great interest in Piya.
Ayushmaan followed, disgruntled by this change in power dynamics between the both of them. He was the one to get her to this stage, and yet she remained ungrateful and greedy, reducing him to just another one of her unimportant lackeys. Back then, they used to stand as equals. He scratched away at the scars on his face, finding this little walk of theirs a waste of time.
Maithili shined the light of the soul stone into the nearby watchman’s eyes, taking amusement in watching him writhe and run away from the burning pain. These souls were bright enough to light up the night sky, even in place of the moon. A blinding light. Her lips curled at the corners deviously, and she waved her palm behind her.
“Ayushmaan?”
Snapped out of his disgruntled thoughts, he stood up straight and bowed. She didn’t even look at him, instead staring at the windows and the people running about inside.
“Yes, my queen?”
Maithili’s hand glowed, over a cut she then clawed into the skin above her heart, forming a crystallized form of her own blood underneath it. She extended her hand to him, holding the eerie crystal.
“She can deny our relationship all she wants, but the truth cannot be erased. We are related by blood. Family. Go, and pay my sister a visit. Make sure this is left within her. I too want to see what is going on in my absence.”
Ayushmaan bowed, now in a slightly better mood, and vanished into thin air with the flutter of his cloak. He would never pass up an opportunity to see his dearest Mandakini. He would always prefer her out of both sisters.
The dust settled from where he once stood. The departure made the atmosphere quieter and emptier.
“Now that he’s busy…..you—”
Maithili turned to the other, smirking and leading her away from the premises by the hand. She was about done there. Letting her spells and cloaks vanish, the red runes faded in with a particular brightness that brought out the dark abyss that was her eyes.
“Tell me about Piya. I know you knew her much better than I could. Your son loved her a lot, right?”
Dipanita Khurana, now a free woman, scowled and stared at the ground, but nodded with the truth in mind. She wouldn’t spare PIya, for taking Jeh away from her. Abhay killed him because of her. She was alone, and thus had nothing to lose. Maithili was her benefactor, her savior. And crossing the strongest Vitael to do her own things would get her nowhere.
“I rue the day he met her. All he would talk about was how beautiful she was, how lovely her violin playing was. Those visuals, that music, it trapped him. He went mad in her love.”
“Violin? Is that some sort of musical instrument?”
Dipanita pressed her lips together, and nodded. Maithili thought carefully, having heard the name only for the first time. It must’ve been a foreign instrument, but she never took interest in things that were brought from the outside by foreigners. There was still a lot she had to learn about this time.
“Musicians are especially fond of their craft, I can imagine. Does she play often?”
“As far as I know, she can’t live without it. That’s how Jeh described it to me.”
Maithili smirked, gaining a fresh idea, and manifested a length of red string in her palm. She handed it to Dipanita, who was creeped out by its pulsating color, like blood in a vein. Her hands shook while holding it.
“What is this?”
“A little hex. When the time comes, I will make use of it. Your job is to tie this string into her hair, closest to one of her ears. I will handle the rest.”
Dipanita tried to hide her frown. She wanted to take revenge on her own terms, but here she was reduced to following Maithili’s whims. At least she was free, even if she could only spy on Piya or follow Maithili’s direction. But it wasn’t as satisfying.
“As you wish, your highness.” Dipanita said, kneeling on the ground. Maithili smirked with triumph. Dipanita turned heel, transforming into a large wolf, and ran forth into the forest, leaving Maithili to bask in the fantasy of this new plan.
I’ll let you be happy for now, Piya. But soon this union will become too much to bear. He’ll leave you voluntarily, in exchange for your happiness.
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“I should’ve come alone.” Abhay groaned. Three guys in proper relationships, and he was the only completely serious one. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for more rings to be brought onto the table. There was much to plan, and none of the ladies came to help, given Mandu’s condition. To his quiet complaint, Danish shrugged and Siddharth laughed. The jewelry store employee behind the counter hastily tried to show him rings that would suit his tastes, but before Abhay could say anything, the other two would offer their own opinions. He was getting more confused this way.
“You can’t just pick any old ring, Abhay. It has to be special. See, how’s this one?”
Siddharth held up a ring studded with diamonds all throughout its circumference. Abhay shook his head. Piya wouldn’t take something that expensive.
“Piya seems to prefer simplistic things. This one might be better.” Danish said, holding up one with only one diamond in the center. Abhay nodded in agreement, but still didn’t like the band’s design. He couldn’t picture her wearing this one.
“Sir, here are some lovely rings from our latest collection. Sterling silver….”
He shook his head immediately and pushed the tray back, careful not to touch them.
“No, not silver of any kind. Can you show me some more gold or platinum ones, please?”
He didn’t have a wish to get burned every time they held hands, or when she touched his face. Piya wouldn’t like that either.
The assistant sighed to herself and nodded, and began to pull out more sets of gold rings, alongside some platinum ones. Siddharth began to make faces, unimpressed. Abhay rolled his eyes and checked some on his own. Heaven forbid she ever see the price tag.
It was a big change in their lives, soon to come after sunset. He was planning to propose, for real this time. They only discussed marriage last night, but he didn’t want to delay the event further, for their happiness and mainly, her sake.
He never thought about marriage at all up until Dragomir’s suggestion. But he’d keep her happy, for the rest of her life, and he too wouldn’t have to live a day without her. Though his life would then be attached to a timer, it was worth the eternal bond that they would share. Every life from now on, they would be together. And nothing could change that.
“What are you thinking?” Danish asked, squeezing his shoulder.
“Nothing.” He said, setting the ring he liked on the counter. A gold band that split then weaved into two pieces underneath a stunning diamond. It would look perfect on her.
“I’ll take this one.” He said, firmly. A smile played on his lips.
“Okay sir. Let me pack it for you.”
While Abhay made the payment and collected the ring in a red velvet box, Siddharth peered into the small mirror on the counter, feeling as if someone was watching them. This feeling lingered a few minutes prior to Abhay making his selection. They ducked behind the pillar upon the moment that he turned around. The curls of this spy’s hair were awfully familiar, so he spoke up.
“That was Misha right?”
Abhay looked in the direction of the pillar to see her duck behind it again. He rolled his eyes and groaned, then walked over. The scent became clearer from the rest as he walked closer.
Misha couldn’t believe what she was seeing, and snuck away from her father and brother to spy on him. They were here to help Arnab choose a necklace for Madhu as an anniversary gift, with the anniversary party arriving soon. From behind a pillar, she tried to listen in.
“Why are you hiding?” Abhay said, exhausted, standing behind her.
He can’t be talking to me, right? I’m not hiding.
As she turned around to sigh in relief, he appeared before her, startling and causing her to hit her head on the hanging plants above. Some of the falling leaves tangled themselves in her hair. Abhay couldn’t help but laugh. Misha opened her mouth to talk back, but he cut her off.
“What do you wish to see?” He asked.
“Nothing in particular. You’re buying a ring?” She tried to look for something of the sort in his hands, but he had them shoved deep into his pockets.
“None of your business. Now if you would excuse me….”
“Wait, hello….” She yelled after him, more
out of excitement towards the potential of her friend getting married. “I won’t tell her, promise!”
Sameer caught up to them, having been on the lookout for Misha. They were about to just leave, but she just had to run off without telling them. He made eye contact with Abhay, and frowned.
“Misha, let’s go. Papa is waiting.”
“Hold on, Sammy.” She stamped her feet against his tug. Arnab followed the noise the two were making, handling a gift bag in his hands.
“What are you two doing? Let’s go, we have a lot of work to do.”
“I know, papa. I was just…..” Sameer started.
“Sammy, quiet! I saw Abhay buying an engagement ring. And who can it be for? Piya! And if he’s proposing to her, I need to know.”
“So you can ruin the surprise?” He asked, lifting an eyebrow. Misha shook her head. The two siblings began to bicker, but Arnab lost them at the mention of the engagement ring. He never found Abhay to be a good enough partner, for his own daughter no less. Breaking away, he approached the trio.
“Ah, Mr. Dobriyal! Pleasant to see you here.” Siddharth said, in his usual cheery tone. Abhay’s look became hostile, and a flash of red in his eyes evaded Arnab’s notice. Danish kicked his shin to bring him back into his senses before Arnab got hurt.
“Ring shopping?” Arnab asked, tone indicating his reluctance with Abhay. “For Piya, I presume?”
Abhay tried to hide his glare. Misha caught up to him.
“Does her family know about your relationship?” Arnab asked, this time more sternly. Misha lost her smile and scratched her head. Why was he being so defensive? Sameer only watched quietly.
“Her uncle for now, yes. After all, he and her aunt are all she has left. We seem to get along very nicely. Better than others.” He retorted. Arnab was taken aback.
“Yes, but—“
“You’re showing an awful lot of concern for her, Mr. Dobriyal. Is she your daughter or something?” He said, sarcastically. Sameer began to sweat, and look nervously at an equally nervous Arnab. “Misha, Sameer, you guys didn’t tell me you had a sister.”
“I don’t tell you a lot of things, Abhay.” Misha joked. Sameer shot back an equally charged glare.
Arnab kept his mouth shut and looked to the counter behind them all. He couldn’t argue further without exposing family secrets out in the open. It was not the time. Abhay smirked.Misha tried to drag him away, before things escalated.
“What was that?” Siddharth asked, sharing a look of concern with Danish.
“I’ll tell you when we get home. Let’s go from here.”
——————————————————————————————————————————
The focus of today’s music history lecture was Beethoven, on the discussion of his music during the later years of his life, after illness had started to take away his hearing. Piya’s attention was half on the lecture matter, and half towards trying to shake Kabir awake, before the professor checked the back row and caught on. It was just a normal day for her as a student. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Dipanita finally stood outside the classroom, painstakingly finding the correct room and wing after a while of searching. The string wrapped around her fingers and a cloaking stone remained buried in the depths of her palm. She recited the spell Maithili taught her to, and saw her physical form vanish from sight. This would make her work easier. She entered the room slowly, careful to not make any noise, soon standing besides Piya. She really wished to end her life then and there, and strangle that fragile neck of hers. One snap, and finished for good. But she held her restless fingers back, lest Maithili punish her instead.
Piya felt a chill up her spine, and touched the back of her shoulder blade with her hand. Dipanita moved her hands back, thinking she caught on.
Abhay?, Piya called to him. He answered her thoughts immediately.
Hmm? Is everything all right?
He didn’t sound stressed, thus assuring her that nothing bad was to happen. She shook her head slowly.
Yeah….I was just missing you.
The class was dismissed, and Kabir shook his head awake on cue. Piya chided him for always napping in this lecture, while he fixed his hair and gathered his books. Then, Dipanita made her move, quickly tying the string into a knot in her hair. The string immediately blended itself with the color of her locks, and promptly disappeared from sight until it was needed in the future.
One task was done, and Maithili was pleased.
——————————————————————————————————————————
On her counter lay yet another invitation to the Dobriyal house. Piya didn’t mind their parties as much anymore, as long as she could stay with Misha and her friends, or with the Raichands. But this party stung in other ways. It was Arnab’s and Madhu’s 25th marriage anniversary, and with her recent conversations with the both of them, it would become an awkward affair. A betrayal of sorts to her own mother. And of course, Sameer still didn’t like her. With a heavy sigh, she shoved the card deep into a drawer, buried under start papers and notebooks. She sat on the couch, arms lying lazily at the side. She didn’t want to go, but Misha looked so excited about it. She loved her parents, after all, and was happy for them. Why wouldn’t she? Piya couldn’t blame her for that.
Her mood traveled south. The silence only made it worse. But when she needed company the most, he arrived to give it to her, in one form or another. He always knew when she needed him. His voice broke through into her thoughts.
Piya, can you come out to the balcony?, he asked. She sat up, and looked back towards it. Without hesitation, she nodded and stepped outside, thinking he was there. The calming atmosphere reminded her of her first night here. The forest, as beautiful as the day she first met it. Looking below towards the foot of the downhill slope, his cobalt eyes gleamed like glowing orbs, watching her. It really did feel like the first night she spent in Dehradun. He was there too.
I’m coming. But what happened?
Just follow me. You’ll see.
Sounds a little creepy, Mr. Vampire. You won’t eat me, right?
She couldn’t hear an answer, but she knew he'd be laughing.
He told her yesterday that he would speak his mind tonight. Perhaps he was calling her to the hill to talk. But he didn’t mention the hill at all. Just to follow. Thousands of thoughts roamed in her mind, about the true meaning of his cryptic words. She closed the balcony door behind her and descended the steps. She knew where to go, feeling the pull of his soul and aura like no other tonight.
One by one, candles floating in the air began to light up with each of her steps, along the path she took the first night. Her anxiety disappeared with the flicker of each one. Scented like roses and sandalwood, just like him. Then Piya understood that something was happening with the help of others. There was no way he could make candles float in the air like that. What was he planning?
Don’t be afraid, he said.
In that very spot, where she first met his eyes, he appeared before her in full, surrounded by a circle of candles and roses on vines hanging from branches. Piya looked around for others, but she couldn’t see. His shadows were surrounding the outskirts. Only he was visible. That’s what made the candles so bright.
“Abhay, what is all this?”
He placed a finger to her lips, before she started her questions again. She didn’t need to ask, he would answer her doubts without them. The specialty of this night only sought to make her look more beautiful in his eyes. She looked the same as she did that night. Piya pursed her lips, and waited for him to say something.
“I haven’t done something like this before. I’m sorry if I mess it up.”
She smiled, finding his hesitation cute. Abhay stared at the ground for a few moments, building courage to ask. Truly shy. He found it amusing now, how he wanted her gone from the forest in the beginning, and now he himself called her there to make her a part of it forever. From behind his back, he pulled out the small velvet box, catching her in surprise. If this was what she thought it was, she didn’t expect it to happen this quickly. It was surprising enough, since they had just discussed this for the first time only a day ago. Was this what he was worried about messing up?
“Didn’t expect this that soon, did you?”
Piya frantically shook her head, fingers shaking at her sides. As he lowered onto one knee, and looked up at her with the most devout love swirling in his irises, tears began to fall from her eyes. Now she heard whispers in the trees. Everyone else was watching. All she had to say was one word, but even that was nerve wracking. Never did she think that she would find someone asking for her hand in marriage.
“I’m not dreaming right?”
“No. This is real.”
As real as their love was. Piya brushed her hair back behind her ears out of nervousness, looking around. She heard some shushes, and then the chirps of crickets. She was thankful he didn’t do this someplace in public, or fanfare. She would’ve become a puddle on the floor had that been the case.
He opened the box, revealing the stunning gold ring. Piya blushed as red as a strawberry, fingers clutching the hems of her dress. Abhay smiled, giving her the blessed sight of his dimples, and began to ask his only question for the night.
“Will you marry me, Piya?”
She already knew her answer. Nor would it ever change, for as long as she lived. If she were to marry anyone, it would be Abhay, and only Abhay. The light of their souls lit up the remaining darkness, with the color of the other lingering nearest to each other’s hearts.
“Yes….I will.”
He smiled, and slipped the ring onto her finger, planting a kiss over it. Piya couldn’t hold her tears in anymore, and buried herself in his open arms, crying into an ugly mess. Everyone else came out of hiding with claps and words of congratulations. Abhay held her close and kissed her forehead, brushing her messy hair away from her eyes. They stared quietly into each other’s eyes, admiring one another and holding onto each other tight. Betrothed to the man she loved most, Piya found happiness once again tonight.
——————————————————————————————————————————
The atmosphere in the Raichand mansion was celebratory for the violent winds now taking hold outside. Nature, or now Maithili, was angry. Now, onto a more serious matter. The first wedding. Piya held onto Abhay’s hand tightly, staring intermittently at Dragomir. He came right on cue, a mere half an hour after Abhay proposed. Now Piya was ready to hear the full story.
Haseena smoothed her hair, and handed her a book. Piya nodded, and flipped through the pages that detailed the ritual that Abhay was talking about last night.
Our lives will be connected then. Even death can’t separate us. That’s what he meant.
That wouldn’t change her answer. If he was okay with it, so was she. Anything to protect them and their relationship. She didn’t want Maithili to take him away from her at any cost.
“The ceremony is simple, Piya. You and Abhay will take your vows, reforge the blood bond anew, and a ritual will be conducted to tie your souls as one. After the ceremony, in privacy, Abhay will mark you. Then you both will become one in the truest sense possible. And in our world at least, a married couple.”
She nodded, seeing the pictures of such marks in the book. Her own would be in a different spot from what was shown, somewhere only Abhay could find. Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked at Abhay, who stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, staring at the ring on her finger.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Piya. This is a big step for you.”
Piya nodded, touching his cheek.
“If this will keep us together, then I’m willing to do it. As long as it means that you are forever by my side.”
Abhay stared into her eyes for a moment, not finding any semblance of hesitation in them, then kissed her forehead and nodded.
“So we’re in agreement then?” Dragomir concluded, looked at Piya. The latter nodded, meeting eyes. “Good. This ceremony will be officiated at the Grand Altar then, upon the next full moon.”
He bid them farewell, and immediately departed, needing to make proper preparations for the ceremony. Preparations in terms of security. This union was like no other, but it had to happen. Unfortunately, this altar was also out in the open, perfect for their enemies to strike.
The rest, on the other hand, were more excited for the actual wedding, the one for the memories and photo frames. After much discussion, they decided to hold that one two months down the line, after Abhay completed his degree. The onset of summer, a time of brightness.
“Then we have a lot of work to do. For the real wedding of course!” Siddharth chimed. Piya found herself smiling wide, hugging Abhay as tight as she could. She was on cloud nine tonight.
She informed her family immediately of the good news. Praveen was ecstatic. Shilpa began to search for a flight right then and there, taking a liking towards Abhay in their first call. Piya was at a loss for words. Soon she would become a true part of the Raichand household.
She sat with Mandu in her bedroom for a little bit after the excitement had settled. It was also nice just to find some comforting quiet again.
“Nervous?” Mandu asked, placing a hand on her thigh. Piya nodded. “This takes me back to my own wedding. I could only hope that everything went well. In front of family and friends, uniting with the person you love, it was surreal.”
“Technically this won’t be known to the public right? I mean…..the first one.”
The full moon was only in a few days. Married to the world of dark, and only engaged to the world of light. Mandu nodded, giving her a reassuring smile.
“Yes, the first one won’t. But we’ll have a proper wedding for you two. I want to see Abhay as a groom again. Something memorable. A special day for the two of you. And that needs more time for planning of course.”
Two months would fly by in an instant with all the preparations.
“I still can’t believe that I’m getting married……”
“It’s a euphoric feeling, isn’t it? So blissful. And now, no one can separate you and Abhay. Never.”
She meant it. Not even Maithili could do anything this time. She pinched Piya’s cheek and stared towards the window for a moment. Something stung on the back of her neck, and she gasped, covering it with her palm. Piya reached forth immediately.
“What happened?”
“Nothing…I think I strained a wound. I think….it’s settling now.”
The sound of a crow taking flight from the windowsill caught their attention, and the different colors of its eyes invited suspicion to Mandu. By then, Ayushmaan had done his swift work. The crystal had found its place, in the blood of family.
Maithili opened her eyes, seeing through those of her sister. A quiet observer.
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Author’s Note: Unrelated to the story, but as you all know, PKYEK’s 11th anniversary will be soon and we’re planning a celebration for it.
If you guys can recount your experiences with the show by answering these questions we would greatly appreciate it! Link to questions and instructions: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/158991278
thank you all! 🤗
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