Chapter 3

Author's pov

"Rajkumari! Hatniye!" Kaveri screamed from somewhere behind her, but Aradhya’s feet felt glued to the blood-slicked earth.

​[Princess! Move!]

She closed her eyes for a split second, refusing to let fear dictate her final moments. I didn't get reborn just to die by the hands of the man I am meant to save.

Steeling her resolve, Aradhya opened her eyes and stood perfectly still, throwing her arms wide open completely defenseless. She locked her gaze directly into the pitch-black abyss of his eyes.

​"Devendra!" she cried out, her voice cutting through the din of clashing steel with absolute sovereignty. "Aapka pratishodh humse hai, toh kijiye prahaar! Kintu apne pavitra kartavya ko mat bhooliye!"

​[Devendra! Your vengeance is with me, then strike! But do not forget your sacred duty!]

The sword was inches from her neck. The sheer wind from the heavy blade cut a few loose strands of her hair.

Suddenly, the stallion roared, rearing up violently on its hind legs as Devendra forcefully pulled the reins back. The blade hovered directly over Aradhya’s throat, trembling.

Devendra leaned forward from his saddle, his breathing heavy, sounding like a caged beast. The black mist swirling inside his pupils flickered violently, struggling against a sudden surge of human consciousness. A deep, guttural growl escaped his chest.

Aradhya...?" his voice rasped. It was layered two voices speaking at once, his own deep baritone fighting a dark, echoing echo. "Aap... Aap yahan... kaise...?"

​[Aradhya...? You... how are you here...?]

​"Hum jivit hain, Devendra," she whispered, stepping closer to the blade, her hand rising to gently touch the cold metal of his stirrup. "Aapko chhalpurbak yahan laya gaya hai. Suryagarh aur Chandragarh ke rakt se kisi teesre ka swarth siddh ho raha hai."

​

[I am alive, Devendra. You have been brought here through deceit. Someone else's greed is being fulfilled by the blood of Suryagarh and Chandragarh.]

Hearing her voice, Devendra gripped his head with his free hand, letting out a roar of absolute agony. The black smoke around his eyes flared up defensively, trying to reassert control over his mind.

​"Nahi...! Bhagain yahan se, Aradhya!" he bellowed, his horse thrashing wildly. "Hum... hum swayam par niyantran kho rahe hain...! Yeh hum nahi hain!"

​[No...! Run from here, Aradhya! I... I am losing control over myself...! This is not me!]

Before Aradhya could reach out to him again, a sharp, whistling sound sliced through the night air.

Thwack.

An arrow, glowing with a faint purple luminescence, struck the ground right between Devendra's horse and Aradhya. Upon impact, it burst into a thick, foul smelling smoke that quickly spread across the immediate area.

​"Rajkumari! Piche hatiye!" Senapati Veer Singh roared, dragging himself up from the dirt, using his broken spear for balance. He lunged forward, grabbing Aradhya's royal shawl to pull her away from the spreading miasma.

​[Princess! Step back!]

Through the purple haze, Aradhya looked up toward the rocky ridge overlooking the valley. Her heart dropped.

Standing on the high cliff was the exact same dark, hooded figure from her divine vision. The figure held a ancient, curved bow, already pulling back another glowing arrow. But what froze the blood in Aradhya's veins was the small, distinct emblem carved into the leather of the archer's quiver.

It was the royal crest of Chandragarh's inner guard.

An insider, Aradhya realized with horror. The traitor who poisoned Devendra's mind with dark magic belongs to my own home. Avantika? Or someone far more powerful?

​"Hume unhe rokna hoga, Senapati ji..." Aradhya gasped, coughing as the purple smoke began to burn her lungs.

​[We must stop them, Commander...]

​"Rajkumari, hamare paas samay nahi hai!" Kaveri cried, rushing over with two palace guards who forcefully began pulling Aradhya back toward the safety of the royal chariot.

​[Princess, we have no time!]

Through the chaotic fog, Aradhya saw Devendra fall from his horse, thrashing on the ground as the dark entity within him fought for total dominance. The Suryagarh soldiers, seeing their king in such a state, began to sound the horns for a temporary halt, dragging their roaring, semi conscious Maharaja back into the depths of their war camp.

The battle for the night was over, but the war had barely begun.

As the chariot raced back toward the capital city of Chandragarh, Aradhya sat in absolute silence. Her hands were no longer shaking. The confusion of her rebirth was completely gone, replaced by a cold, calculating resolve.

The deity was right. Her purpose wasn't just to kill Avantika for a petty betrayal. Avantika was just a pawn. There was a cosmic, dark conspiracy brewing that threatened to consume both kingdoms, using Devendra as the ultimate weapon of destruction.

​"Rajkumari... aap thik toh hain?" Kaveri asked softly, wrapping a warm shawl around Aradhya's shivering shoulders. "Aapka swasthya..."

​[Princess... are you alright? Your health...]

​"Hum bilkul thik hain, Kaveri," Aradhya replied, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low whisper. "Sabhagrah pahunchte hain, Avantika par gupt roop se drishti rakhi jaye. Uske har ek kadam ki jankari hume chahiye."

​

[I am perfectly fine, Kaveri. The moment we reach the assembly hall, keep a secret watch on Avantika. I want to know her every move.]

​Kaveri bowed her head, sensing the new, unyielding steel in her mistress's demeanor. "Ji, Rajkumari."

​[Yes, Princess.]

The chariot arrived at the palace gates long after midnight. Instead of returning to the assembly hall to face her panicked parents, Aradhya took a secluded, torch lit corridor leading toward the royal guest chambers and internal armory the place where the inner guards operated.

She needed to find out who owned that specific quiver of arrows.

As she rounded a dark bend near the royal gardens, she heard the muffled sound of urgent whispering. Aradhya instantly pressed herself against the stone wall, extinguishing her hand held torch in a nearby bowl of water.

​"Tumne kaha tha ki woh sima par hi maari jayegi!" a sharp, frantic female voice hissed from the shadows of the courtyard.

​[You said she would be killed at the border!]

Aradhya’s breath caught. It was Avantika.

​"Maharani ki kripa se Devendra par poora niyantran tha, Rajkumari," a deep, raspy male voice replied from the darkness. "Kintu Aradhya ne kuch aisa kaha jisne Maharaja ke bheetar ke manushya ko jaga diya. Humne unhe piche hatne par majboor kiya hai."

​

[By the Grace of the Great Queen, Devendra was under total control, Princess. But Aradhya said something that awakened the human within the Maharaja. We had to force them to retreat.]

​"Mujhe uske marne se kam kuch nahi chahiye!" Avantika snarled, her voice completely stripped of its usual sweet innocence. "Yadi kal subah tak Aradhya jivit rahi, toh woh sab tabah kar degi!"

​

[I want nothing less than her death! If Aradhya remains alive by tomorrow morning, she will destroy everything!]

​"Chinta mat kijiye," the man chuckled, a sound that sent a shiver down Aradhya's spine. "Kal suryoday se pehle... Chandragarh ek naye shashak ke samne jhukega. Aur Suryagarh ka Maharaja hamesha ke liye hamare vash mein hoga."

​[Do not worry. Before sunrise tomorrow... Chandragarh will bow before a new ruler. And the Maharaja of Suryagarh will be ours forever.]

Aradhya leaned in slightly closer to get a glimpse of the man’s face through the moonlight. But as she moved, her heavy gold anklet grazed against a loose stone on the corridor floor.

Clink.

The whispering stopped instantly.

​"Kaun hai wahan?" the male voice boomed, followed by the terrifying sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard.

​[Who is there?]

Aradhya’s heart hammered against her ribs. Footsteps began to approach her dark corner, fast and heavy. She turned to run, but the corridor behind her was a dead end. She was completely trapped in the dark, with a assassin and her murderous sister closing in.

The heavy, metallic footsteps grew closer. The shadow of a tall, broad man stretched long across the stone floor, creeping toward the dark corner where Aradhya stood trapped.

Aradhya pressed her back against the cold stone, her fingers digging into the mortar. She had survived a dagger to the heart in her past life; she refused to be butchered in a dark corridor like a cornered animal in this one.

​"Kaun hai wahan? Saamne aao!" the harsh male voice demanded, the blade of his sword glinting dangerously under the dim torchlight.

​[Who is there? Come forward!]

Avantika stood a few paces behind him, her eyes scanning the shadows with manic intensity. "Yadi koi dhaansea hai, toh usey yahin samapt kar do. Hum koi jokhim nahi utha sakte."

​[If it is some maid, finish her right here. We cannot take any risks.]

The assassin stepped into the alcove, raising his sword to strike the hidden figure. Aradhya braced herself, preparing to dodge and scream for the palace guards.

Suddenly, a massive, iron like grip materialized from the darkness behind the alcove's heavy silk tapestry. Before Aradhya could utter a sound, a large, calloused hand firmly covered her mouth, and a powerful arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her effortlessly back into a hidden architectural recess.

Aradhya's eyes went wide. The scent of blood, copper, and raw ash hit her senses instantly.

Devendra.

​"Shh..." a deep, ragged whisper vibrated directly against her ear. It was his voice, but it was entirely human now exhausted, trembling, and devoid of the demonic echo from the battlefield.

The assassin stepped completely into the corner, poking his sword into the darkness. Finding nothing but empty space and shifting drapes, he paused, looking thoroughly confused.

​"Yahan toh koi nahi hai, Rajkumari," the man muttered, lowering his weapon. "Shayad koi marjaar (cat) rahi hogi."

​[There is no one here, Princess. Perhaps it was just a cat.]

Avantika exhaled a tense breath, adjusting her royal shawl. "Hume turant yahan se nikalna chahiye. Yadi Jiji yuddhbhoomi se laut aai hain, toh woh Pitaji ke sabhagrah mein hi hongi. Mujhe wahan jakar apni chinta ka swang rachna hoga."

​[We must leave here immediately. If sister has returned from the battlefield, she will be in Father's assembly hall. I must go there and pretend to be worried.]

​"Jaisa aap kahein, Rajkumari," the man bowed, disappearing into the darkness of the lower gardens.

[ as  you say Princess]

Aradhya watched through a slit in the tapestry as Avantika composed her face, instantly shifting her expression from a venomous traitor to a weeping, fragile princess, before walking toward the main palace wing.

Keep playing your game, Avantika, Aradhya thought, a cold smile touching her mind. I will let you think you are winning. I will keep you close, right by my side, until your own web chokes you.

The moment the footsteps completely faded, the heavy hand slid off Aradhya's mouth.

She turned around quickly in the narrow, dark recess. Devendra was leaning heavily against the inner wall, his massive frame sliding down until he sat abruptly on the stone floor. His divine, glowing broadsword lay uselessly beside him.

​"Devendra...!" Aradhya knelt beside him, completely forgetting her royal composure.

He had stripped off his heavy, splattered chestplate, wearing only a dark silk tunic torn at the shoulder. His breathing was shallow, his forehead burning with a feverish sweat. The pitch black darkness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a deep, heartbreaking vulnerability.

​"Aradhya..." he gasped, his hand blindly reaching out to grasp her wrist. His grip was weak, a stark contrast to the man who had terrified two armies an hour ago. "Tum... tum surakshit ho?"

[Aradhya... are you safe?]

​"Hum bilkul surakshit hain," Aradhya whispered, her heart aching as she looked at him. In her past life, she had never seen him look this broken. She had only ever seen him as an unmovable fortress. "Aap yahan mahal ke bheetar kaise aaye? Aapki sena..."

​

[I am perfectly safe. How did you enter inside the palace? Your army...]

​"Hum apni sena ko piche chhod kar aaye hain," Devendra rasped, a bitter, painful smile pulling at his lips. "Jaise hi humne yuddhbhoomi par tumhara swar suna... hamare bheetar ka woh and (darkness) shaant ho gaya. Kintu... woh dobara aayega, Aradhya. Hum usey rok nahi payenge."

​[I left my army behind. The moment I heard your voice on the battlefield... the darkness within me fell silent. But... it will come again, Aradhya. I won't be able to stop it.]

​"Devendra...!" Aradhya knelt beside him, completely forgetting her royal composure.

​Aradhya placed her hand over his trembling fingers. "Aap par kisi ne tantrik abhishap ka prayog kiya hai, Devendra. Sima par ek kala patthar tha"

​[Someone has used a tantric curse upon you, Devendra. At the border, there was a black stone]

​"Hume gyaat hai," Devendra interrupted softly, looking up at her with eyes full of a strange, ancient sorrow. "Suryagarh mein kisi ne hamare bhojan mein woh rakt-mani pilai thi. Hume sandesh mila tha ki Chandragarh ne tumhe bandhi bana liya hai, aur woh tumhe bali chadhane wale hain. Hum... hum apna niyantran kho baithe."

​[I know. Someone in Suryagarh slipped that blood gem into my food. I received a message that Chandragarh had captured you, and they were going to sacrifice you. I... I lost my control.]

​Aradhya’s eyes widened. The conspiracy was flawless. They had used his greatest weakness his fierce, hidden love for her to trigger the dark curse and force an invasion.

​"Aapko abhi yahan se jana hoga," Aradhya said urgently, hearing distant voices of the palace patrols. "Yadi Pitaji ke sainiko ne aapko yahan dekh liya, toh anarth ho jayega. Vivah kal hi hoga, Devendra. Aur hum

Suryagarh aayenge."

​[You must leave from here right now. If Father's soldiers see you here, it will be a disaster. The wedding will happen tomorrow, Devendra. And I will come to Suryagarh.]

​Devendra looked at her, stunned by the sudden warmth and determination in her voice. For three years in her previous life, she had never spoken to him like this.

​"Tum... tum hamare sath aane ko tayaar ho? Hamare iss bhayanak roop ko dekhne ke baad bhi?" he asked, his voice cracking.

​

[You... you are ready to come with me? Even after seeing this terrifying form of mine?]

​"Hum aapki Maharani hain, Maharaja Devendra," Aradhya said, her voice echoing with absolute authority. "Hamara sthaan aapke sath hai. Kal subah, aap apni barat lekar aayenge. Ek raja ki tarah, ek aakramkari ki tarah nahi."

​[I am your Queen, Maharaja Devendra. My place is with you. Tomorrow morning, you will bring your wedding procession. Like a king, not like an invader.]

Devendra stared at her, a profound sense of awe crossing his face. Slowly, he picked up his sword, using it to stand up. The fever was still raging in his veins, but her words had given him a strange, unyielding strength.

​"Hum aayenge, Aradhya," he whispered, stepping backward into the shadows of the secret garden exit. "Kal subah... tumhara Maharaja tumhare dwar par hoga."

​[I will come, Aradhya. Tomorrow morning... your King will be at your gates.]

With a final, lingering look, he vanished into the night.

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