Enchanted - By Love

*** Vaishnavi ***

“You are looking extremely beautiful, your highness,” said one of the women as she arranged my maang tika.

“I am sure the young king will not be able to take his eyes off of you,” said another.

“Hide your face for as long as you can,” suggested another, “Do not give him the joy of admiring your beauty so easily.”

I smiled and looked away. My best friend, Meihu who was also assigned to be my lead helper placed her hand on my shoulder. I looked up and she lifted her eyebrows asking me what happened.

I shook my head replying nothing but my eyes didn’t do a good job lying and I could see the questioning look on her face. Meihu wanted to ask me more questions but a messenger at the door interrupted us.

“Your highness,” he respectfully bowed to me before speaking. “King Adinath is expected to visit in a few more minutes.”

Panic ensued the moment the messenger finished his statement. All the ladies hurried with their work. One of them adjusting my hair, one adjusting the part of the saree that covered my head and face, one putting on the ornaments, and one adjusting the powder on my face.

Within minutes, I was completely ready.

To see the king for the first time, to consummate my marriage, to be the Queen!

As they made me sit in the middle of the bed decorated with roses and adjusted my saree to form a circle around me, my past ran infront of my eyes.

Less than 24 hours ago, I was standing on the banks of river ganga, ready to end my life and now I am the Queen and not just any queen, the queen of the nine kingdoms.

Wife of the notorious king Adinath!

The man who never lost a battle!

The man who never spared an enemy!

The man who never smiled!

People call him the God of death that one should never wish to see, because most likely that would be the last thing they would see.

Perhaps I would be an expection, perhaps not!

My mind wishes for the later.

It is still a mystery how everything changed overnight just because of the time I was born. How the pandit held my hand right before I could jump off only to tell me that the then prince and now king wishes to marry me. How I would be doing the nine kingdoms a favor just by agreeing to this marriage.

I shouldn’t have said yes or even perhaps I shouldn’t have shared my date of birth to his son who was pretending to be an astrologer near the temple.

One last good deed, I thought.

Make a child smile, I thought.

Never did I imgine, that would lead my here.

“Okay we need to hurry before the king arrives,” said one of the women and they quickly hurried away not before making some last minute changes.

“Don’t worry! The king is a good man,” Meinu squeezed my hands to assure me before following her friends.

Good man?

I don’t think so. Not from what I’ve heard.

Man who craves for justice? yes

Man with high morals? Yes

Good? No, because a person needs to be kind to be good and the king is no where near kind.

The doors of the bedroom closed and I sqeezed my knees together waiting for my fate. I waited, and waited, and waited until I eventually fell asleep.

**** Adinath ****

I was supossed to go in hours ago but here I am wandering outside my own bedroom. Fate has played a cruel game. I don’t even want to get married, let alone marry someone I don’t know.

Some prophecy they said. I call it utter nonsense.

I don’t even know her name. The name of my wife. Still haven’t seen her face although many claimed she is the most beautiful women the world.

Why did she even agree for the marriage? You would think it’s obvious, who wouldn’t want to marry the future king?

Not many, given my reputation. I don’t regret my actions. The men I punished are bad people. The battles I fought are inevitable. The enemies I killed are untrustable. Yet rumours spread like wild fire.

God of death, Ruthless prince, Devil are some of my many titles. Titles I’d rather not have.

Anyway, now is not the time for my self reflection. I need to meet my ‘wife’. I slowly opened the door and stepped in. I could see the bed decorated in flowers. Her silloutte at a distance in red saree with her head resting on her knees.

She is....sleeping?

That’s...interesting. A part of me wanted to step closer and have a look at her face. After all, they said she is the most beautiful women, might as well see how true the claims are but the other part of me stopped.

That didn’t feel right. It’s respectful to wait and see her face the next morning, when she is fully awake. So I closed the doors and gently pulled the thread that put a transparent cloth in the middle of the bed, almost like a wall.

I looked at my bride for one last time, her face still hidden before going to sleep.