Chote Thakur

Veer Pratap POV

Roaming around my haveli in my simple white dhoti kurta, I kept both my hands behind my back as I looked at the flowers blooming around the stone courtyards. I stood there silently, gazing up at the full moon, which looked so beautiful from afar. I untucked the soft scarf from around my ears, letting it hang loosely from my turban to feel the cool night breeze against my skin. The burned side of my face was mostly numb, but I could still feel a faint, prickling sensation there....the jagged burn mark trailing from my neck up to my jaw, stopping just beneath my left eye.

I was lucky that night. The servants had managed to put out the fire on my face by throwing a bucket of cold water over me, but the hideous mark remained etched forever.

Suddenly, my dark eyes got alert as I sensed someone walking through the quiet courtyard. I quickly tucked my scarf back into place, covering my scars. "Who dares to come here?"This was my private sanctuary, a place where no one was ever allowed to step foot. My broad shoulders tightened with rising anger. I took a heavy step forward, my soft fabric shoes crushing the grass beneath my feet.

The sound became clearer...rapid, chaotic, as if someone were in a hurry. I moved silently toward the noise. It sounded distinctly like the faint chime of a woman's anklets. Then, my gaze fell upon a delicate silhouette. She was wearing a deep green long skirt, her face completely hidden by a brown veil that covered everything down to her chin.

My eyes locked onto her anklets...the very source of the sound interrupting my night. I walked toward her with a powerful, commanding stride.

Towering over her frame, I demanded loudly, scaring her instantly, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?!"

"Pranam, Chote Thakur! Please forgive me... I am just going to my home," she squeaked out, her voice striking my ears with an,unexpected softness.

"But what are you doing at these late hours in this restricted part of the haveli? Don't you know no one is permitted here?!"

"Please forgive me, Chote Thakur... I didn't know," she whimpered, the raw fear in her voice practically trembling through the cold air.

"I just came to meet Badi Thakurani," she added hastily.

"At "this" hour?" I questioned sharply, refusing to lose the stern authority in my voice.

"I came in the evening, but so many women from the village had gathered to meet her that it became too late to leave through the main gates. I took this shortcut... I truly wasn't aware that no one was allowed here..."

"Raise your veil," I commanded coldly, wanting to ensure no stranger was trespassing or spying on my domain.

"I can't..." she whispered softly.

I frowned beneath my wrapped scarf. My eyes were the only part of my face anyone could ever see...the very eyes the entire village recognized and feared alongside this dark cloth.

"Why?" I asked, my tone hardening.

She looked down, her delicate veil shifting with the movement. "Chote Thakur... it goes against the rules of our village. No unmarried woman is allowed to show her face to any male."

I gritted my teeth in frustration. "Listen to me, girl...do not teach the rules to me! If you don't show me your face this second, I am going to have you locked in the dungeons for spying on the haveli!"

She shook her head frantically, terrified by my threat.

"So do as you're told!

For the past few days, I have been getting news that spies from neighboring villages are trying to gather information from our haveli

trying to learn how we plan to solve our village's severe water crisis. Our women walk miles for a single pot of water, and it is the same problem our neighbors are suffering from. I cannot afford to trust anyone right now!"I thought waiting for her .....

Slowly, her hands trembled as she reached up, holding the worn edge of her veil. She lifted the cloth slowly, revealing her face to the moonlight

and my heart thudded violently against my ribs.

I went completely still.

She had a soft, round face adorned with big, expressive brown eyes that blinked up at me with pure, innocent terror. Her lips were small yet full, and a tiny silver nose ring shimmered delicately under the soft glow of the moon. My piercing gaze roamed breathlessly over her features, taking in her entire being as she stood there silently before me, her eyes cast down in modesty. Suddenly, the powerful Thakur lost his voice entirely.

She was breathtaking.

Just as quickly as she had lifted it, she dropped the heavy veil back over her face. I blinked a few times, violently shaking myself out of the daze to regain my composure. I stepped aside without a word, staring at her as she hurriedly rushed past me. My gaze remained glued to her retreating back, the melodic chiming of her anklets lingering in the quiet night long after she had vanished into the shadows...

........

Geetanjali POV

My legs moved frantically along the muddy edge of the fields as I rushed toward my small house. I was so late, and I hadn't cooked a single thing for dinner yet. My parents had gone to work in the fields, and they were bound to return exhausted and starving. The thought of them walking into a cold, empty kitchen made me quicken my desperate pace.

"If Chote Thakur hadn't stopped me, I wouldn't have been delayed like this... I should have never taken that forbidden route."

Yet, my mind kept drifting back to him. It was the very first time I had ever seen him up close. He was exactly as the villagers whispered

mysterious, wearing that thick black scarf tightly around his face. But he possessed such a powerful, overwhelming presence, and he was so tall that he seemed to tower over the world itself.

As I took another hurried step, my foot suddenly twisted in the slick, wet mud. I hissed softly in pain, looking down to see my feet completely covered in dirt. Ignoring the discomfort, I pulled up the hem of my long skirt, tucking it securely into my waistband so I could walk without tripping over the fabric again.

All around me, the night came alive with the constant buzzing of small insects hiding deep within the tall sugarcane stalks as I passed them by.

Finally, the familiar sight of my home came into view..a structure built of sturdy mud bricks with a slanted, thatched roof. It was tiny, containing only three simple rooms one for my parents, one for me, and a small kitchen.

I practically ran the remaining distance, pushing open the worn wooden door and stepping inside, breathing heavily. Bending my head to clear the low doorway, I went straight into the kitchen. My mother was already there, crouched beside the mud stove we had crafted with our own hands. Rushing over to the water bucket, I limped slightly as I quickly washed the mud off my hands and feet.

"Geetanjali, why did you get so late? I was getting so worried for you!" my mother said as I sat down beside her, gently shoving dry wood into the crackling fire to help the food cook faster.

"Maa, there was such a huge crowd at the haveli. Every woman from the village had gathered to hear what the Thakur is planning to do to help us. Badi Thakurani was explaining things one by one, and it just took so long... that's why I got delayed," I explained, carefully lifting the heavy pot off the stove as the fire crackled. I placed another flat utensil on top to begin making the breads.

"Maa, you should go outside. It's so hot in here and you're sweating. Go sit with Baba...I will quickly finish preparing the food and bring your plates out in a few minutes."

"It's alright, Geetanjali," my mother smiled gently, fanning herself. "Working together means the work gets done faster."

I offered her a smile and nodded, finally unwrapping the veil completely from my head, letting the air wash over my tired face...

...........💕💕

New things ahead.....