𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕮𝖗𝖎𝖒𝖘𝖔𝖓 𝕮𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖓. (COMPLETED)
37. 𝓔𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕯𝖊𝓿𝖔𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓
37. Echos of Devotion.
Arjun ~
My wife, my Little Flower, is a ball of fire is what she is. Every word she spoke with all the convection she had within her was a pure testament to her sheer skills and ability to be a good Queen.
Doubting her was a rare mistake on my end, I had no remorse in admitting.
"Ranaji, they are waiting for us." Papa's voice interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back to the present moment. I nodded in acknowledgment and together we entered the conference hall. Technically, Papa was due to retire soon. Siya had already thrown a retirement party for him, but I had asked him to stay on for a while longer. Finding a suitable replacement had proven to be a challenging task, and we both agreed that no one could quite fill his shoes. It was just one of the many aspects of Papa that I had always admired.One of the many things I have always admired about him.
The meeting stretched for more than four hours and by the end of it, they had taken and agreed to the deal proposed by us, give or take, on our terms.
" The jet will be ready for take-off in about twenty minutes Ranaji." I was told by one of the security staff and we left for the airport.
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After we landed back home, I insisted that Papa head home to rest. It had been an exhausting day for him, and there was nothing more he could attend to at this moment. As he reluctantly departed, I made my way toward the sprawling palace lawn, the usual gathering place for everyone at this hour.
To my surprise, there was an eerie stillness in the air, and the usually lively lawn was deserted. Not even Jahanavi, who typically played around the palace, was in sight.
"Hukum, everyone is at the hospital," one of the palace guards informed me when I inquired about the unusual absence. My heart sank at those words.
"Why?" I found myself stammering, my voice trembling with concern, an unprecedented experience for me.
"Ranisaa was shot earlier today while returning, Ranaji," he replied, and in that moment, my world was turned completely upside down.
Time seemed to lose all meaning as panic coursed through me. I rushed to the hospital with a sense of urgency I had never felt before, and I knew that Papa would be right beside me, just as concerned for her well-being as I was.The hospital loomed ahead, a sterile fortress of hope and despair. My footsteps echoed in the empty corridors, the anxiety of the unknown gnawing at my heart.
"Arjun... Arjun," Mom came rushing to me, her hand shaking as she grabbed mine.
"Siya... she was shot right next to the heart, Arjun," she choked out, her voice trembling with emotion. "The doctors are saying that the chances of her surviving are very low. She had just returned home after that press conference when someone shot her, right here in the Palace, our home." Tears streamed down her face as I held her, keeping her from collapsing.
"Swati, please, try to hold yourself together," Dad intervened, wrapping his arms around my sobbing mother.
I turned to the nurse who stood nearby, desperate for any information. "Where is the doctor? I need the doctor here immediately," I implored, my voice filled with urgency.
"Ranaji, the doctors are currently in the operating room. Ranisaa will be out of surgery any moment now," the nurse replied, trying to offer reassurance.
I then approached Samarth, "I need you to find out who was behind this," I told him. "I have a strong suspicion about the identity of the attacker, as do all of us here, but I need concrete evidence, and I need it within the next twenty-four hours." He only needed to be told once.
" Don't worry about this bhai. You will have your evidence before that." He assured me, keeping his hand on my shoulder.
Rohit and Karan accompanied Samarth. Meanwhile, I waited anxiously for the doctors to emerge and provide me with the assurance that my wife was safe and recovering. Anything less was simply unacceptable
"I want the finest of the medical experts available in the world working tirelessly on my wife's case. Cost is irrelevant, her recovery, paramount." I told the doctors who were there, standing to give us updates.
I wouldn't know the first thing I'd do without Siya. If I lose her, I will lose all my will to live with her and if she leaves me here, like this, I will not stay. She cannot leave me like this, when our live together has just begun.
A stray tear made it's way out my left eye as I found my heart clenching.
" Please, Little Flower. Please don't leave me like this. Come back to me." I stood out of the OT, begging her to listen to me, knowing that my voice will not reach her.
" Bhai, please don't lose hope. Our Siya is a fighter, she will be all good, up and running in no time." Preeti said as she stood next to me.
" Nothing less will do Preeti. I would die if she leaves me. I found my will to live in Siya the first time I saw her. If I lose her, everything else will cease it's relevance for me." I told her as she looked on.
" Bhai you do know that she has fallen in love with you, right? I mean, at this point, everyone knows, except for her." I didn't fight the smile when I heard her words.
" It does feel like it sometimes before she does something completely off-track to make me doubt that thought." I replied, thinking about my Little Flower and every time she has smiled for me, fought me and then, sought my attention without trying at all.
" Well, it wouldn't be Siya if she doesn't hide behind her distraction mechanism." Preeti shrugged and I agreed.
Just as soon, the doctors stepped out of the operation theatre, rushing to me.
" Ranaji, we were able to extract the bullet from Ranisaa without any damage to her heart but she has slipped into a coma. The next forty-eight hours are extremely crucial for her. It is of utmost importance that she gains consciousness within these forty-eight hours or else I am afraid, we would lose her." He said and with his words, I found myself in a whirlpool or anger.
" Doctor, it is your duty to ensure that Siya is fine. I need you to do everything you can to wake her up. Get the best of the technologies and doctors here to her. I will not stand any negligence around here when it comes to my wife." I told him in the calmest of the voices I could at the moment.
"Ranaji, no technology or doctor can awaken Ranisaa from this coma if her body and mind refuse to fight. Sometimes, as they say, it's not medicines but prayers that can truly aid the patient. Our Ranisaa needs prayers because everything that medicines and doctors could do, has already been done," he said, and I nodded in agreement.
" I want to see her." I told him.
" We are shifting her into the ICU Ranaji. You can see her there." He replied and I gave him a nod.
" Arjun, Siya's maa and I am going to our kuldevi mandir after meeting her. We wish to keep a puja and distribute some clothes and food among people, seeking their prayers for her." Mom said with tears in her eyes.
" No Mom. I am going to see Siya once and go to the temple. Your god and I have some scores to settle." I announced and it was true, god and I did have some unfinished business.
" But you vowed to never step your foot inside any temple after Amar and Vani...." Mom started.
" I can break a million vows like these for Siya, Mom. I would fight any battle and humble myself before anyone if that's what it takes to bring her back to me." I told her.
Mom's eyes softened and she placed a hand on my cheek and nodded, understanding the depth of my words. "Arjun," she said, her voice filled with a mother's compassion, " I can see the depths of your love for Siya, and it fills my heart with pride. I understand that your relationship with God has been fraught with challenges in recent years, but my son, remember this, God only tests those whom she knows have the strength to overcome her trials."
All I did was give her a nod before making my way to the ICU, to my Siya.
The door to the ICU creaked open, and my heart clenched as I beheld Siya's motionless form. Tubes and wires snaked around her, connecting her to machines that monitored her every breath. This woman who had once been my vibrant, vivacious queen was now pale and fragile, her chest rising and falling in a mechanical rhythm.
"Little Flower," I whispered, my voice choked with sorrow, as I approached her bedside. I took her cold, lifeless hand in mine, unable to tear my gaze away from her. "I should have been here, by your side, when you needed me the most. I'm so sorry, my love."
I sat there, kissing her hands. Seeing her like this, lifeless, was killing me.
"Please, Siya, wake up. I am waiting for that time when your eyes would meet mine again, when we would argue, laugh and tease me once more. I yearn for your playful pranks and the sound of your voice. "Little Flower," I whispered, "please, wake up. I need you to wake up for me."
" I did not think that Vani had left me capable of any love anymore Siya but then I saw you. I have kept deceiving myself, lying to myself that what I feel for you is not love, cannot be but who was I trying to convince? My heart? This very heart that started beating again the second I saw you? I have been a fool to not tell you how deep I have fallen for you, it's maddening." I confessed, leaning even closer and clutching her hands tighter in mine.
Her delicate face was pale, her features fragile in the harsh fluorescent light. Gently, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I felt them trickle onto Siya's delicate hand, but I quickly wiped them away. Her fragile face seemed even more delicate under the unforgiving fluorescent lights of the ICU. I leaned in, pressing a soft and tender kiss to her forehead, as if my love could breathe life back into her.
"You'll wake up for me, won't you, Little One?" I murmured, my voice filled with faith. "You will have to wake up for me Siya." With one last, lingering look at her, I reluctantly stepped away from her bedside, allowing others to visit her as well, my heart heavy, a heart which only felt what it did for that woman lying down in the ICU.
I then informed Mom that I was leaving for Kuldevi's mandir.
Eight years had passed since I had vowed to never to step foot inside this temple, to never pray after what was done to me. But then I got Siya in my life and any vow which comes in between us will be broken just as easily as this one.
I stood in front of the murti. While I had come here to seek answers, I found myself thanking devi first for sending Siya into my life and then I bent down at my knees and begged her to return Siya back to me, back to where she belongs.
" Maa, I once carried a heart burdened by countless questions and grievances, but in this moment, I surrender them all. Please grant me the miracle of Siya's return, of bringing her back to where she truly belongs, back to me, I ask for nothing more, nothing else." I closed my eyes and begged to her, yearning for Siya in front of her.
" Ranaji." I heard someone call for me. It was the Head Priest of the temple.
" Ranaji we know about Ranisaa and we have been praying for her health. If you permit, there is something I would like to suggest." He said, as I got back on my feet.
" Please tell me, Panditji. There is nothing I wouldn't do for my Raanisa." I asked him.
"Hukum, in times of great adversity, we often turn to the divine for strength and healing. I believe that the Mahamrityunjaya Havan may be the path to invoke divine blessings for Raanisa's recovery," he spoke after a thoughtful consideration.
"Get the preparations started, Panditji," I asked him, a sense of purpose filling me. He nodded in acknowledgment, taking his leave.
I then instructed one of the security members to inform Dad about this development before sitting for the havan.
And then I changed into a dhoti and angvastra for the process.
The sacred fire pit was meticulously arranged, and the ingredients for the havan were carefully placed.
As the first flames danced to life, I felt a surge of hope. I sat before the fire, the radiant glow casting flickering shadows across my face, and began to chant the powerful Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. With each repetition, I poured my love, my longing, and my desperation into the words, trying to send them to Shiv.
"Om Tryambakam Yajamahe, Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam,
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan, Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat Om."
Two days passed as we sat there, performing the havan. The sacred fire crackled and the temple resonated with the mantra's vibrations. My heart was filled with unwavering faith, and I prayed with all my strength for my Siya's recovery. There was something about this process which sent waves of assurance to me.
"Om Tryambakam Yajamahe, Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam,
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan, Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat Om."
If there was even a small measure of good deeds I had performed in my life, I prayed for all the blessings from Shiv.
" This marks the end of the havan Ranaji." Panditji said as I offered the final offering to the sacred fire.
I folded my arms once again before getting up, touching Panditji's feet as he blessed me and then, took the holy bath when I found Samarth standing inside the temple, waiting for me.
" Siya has woken up bhai. Your prayers have been answered." He said, rushing to hug me and all I could do was close my eyes and let out a sigh of gratitude.
" The first person she asked for when she opened her eyes was you bhai. Let's get back. Siya is waiting for you." He added and I nodded.
I then performed the final mahaaarti, took the blessings from all the priests and promised to come back here with Siya and left.
Every second apart from her felt every second irrelevant at the moment.
" Bhai, we have the proof. Vani and Amar switched the monitoring cameras of the courtyards but were dumb enough to forget that we have CCTVs in the hallways and parking too. I have clear imagines of Vani with a pistol hidden under her dupatta the same time Siya was shot. Vineet uncle and I have already dismissed the entire security staff, and a new agency has been hired to ensure the safety of every family member. Vani and Amar have been arrested as well," Samarth updated me on the situation, and I could feel my anger rising at what was done to my wife in my own Palace in my absence.
"Thank you, Samarth." I replied, my voice tinged with a mixture of gratitude and anger.
He nodded, his determination matching mine. "We won't let them get away with this, bhai. Our family's safety and honour are our top priorities and they attacked Siya, my bhabhi."
I closed my eyes then, thinking of all the ways I could punish them for what they had done before Siya took over my thoughts again.
Siya ~
One moment, I was smiling my widest, thinking about how Vani and Amar must have looked when they heard me and the next, I found it difficult to breathe as my world slowly drifted to darkness and the last faces I saw were of Amar and Vani.
All I could recall were the grandeur of the Palace and the deafening sound of the gunshot that shattered through the air.
As I battled to lift my heavy eyelids, the echo of my own voice reverberated through my ears, as I urgently cried out for Arjun.
Where was I, anyway?
"Raanisa is regaining consciousness," I overheard in the background, accompanied by hushed murmurs. Then, at last, came the voice I longed to hear – Mumma's.
"Siya," she uttered, placing a comforting hand on my forehead, and my eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus on her.
"Mumma," I managed to whisper.
"Siya. Thank the heavens, my child," her voice quivered with emotion, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I am f..." I began to speak, but she gently interrupted.
"Shh, beta," she cooed, tenderly caressing my head, and I willingly succumbed to the darkness once more, trusting her presence to watch over me.
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The next time I awoke, a warm sensation enveloped my hand, and I slowly turned my gaze to find Arjun by my bedside. His eyes were closed, his fingers delicately entwined with mine, and he appeared to be lost in peaceful slumber.
A gentle smile graced my lips as I observed him, overwhelmed by his presence. My free hand instinctively moved to caress his forehead, gently sweeping aside a stray strand of his hair away.
The touch of my hand against his skin seemed to stir him from his peaceful reverie as his eyelids fluttered open, revealing the depths of his eyes I somehow always lose myself in. His gaze met mine, and a tender smile formed on his lips as he recognized the love in my eyes.
"Siya," he whispered, his voice filled with warmth and affection, "you're awake."
I nodded softly, unable to speak, my heart swelling with love for this man.
He sat up straight, his lips pressing a gentle kiss upon my hand cradled in his, and then he fixed his gaze upon me. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
" You scared me, Little Flower. You scared me to death." His voice quivered, and a deep, heartfelt ache pierced through my heart.
"I'm here now, Ranaji," I reassured him, my fingers gently caressing his cheek. "I'll always find my way back to you, I promise."
Tears streamed down his face which I wiped away as he drew near, his lips meeting mine in a gentle kiss.
" Go back to sleep, Siya. You were shot." He said, sitting back.
" Vani and Amar." Was what I could tell him.
" I know. They are already in custody. Trust me to ensure they face the consequences of their actions. They won't have the chance to return. I promise you." His words held both reassurance and a chilling determination that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Don't let their blood stain your hands, Arjun, I beg you," I pleaded, attempting to sit up, but he gently but firmly held my hands, preventing me from moving.
He leaned closer, his eyes filled with a mixture of rage and tenderness.
" Little Flower, there is nothing you can do or say to change my mind in regards to what I have planned for them." He whispered, his fingers tenderly caressing my hair, threading through the strands. "Save your breath and focus on resting."
"But..." I began to protest, but his finger gently pressed against my lips, silencing my words, sending a shiver down my spine.
" If you think that I'd let them get away with trying to take your life, you are sorely mistaken, Little One and this marks end of this particular conversation." Arjun's words were as final as sunrise tomorrow.
His gentle touches sent a soothing sensation through me, and I reluctantly nodded, understanding that I couldn't fight him on this.
In the stillness of that moment, with his fingers tracing patterns in my hair, I surrendered myself to sleep, knowing that Ranaji would be here, his fingers intertwined with mine when I wake up again.
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