She had created her own illusion of insecurities involving a man only to learn later that running away from your feelings will entangle her in the web of solace.
-Aditi

It's been 10 months since Tanirika and Master meglos went missing. When I had heard about them being missing the first time I was broken. For tanirika I understood that she was my sister but that night I cried for master meglos too.

The last secluded communication we had was the one where he said that he won't leave me. After that night where he had started painting me, we had a conversation the next morning where he had asked Tanirika to let me feed him. He was so shameless. The last time I saw him was 10 months ago when he and Tanirika left. I Still remember how his eyes lingered on me longer than possible before he left.

The only relief my aching heart felt when Master junious arrived and told us that everyone was fine. But a war was raging. He had put the whole palace on extra security. Taking reigns of the palace in his control he made sure we all were safe.

Tanirika was safe was a relief but something broke in me when I heard the news of babasa passing away. I had locked myself in my chambers for 3 weeks crying over the realization that I was once again an orphan. The only family I had now was Tanirika but then I collected myself together for my sister.

These past 10 months I had dreamed and pondered over the green eyed devil who came into my coinsensce. He was addicting and he never left my thoughts. The last devious words he muttered into my ears were enough to mess my feelings. He feared no one not even his relationship with Tanirika.

Ten months ago before Meglos and Tanirika were abducted.

Tanirika descended the stairs making her way out of the throne room propelling the court limit for the day. She smiled as she entered her room watching Lekha run from the corner of the room to take the shawl off.

"How was your day Tani? " Lekha asked easing the tension in the silent room. Rakasa was accommodated in one of the corners of the royal chambers working on one of the tasks allocated to her.

Before tanirika could answer the question asked by lekha, a very impatient meglos entered the chambers unannounced. Lekha gasped in fright as his eyes met hers before moving towards tanirika who stood unaffected by the whole fiasco going on.

"Meglos, I know you are very dear to me But make sure you enter my chambers with permission. "

She whispered silently adjusting her veil on her shoulders. Meglos shrugged in annoyance his eyes raking towards the table filled with fruits as he grabbed one of the mangoes and devoured it before conveying the reason for his sudden entry.

"Rakasa, please call Royal advisor Achyut and General Somnath and make sure this whole arrangement is done secretly. Meglos is here so he doesn't need an invitation. " She smiled looking at meglos who was busy eating the mango and gazing at the scenery outside the window. His posture was tensed and various thoughts were swirling in his mind.

Lekha stole various glances at the man standing in fury near the window. This was the second time she saw him acting contrarily of his usual behaviour. Meglos turned around and directly caught her red-handed looking at him. She flushed in embarrassment as he smirked knowingly at her.

"Lekha, I am hungry. " Tanirika conveyed from the other end of the chambers removing her bangles and placing them on the vanity table.

"I will bring something from the kitchen tani " She whispered and moved out of the room hurriedly away from the eyes of the devil incarnate.

Tanirika stopped her work and stared at Lekha's retrieving figure weirdly.

"Is something wrong?" Meglos asked tanirika still munching the mango in his hand following the gaze of Tanirika who was staring at a departing lekha.

"Nothing " Tanirika smiled.

After a few minutes, The announcement of arrival was made implying the arrival of Royal advisor achyut and one of the generals of the Royal army General Somnath. Tanirika sat on one of the Royalty rich silk sofas like a queen as the two bowed in respect as they were in the presence of the Queen.

"Privacy " She commanded and soon every other person in her chambers left the room expect meglos, Royal advisor achyut and General Somnath.

"General Somnath, I have heard from his majesty that you are responsible to keep an eye on Lady Manika and her group of spoons."

"I am your majesty. " The well-built tanned Hind man answered.

"How much I have learned about lady Manika she is very evil but knows how to play her cards nicely. She lacks courage and will never do something on her own all know she is a coward. "

"She is a coward that is why she wants you to visit the temple, Tani. She wants you to leave the palace and in your absence she will seize the palace. " meglos gritted.

"She cannot seize the palace, master meglos. The palace is no longer the place she knew. We have 50% of soldiers who are loyal to his majesty and few people are the ones who came with his majesty from Romania. The romanian's will never accept the rule of Lady Manika. If she tries something like that, I can assure you one of the barbarians will stake her heart out in a blink. "
Royal advisor achyut said.

"Still I don't trust that woman, Tani. Your security is my responsibility. "

"I know meglos that is why I am taking you with me. "

"Courtier Gautam is very supportive of Lady Manika. " General Somnath said.

"He is someone who flows according to the flow of the sea. His skin is thicker than the chameleon, he could change his colour anytime. If their plan backfires he will eat lady Manika alive and no one will hear about it. "

"Then let him eat her alive. It will be a pleasing sight to see her being backstabbed by the person she thinks will get her the throne. "

"I don't understand, my queen " Royal advisor achyut asked.

"General Somnath, I want you to put Lady Manika along with her son on house arrest. She is prohibited to look outside her chambers till I return. And if she does then kill her and bury her body near her husband. And about courtier Somnath send him to the kingdom of Prayag with gifts as a representative of Rakshatara to participate in the wedding of The princess of Prayag. "

Meglos smiled looking at Tanirika. He felt immense pride kicking in his chest as he heard her plan. She was beauty with brains.

"Have I ever told you that I am glad that you take brains from me and utilise it for the royal work, Tani" Meglos smirked making Tanirika roll her eyes in annoyance. General Somnath laughed which was joined by meglos.

"I like you general. " Meglos added.

"I will make sure that courtier Gautam enjoys his time at the wedding. " Royal advisor achyut added making Tanirika smile in assurance.

"There are my orders gentlemen, anyone who will be found disturbing the peace and rules of Rakshatra will be sentenced to death. "

Royal advisor achyut and General Somnath bid their farewell to the Queen to work on the tasks assigned to them. While meglos laid lazily on one of the sofa much to Tanirika's dismay.

"You have your own chambers meglos, "

"I know I do. "

"Then make your way out. Don't you have royal work to do? "

She added in annoyance. Meglos shrugged playing with the knife in his hands. Lekha entered the room with two plates of food in her hands followed by two other maids who carried different trays of food.

"Holy Goddess, I am so hungry lekha" Lekha chuckled placing the plates on the small dining tables placed on the floor. She could feel the eyes of the man lying on one of the sofas.

"Meglos, get up have your food. " Tanirika commanded the little kid dressed as a grown man.

"Only if you feed me, your highness" He grinned. Tanirika threw a cushion on him making him chuckle harder.

"Get out before I kill you. "

" are you pregnant? "

"What?"

"You are very moody these days! "

"A woman being moody doesn't mean she is pregnant meglos"

"Holy Goddess of fertility, please bless my dear friend with a kid. "

"Goodness meglos, I wish you accompanied Your friend in the war. I can't handle you. "

"Can your head lady feed me, Tani"

He smirked standing right in front of a frantic lekha who gasped finding him directly in front of her from nowhere.

"Meglos quit it. I will have your head for behaving like this with lekha. She is not a random maid you can overpower. She is my sister and in my care. Know your limits. "

A furious Tanirika roared. Lekha curled her toes in fear as various scenarios laid infront of her eyes. Her friend didn't like her being close to the man who visited her every night.

"Apologies, Her highness. I promise to never miss treating your friend. "

He plopped himself down on one of the smaller dining tables beside Tanirika and started a normal conversation acting as if nothing happened.

"You need to smile more. I understand you miss Zravasaya but we all are humans love. "

And that earned him a death glare.

Lekha washed her hands as she moved past the washing area in her thoughts. She was about to fold the cotton towels laid carelessly on the stool when a hand grasped her wrist and pulled her to the corner of the washing area. Her eyes widened gaping at the intruder who smirked at her. The devil smirked in broad daylight while the Queen was just outside the washing area.

"Your highness, Tanirika is outside. She can come inside anytime. Please let me go. "
She pleaded to try to break through.

"Okay, then I will visit you when she isn't around. At night at our usual spot. " He whispered.

"You promised her that you won't see me".
She accused him.

" My rose, I promised her that I won't miss treat you and I'm no saint. And my beautiful charming rose, Promises are meant to be broken "

To be fair he never miss-treated me, he always behaved very nicely with me. And somewhere my heart missed the only attention I received from a man. I sighed placing the books in their proper place before moving out of Tanirika's chambers. She was coming back from Asaka today with the devil incarnate. The king arrived few days ago before her. I am sure they both would have missed each other.

I smiled hearing the loud chatter and laughs of the ladies from the corridor as I made my way to welcome my sister. My eyes turned glossy as I stared at her carriage. She looked beautiful in her Royal attire but the lack of happiness in her eyes said some other stories. I also noted that she had lost weight. These past months were hectic and tiring for all of us right from emotionally to physically.

She was accompanied by one of her half sisters and her son who was so cute. This was the longest span of time we stayed away from each other since we met each other. For Tanirika I left Asaka because the moment I met her she filled the empty space I felt after loosing my whole family. And I can't even imagine my life without her.

We spend time with each other in her chambers talking about random things which went down in the palace when she was away. Tonight there was a feast which she was going to attend in the honor of King of Persia visiting Rakshatra with his sister.

His sister was cunning, her face and expressions were enough to conclude that she was interested in his majesty. The only good thing was that Tanirika arrived sooner. 

Men were like fishes in the pond the moment they dipped themselves into the pond of lust letting the thoughts of another  women override their love  they would forget the love they held for the previous woman and give in.

And they can do that. They had every right too. The society gave men rights to polygamy but women were supposed to be monogamous.

I was never scared about men but since Tanirika came back from Asaka she has started pestering me about Marriage. And I know how the idea got into her head. It was gayatri maa. I know Tanirika better than anyone she would never want me to go away from her but gayatri man's words would have convinced her about my marriage.

When I think about marriage a wild image of my future groom appears and the groom appears to be having green eyes. Which knocked my breathe last night. I was petrified of the illusion I saw few months ago when Tanirika was in asaka.

Did I start to long for the man who scared me in this 10 months?

I don't even know him much, we have spend hardly few hours together but my imagination regarding him were wild.

But I needed to bring myself back on the right path because why would a man like him marry a woman like me. Men were never attracted towards me. Well, I was never exposed to many of them but the few I was knew their limits. And I was happy that way.

Since Tanirika got married I was exposed to many men, and I had some horrible encounters with few of them. One almost assaulted me. While the other one was the reason my heart sped faster than ostrich.

Somewhere in my heart I knew I felt safe with Master Meglos but he was out of my league.

We were never meant to be together and we never will be. It's better that I step back. But I don't think there's a need to step back because since he got back, the previous day he did not come to me. He did not try to break into my space and annoy me maybe his infatuation was over.

I laugh at myself because why was I building a future with him. He never promised anything me. Afterall I was just a village girl who had a privilege to have a Queen as her sister.

I did not want to leave Tanirika ever but I would gladly marry anyone she would choose for me. It would be better for everyone.

Thank you for having patience with the update I was caught up in something in my personal life. And other days wattpad has some problem.

If you have read Ranisa before this you could clearly understand this chapter better. 

If you prefer it without reading Ranisa, it won't matter. Because it basically fills the next event.

The next update gonna be drama so keep reading.

Please take care of yourself and your loved ones. Specially people living in North India facing the flood and high water level take care of yourself.

Love Aditi ❤