The Heir

Summary: Truth at last.
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Shrigar 1923,

Mahendra meanwhile had a very productive morning with his estate agents and returned for a late breakfast inquiring gently if Rani Sahiba had send word requesting for food or not.

They were planning to go on a few weeks retreat - to either London, where he still had unsettled matters or Italy where Nalini currently had her heart set upon.

He was still in the pleasant haze of travel plans and general trivialities as he entered his study and paused.

Nalini sits behind his desk, upon which sits a bound volume he knows with a single glance came from king's annals. She looks up as he enters, flames in her eyes.

"Aaiye, Rana sahab," she says, rising slowly. Her voice is all wrong, void of its usual warmth - it makes his nerves crackle with uneasy energy.

"You said you would answer any question and I just had to ask. Let me ask you one question. How long have you loved me?"

"Yeh kaisa sawaal hai Nalini -"

"What am I to you? An obsession? A goal? Or a trophy against a stupid race with Chandra?"

"Nalini -"

"You send my father to war!"

Mahendra shuts the door behind him and bolts it. He raises a hand in front of him like one reaching out for an anger beast, seeking to coax it.

"And I have regretted it immensely. I was young Nalini - I knew no better."

"Not even when he kept writing to you to reconsider? Think of my mother - think of me?"

Mahendra sighs.

"Or were you thinking of me?"

Something about his face changes, yet Nalini continues.

"Chandra was right! Manorama was right! You are obsessed with me. Just like how Kaveri is obsessed with Chandra. You Pratap Singhs don't know how to love. You only know how to reduce someone into a state of having no choice but to -"

Bam!

Mahendra slams a hand on his table, the noise it makes brings Nalini's rattling accusations to a halt. Caged between him and the table she looks up at his furious expression.

"You came to me on your own Nalini," he says slowly, calmer than ever. "Kaise - kiss tarah, chahe toh hum yaad dila dein?"

She's disgusted by her own reaction to his touch. A gentle finger tip drawn down the side of her face makes her breath catch and her heart to race.

"What are you doing Rana sahab?" Her voice comes out scattered, almost a whimper.

"I think you know," he mutters against her ear, bowing to press a kiss on her jaw, tracing the line of her throat.

"Stop." She clutches the edge of the table as his hand sneaks around her waist.

Pulling her against him, Mahendra mutters into her hair.

"You stop. Don't do this to us Nalini. Yahaan, iss pal mein - humare beech koi nahi hai. Koi hona nahi chahiye. Na Chandra na hi Manorama. If you can listen to them can't you listen to your own heart?"

"Dr. Shah," she mutters into his collar, bunching one of her fists into the silk there. "Your personal doctor was sent to care for my Ma - why?"

Mahendra doesn't answer as he continue to press gentle, soothing kisses along her temple.

"What were your orders to him? Were they to cure her or -"

Mahendra pulls away from her furiously.

"How dare you!"

"You killed my father!" She shouts back at him. "You sat here in your lavish palace and wrote his death warrant! Why? So you could have my Ma and I under your thumb! You wanted me - you kept taking away everything and everyone until I have no one left but you!"

"If you knew how bad Ma's condition was. If Dr. Shah kept you updated - why did you send her away to Rajghar to be with Kaveri? Kaveri hates her! Why?"

"You know I did not send her with Kaveri. Ma sahab did it - she did it because your ma asked her to! Because she thought staying away from you might help you in adjusting to -"

"As if I would believe that! Aap kahenge aur hum maan lein ke humari Ma humare saat nahi rehena chahti thi! Humein kya pata aap aur aap ke ma sahab mil kar -"

"Hadd mein Rahiye Nalini," There was no warmth in his tone anymore. He sounded cold, every inch the king he had been when he forced this unwanted marriage on her.

"Patni hai aap humare, maan rakhiye uss rishtein ki. As I have told you, my patience has a limit. I have wronged you once - but I have since tried to make amends. Duniya ki saare kushiya la ke de denge aap ko. Badle mein humein todi izzat toh dijiye."

"Zabardazti ke rishtein mein izzat nahi diye jaate Maharaj ji..."

Mahendra clenches his jaw, closing his eyes for a moment. Nalini pushes him off and starts to leave.

"Where do you think you are going?" He calls after her.

She pauses and turns to see Mahendra taking a seat behind his desk. Something about him had changed, closed off.

The chill that emits from him takes all the warmth out of the room.

"Agar aap ko humse aisa rishta rakhni hai toh yahi sahi. Nobody can accuse me of misusing my power for personal gain. You just did that. Yoh accused me of great many things - Rani Sahiba. Now you shall see how it would have felt if I actually did a fragment of those things."

He takes a fresh sheet of paper from his writing desk and starts to write rather nonchalantly.

"I'm taking away Manorama's position as your companion and maid. You are better off without her."

"Nahi! How dare -"

He looks up at her and the look he gives makes her swallow.

"Oh I dare. I dare much much more. That woman is poisoning you against your own husband. And I'd be damned before I allow any of my children to be raised by her."

"Children? There will be no children!"

Mahendra places his seal on the order and gives her a look, there is something akin to amusement softening his eyes and it fills her with humiliation and loathing.

"Oh you don't know that love," he tells her softly. "You might already be carrying our child."

"You fiend! You tricked me! You - you forced me into -"

"Enough," he rises swiftly, as his voice rises. Mahendra reaches her in a few long strides and grabs hold of her arm, pulling her against him.

"Call me what you will - you will not - you will never - bring our union into question. I could have waited a lifetime. I would have never taken anything you did not offer. Don't you dare imply that I have forced myself upon you."

"I refuse to carry the bloodline of my father's murderer! I refuse! I refuse!"

"For the love of God Nalini - I did not kill him!" He took a deep inhale. "And any child of yours will carry his bloodline too - have you thought of that? I'm sure Veerendra would have wanted to -"

"Don't you dare take his name -" she snaps. "Don't you dare!"

"Very well," he relents and steps back. "Very well," he says again.

"Let us have it your way. My order stands, ask Manorama to remove herself from these grounds before nightfall. Menka Singh will be your new aid and companion. Let me warn you beforehand, do not try to scare her like you did with the previous girl - that woman was trained as an inner palace bodyguard and will break you arm if you try to hit her."

*

Veer remains stiff, daring the moment he would set his eyes upon Chauhan.

He is grateful for Amrit's touch, soft and cool - remaining upon his rigid arm. The solicitor may wish him well, but it did nothing to sooth his agitation.

Seeing the man again - no matter how weak, how grayed, how frail - it brought again all those reminders of loss and ruin and loneliness upon him.

Veer does not stand up to greet the older man when he is wheeled into the study. On the contrary he stops Amrit from doing so as well.
Mr. Chauhan chuckles at that, nodding his balding head approvingly.

"That's right Kuwar Rani Sa, you don't stand up unless someone of a high rank enters the room. Things as they are, there is only one woman in Shrigar who could make you stand up."

"Spare the etiquette classes Chauhan," Veer snaps.

Chauhan looks at him, folds his arms, bracing himself.

"I see you didn't want to come Veer Baba," he says with a soft smile.

"Don't call me that."

"Chauhan Sahab," Amrit spoke softly, with a warning glance at her short tempered husband. "You had things to tell us."

"You brother's been to see me a couple of times," he said with a nod to Veer. "He comes with the same question. Has his father made a last will? I told him I don't know."

There was a pause and Amrit clears her throat, not entirely certain how you asked the royal solicitor if he has been lying to one of the princes.

"So has Rana sahab made a last will?"

"He did," the solicitor bowed. "I was supposed to reveal it only if his wishes are being ignored by those in decisive power. He wanted you to be king Kuwar Sahab."

Veer wasn't frowning anymore.

"All that time - you mean to say - all that time," he asks slowly. "You were following his instructions?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The older man shifted, looking studiously at his fingers.

"I was ordered to keep you alive - at whatever cost."

"Why?" He asked again, this time a little louder.

"Because you are the last Pratap Singh alive after your father had passed away."

*
Most of you guessed most of it. But ta da! Here we have it from the horse's mouth!
Leave your thoughts in the comments! Have a nice weekend :-)