Vaapas aa jao, ek pal ke liye hi
Abhi to humne alvidaa bhi nahi kaha tha
Vaapas aa jao, ke aaj bhi
Ye dil dekhta hai tumhara raasta.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Dhruv???" Tara called out his name softly, waiting for a response, her heart beating loudly in her ears. Only to be met by silence once again. Silence that prickled her already broken heart like sharp darts.

"Dhruv??" She called out again - this time a little louder - her eyes frantically looking all around the place as she spoke in the hopes of seeing him once again, hoping to catch a sight of him apart from the dreams she saw, and against the reality she knew. Reality that screamed at her that her Dhruv was dead. That he would never return to her now. Never respond to her calls of him. That no matter how much she cries and yells, it will all answered by absolute stillness each time, as it was being answered now.

"Dhruv...?" She said again, her voice faltering and her throat choking a little bit more each time her calls were answered by silence.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears - as they had been since the last three weeks.

Three weeks.

Three weeks had passed since she had lost her Dhruv. And though her life had moved on, her heart was still stuck in that one moment her world had shattered.

"Chikitsak Doctor Dhruv...?" She called him again - this time with her own personal name for him, scanning the entire room for a hint of him. Silence.

Tara couldn't contain her tears anymore. Nor did she want to. And they started to fall freely down her cheeks, retracing the path of the previously dried ones only moments ago.

Her heart felt too shattered and heavy for her to carry. Dhruv... Her heart now called softly, her voice getting stuck in her throat.

'Tara!'

The word rang in her ears all of a sudden. Her heart somewhere felt a familiar warmth as she heard that, the memory made only weeks ago resurfacing to her mind.

'I love you!' Yelled Dhruv with all his might, wearing the scarlet kurta she had got for him.

'I love you, Tara!' He shouted again, holding her waist gently from behind her and lifting her up in the air. Tara giggled with happiness as he twirled her in the air, placing her hands affectionately on his secured around her. The long tresses of her silken hair falling to his face and gently brushing his neck.

'I love you!' Never before in her life had she felt so complete.

The memory gradually faded, leaving behind it the girl standing still like a mannequin, her hollow eyes looking all around her with dwindling hope, and an emptiness surrounding her at the loss of the warmth that the memory had provided her for mere seconds.

"Dhruv-" She spoke softly once again. "I...lovve you." Tara declared once again, trying her best to pronounce the alien words as best as she could.

She suddenly clutched her heavy necklace resting against her chest, wrapping her fingers around it tightly and holding it close to her heart, before she cried with all her might.

"Dhruv??" Yelled the Princess, shutting her lids tightly as she did so. "I lovve you!"

Tara gently lifted her lids. The idols of her Kanha Ji and Devi Radha stared at her, smiling.

"Dhruv..." Cried she, as she stared back at the idols, calling out his name for a hundredth time. And receiving no response yet again.

She couldn't find it in herself to stand there anymore. How could her Kanha Ji snatch her Dhruv from her? Why?? Why her? Why him? He didn't deserve this.

Her heart shattered loudly all over again, the shards of its broken piece piercing her insides mercilessly. Once again, her hope died, and the life within her began to fade away.

Not able to stand at that place anymore, she turned towards the door with a hollow look in her brown eyes. Why him? Was the only question circling her mind.

"Tara."

The familiar voice suddenly filled her ears. Her moving footsteps came to a halt. Her heart at that very instant started to pound loudly in her chest. And every other thought surrounding her mind stopped. Her senses couldn't register anything but that voice she had just heard.

"I love you, too."

It said again.

Had she finally succeeded in hallucinating him?

Afraid of being disappointed another time, she slowly gathered the courage to turn back towards the source of the voice. And what caught her eyes left her still with shock.

Dhruv... Said her heart with the purest of affection and the deepest of longing. Longing she had felt every second of these three weeks. Dhruv.

There he stood.

Her Dhruv.

Across the large room, next to the grand pillar, right before her. Looking at her with his unconditional love shining in his eyes, as she looked back at him with the same emotions shimmering in hers.

Can a hallucination be so beautiful?

Tumko dekh ke
Yun lagta hai,
Koi bichhda, khwaab aaya hai...

She continued to look at this apparent imagination of hers with love and yearning in her eyes. If it was a dream, she never wished to wake up from it.

Sensing her chaotic state, he began to move towards her slowly. And though she would give everything she ever possessed, including her life, to close that distance leading to her Dhruv anytime, she just couldn't move from where she stood right now.

Barson lambi...Raat se guzre
Subah ka jhonka
Laut aaya hai...

Dhruv continued to walk towards the lost girl, his assuring eyes never leaving her terrified ones as he did so.

Reaching where she stood all silent, Dhruv halted his steps inches before her. Tara looked at him with yearning, as if looking at a distant dream she couldn't believe she was having. Dhruv's image looked back at her with longing and a hint of happiness in his own.

Neither of them could utter a word.

Bohot der jaagi,
Bohot door aayi...
Khwaab ne chhodi, naa meri kalai...

Tara lifted her hands slowly, bringing it closer to his cheek in an attempt to touch him and ascertain what her eyes were seeing right now.

Could it be possible that he was there for real?

All of a sudden, her forwarding hand suddenly stopped inches before his calm face. If it was an illusion, like she had begged to see just for once, she was too afraid to touch him for the fear of losing his image. She feared he would disappear into nothingness as soon as she touched him. However, some part of her heart couldn't let her withdraw her palm from his face as well. And so she stood there, longing to touch this distant dream of hers with her hand raised in the air, too afraid it would fade if she did.

She had been scared of running towards him with all her vigour the moment she had seen him, for the absolute horror of the imagination disappearing when she finally reached him. And now when he had closed the distance between them, she still felt scared to believe it.

Understanding her inner turmoil, Dhruv's image gently lifted his hand, forwarding it towards her raised palm, before touching her gently as he enveloped his fingers around her shivering palm with delicacy.

Kab se meri,
Saans ruki thi...

He pulled her palm towards himself, taking a step forward. She closed her eyes involuntarily. Then, taking a step towards her, leaning into her, Dhruv softly touched his lips to her cheek.

Mujhe saans aayi...

As soon as his lips brushed against her pale skin, Rajkumari Tarapriya let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding or since when. This felt too...real. The familiar warmth his body radiated against hers was too real to be just an illusion.

Before she could think anything else, Dhruv leaned into her some more and gently pulled her to himself, placing her head right over his heart with the most delicate of touches, his palm continuing to rest on her head. While he left her other palm - that he had been holding - around his torso, and enclosed his arm around her thin figure.

The only thing Tara heard was his heart. His heart beats, gently pounding in his chest right below her ear. She opened her eyes with a jerk.

Dhruv was still there.

Tara couldn't believe what her heart was shouting to be true. This had to be real. His heartbeats...they couldn't lie to her. Never.

She slowly lifted her head from his chest to look at him. Was he real?

He looked back at her, now smiling at her lovingly. This was real!

Her eyes began to well up once again with a fresh round of tears.

"Tum-" She finally found her voice, even though it was as faint and shaking as it could be. "-Tum j-jeevit ho?" She asked him, her hopeful eyes looking at him unblinkingly. She didn't want to lose the sight of him for even a second anymore.

"H-Humein kahin vaham to nahi ho raha hai?" She asked again, and he continued to smile at her silently.

"Yadi ye vaham hai, to hum apni aakhiri saans tak ise tootne nahi dena chahte." She continued, still in a state of daze.

"Hum yahin rehna chahte hain." She added, her voice barely audible due to the overwhelming emotions she was experiencing at the very moment.

Mujhse saans aayi...

He brought his hand to her face, wiping her tears from her face slowly. Tara looked at his soft gesture, then brought her own hand towards his - still resting on her cheek - wrapping her delicate fingers lightly around his thumb as she stared at it, still not being able to believe he was right here before her.

"Ye kaun sa lok hai?" She asked him with curious eyes. "Jahaan humara Dhruv jeevit hai?" Tara asked him again, in order to hear the answer from his lips. The answer that she wasn't dreaming anymore, that it was - somehow - all true.

Dhruv's image pulled her closer to him once again. She laid her head on his chest, still holding onto his thumb lightly.

"Tara."

He finally said. And she knew it was not a dream anymore.

That voice, him, it was real. It was all real! He was here right before her! She was there in his arms once again.

"Main yahin hoon." Dhruv continued.

Tara finally let go of his thumb, sliding her hands slowly up his torso to reach his shoulders. She touched his arms surrounding her, in a state of daze, and held him tightly to herself, tears still rolling down her cheeks.

"Ye humari duniya hai, Tara." Dhruv answered her. "Jahaan hum dono saath hain. Dhruv Tara ban kar, humesha." He smiled. "Samay sadi ke pare."

And Tara finally smiled through her tears. Tears of longing, love, pain, separation, and finally happiness, refusing to leave her eyes now. Her overwhelming emotions made it difficult for her stand still on her legs, and so she clasped onto him tightly, almost her entire weight resting on his body.

"Kahan chale gaye the tum?" Three weeks worth of tied up emotions and longing finally came pouring through her eyes. She finally broke down, not able to remain the strong Princess anymore that she was in everyone's eyes. " Tum bohot bure ho. Humein chhod kar kahan chale gaye the?"

Dhruv held her even tightly to himself.

"Ab waapas aa gaya hoon na." He gently rubbed her back as she cried into his shirt, trying to steady her in his arms as he spoke. "Maaf kar do mujhe." Then, placed a light kiss on her head. Tara's tears refused to cease.

"Tum thik ho, Chikitsak Dhruv." She said with tears of bliss, not sure if she was asking the question to him or assuring herself with the statement. "Tumhe kuchh nahi hua."

She then suddenly broke the hug, alarmed. Dhruv looked at her confused. Tara took a step back, scanning the man before her from top to bottom.

He looked perfectly fine.

"Parantu-" She began, not able to put two and two together.

Tara grabbed his palm, brushing her fingers through it to still make sure he was real.

"Hum nahi vishwas kar paa rahe hain." She still couldn't believe that fate could be so kind to her.

She gently swept her fingers across his smiling face. That smile - what would she not give to see it there on his face forever?

She then remembered the sword had torn through his torso. And so her hands automatically went to the place she had seen him injured the last time. However, as soon as she touched her palm to his stomach, he winced evidently.

Tara immediately withdrew her hand, taking a step in the backwards direction.

"Dh-Dhruv?" She asked, horrified. Was he hurt? Still? "Ye-ye sab..."

Seeing her bewildered state, he tried to smile and nodded reassuringly at her, his hand still resting on his shirt.

"Main thik hoon, Tara." He tried to assure her. However, it was evident that he was not. At least to her it was. She could read him like an open book.

"Shaant ho jao tum." She ordered with eyes still moist, the Rajkumari in her seeming to take a front seat all of a sudden.

"Humare saath aao." She held his arm and dragged him to the large golden couch kept at a distance.

"Baitho yahaan." Commanded she, and he obeyed like he always did. She could easily see he was not able to stand up comfortably for too long. No thoughts or problems of her own could ever stop her from noticing Dhruv's pain, no matter how tiny or large.

She sat beside him, still holding his arm tightly as if he would disappear if she left him even for a second.

"Kya hua tumhe?" She asked with fear. "Hum kuchh samajh nahi paa rahe hain. Tumhe to-" She trailed off, remembering the horrific scene before her eyes once again. She shuddered evidently, before tightening her hold on his arm.

"Humne swayam apni aakhon se dekha tha. Bhai Ji ne tumhe..." Tara trailed off again, she could never complete that sentence.

Dhruv couldn't see the state of the girl before her. She was the same Princess he had met who was afraid of nothing coming her way. He will personally make sure to serve Senapati Samrat Singh with what he deserved for making his Tara cry.

"Tara, meri taraf dekho." He said with a gentle smile. "Main bilkul thik hoon." He lifted her chin towards himself.

"Parantu- vo talwaar..." She began, puzzled.

Dhruv didn't answer that, instead, unbuttoned the last couple of buttons attached to his shirt, revealing a thick white bandage wrapped across his torso securely. The spotless cloth had some streaks of blood right at the centre of it.

Tara's eyes moistened as soon as she saw that. So he was hurt. She will personally make sure to serve Senapati Samrat Singh with what he deserved for hurting her Dhruv. The determination shone brightly in her eyes.

"Humein kshama kar do, Dhruv." Tara cried, her eyes fixated at his wound. "Hum tumhari raksha nahi kar sake. Apna vachan nahi nibha sake hum." A lone tear rolled down her cheek.

"Kshama?" Dhruv replied with a hint of playfulness in his voice. "Kya kshama? Rajkumari Tarapriya Ji, vachan todne ke ilzaam mein aapko kaaravas mein dalwaunga main!" He said with mock seriousness.

Tara slapped his arm playfully at that. "Maut ke muh se laute ho, aur abhi bhi thitholi soojh rahi hai tumhe?" She asked with faux anger, her voice still heavy with emotions.

"Haan!" Dhruv replied, grinning widely.

However, his features soon displayed emotions of seriousness and sincerity from that of humour.

"Tara, jo kuchh bhi hua usmein tumhari koi galti nahi thi. Tum jaan boojh kar mujh par talwaar chalwaogi?" He asked, and she shook her head vigorously.

"Main jaanta hun." He said, cupping her cheek tenderly.

"To isme tumhari galti kaise hui?" He tried to assure her. "Aur tumne to apna vachan nibhaya na, dekho main abhi bhi thik hoon. Aur ab hum milkar uss Senapati ka sach sabke saamne layenge." Determination could be clearly seen in his eyes.

"Parantu-" Tara began again. "Dhruv- tum kaise- humne dekha tha. Tum sach mein yahaan ho na? Humare paas?" She asked yet again.

In response, he just outstretched his arms wide before her. Tara looked at his outstretched arms, tearing up once again. Without another word, she gently leaned in and buried herself into the comfort of them - careful not to hurt his wound knowingly - as he wrapped his hans securely around her.

"Bilkul yahin." He finally replied once again. "Tumhare paas."

Mujhe saans aayi...

She closed her eyes, forgetting for the moment every other worry she had in her heart. Every thought that troubled her, every emotion that she didn't like, all of them just vanished on their own right then and there. She placed a tender kiss over his chest, right above the spot she could still hear his heart beat, and he placed one on her forehead lovingly. The world all around her slowly seemed to fade away, nothing but the person before her mattering to her. Her Dhruv. Her Chikitsak Doctor Dhruv.

"Humein laga hum tumhe kabhi nahi dekh payenge, Dhruv." She told him, letting out her worst fear of the past three weeks before him. "Tumhe pata hai? Sab keh rahe the tum..." She trailed off, a lump rising in her throat.

"Ikkisvi sadi se yahan itni jaldi tumhara peechha chhodne nahi aaya hun." Dhruv smiled through his moist eyes.

Tara chuckled through hers.

"Humne tumhe kitna yaad kiya, pata hai tumhe?" She asked him innocently. "Bohot bure ho tum." He smiled softly at that.

"Maine bhi tumhe bohot miss kiya, Tara." Dhruv answered honestly.

"M-mees?" Tara looked up at him, still hugging him, making him look at her too.  "Arthaat?"

"Yaad." He said, flicking her nose lightly. Oh, his beloved Princess of the seventeenth century!

She nodded her head understandingly at that, going back to her position of hugging him tightly. Her head now in the crook of his neck, his cheek resting against her hair. She inhaled his familiar fragrance. The smell of his presence engulfing her entirely as it filled her lungs softly.

"Ab kabhi mat jaana humein chhod kar." She demanded, comforted, at home.

"Kabhi nahi." He reassured her, tightening his hold around her.

"Dhruv?" She called out after a long moment of silence.

And finally, her call was answered with a "Hmm?"

Her heart felt healed at just that one word. Right then and there, all the wounds had finally started to fade away.

"I lovve you." She uttered softly, yet in a bold tone, making him giggle as well as feel grateful for her love for him. "Hum tumse bohot prem karte hain."

"I love you too, Tara." He replied, and her heart felt at peace. "Main bhi tumse bohot prem karta hun." He said in her language, and she smiled hearing the words from him, in her own language for a first time.

Not everything was fine. He was yet to tell her the mystery behind his survival, he was yet to clear things between Yuvraaj Mahavir and her. She was yet to tell him the truth about hid father. And they were still to devise a plan to defeat Senapati and expose him out in front of the king.

But now, at this very moment, this was enough. Dhruv and Tara were together. They were here in each other's arms finally, not even death being able to separate them. She was relieved, at peace, and he was satisfied seeing her finally happy. That was enough for both of them right now. That was enough to mend their aching hearts left sore from the pain of being torn apart by its other half.

Tara closed her eyes, feeling complete once again, after weeks. Dhruv laid his head on top of hers, kissing her head softly every now and then, every now and then still assuring her of his presence there. And they stayed there in each other's embrace for heavens know how long, both the hearts finally finding solace close to each other's.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The nights of storms have passed,
Leaving behind a love as pure and fresh as the morning dew.
For now years may come and years may go,
My name shall be taken only with you.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First of all, Hello to fellow DTians :)

Certain parts - Mahavir and Dhruv's plan and details to be precise - have been omitted in this one, as I just wanted to write a one shot on a different take on just the reunion episode. As the DT loving me found it short. Well, as compared to the bts. Haha.

If you do like it, don't forget to vote for it and drop your reviews in the comment section below. Constructive criticism is also welcomed ;)

Waiting for your feedbacks.

Thank you.

- Your Author.