Bani and Veer walked out of the temple, hand in hand. Bani looked at Veer, worried but his face did not betray his emotions. They reached their car and sat in it. Bani studied Veer's movements. To her, all of it felt very robotic. She stopped him as he was about to move the car out of neutral and pulled him for a hug. Her head rested on his shoulders and hands enveloped him whole.

B: Veeranshu. I am here for you. You can vent it out okay.

Bani kept hugging a stone-like Veer. After a while she began pulling away. Veer's body came into movement and he blocked her from moving away by hugging her close.

V: Do pal aur gharwali. Aise accha lag raha hai..

Bani nodded in understanding and patted his head, moving her fingers through his hair. Soon, a sob broke out of Veer's throat followed by strings of them. Bani's vision became hazy as her eyes glistened. Veer was crying in her arms and she could nothing about it.

-:Some time before, when they were still the temple, Veer was trying his best to heal Bani while panditayan kept flipping through pages of history. She found a chapter on Markat and rushed to duo.

Veer and Bani both weren't so shocked to know that Markat's face matched with Chandrakala but what shocked them to their core was that they were both the same person. She had a boon that allowed her to split her both roops- Cheel and naagin into two and move around like two people/creatures. This is what she must have done to fool them into thinking that Markat wasn't the same as Chandrakala. They read her entire story of pleasing Bholenath and receiving a boon to be such a creature. Then she pleased the devil lord and received dark powers of causing hallucinations and fire. She also wanted to please the moon but ended up falling in love with it but moon didn't accept her. To have a piece of it, she asked Bholenath for the moon on his forehead. When he refused, she tried to fight the lord for it. Bholenath burnt the half for her face, making her face look like a half moon instead. Out of spite, Chandrakala began hurting other creatures. Bholenath cursed her into the Markat's cave till the person who will end her evil- the Adi Naagin broke her first circle of curse.

It broke the day when Nageshwari was summoned to help Brinda and Dev. Markat was free at last. While Bani took birth many years after that, Markat began collecting more dark powers. A few years before Bani was to be born, Markat, who had perfected the study of planets, figured when the Cheel rajkumar will be born and meanwhile also manipulated Balwant into loving her. She pretended to be human and gave birth to three sons- Tapish, Veer and Dheer. She was sure that one of these kids of the Cheel king would be the prince who is the reincarnation of Akesh's soul. When she figured out it was Veer, she started paying him more attention. Meanwhile, she also had an affair with Jai's birth father and gave birth to him. She wanted to be the mother of both the lovers of Nageshwari to put her in a vulnerable position.:-

Veer, who had just found his mother after years of separation, was feeling hurt and disgusted. He cannot lose Bani, his sweetheart but that would mean the end of his mother. Old memories clashed with new knowledge and the child in him cried for its mother. But he knew what is right.

V: Thank you Bani, but the child has mourned his mother and now the husband has to protect his wife.

Bani smiled at her brave patidev and pecked his cheeks. Veer blushed slightly and they went home.

.................................

The engagement party was going on in full swing. Bani was wearing a dark green saree and Veer was wearing a matching suit.

The party was going in full swing. Vani had warned everyone of Chandrakala. They couldn't reveal that she was Markat and make her conscious about it but, they ensured that she was sitting near the main stage and someone or the other kept talking to her. They told everyone that Markat could pretend to be her to beware of Chandrakala.

Chandrakala was getting frustrated. She felt that everyone was taking too much care of her. Many years agao Balwant had suspected her to be Markat and trapped her. Correction, she let him think that she was trapped. The shrewd man had trapped her cheel roop with weird magic. Thank god her naagin roop was living with Jai's father at that time and thus, half of her was always free. She wanted to end Bani that day itself as it was good time, Bani would be weak due to her kechuli being only a few days old and the night was in her favour. She quietly spiked the drink and the champagne, basically the entire bar and sat back happy.

Tapish and Meera came downstairs. Tapish was wearing a red three-piece suit and Meera was wearing a red and gold saree. It had velvet and golden work, making her look regal.

T: tum bohot sundar lag rahi ho Meera.

M: Thank you Tapish. Tum bhi bohot acche lg rahe ho...

Her eyes went on the brooch that she had given him and smiled at him, happy.

Bani was surveying the area when a hand pulled her into the corner.

B: aah

A hand prevented her scream and she looked to see it was Veer. His bare hands touched her bare waist, pulling her close.

V: You look hot gharwali, super hot..

B: Chodo Veeranshu, koi aa jayega..

V: aane do..

B: Kya kr rahe ho Veer..

V: mai duniya bhar ki tareefen, tere sajde me laya hoon

Mai tumse ishq krne ki ijazaat rab se laya hoon

Veer sang and Bani blushed. Nothing made her happier than knowing that her love for Veer was good and blessed by her lord. Now, happiness was like late coming friends,just do-minute-ka-rasta away. Once she ended Markat, her main enemy, and fulfilled the duty given by Bholenath, she would confess her true feelings to Veer and give him all the love she kept locked away due to uncertainties in her mind.

Veer's eyes held love while his heart was happy on seeing that Bani's reflected the same emotion. He had caught a glimpse of her love every now and then. He had seen her eyes glisten when he was hurt and shine with care but seeing her no longer hide that made him dance with joy.

Their moment was broken when they heard a voice. Tapish was holding a mike.

T: Hello? Hello? Ye announcement mere MIA bhai Veeranshu ke liye hai. Please romance your wife later and let the process of Meera becoming my wife commence.

Both Meera and Bani blushed badly and Veer laughed loundly.

V: Aap bhi mere rang me dhal rahe ho? Not bad...everyone wants to be me..

Bani made a face and him. Veer stared, amused at her childishness. Bani left and got the rings. Both Tapish and Meera exchanged the rings and everyone cheered. Veer burst a party popper and everyone was enjoying themselves.

Suddenly, all the guests began circling the Singhanias. Everyone hurdled close when a dark hooded figure descended downstairs.

B: Markat!?

(scene: Balwant, Pawan, Daksh, Ponky and Shukla are in the center of the hall. Jai, Veer and Bani are standing in front of them, facing the stairs. Meera is looking weirdly at everyone, scared and hugging Tapish. Chandrakala, Ritu, Mahesh and their daughters are behind the Singhanias. All other guests and servants are circling them and Markat is at the stairscase. Markat doesn't know that Vani know her other half is Chandrakala and is has still split herslef as two people  so that they get confused)

M: Haan mai!...Markat!...tumhe kya laga, tumhare ye jadu mujhe rok lenge. Hahaha! Tumhari nak ke neeche se tumhare saare guests ki jagah maine apne sevak bhej diye....uff! itni shakle banate banate thak gayi mai...ballu! juice lao yrr,...sagayi hai bete ki...mehmaan nawazi nahi karoge?

Balwant: Chup! Ghatiya aurat! Zeher peeyegi...

M: Zeherilli to teri bahu hai...kyu bahurani? Teri chatni banakr tujhe pee jau?

Markat signalled her followers and all begin to attack. To Singhanias shock, they were not able to change their roop. Vani looked at them worried.

Ponky: Ye kya ho raha hai?

Jai: Mai bhi nahi roop badal paa raha..

Balwant: ye sb kya hai?

M: Hahaha! Mai batati hoon, tum bewakoof peeyakr logon ko peene ke alawa koi kaam hai kya?... ussi me milaya tha maine. Maine to bar ke juice, water sbme milaa diya tha...hahaha...vo kya hai na, Dakini ke fighting skills utne aache nahi hai to maine socha kyu na tumhe hi insaan bana doon..haha!

Markat suddenly stopped laughing and flew down, clutching Bani's throat. Veer got angry at this and held her arm. His eyes blazed golden and he threw her away.

B: Veer?tum? tum roop badal paa rahe ho?

V: vo mai..pata nahi...wait!

He produced the Gandak stone out of his pocket.

V: Vo tumne kl use krne ko kaha tha tbse pocket me lekr ghum raha hoon, pata nahi kb wapis use krne ko keh do...shayad isliye mujhpr asar nahi hua....you saved me gharwali!

M: Ugh!!! doesnt matter! you are one, we are many. Who will save your gharwali?....attack!

Dakinis began to attack everyone and Markat sat on the couch. Veer was trying but he also couldn't help everyone at the same time. Bani looked at her helpless family and closed her eyes.

B: Hey Bholenath!...aap to hr jagah ho...apko meri pukar sunni hogi...abhi mere pass meri shaktiyan to nahi hai lekin mai phir bhi hoon to adi naagin, ek naagin hoon mai jispr khatra hai...mai naglok se madad ki goohar lagati hoon...unhe meri madad ke liye ana hoga...meri pukar sunni hogi....meri madad kro Bholenath...meri pookar untk pahunchaiye...

Markat noticed Bani stand still with her eyes closed and smirked. She summoned a weapon and approached Bani but before she could read Bani, a blinding light came from the entrance and many people rushed in.

M: tum sb kon ho?

B: My family, my kull.

The cheels and sharmas stared with their mouths wide open as Brinda, Dev, Shesha, Bela and lot many nags and naagins poured in. They bowed down to Bani.

Bela: Hum aapki pukar pr aye hai adi naagin.

Markat: kya? Kyu? Bhago yahan se..

Shesha: aye budhiya! Chup...Adi Naagin ki pukar koi nag naagin ansuni nahi kr sakti....aur tune jo kaam kiya hai...hume to ana hi tha..

Together they began to fight the Dakinis and slowly, all of them became dust. Bela came to Bani and produced the Nagmani, the moment it touched Bani, the spell broke and she transformed into a majestic Naagin. Seeing this, Ritu fainted, Mahek and Dehek were already unconscious. Brinda and Dev guided them into the study along with Mahesh and asked him to lock it from inside.

Soon, all the Dakinis were gone and Markat growled in frustration. She moved forward to attack Veer and Bani was standing far away. Veer was already very tired and wounded as he had been fighting for the longest. Bani looked and saw Chandrakala hiding behind the family, pretending to be scared but actually smirking. Bani fumed. She suddenly call hold of Chandakala with her tail and threw her against the wall.

Chandrakala was shocked as her body smacked hard against the wall. Markat dropped Veer and pain surged through her body as well.

B: Veer!? Tum thik ho na...hey Bholenath!...please mere Veer ko thik kr do...

V: (weakly) sweetheart! Mera koi kuch nahi bigar skta...bs thodi der me thik ho jaunga...

B: Is Markat ki toh mai!!

Bani looked up to see that Chandrakala and Markaat had escaped. They must have merged back again and left when they were distracted. Bani groaned in frustration.

J: Ugh! Ye phir bhaag gayi...

V: Ye naag bhi yahin tha kya?

.............................

It was late, the nagins and nags had returned. Veer was resting on the bed while Jai finished doing the memory altering spell on Sharmas and put them to sleep. Tapish and Pawan went around to check what happened to their original guests while Balwant and Shukla began researching more about Markat. Ponky and Daksh checked on the security and surveyed the area.

V: Bani?...

B: hmmm?

V: Aaj tumne kya kaha tha?

B: Kb?

V: Jb mai Markaat ki grip se gira tha...

B: I asked if you were okay?

V: and?

B: and what Veer...

V: You called me yours..

B: Vo..mai..vo..

V: Vo mai kuch nahi sweetheart...don't worry..mai tumhara hi hoon...(winks)

B: Shut up! (smiles looking away)

V: ahaan!...hasi toh? Hasi toh fasi..

B: Uff!...waise Veeranshu..

V: Bolo gharwali..

B: I am glad you are safe..

Veer beamed at her and hugged her. Bani did not protest and laid next to him, absorbing his warmth and taking in his scent. Markat must have gotten weak due to today's attack and would have realized that they know a lot about her. This might have scared her but she won't stay away. Bani knew it was only a matter of time before she came back but with her husband, her true saathi by her side, she will always be ready.

.............Fin..............

xoxo

Hey everyone, I know most of you will be disappointed. Tbh, I am not that satisfied with this but this is the best I could think. The requests covered in this OS are:-

1. Bani performing the puja ritual in the temple and Veer trying to enter.

2. Tara's engagement and Bani summoning Naglok for help during this due to troubles created by Markat.

Bani had to summon Naglok as she was weak at that moment. So I did not want to depict Markat's end when Bani's was'nt in her full form. She escaped while Bani was concerned about Veer. In case you wanted Markat's end, I have already written an OS uploaded in this book itself (Chapter-12) Please refer to it for Markat's end. That is how I will always wish Markat's death to happen.