Prithvi ignored his phone for some moments, then with a muttered abuse, he glanced at it disinterestedly. It was the number of the main guard he had posted in the village.

He answered the call immediately. When the call ended, his conflicted gaze fell on the door. After a minute, he called up Sumer Singh.

"Baba, I want you to take Nandini to Rajeshwari's room. I was going to do it myself but I need to go out for a short while," he murmured. "And let me know as soon as you meet her. If she doesn't open the door, try calling on the phone in her room. And if she still doesn't answer, call me immediately."

Sumer Singh was perplexed at the instructions. However, hearing the strain in Prithvi's voice, he promptly said, "I'll do as you say, My Lord. But could you tell me where you're..."

"To the village," Prithvi said vaguely. "I'll return in half an hour or so."

Ending the call, he walked to the door and rapped hard. Then he called out her name twice with the faintest hint of desperation.

There was no response.

Trying to curb his tension and remain calm, Prithvi forced his mind away from the purely emotional plane and strode off unwillingly.

Nandini ceased her frantic efforts to maintain silence and looked up tearfully at the door. He was leaving...

But she waited for some more excruciating moments before allow the first gasping sob to escape her.

When she finally gained a bit of control over herself, Nandini got up shakily and fumbled her way to the bathroom again.

The phone began to shrilly but Nandini did not glance at it.

In the bathroom, Nandini removed the white cloth and threw it in the trash bin. Then, standing at the sink, she fiercely scrubbed off the green salve and the medicinal oil, uncaring of the soreness and discomfort, and then wiped her face and right hand harshly with a white towel.

She did not look at the mirror till she felt clean again. And the image she saw frightened her.

Looking away quickly, Nandini left the bathroom and walked straight to the bag that contained her possessions. She searched the contents for some seconds and then removed two pieces of an envelope.

Rajyavardhan's venomous curse reverberated in her head...his voice echoing repeatedly with a cruel relish...

"...mark my words... my daughter's return will be the beginning of a never-ending eclipse for you."

Nandini stared at the pieces, only dimly aware that someone was knocking very loudly on the door.

***********************

Sumer Singh had not been unduly worried when Prithvi had given him those puzzling instructions. He had assumed that yet another fight had taken place between the youngest couple in the palace.

So, he had continued to wait outside Indrajit's room till the manager had arrived to take his place and instructions had been given to everyone concerned. In the meantime, he had called on the phone in Nandini's room to inform her of the plan. Though the calls had gone unanswered, he had still not taken the matter seriously.

Then, on nearing Nandini's suite, he had run into a maid holding a breakfast tray and had learnt that the woman had paid two visits to Nandini's room so far but no one had opened the door. That had triggered a spike of tension.

And now Sumer Singh's stress levels were skyrocketing because of the lack of response to his increasingly loud thumps on the door.

He didn't want the situation to worsen to the point that he would have to notify Prithvi, Sumer Singh thought uneasily as he struck the door with greater vigour.

The door opened suddenly. But he didn't get an opportunity to savour the sense of relief.

"Nandini, what happened to you?" Sumer Singh asked, aghast at the bruises on her face.

The genuine concern on the kindly face severely tested Nandini's composure, and she nearly gave in to her clamouring heart's request to confide in a friendly soul and beg for a scrap of guidance and wisdom.

But much to her disbelief, she serenely said, "Sumer uncle, I'm okay. I thought of exploring the first floor, but I tripped down the stairs and got a little hurt."

"Oh...I'll take you to a doctor, or I could bring one here," Sumer Singh said agitatedly. The nature of the injuries and the red eyes were indicating that something worse than a fall had taken place. However, it also didn't seem like the young girl was lying to him.

"There's no need for that, uncle. A maid gave me some medicines. I'm fine now," Nandini assured him. 

"A maid? Who was it? Anyway, I don't think that's sufficient. You've been crying because of the pain," Sumer Singh noted anxiously. "Please don't hide -"

"I'm not hiding anything," Nandini tried to smile as widely as she could without causing the cut on her lip to open up again. "I got upset when I fell and I ended up crying a little. That's all."

Sumer Singh remained unconvinced. But there was something he had to do before trying to persuade Nandini to divulge the truth.

"Wait, I need to call up Prithvi," he said vaguely. "He'd told me to inform him as soon as I meet you."

"No," Nandini exclaimed unthinkingly. "Sumer uncle, please don't tell him anything yet."

Surprised at the strong reaction, Sumer Singh stared at her in bafflement. "Why?"

Not answering the question, Nandini asked, "Is Prithvi in the palace right now?"

"No, he has gone out for a while."

Relieved, Nandini unthinkingly said, "You know him...if he sees me in this condition, he might – he might get upset."

Sumer Singh tentatively said, "Nandini, he's waiting to hear from me. He had tried to get in touch with you before leaving but couldn't, and so he has been really worried." And with good reason, he thought fretfully.

"Send him a message then," Nandini urged, blocking out the acute spasm in her chest. "Tell him you've met me and I'm fine and – and that you'll be taking me to Rajeshwari's room. If he asks to speak to me, tell him I'm talking to my family. Sumer uncle, please...I'm a little shaken myself by the incident, and I won't be able to calm him down if he...misunderstands," she said evasively, looking away briefly.

"Nandini, please tell me what really happened," Sumer Singh requested seriously.

Nandini hesitated for a few seconds, then she tiredly said, "I missed a step and fell down. That's all. Please don't ask me about it again," she said quietly, looking down at her tightly intertwined fingers.

The aloofness in her tone didn't offend Sumer Singh. It did, however, send his tension ratcheting up again. He'd rarely heard her speak in that tone. And it had always been a sign that a disastrous event had either taken place or was just around the corner...

"Alright, I will not pester you," Sumer Singh mollified swiftly. "But you must at least allow me to do as Prithvi asked and take you to Princess Rajeshwari's room."

Nandini nearly requested him to let her stay in this room since she wasn't in any condition to meet Rajeshwari and Kadambari. Then a repulsive possibility occurred to her. What if Priyamvada returned?

And if she refused to go to Rajeshwari's room, it was likely Sumer Singh would feel even more compelled to inform Prithvi...

Nandini gave a reluctant nod.

*************************

Nandini walked behind Sumer Singh. Her vacant gaze was on the ground and she did not seem aware of the nervous and doubtful looks that were coming her way from the middle-aged man.

But a feeble curiosity enlivened her face when they were passing by a large, beautiful foyer constructed of black and white marble. She had crossed this place on her way to Prithvi's room on the morning of his birthday.

Sumer Singh turned to look uncertainly at her again. She was standing still several feet behind him, staring at the hallway to her right.

"Nandini, is something wrong?" Sumer Singh asked.

Nandini glanced at him hesitantly. Her request was surely going to come across as being peculiar and shameless. She tried to care about what kind of an impression she would create by expressing such a wish. But it was difficult. She seemed to have lost the capability to feel everything apart from a searing pain and fury. The life-altering truths she'd learnt from Priyamvada had transformed the way she viewed almost everything in her life.

"Uncle, could you take me to Prithvi's old room?" she asked awkwardly.

"His old room? Why?" Sumer Singh asked cautiously.

She didn't have any answer to give. "I...I don't know why I asked," she mumbled. "It's okay. Let's go to- "

"No, no, we can go to Prithvi's room," Sumer Singh said hurriedly, eager to do anything that would cheer up the poor girl. "Come along, we need to go this way..."

**************************

While Sumer Singh gave the suite a cursory inspection, opened the curtains and switched on the air conditioner, Nandini waited near the door, staring at the ancient blue flag on the walls.

Sumer Singh looked at her worriedly but didn't speak as he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Nandini remained immobile for a minute, then she strolled towards the balcony.

She had walked across this room on the morning of Prithvi's birthday, her soul rejoicing because he had finally confessed his love on the previous night. And then they had spent some unforgettably beautiful moments on the balcony. Hardly any time had passed since then, but they felt like events from a thousand years ago.

Nandini stopped.

She didn't want to defile an exquisite memory by standing in the same place with unendurable heartache.

As tears scalded her eyes, Nandini changed her direction and headed to the enormous, beautiful bedroom. After a momentary uncertainty, she walked to the left side of the bed and sat down on the soft white bedspread.

The powerful air conditioner was cooling the room quickly. But it was unnecessary. She wasn't feeling hot. Her whole body was still feeling icy, and worst of the chill was concentrated in her chest.

It must be the coldness of death, Nandini mulled dazedly. Because in the instant that she'd faced the spectre of a life without Prithvi, she had ceased to live.

Her head spun violently.

Weak and shivery, Nandini reclined on the bed, hardly conscious of the tears streaming down her temples and wetting the pillow.

With the frequent fights that had erupted between her and Prithvi, they had spent more time apart than together. And some of those clashes had convinced her that their relationship was over. Yet, she could see now that she had never believed it. In her heart of hearts, she had always known that the separation would be temporary, and they would reunite eventually. But on those occasions, the fault had been either his or hers. But this...this was...

Nandini kept a shaking hand on her perspiring forehead.

A belief that had become the foundation for all her dreams and hopes for the future had been destroyed within minutes. The belief that she would be spending her whole life with Prithvi. A lifetime of love, happiness, laughter, tears, celebrations - and innumerable fights.

A watery smile grazed her lips, then fled under the savage attack of reality.

She recalled every conversation she'd had with Prithvi about his mother, and the deep-rooted agony and self-reproach that had underlined his voice when he had spoken about Priyamvada. He had blamed himself for the misfortunes that had transpired in his mother since his birth, and the guilt had grown incalculably after he'd realised that Priyamvada been life alive all along.

She could still see the heartrending emotions on his face and hear the poignant wonder in his voice when he had seen the photograph of his mother smiling at the newborn infant in her arms. Every harrowing detail of Prithvi's condition from the second he had seen his mother was branded on her mind. And she couldn't recall his near breakdown on their way back to the palace without her insides being crushed by pain.

A mother's love was the most powerful and unselfish thing in the world. Prithvi had not received a crumb of it...not from Priyamvada anyway. His bond with his mother...the relationship that should have been the greatest source of stability and security...had damaged him and given him only suffering and self-hate. And now that she knew what kind of a person Priyamvada was...

Unable to breath suddenly, Nandini sat up with a deep gasp.

She loathed Priyamvada too much to think objectively. But Priyamvada was Prithvi's mother, wasn't she? She had carried him in her womb for nine months and brought him into this world. Her love for her son couldn't be questioned.

Priyamvada's reaction on seeing Prithvi at the exhibition...the way she had broken down in her room as she explained to him how Harshvardhan had betrayed them both...

Priyamvada may be devoid of any real goodness, but she did love her son.

And Prithvi...

He had yearned for his mother's love all his life, and God had given him the opportunity to experience it at last. Now even if it turned out that Priyamvada did not deserve an ounce of his affection, Prithvi would never forsake his mother or his responsibilities towards her, Nandini mused with a tender pride and passionate reverence.

She would not do anything that made the task more difficult for him than it already was.

He would probably figure out what had happened. Nevertheless, come what may, she would not say or do anything that could harm the bond between mother and child before it had even been given a real chance to be formed.

Yet, she also couldn't be untrue to herself.

Nandini hugged herself and wept in silence.

At many points in the last few months, she's felt dazed with the immensity of her love for him. Yet, only today had she understood with an agonising clarity just how crucial he was to her existence.

He was the air that flowed through her body as breath...the fiery light of the sun that sustained her... the rain that nourished her...the earth that was the primordial base for her existence...

**********************

The phone lying on the car's dashboard had hardly finished its first ring when it was answered and put on speaker mode.

"Prithvi, are you on your way back?" Sumer Singh enquired tentatively.

"What's wrong? Is Nandini okay?" Prithvi asked sharply, alarmed by the tension in Sumer Singh's tone.

Taken aback, Sumer Singh asked, "Why are you asking about her? Didn't you receive my message?"

"Just tell me what has happened," Prithvi said impatiently. He didn't know why he had jumped to the conclusion that the call was about Nandini, since Sumer Singh had sent him a reassuring message shortly ago. But it was probably because he hadn't really stopped thinking about her from the time he had left his room to go to hers. Or because Sumer Singh's stilted message had aggravated his misgivings instead of resolving them.

Sumer Singh spent a second contemplating Prithvi's tendency to drive dangerously fast even when there was no reason to do so. Then he half-heartedly said, "I didn't call because of any problem. I simply wanted to know when you will return."

"I'll reach in about five minutes," Prithvi said casually before cutting the call. His foot slammed down on the accelerator.

Sumer Singh had been hiding something from him since morning, and now he had lied blatantly. And though there was every reason for the problem to be centred around his mother, he was surer than ever that the call had been about Nandini

Two minutes later the car was racing through the gates

"Where are you?"

Sumer Singh gave a sigh of relief. "You've reached? I'm – I'm waiting near your old room."

"My old room?" Prithvi said sharply. "Baba, what are you not telling me?"

"Nandini is in your room. She wanted to be brought here. The thing is...Nandini...she says she tripped and fell down the stairs. She's okay, but – Prithvi – are you there?"

The guards at the door saw the prince emerge from the car. But he had disappeared from view before they'd started to bow.

****************************

Sumer Singh had been waiting vigilantly for Prithvi. Despite that, he was startled by the appearance of the pale young man who was hurtling down the massive passageway.

Prithvi's pace slowed to extremely swift strides on seeing Sumer Singh, enabling the middle-aged to note the rigid jaw and pallid complexion.

The lad was distressed, anxious and angry - and the last emotion was directed at him, Sumer Singh understood unhappily.

Then he realised Prithvi intended to walk past him and proceed straight to the room.

"My Lord, please wait," Sumer Singh requested, alarmed. "I have to talk to you before you meet Nandini."

"You can talk to me later," Prithvi said tersely without pausing.

He opened the heavy doors with an impatient push and stalked into the sitting room.

"Prithvi, you need to listen -"

Prithvi turned around furiously. "Why didn't you call me immediately?"

"Nandini didn't want me to," Sumer Singh explained quickly. "I did as you'd asked and went to her room to take her to Princess Rajeshwari's suite. It took a while for her to open the door and she – "

He halted as Prithvi swivelled back on hearing the chiming of anklets.

Nandini emerged from the bedroom and paused beneath the archway.

Sumer Singh vacillated for a moment, then he chose the wisest option and left hurriedly.

Prithvi stared in disbelief at the crimson blotch and faint swelling on the side of Nandini's face, the cut on her lips, and the red, swollen eyes.

Stupefied with horror, he walked forward and halted close to her. He lifted a hand to touch her face but his cold and shaky fingers remained suspended over the ugly mark and the injured lip.

Then, in a second, his shock transformed into a tortured rage.

His hands framed her face with a stirring tenderness, fingers burrowing into her silken hair. The gentleness was in a glaring contrast with the ferocity on his features.

"Who did this?" Prithvi demanded harshly.

The question did not disconcert Nandini. She had known he would see through the ruse and had prepared herself as best as she could.

"No one did anything," she replied lightly. "I fell down. After you left, I thought of exploring that part of the palace and went to the first floor. I spent some time walking around and then I decided to return to my room. And that's when I missed a step and fell down the stairs."

"That's a good lie," he said tightly. "Now tell me the truth? Who hit you?"

"I am telling you the truth," she said calmly. "It doesn't become a lie just because you think it is."

Prithvi felt abruptly ill as an appalling thought hit him.

"Was it my mother?" he demanded to know quietly, a stomach-turning dismay mingling with his fury. "Was she the one who hit you?"

Attempting to seem exasperated, Nandini persisted, "No one did anything. Why don't you believe me?"

He removed his hands from her face and regarded her grimly. "I lived on a diet of beatings for the first seven years of my life. Fine...you don't have to tell me anything, I'll find out some other way."

"Do you have any respect for me at all?"

The abrupt question and the sudden coolness in her eyes disconcerted him enough to stop the devastating train of his thoughts.

"You know I do," Prithvi said confusedly.

"You haven't yet given me a reason to believe that," Nandini retorted bluntly. "But if you mean it, then drop this whole matter right now. Accept that I'm telling you the truth and stop cross-questioning me - I tripped and got hurt. That's all that happened."

Prithvi gazed at her with frustration. The injuries on her face were causing him untold agony, and along with it, an anger that wouldn't be satiated till he had dealt with the perpetrator, regardless of who it was. But he also wanted the faint chill in her voice to go away somehow.

He warily said, "Nandini, I need to know - "

"You think someone hit me, so it becomes the truth?" Nandini questioned. "What I say is not relevant. Is that how it is?

"But -"

"Is it that difficult for you?" she interrupted with a genuine vexation. "To honour my wishes - for once?"

Prithvi looked at her for a while, then drearily said, "Alright. But I want you to go through a check-up with one of the doctors here."

"I've gone through a check-up and was given medicines too," Nandini revealed truthfully.

Intrigued by the ring of truth in the midst of lies, he astutely asked, "By whom?"

She stared at him tetchily.

"Okay, okay, no more questions," Prithvi mumbled, fully planning to pursue the subject at a less volatile time. And there was also the question of why she had wanted to come to this room...

Nandini smiled instinctively and then instantly winced.

The flicker of pain on her face wrecked his heart. Unable to express his emotions verbally, he moved closer with troubled features and drew her into his arms.

Enduring a harsh stinging in her eyes and an intolerable ache in her throat, Nandini relaxed against him, her right cheek pressed against his heart. He had reacted instinctively, and had still taken care not to touch the left side of her face.

She clung to him desperately.

It was easy to lose herself in a deluge of feelings each time he embraced her like this. But now she wanted to isolate each individual sensation and absorb it into herself...record them in her soul somehow so that she would never forget...

She wanted to remember the feeling of his strong arms wrapped tenderly around her, the restful stroking of his fingers on her hair, the warmth of his skin and the thudding of his heart.

Most of all, she wanted to preserve the memory of this pristine, unshakeable faith that pervaded her when she was with him...this faith that she loved and was loved to an impossible extent.

She wanted to gather these luminous moments of untainted sweetness and embed them into her consciousness. Their light would help her stay alive during the never-ending eclipse that was about to descend upon their world...

****************************