Sunn mere Khuda bas itni si meri duaa
Lauta de humsafar mera
Jaayega kuch nahi tera
Tere hi dar pe hoon khada
Jaan toh Jaan main Kahan
Taqdeer ko badal meri
Mujhpe Hoga Karam tera...

Meglos grabbed the little fluffy animal in his hold as he saw tanirika running behind the animal. Jugnu was exceptionally naughty, he loved making tanirika run behind him, pamper him.

The only thing he desired was cuddling on her stomach day and night.

Tanirika sighed in relief the moment she saw meglos picking the animal up in his arms. She smiled thankfully at the man standing in front of her holding the little pup in his arms.

"Thank you so much meglos, he troubles me a lot "

"Now why do you trouble the queen, man" he tilted his face parallel to the dog's and asked in a quirky voice. The dog barked at him in annoyance, glaring at him with his teeth out.

Jugnu started wriggling in his hold attempting to breakthrough. Tanirika extended her hands to take the little monster in her arms. Meglos nodded placing jugnu in her arms. As soon as the puppy glided against her it calmed out nudging his nose against her breast.

Tanirika caressed his stomach patting his head gently.

"If you don't mind your majesty, I can give you some company to your destination. "
Tanirika nodded happily as they made their way out of the corridor towards the garden.

"I love this garden, these few rare plants species always fascinates me. I think this is brought from Romania, the place you all came from "

Meglos plucked the leaf of the plant and forwarded it towards tanirika. She balanced jugnu in her one arm and took the leaf from meglos.

"This leaf is a herb, It is used to cure blindness. When zravasya travelled to Arab, he met a man who was well versed in the field of medicine. To make a living zravasya assisted him, the man gifted zravasya seeds of some herbs which he planted here. " tanirika smiled wondering about other things she didn't know about her husband. A blush grew on her cheeks as she remembered his handsome striking face and the moments they spent together.

As he promised he didn't leave their bed when he woke up. He waited for her beautiful orbs to connect with his while the sunlight bathed them in it's a warm and soothing blanket. Mingling and teasing with his lips while the giggles filled the walls of the chambers it was quite hard for him to leave her. The moment he left to get ready she started him. Call her selfish she needed him only for herself and that too for every second she breathes.

"I didn't know about this. So, meglos do you also have some hidden talents? "

"How will they be hidden if I revealed them to you " Tanirika chuckled caressing jugnu.

"You don't have any. " meglos stopped in his tracks and glared at her while she laughed heartedly.

"I didn't expect you to be mean to me. I thought you were different. " He gritted stomping his feet on the ground. Tanirika plucked the flower from the nearby plant and handed it to him smiling cheekily at him.

Meglos frowned looking at the flower while tanirika ushered him to take it.

"Why are you giving me this? "

"A token of apology. I am sorry. I didn't intend to hurt you. " She replied innocently. A blush appeared on his face as he took the flower from her hands.

"Are you blushing meglos? "

"No one has ever given me a flower. I feel good " He whispered rotating the flower between his hands. Tanirika smiled at him while they walked towards the lake in the middle of the garden. Tanirika sat on the stone lying on the corner while meglos didn't sit. He decided to stand with the flower in his hands. He smiled looking at the beautiful yellow flower than at the woman who sat comfortably at the lake. She was kissing the head of the puppy while looking at the lake showering the love the puppy deserved.

Meglos was jealous of the puppy. He got affection and care which he never got when he was a kid. Childhood was a joke for him, he was never treated like a child when he was little. A slave is never a kid. A slave is always an object to be used for pleasure. He closed his eyes forcing all the horrible memories back. He was way past out of it that was his past. His present was lively and independent.

"Are you ok meglos? " A worried tanirika brought him out of his thoughts. He stared at the lake smiling sadly through his prism of memories shaking his head negatively.

"I was having a memorable trip in my past."

"How was the trip? " Meglos turned his face towards her without hiding any emotion. Her expressions changed from relief to misogyny as his expressions brought sadness to her heart. Sadness didn't look good on the man's face who always smiled and cheered everyone around him.

His expressions brought her to the realization that whatever the place was, the place from where they come from was horrible. Every person who travelled from the other side of the seven seas had their struggle and fight.

"Just how it is. Thinking freely about my past appears tuff because slaves don't have a right. They are puppets who work on command. " Jugnu nuzzled his head in her neck as she hugged him closer to her heart trying to gain some comfort.

"Was it so horrible? So evil that thinking about it makes you look so vulnerable. "

Meglos chuckled sadly smelling the flower in his hands.

"We didn't even own our souls, we owned nothing what will a man own when his whole existence was bought by another man by trading a few coins and a black mark, a iron belt confirmed the way of your living. It was our hell, hell comprised of the poorest and blood running in our veins. "

He sat near the lake a few steps away from tanirika. Gathering some stones from the sides he started making a circle of the stones around the flower which he kept on the ground. Tanirika looked at him as he tried to open his heart while he used the stones and flowers as a distraction.

"I was born into slavery, my mother was a whore. Well, all slaves are whores. We never owned our body so you know. I never got to know who she was, they say they took me away when she delivered me out of her womb, the moment I took my first breath, there was an iron belt around my neck and a burning iron symbol was pressed on my arm to remind me every time that my life was not mine. I had a master. " he smiled as he completed the circle of his insecurities around the happiness he got as a token of the flower.

"There are always insecurities in our life. Evil forces, second thoughts surrounding our mind every time we get happy and blessed. But that is how life is. Everyone has their own story, we think some people get things easily but no one knows what they have suffered. Everyone breathing on this planet has their own story of survival. I think life is an act of survival. The longer you survive the longer you suffer. Happiness is greed and everyone wants to bath in their greed. Live the moment you are in I am not saying forget your past always have it closer because this mind needs to know that how we got here. We must know the value of happiness we are enjoying right now. "

Meglos looked at tanirika who stared at him proudly. There was an emotion in her eyes which made meglos happy she didn't pity him she respected him, adored him moreover she liked him. He always thought people won't like him if he told them about his past. But look at this woman treating him as a normal person who holds some importance in her life. He felt joyous and proud of himself, he was the reason for her smile.

"Do you know meglos, when a man arrived in Asaka with the news that a northern barbaric outsider has defeated the king of rakshatra and conquered the strongest kingdom of the hind? Do you know no man, no warrior dares to challenge the kings of the hind but who did zravasya did. You all work hard, fought and look at you today, you eat, you sleep and you live. " meglos laughed when tanirika hinted at his famous line.

"You are teasing me. I got you there. I got you there." he pointed his finger at her while she giggled.

"You are the most interesting human I have ever met meglos, I am a princess I am trained to live like a royal but look at me talking to a man other than my husband smiling at him. Right now I am breaking many rules of my nursemaid. If she saw me like this she would be furious. " She said narrowing her eyes and shaking her head in annoyance.

"You are never the following the rules type, that ain't your personality. You follow your heart. "

"You talk so highly of me. I am honoured."

"If you don't mind your majesty, can you please find me a beautiful lady just like you to please me. " their positions were changed as they both stayed facing each other sitting parallel sides.

"You want to get married. " He twisted his face in different expressions pouting at her.

"I like a woman. But unlike Loki, I don't want hundreds in my life. That man wants a new woman every night. Sorry women every night. One woman cannot fill his hunger " he grunted as his right leg tingled.

"Who is Loki? " She asked with curiosity. She knew that he was someone closer to her husband and people around her husband always enthralled her.

"Loki is our friend. He is the commander of the army of rakshatra. You never met him right. Well, you can now he arrived at the place the previous night. Come with me I will take you to him he is with your husband. " He smirked mentioning the king. Tanirika blushed looking at the dog in her hands as meglos teased her.

"Well, this is a very good excuse to meet him. Common " He ushered her. She gave in as they both made their way towards the king and the commander.

"Tell me more about him"

"He is stupid and annoying. His remarks are way too annoying because he thinks he is superior. He is a carefree man, he craves nothing. He is stronger than zravsaya but he loathes leadership so zravasya is the king. If Loki wants he can take the whole kingdom down. But he is not greedy. Greed only arises when he needs women. Wine and woman are like a breath of oxygen for him. He fights for passion and comfort."
Tanirika found Loki a very interesting man. Well, every friend of her husband was interesting in their own way.

They all differed from each other but still held a strong aura around them. Meglos hid a very dark side of him down the cheerful personality he had. Her husband was malicious she knew that but he was delicate when it came to her. After spending days with him she got a hint that he possessed a side, a dark side which only came out when he wanted. He was well versed in hiding his emotions.

Just as expected meglos didn't let the courtier complete his announcement, he entered the chambers as he owned it. She rolled her eyes as he turned back winking at her while he smiled mischievously. He surely had something up on his sleeves.

As she entered the chambers which looked like another meeting chambers, she gazed around herself. Various shelves and weapons filled the hall with their old smell and dusty atmosphere.

"Meglos" A rough cheerful male voice broke her sight view. She looked at the well-built man sitting on one of the massive sofas, he sat like the owner with an apple in his hand. the most exquisite thing about the man was his red hair it was the first time she saw someone with red hair. He looked like a man from a distinct side. Unlike zravsaya and meglos who had black hair. The man sitting on the sofa had long red hairs, his skin was white and red while his eyes were little.

Jugnu barked delightfully as he caught the glimpse of the red headed man. He jumped from tanirika's hold and ran towards him. The man chuckled as the dog licked his feet continuously. He ran his toe on the pup's body as he bit on his apple.

Tanirika didn't like that. She frowned as he traced patterns on the puppy's body.

"Don't do that. Jugnu" She hissed. The pup heard his name and ran towards tanirika who picked him up in her hold. Caressing his body she glared at the man who touched her dog with his pup.

"And who are you? " He asked in his slurpy voice as he chewed the apple. Tanirika glared at him not backing off when meglos looked between her and Loki in amusement. He caught a glimpse of the zravasya who held a look of amusement too.

"I don't think you hold the honour of knowing who I am " She gritted in disgust.

"Tanirika" Zravasya called her out of her anger as he sensed the situation between his friend and wife. Tanirika turned towards zravasya who sat on the other sofa with a pen and paper. He was writing something.

"So she is the one you married. Hmm, interesting. " Loki said looking at tanirika with a smile while he chewed the apple.

"Yes, Loki she is. Tanirika come here " he called her softly. She gave a quick look to Loki before sitting beside zravasya with jugnu in her hands.

"That is my friend Loki and he didn't mean to upset you. The pup knows him-"

"I don't care. He must not run his feet on my puppy. I don't know anything. Next time I won't be easy on him. "

Zravasya sighed looking at tanirika who was still very furious at Loki.

"I like her. Did she cut him off in middle. Meglos! She is the only person I met in this kingdom who cut the king. The King. " Loki laughed looking at tanirika.

"She is the queen. She holds equal power. "

" mi-aș dori să fiu regina (I wish I was the queen. )"

" Bunătate loki. Ești imposibil (Goodness loki. You are impossible)" Zravasya groaned.

Tanirika looked between the men with a confused expression as they chatted in a foreign language.

" ce spune stăpânul vrăjit (what does master says bewitched ) " Loki said looking at meglos who laughed silently.

Zravasya rolled his eyes in annoyance as tanikrika looked at him with a blank expression.

"They are just messing don't mind them "

The language mentioned in the chapter is Romanian. If you are not comfortable reading about slavery then you can tell me I will put a warning in further chapters.

Things will get intense this was just an overview of the past, many more to come.

I hope y'all liked the chapter.

And I got a message today from my readers, ranisa is rising higher on the Wattpad rank charts daily and I am happy about that. Thank you so much for supporting me.

This is so huge 🥺. Thank you so much. When I started this book I wanted to write this one because I love history and my dad loves it more. The stories he used to tell me always inspired me.

This book means so much to me.

I hope y'all are taking care and healthy ❤.

Love aditi ❤