Ishani looked away, trying not to make her face look like a ripened cherry.

In the modern era, women would've cried buckets to be with him. But she knew he was destined to be somebody's husband.

Vrushali's. Maybe he was rude to her in their first meet, but she wouldn't allow it to happen.

She was here to ensure everybody lived happily. Not get entangled into one of their lives.

Besides, she was a nobody here.

Just an outsider.

That thought hurt, but she was used to  it.

Devajit gripped her chin softly, forcing her to look at him. 

"What happened? Why such a sour face?" He murmured gently, when she removed his hand from her chin.

"Come with me. We need to talk." He tilted his head in confusion, looking on as a rider came forward.

He suddenly felt it weird. Was she angry because he touched her suddenly?

But then, she would have directly scolded him. Then, was she going to confess?

Nah, he dismissed. She didn't look at him like he looked at her.

"Pranipaat, Kuru Rajkumaro. These are the horses sent by Vasudev. "

All of them got on quickly, and luckily, there was an extra horse neighing impatiently.

Ishani took the chance and mounted on it. 

Devajit rode by her side, looking at her.

"Your parents are in danger. I .. " She hesitated, when he looked at her calmly.

"Did you have a vision or something?" He whispered, and she nodded.

"Who.. What did you see?" It was good that Devajit was in control, otherwise Karna would have yelled his lungs out and panicked.

"Your parents were tied up, heavy iron chains. Shakuni was asking them about you.. and unable to bear the torture, he blurted out that they found you on the banks of Ganga. And Radha Maa pleaded him to leave, but he laughed.. He wanted you to choose between them or.. surrender me." She spoke quietly, afraid of his reaction.

She wanted to come along and deal with that cunning idiot, but there was a possibility that he would blame her.

Devajit sighed, massaging his forehead.

"How are you feeling?"  Her eyes widened.

"Huh?" She thought her ears malfunctioned.

"I am fine." 

"Okay. You don't have to worry. I'll take care of it."

"I have a plan, actually. Since he attempted to kill me numerous times, I'll become the bait, and we can together expose him."

He stared blankly at her. 

"Do you think it's easy? You have never even wielded a weapon before." 

She glared back.

"So? I didn't know a thing about archery, still I defeated Rajkumar Arjun okay.. You have to trust me.."

"Why do you think he's alive after all these years, darling? Many have tried to kill him, and trust me, it hasn't come out well." He looked at her biting her lips, his eyes slowly darkening.

"But.. what does he gain by killing me?"

Devajit laughed.

"Oh love, he'll make you the richest woman if you are on his side. But if it's the other way, he's okay with killing you. You are a useful tool to him."

Ishani looked at him blankly, not knowing how to react.

So even this era was no different from KaliYug? She thought otherwise. 

Her lips wobbled. She thought of Krishna, who sweet smile was enough to remove her worries. 

"You'll be safe. Protected by the best warrior of the era." He had promised, but she could see only herself, trying her best to survive.

Did everyone make promises which were never meant to be?

"Don't worry, I promise to protect you. We'll find a way out." He assured her, but she only smiled weakly.

"Promises are meant to be broken." She whispered, making him sigh.

"Then I take an oath: As long as I am alive, I promise to protect you. From no matter who." 

She looked at him like he went crazy, when he shrugged.

"You didn't believe in promises. So I made an oath."

"Are you for real? What kind of a guy are you?" She muttered in shock, when he looked at her.

"What are the different types of boys? You tell me.." He asked, when she nodded awkwardly.

Why was he asking such a question? That too, in this situation?

Forget it, he would have just been curious.

"Good boys. They are sweet, soft and kind, usually the type that go to heaven." Devajit chuckled.

"Go to heaven? They must be stupid. I mean, I'll bring heaven down to you. Then, what type of a boy will I be?"

"Uh.. Bad boy.." She stammered, suddenly wanting to look at the silky man of the horse.

"It's okay.. it actually sounds cool. So how do bad boys look?"

"Ah.. They usually wear full black suits, darker shade clothes.. in our world.. are cold-hearted, don't give a damn about anybody, hate the world and trust nobody. They're really powerfull and skilled though, but most of them do end up living happily with their loved ones."

His red orbs seemed to be seeking her black ones out. 

His eyes were hypnotic, the ones that would make you fall on your knees simply and cut your own throat with a sweet smile.

"Then I too will get a happy ending, right?" Her smile dropped.

Of course he would have a happy marriage. 

Correction.

Marriages.

He wasn't blind to her expression. Was she afraid of being with him .. or was she jealous ?

He shook that thought away. She wasn't the jealous type, and she didn't even like him.

Wait, he was thinking too much. Was it because she had a bad memory regarding marriage?

Of course, he suspected she might have got married to that .. weird Arjun guy. He was simply building castles in the air.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked, covering her awkwardness.

I want all of you, including those weird words and strange mannerisms which set you apart from other humans. I want to make that man who hurt you crumble into dust in my hands.

He thought, trying to keep a neutral face as he nodded at her.

"But, if you want to corner him as soon as we reach Hastinapur, I have a plan." She grinned at him, his heart already becoming a pool.

"Tell me," She allowed the horse to slow down as he began telling her.

"First, we go with the Princes.. I mean, I will sneak into the dungeons since Shakuni has to be present there,and you will be with them. If them ask you about my wherabouts, you will have to say I went to meet my parents. Observe Shakuni's reaction then. As he clings onto Duryodhana and sweet talks him, excuse yourself. I would have fought my way and will need you to help my parents to escape. How's it?"

"Risky and reckless." Karna shrugged.

"But it's a basic outline," She complained, wondering how to go about it.

He sighed, pulling out a scroll from the bag. 

"Nakul gave it to me for reference. It's a map of the palace, including the dungeons. Keep it with you."

She frowned at the extremely poetic style of marking and writing. Why were these people so intelligent and scientific?

Modern people would blush in shame, feeling silly for competing over some exams.

"Ishani.." He waved his hand, trying to make her look at him.

"Huh.."

"You're dreaming," He pointed out and she smiled sheepishly.

"Okay, I'll keep it with me. Thank you,"

He nodded, laughing as her horse neighed nervously at a passing lizard.

"It's just like you," He commented and she chuckled, frowning at the horse.

"How many days will it take? To reach Hastinapur?"

"4 more days," He muttered, yawning lazily.

Ishani sighed. 

"I haven't even got my clothes and trunks.. They would have got destroyed. Now, what do I do?"

"I managed to get some of your clothes.. I mean.. I thought you would need it... They are here..." He coughed, pulling out two of her dresses from his bag.

Ishani's eyes widened. 

Such a thoughtful guy he was. 

"Thank you so much! It's sweet of you." Karna looked down, his face burning.

"Everyone! We're nearing an abandoned settlement! Let's camp there for tonight!" Yudhishthira called out, everyone humming in agreement.

"Devi, do you want your tent a bit away from ours? We understand that you need privacy.."

Duryodhana looked at the two, busy chatting. He smiled, thanking the heavens that these two were finally opening up.

Ishani nodded at him. 

"Teach me how to make for myself. Have you all gathered wood? For fire?"

"No, since we'll be stopping near an old settlement, there'll be plenty of trees and fruits. We'll collect there."

"Okay.. Any plans of hunting for dinner? Maybe you can find some animals.. and burn them well.. I'll show you how to roast meat with salt and enjoy."

"Really? You know how to cook those delicacies? Did you stay overnight anytime like this?"

Some of the Kauravas and Sahadeva huddled around them, listening to their talks.

Ishani shook her head.

"I learnt them. Like camping and stuff."

"Camping? What does that mean?" Sahadeva asked curiously.

Ishani smiled. She admired his mature-like curiosity.

"In our region, we call a night over in the forest as camping. You know, with those tents and fire.."

"So, Devi who are you parents? Are you a foreign noble?" One of the younger Kauravas asked.

She stiffened; wondering what to answer.

Karna struggled to restrain Devajit. 

'How many times do you wanna have control? You're such a bully..'

'And you are a coward, Karna. Shut it and allow me, before I act like a caveman to Ishani. You know I'm capable of masking my red irises and making it look like you're in control. She won't even suspect me then.'

'Fine. only this time.'

'You wish.' Devajit snickered, enjoying the feel of being in control.

"I'm a," Ishani started when Devajit interrupted.

"She's suffering from a memory loss, so she's under Vasudev care for the time being. They're still trying to investigate her identity."

"Oh." The boy nodded in realisation, while Ishani looked at Karna gratefully.

"I don't know how to repay you, really. Otherwise.." She sighed, smiling at him.

'There are so many ways to repay me..' Devajit gawked at her plump lips while Karna cursed inwardly, warning him to behave.

Ha. As if he would listen to that meek man.

'I'm not meek' Karna tried to defend himself, getting a chuckle in return.

'If you say so.' Devajit loved riling Karna; this guy was such a goofy boy in love.

He was proud at the fact that Karna wasn't seeking revenge or an aggressive human. Not to mention, most of the warriors tended to sleep around a lot, to boost their ego and satisfaction.

But Karna, from a young age, decided to be celibate until marriage.

If he wanted a woman as pure as Sita Devi, he had to be as flawless and equally pure as Lord Ram.

Even he was fascinated by Ishani, when she first appeared like a Prince Charming. he had never seen a woman so bold and unbothered by society's taunts.

The more they spoke, the more his feeling increased, having a strong wish to remain by her side.

She was a celestial, while he was a man of unknown origin.

But who cared, as long as she had no problem? He had to remove her sad past and give her the happiness she deserved.

"Shreeman," He looked at Nakul who was waving frantically.

"We've reached," Nakul informed as  Karna took over, leaving a grumbling Devajit.

The trail of the forest was wide, and one could see abandoned huts and piles of hay, along with scattered remains of burnt firewood.

"Some of you, clean up the huts. You can sleep there." Duryodhana was organizing his younger brothers, all of them around him like bees. 

Karna gathered the white tent cloth from Bheema, tying to logs of wood and setting it on the ground firmly.

Ishani looked around, the white cloth flying over her face as she tried to gather it. The rough winds made her hair cover her face, and her eyes twitched.

"Ugh!" She groaned frustratedly, trying to pull the cloth. All the extra logs were already taken.

Bheema, who was busy looking out for everyone, roared in laughter at her condition. She looked like a typical ghost girl, with long hair and white cloth on her face.

Even an unaware Ishani understood that he was laughing at her, and gritted her teeth when more laughs were heard.

Before she could lash out, Karna yelled at all of them to leave and finish setting up their tents.

Bheema grumbled hesitantly and left, trying not to peek.

"Ishani, wait. It'll take some time, so just don't wiggle around too much." Ishani sighed, standing still as Karna tried to pull the tent cloth.

But the wind blew more harshly, and Karna groaned as the cloth enveloped him too.

He looked at Ishani, who was busy trying to adjust her hair. He moved closer, out of plain instinct.

Both flinched as drops of rain slowly wet the cloth, sticking to their skin. 

"umm," Ishani froze as she saw his dazed gaze, underneath the cloth.

She shivered, gesturing him to remove the cloth. Karna sighed, removing the cloth stuck to his skin when he slipped due to the wet mud.

"Hey! Careful!" Ishani tried to hold him when he accidentally fell on her, their lips meeting.

And the world came crashing down.

Thunder struck the sky, and Ishani jolted under his touch. 

It wasn't her first kiss, but still she felt like an inexperienced woman.

She felt his soft lips shudder against hers, as if he had never known such a feeling.

Her hands felt numb as she felt like a ticking atom bomb. That one touch made her feel like she would explode any moment.

She had been kissed numerous times, but the way his lips felt on hers..

It was more than the novels. It was electrifying, like the stars were rejoicing at their union.

She wanted more. Her lips made a faint attempt to move, when Bheema's loud voice made them break apart.

She looked away guiltily, realising what a crime she had committed.

She deprived this man of his first kiss with his lover. Allowed the stupid rain to mess her feelings up.

She hurriedly removed the cloth, trying to gather it. 

Karna stood like a mannequinn. 

He felt happy.

No. Ecstatic.

His first ever kiss was in the rain, and it was such a shocking moment for him.

He felt a faint ache in his arms, as if something was missing. He wanted to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her up, kissing her lips like they were softer than petals.

Her eyes sparkled, and he felt her lips trying to move against his, only for them to break apart.

She had just kissed him. Willingly and consciously.

But he was aware that she wouldn't want to discuss this with him. It would only confuse her emotions and force her back into an empty shell.

He expected her to turn cold-hearted, adn ignore what had just happened.

But he was fully prepared to play along. And win her heart slowly.

He smiled crazily, touching his lips. 

If he knew kissing her would be this nice, he would gladly kiss her a hundred times a day.

Ishani felt her insecurities resurfacing, recalling the way he kissed her.

But she didn't want to remain in the past again.

She would never regret anything that happened here. Even a fatal attraction to the powerful warrior who was destined for somebody else.

Meanwhile,

Arjun Mehta gasped, his shirt soaked in his blood. He bent over and coughed violently, the pain worsening everytime he was awake.

But now, his chest hurt. A feeling of extreme sadness washed over him and his heart felt heavy.

Like someone had just betrayed him.

But the question was, who?

He had never had anyone to call his own, except Ishani, whom her foolishly abused.

But she was dead. Due to overdose of drugs, and all his fault.

And how had he been betrayed?

If Ishani was alive, he would've felt betrayed if she loved another man, yet he would let go for her happiness.

Only if he knew..

Ishani was alive, fighting her feelings for a man who was a thousand times more better than him.

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