Hey Guys!!!!

The twentieth chapter.

I don't own Mahabharat.

Happy Reading!!

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Raj Mata Satyavati POV 

I sent Aditya to his father. 
Bishma had missed him a lot. And he needed his son a lot. 

I missed him too, but his father's pain is greater than mine. Aditya needed to be with his father more right now. 

I stepped in to my room, to retire for the day. 
Today had been wonderful with Aditya's return and all but I suppose the day that comes tomorrow would be better than today. 

"Raj Mata!" 

I turn around to see who called for me. 
It is Princess Ananya. 

"Ananya?" I question, my voice held the confusion in it. 

What is she doing here? 
Did she want something? 
Or any help. 

"I need a promise from you, Raj Mata." She says. 

"What promise?" I raise an eyebrow in question. 

"Promise me, whatever I ask for today. You will not say no to me." 

What is she asking for? But I will give it to her, yes. 
"Of course." 

"Then let me serve you tonight." She says. 

"What do you mean?" I ask surprised. 

"Today, your grandson cannot be here." She says, taking my hands in her. 
"Let me be with you, tonight."  

I stare at her.   

How can I let her do this?   
That too tonight, when she came from so far away. 
She must be so tired. 

"No." She raises one finger. "You cannot say no to me. You promised." 

I shake my head; a smile was taking form on my face. "Ok. Fine." 

She smiles so widely; I was scared she would break her face in two. 
"Thank you. Thank you." She starts to chant. 

"Come on!" I laugh, as I walk in to my room along with her. 

"I am sorry, Raj Mata." She makes an apologetical face. 

"First thing." I raise my hand. "Call me Dadi, just like Adi does." 
She nods in understanding and I continue. 

"Second thing, why are you sorry, huh?" 

"Actually, Karn told me that he wanted to come here but he had to go to meet his father too." She says. "So, I came in his place. I wanted to really meet the lady who means so much in Karn's life." 

My lips turn up. Aww, she is sweet, too. 

"How do you know that I am the one, I mean the one who means most to him?" I raise an eyebrow in question. 

"Oh please." She raises a hand. "I have heard a lot." 

"About me?" I question. 

"Yes." She nods. "At the beginning all he could talk was of his grandmother." 

She takes me in front of the mirror and starts to comb my hair. "Do not get me wrong, I am not complaining. Just saying." 

"I know, Putri." I catch her hand and squeezing it, trying to make making her assure. "I understand in what sense you are talking about all this. Do not worry and talk to me absolutely freely." 

She nods, helping me in dis- carding the jewellery for the day.
And I rise from my seat. "Come on!" 

I take her along with me, "We both can sleep here." 
I gesture to my bed. 

"No, Raj Mata. I cannot do that." She shakes her head. 

"Why cannot you?" I raise the question. "And you had to call me Dadi, right?" 

"You are a queen mother." She smiles softly. "I am just a mere human." 

"Why are you saying that?" I frown. "You are the princess of Dwarka." 

"I just have the title." She says, looking away. 

"I do not get it." I reply, the confusion, I felt lacing my voice. 

She walks away from me, heading for the window. "I never lived as a princess. I do not know anything about being a princess." 

"How does that concern sleeping here?" I question. 
And what in the name of Lord Shiva is she talking about? 

"I have lived in places, that you could never even imagine of." She says. 

"You took a bath after that, right?" I ask, turning her so that she faces me. 

She smiles softly. "Yes, of course, Raj Mata." 

"Call me Dadi." I tell her sternly.
"And if you have taken a bath, you are clean. I do not care of all this." 

"But -" She raises her hand to say something. But I cut her off, catching her hand and dragging her with me. 

"No ifs and buts." I warn her as I make her sit on my bed. 

"You are so sweet, Dadi!" She says, pouting cutely.   

"And you are cute!" I say, pulling her cheeks. She just smiles cutely at me. 

I sit down on the bed, relaxed against the head board and pull her towards me, she tries to remain sitting but I force her in to laying her head in my lap. 

"You know, Dadi, Karn will have my head for this." She comments. 

"As if!" I scoff, making her chuckle. 

"What do you really say that?" She questions. 

"Who will tell him? It is just you and me." I question. "As also, that idiot is with his father. He must be eating Bishma's ear's out." 

"Yeah! He excels in that area." Ananya nods in agreement. 

"Ok, leave that." I run a hand through her hair. "Tell me, why were you not ready to sleep here with me, huh?" 

"I told you the reason, Dadi." She replies. 

But I know she is lying. Her eyes are constantly moving. There is a something big going on with her, has always been happening with her.  

"You told me a fact but hid the real truth." I tell her, pulling her up so that I can look her face, closely. See what she is talking all along our talk. 

"Is it not the same thing?" She questions not really looking at me. 

"Is it?" I question, raising an eyebrow.  

"Why are you asking me the same things again and again?" She questions.
"I do not want to sound dis- respectful but still, Dadi why?" 

"You call me Dadi and still are not ready to share your pains with me?" I ask her, rubbing her hands. 

"I am not in pain, Dadi!" Ananya looks at me, her eyes scrunched together.
"What are you talking about?" 

"Some pains are in form of scars. Some in form of memories." I tell her.
"But there always are some scars in our life." 

She just looks away from me. As if, she was not ready to believe or accept it. 

I pull her in a hug. "I know there is something that you hide behind this disguise of being happy."   

I pull away from the hug and take her face in my hands. 
"I do not know what it is. What demons you have faced in your past. And I will know only when you will tell me yourself. I will not force you to tell me that." 

I wipe the tears that had fell from her eyes, as she holds my hand to my face. 

"This tears of yours, they are physical evidence that you have fought against some pain. You have dealt with the pain. Passed all the test that the life posed at you until now." I continue, further. 

"I am always here for you, my dear." 

"Thank you." She chokes out. 

"Not at all." I shake my head. "You are as important to me as Karn is. I will always love you, remember that." 

"Of course, Dadi!" 

I make her lie back down and pat her as she slowly falls deep in sleep. 

You have faced a lot, my dear. But no more. 
Now that I am here, I will not let you feel the pain ever again. 

I feel as if you mean a lot more than just a friend to my Aditya. 
Even though he may not know that now. But he soon will and so will you.  

**********

How was the update for the day?

Is the bond that is forming between the two cool? 

They will rock, won't they? 

And what about Ananya's past? 

How will they deal with this all things being put in them? 

(1365 words.)

--Sxxxxx