"AN!"
Yelled out Eldrain at the top of his lungs.
The moment she heard his voice, An stopped the carriage and climbed off, carrying Aurelia in her arms.
She ran towards Eldrain and Raghav. "Amesha attacked her!"
Rushing forward, Raghav took Aurelia from An's arms and into his. He placed his index and middle fingers on her neck.
The pulse was faint, yet it was still there, along with immense heat that emitted from her.
Sweat dripping down her face as if she was drenched in rain.
Taking a deep breath, Raghav took her to their carriage and laid her on the berth.
"She is burning up. An bring a mug of clean, cold water, Eldrain, bring two handkerchiefs."
Items were brought as per his request, and he soaked the handkerchief in cold water, then squeezed it to remove all the water.
Drenched in cold water, the handkerchief was placed on Aurelia's forehead and pressed down by Raghav.
"This will help with the fever."
He then used the second towel to clear the foam from her mouth and the sweat on her face.
Leaving the youngsters inside, An and Eldrain stepped out to have a private conversation.
"When did this happen? An."
"We were at the very edge of the village, just then, Aurelia collapsed. It was Amesha. I tried all forms of magic and even a healing potion, yet none of them worked."
She rubbed her left arm, looking back inside. "That was when I called out to Raghav and brought Aurelia back."
"How will we get Kanah. Amesha would want Aurelia's lover as part of her ritual?"
Click.
Just like her husband, she clicked her tongue and turned to her left, gesturing inside the carriage.
Eldrain leaned on the door and smiled.
Inside, Raghav was tending to Aurelia, sitting by her side on the floor.
This is how the afternoon passed for the day, and as sunset approached.
He placed the back of his hand on her cheeks and felt her body temperature return to normal.
"K…Kanah"
Aurelia called out in a weak and almost whisper like voice.
With her hand, she reached for Raghav's face; he leaned his head into her hand. "Aurelia. Can you hear me?"
"What are you asking, Kanah?"
Raghav leaned in, shaking his head. "I am asking if you can hear my voice."
"I can."
Her eyes flickered open and fell on Raghav's locket, then she looked up at him,
"Raghav."
Before he could answer, Aurelia began to cry. "I…I've made a grave mistake."
"What do you mean?"
"That day, when I went with my father. I was told something."
.
.
.
.
Inside the King's chambers.
Aurelia sat in front of her parents, and on the table was a sheet of paper.
Drawn on it was a square, divided into thirty two smaller triangular sections.
Eight in four halves and in eleven of those sections were written the names of the eleven planets.
"Father, what is this?"
"You wanted to know why we never let you leave this city, why we did not let you go with Kanah, why we did not want you to join Raghav on his adventures, until now."
Looking down at the sheet, she shrugged her shoulders. "I still don't understand."
For a few minutes, the King gathered his thoughts.
"So have you watched Lord of the Rings?"
"No, I read it."
Came the voice of Vonreid and Raghav from the corridor.
King Belreid waited for Raghav's door to close before he could tell Aurelia everything.
Once he heard the door shut.
He began.
"This is your birth sheet, Aurelia. It denotes the position the eleven planets were in when you were born. It tells us what major aspects your life will have; your fate is written in this."
Her sheet was moved aside, and underneath it was another. "This is mine. It was just as Raghav said, it is my fate to be a cripple, and it will stay that way no matter what I do. I had forgotten about it because I made offerings to the planet of health and longevity, I thought that would spare me from my fate, but no, The Sage told me that no being in the cosmos has the power to turn away the fate that is cast at your birth, it is possible to please the planets and affect small moments in life but not the major fate."
One deep breath later, King Belreid continued as Aurelia watched him in confusion. 'So that is what made you at peace with the loss of your arm.'
"Aurelia, your birth sheet is nearly perfect, safe for one aspect. Your life will remain at risk outside the city of your birth. The threats will keep escalating until they result in a gruesome death. That was why we never let you leave Rine or took you with us."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
Queen Anessa stood up and moved to sit beside her daughter. "Because you wish to go on this adventure with Raghav. We know how much this means to you, and we do not want to control your life; we want it to be your choice."
Closing her eyes, Aurelia nodded. "I see, so if I go with him. I will be in danger?"
"Yes."
Answered both parents in unison, and the King added more.
"We did not want you to go till today, but if fate has decided, how can we oppose it. We are mere humans."
Adding onto her husband's words, Anessa held Aurelia's hand. "If you wish to go, we will accept your decision."
Looking down at her hands and the birth sheet.
Her expression hardened, and she looked at her father and then at her mother with conviction in her eyes. "I will go."
She paused. "I let him go once before, not this time. I ask you not to tell anyone about this decision."
Then a smile appeared on her face. "I want to surprise him."
.
.
.
.
"That is the reason why Amesha returned. I have put you in danger as well. She had infected me and will ask you to come and satisfy her. Please do not go, do not die to save me. This world needs you more than it needs me. Do not let the world suffer for my mistake."
"What about what I need?" He asked her, leaning back and reaching for the hook of his locket.
She could not say anything as she just watched him.
After taking his locket off, he held it in his hands and then leaned forward, tying the locket around her neck.
"I need you, Aurelia Reid. More than the world itself."
He then touched her forehead and picked up the handkerchief, and changed the water in it. "I need my companion, my friend. No planet nor fate can separate us."
"But… we cannot fight fate."
Raghav chuckled as he wiped the tears from Aurelia's face. "I never said anything about fighting it. We won't fight it, we will surrender ourselves to a power that all other powers answer to, The One. He loves his creation, and he makes an exception for them. What are these planets next to him, you know, one of his many names. Repeat it in your heart and soul, then just watch how fate bends to his will. I give you my word."
At last, he moved the handkerchief down slightly and leaned in, kissing Aurelia on the forehead. "Wait for me. I will return before midnight."
Aurelia held onto his locket around her neck and nodded. "Please return safe."
"I will."
He then stepped out from the carriage and lowered his head. "Her fever has stabilised to an extent. She does not appear to be in pain as of now. I am going for that antidote."
Both Eldrain and An were about to respond, but Raghav stopped them by raising his right hand. "An please stay with her. I will take Eldrain with me, and I will confront her at her home."
"Raghav, that is suicide." An tried to reason with Raghav, but Raghav simply turned towards her with his eyes closed and gave her a gentle smile.
"That is, if I fail to satisfy her. I won't fail."
"And you are certain you would satisfy her?" Eldrain confirmed.
"Absolutely. Eldrain. I know it." "Then let's go."
An placed a hand on Raghav's shoulder and entered the carriage, closing the door behind herself. "May you return safely."
Then the two men left the lot beside the tavern and made their way towards Amesha's house.
The village seemed busier than it had been the entire day, and the people took notice of Raghav and Eldrain.
They began talking among themselves.
Meanwhile, Eldrain and Raghav were unbothered as they kept moving forward.
"How will you do it?"
"You will see."
Eldrain did not ask any further questions, and in a short while, they reached the house.
By now sun had set completely, and strong wind was blowing through the village as rain clouds crackled with lightning and the first drop fell.
Down on the ground, it began to pour.
Raghav climbed the stairs and knocked on the doors. "Amesha. I am here, and I mean you no harm. May I come in?"
Eldrain stood at the back with his arms crossed and his eyes focused on Raghav.
One more attempt.
Yet the door remained closed, and he received no answer from within.
He stood there for a few moments and then took a few steps back.
Observing the house in its entirety.
What once stood at the edge of the village was now closer to its mid-point.
The house was broken down, fitting for a house that was last inhabited five centuries ago and since then had been occupied by a spirit.
The glass windows cracked throughout the years, and wooden planks were nailed to them.
"Are we leaving?"
"This is the last attempt. If she does not respond, then we will leave."
Without waiting, Raghav ascended the stairs and stood at the threshold.
His hair was wet and falling to his eyes, so he closed them as he knocked one last time.
Again, no response.
So he began to take one step back, and that is when it happened.
Clink.
The doors were unlocked from the inside as Raghav took a deep breath, lowering his head and placing both of his hands on each of the doors at his eye level.
And pushed on them, the creaked and got stuck in places, but Raghav pushed on.
Finally, once the doors were fully opened, he stepped through, and the doors closed behind him.
Eldrain stood there in the rain, watching as he got one last glimpse of Raghav before the door closed.
'Aurelia and Amesha's fate now rests in your hands.'
Back in the metal carriage, Aurelia was lying there, wincing as she adjusted herself on the berth.
The shift in her position caused Raghav's locket to slide down from her body and down on the berth,
She looked at the locket and reached for it, turning onto her side with her back to the door.
Once the locket was in her hand, she recalled what Raghav had told her about the locket.
"It's a locket; these are mementos with a picture of a person or place inside."
'What is it that you hold so close to your heart?'
Searching for the latch, she clicked it, and the locket was unlocked.
Steadying herself, she opened it, and her eyes widened in shock. She struggled to gulp due to how dry her throat had become due to the disease.
An entered the carriage and smiled, seeing Aurelia lying there silently. "Honestly, you should have been in utter agony, but Raghav has done wonders for you; he has delayed the progression of the disease and even set it back to a certain degree. Do not worry, he will return with the antidote."
These words fell on deaf ears as Aurelia stared blankly at the picture inside the locket.
It was none other than a picture of her, smiling from ear to ear.
"What are you doing?"
Out of shock, she closed the locket, hiding it in her hands and turned her head to look at An and in a weak voice, she called out to her.
"Take me to Raghav."