As evening settled over the bustling kingdom, Veer, buoyed by his royal reward, strolled towards his shop. A sense of triumph coursed through him until he raised an eyebrow in confusion. His servant, out of breath and apparently in a panic, was sprinting toward him.
"What happened? Did the shop come under attack? Where are the guards?" Veer pressed urgently, his heart racing.
The servant shook his head, gasping for air, "No, sir! But the woman— the woman is awake!"
Veer's mind raced. "What? Is she truly awake?" he asked, a mixture of concern and curiosity flooding through him.
"Yes! But you must come quickly." The servant's eyes were wide with urgency.
"Let's go then!" Veer commanded, his voice ringing with determination.
As they reached the shop, the atmosphere was different. The usual crowd was sparse, and Veer noticed a strange tension radiating from the guards. Their expressions hinted at a complexity he was unprepared for as he pushed past them and entered his house.
Inside, standing defiantly, was the woman he had saved, her robe cinched tightly around her slender figure. Upon his entry, she instinctively drew a knife, its blade glinting ominously in the dim light.
"Easy there. I'm the one who saved you," Veer said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace, intrigued by the sight before him. She was undeniably stunning—a true embodiment of artistry honed by rigorous training. Her long black hair cascaded around her shoulders, framing a face marked by pale skin and the delicate blush of her cheeks.
"Do not mistake your actions for ownership," she shot back coldly, her eyes narrowing. "You saved me, but that doesn't give you the right to study me like I'm some object to be consumed."
Veer flashed a smirk, meeting her gaze with a playful intensity. "Not prey, but more like a weapon I'm trying to understand before it turns on me."
At that, she scoffed, but the flicker of amusement in her eyes revealed a glimmer of intrigue. In the daylight, she transformed from a wounded spirit into a finely crafted shadow—one peppered with battle scars, secrets, and the weight of untold stories.
Was he truly rescuing her… or simply unleashing a force he barely understood?
"So, what's your name?" Veer asked, stepping closer, intrigued by the enigma before him.
"I don't share my name with strangers," she replied defiantly, her guard still very much raised.
"I may have been a stranger once, but I saved your life. And I happen to know you aimed a dagger at the king," Veer challenged, a grin tugging at his lips.
Her posture stiffened at the mention of the king, but she couldn't hide the flicker of admiration in her eyes. "You speak freely, knowing full well the implications. They might call you a traitor for it."
"They call me Veer. But I'm more curious about what you go by," he pressed, enchanted by her fierce spirit.
"Ruksana," she replied, her accent revealing her Mughal heritage as it flowed from her lips.
Veer closed the distance between them, their breaths mingling as he leaned in. "So, Ruksana, tell me this—why is it that I was the one to find you, and not anyone else?" He leaned in further, their noses nearly touching, sending a jolt of tension through the air.
Caught in the intensity of his gaze, Ruksana faltered. His eyes held a depth of emotion she had never witnessed before, igniting a strange warmth within her. *What is this feeling?* she thought, a gentle struggle forming in her heart. Why couldn't she pull away? Why did she want to stay in this moment?
In the quiet storm of emotions swirling around them, Veer saw his opportunity. With a swift motion, he gently took the weapon from her grasp and drew her into an unexpected embrace. In that moment, the world outside faded away, leaving only the two of them ensconced in a fragile bubble of burgeoning connection.
When the enemy expect you to do a physiacl attack then you must do something that he never expected, and this was what he has done with Ruksana knowing full well of her loneliness he gave her a moment of refuge in his heart.
Initially, surprise washed over her like a tidal wave, but instinct soon took over as Ruksana enveloped him in a tight embrace, their hearts beating in rhythm beneath the shared weight of the moment. They remained locked in that unspoken connection for what felt like an eternity—one fleeting minute that stretched out like a sanctuary amidst the chaos surrounding them. Breaking the silence, Veer whispered softly into her ear, "So Ruksana, who are you and what are you doing here?" His breath stirred the air, intimate yet heavy with curiosity.
"I am a weapon of ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn, the Sultan of Delhi," she replied steadily, her voice firm despite the vulnerability in her eyes. "I was sent here to kill Raja Bhoj, who adamantly refuses to be a part of the Sultan's empire."
Her journey had etched wounds into her body, but strangely, those physical scars had healed. Yet, in this moment, her silence shattered—until now.
"I owe you the truth," she said, her voice low and unwavering, almost as if she were unveiling a secret that had been buried deep within her for too long.
Veer's brows shot up in surprise, his focus sharpening as he regarded her with a mixture of intrigue and concern. Ruksana stepped forward into the soft, half-light filtering through the dim surroundings. Her cloak billowed slightly, revealing travel-worn garments adorned with intricate, foreign patterns that hinted at her diverse journey. A jagged scar snaked down her right forearm, partly obscured by tightly wound leather bands, whispering tales of battles fought and sacrifices made.
"You think this war is merely about land—about pride and tribute," she challenged.
Veer tilted his head to one side, a frown creasing his brow as he ventured, "Isn't that what it is about?"
But she shook her head slowly, her dark hair swaying like shadows dancing in candlelight. "No, it is not about territory. It's about legacy. Not about war, but about succession."
With a deep breath, Veer placed his spear onto the ground, relinquishing the tension that had charged the air between them.
"The Raja of Malwa is not the target, Veer," she revealed, her voice steady as she leaned in closer, ensuring her words were absorbed fully. "His children are the real focus—more specifically, the eldest princess."