Quick Sand

Summary: What she thinks is fate, may just be someone else pulling the strings.

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Note before: I'm currently super annoyed with R. So forgive me I'm gonna keep him minimum here. Don't want to ruin my mood by writing him.

She shouldn't have come here. Amrit thinks belatedly.

The stables are darkened, all workers having retired for the night, well stocked with hay and water for the horses to last till morning. Apart from an occassional swish of a tail, flip of an ear or munching she couldn't hear anything else.

Before regret could gnaw at her, make her forget all that Uday's call had put into her head Amrit finds Randheer waiting for her in the corner.

It feels like gazing at summer sun, she cannot meet his eye, cannot reply to him when he greets or thanks for granting him this request.

"Amrit," he reaches for her hand. She draws it back, overwhelmed.

Of all places Randheer had to choose the stables to meet. The smell of horses reminds her of Veer. The realization of what she had bound herself to get Randheer this freedom makes her feel crushed under its burden.

She could not betray Veer after getting what she had wanted out of their bargain. How was she to face her parents someday in the afterlife?

"Kuch toh bolo Amrit," Randheer urges.

"I don't know why you are here," she tells him in the end. "And I'm not curious. Randheer, I'm not the girl who waited for you for so long. Main ab kissi aur ke amaanat hoon. Kissi aur ki patni. I came to tell you that. Ask you to please - please let us take our separate roads from here."

Randheer reaches again as if to wipe the unconscious tear that trickles down her cheek. She pulls back.

"I had to know," he says. "I had to see for myself. Aap kush hai?"

His question draws her to a blank, a reeling, heart pounding blank. Through its haze she hears Randheer vowing that he would not let even his shadow fall upon her life if she truly is happy. But if not - if not he says he will not leave her side.

Was she happy?

Amrit realizes she had not paused and asked herself that question in a long time. Not since she came to this new country. She thinks back to recent days, of Veer and his flipping moods - of promises he had made to her and of the begrudging understanding between them.

You are my victorious move, he had said. Jab thak tum humare saat rahongi tumari kasam tume kuch hone nahi denge.

She blinks.

"I'm happy!" She says masking her confusion behind steady words.
"More than happy. I couldn't have found a better man to marry."

"You haven't learned to lie properly Amrit," this time Randheer reaches and holds her by the elbow. "You look away when you lie. You sound so convincing but your eyes give you away. Kush nahi ho aap. Woh sahi nahi hai aap ke liye. I know everything - even his mother hates him. She told me everything you know? He married you just to spite her! But don't worry Amrit, I will get you the respect of this family. If that's what you want, with me or without me I'll make sure you are happy!"

Something stirs inside her at those words. A sense of uncomfortable pricking.

Amrit isn't sure why but she doesn't want to hear Randheer say things like that. Randheer isn't supposed to get involved in this. He is supposed to live his life happily, unburdened.

God, did she not sacrifice enough for that sake. Deciding that only being harsh towards him would discourage him in this pointless pursuit Amrit pushes him away. But loses her balance in the meantime. Randheer holds her, drawing her closer. For a moment - between them - time seems to have turned backwards.

A dog barks somewhere and they jump apart. Outside they could hear footsteps approaching.

"Jaaiye yahaan se!" Amrit hisses, shoving Randheer towards the back entrance used by stable boys. "Koi aaraha hai- jaaiye! Jaaiye!"

Reluctantly, Randheer leaves. It is only when his shadow had dissolved into the night that she dares to exhale. The footsteps also retreat. Maybe it was a guard patrolling the estate at night.

Amrit claps a hand to her heart and turns and her mouth opens in a silent scream.

Watching her, leaning against one of the stalls is Veer.

"Badi lambhi umra hai tumari," he tells her. "I barely thought about you and here you are."

He might have been tending to Megha, his hands are oily and he looks exhausted. Amrit mentally curses her stupidity. Why did she have to come! She tries but fails to conjure a smile.

"Aap - y..yahaan hai?" Her voice falters at the look in his face, has he heard them? Oh blessed heavens, has he heard everything?

"Hum toh yahaan hain," Veer said approaching her. "Aap bathaiye biwi sahab, aap yahaan kiyun hai?"

"Hum - woh hum - hum -"

"Kisse milne aayi thi?" His voice suddenly changes its tenor and turns sharp like a whip lash.

Amrit's eyes flickers into his. His eyes are dark, searingly so. Amrit recalls how they had looked sun warmed brown the day they had tended to Megha together. That Veer was gone. This one did not have an iota of that compassion.

"Who were you meeting - here - so late at night?"

"Nobody! I came to take a look at Megha. Is she mending well?" Her voice sounded high pitched and shaking to her own ears.

Veer watches her for a moment longer, leaving her to shift under his withering gaze. Then he reaches for her hands, takes them in his. Chill of a sudden fear makes itself known in her fingers, they curl in the cage of his much larger hold.

"Your hands are cold," Veer observes rather off handedly. Her eyes flicker into his, searching, praying - hoping. He hadn't said anything when Randheer turned up as the new press secretary. In fact he had been so very civil with him that Amrit dared to hope perhaps he did not know. Perhaps it wasn't an act of Veer that included Randheer's name in those who got released. Perhaps all he had done was suggesting this venture of getting prisoners released to papa sahab.

"Biwi sahab, You haven't learned to lie properly. You look away when you lie. You sound so convincing but your eyes give you away." He says all that staring right into her eyes, that knife edge of a smile playing at his lips.

Amrit shudders. Her insides freezing. He knows. He has simply been indulging her, waiting like a predator to pounce at first mistake that she makes. He has heard every word that was spoken. She squeezes her eyes shut, her lips trembling. The sigh Veer expels fans against her face.

"Tumhe kuch nahi karunga Amrit, itne bhi darr ne ki zaroorat nahi hai." The ominous way he says that, makes her eyes snap open. His implication is quite clear. It will not be she who gets hurt.

"No!" She mutters. "No, please. Please."

"Ask him to leave," Veer says vindictively. "You can't get caught having rendezvous with him by anyone else. Hum darkhast kar rahe hai hukum nahi, dobara nahi karunga. Tell him to leave while I'm asking nicely. Or else I won't be responsible for consequences!"

Amrit pulls away her hands with a cry of exasperation turning away from Veer to wring her hands in frustration.

"Aap sab mujhe samajhte kya ho?" She demands through gritted teeth. "Sab hukum chalate rehethe ho! Amrit ye karo. Amrit woh karo. Amrit tum kush ho - nahi ho! Sach bol rahi ho - nahi ho! Jeena haram kar rakha hai meri! Dam ghut raha hai meri! Did anyone pause and ask, Amrit did you eat? Amrit are you fine? Amrit can you do it? Subha se lekar shaam thak koi meri peecha hi nahi chod tha! Isse achcha hai ki main -"

Veer grabs her by the elbow and turns her around, her open hair whips on his face and she returns his glare, and opens her mouth to continue. Veer places a finger on her lips.

"Chup." He says and he says no more. "Humari baat suno. I don't have a habit of repeating myself." He removes the finger, steps back and folds his arms. "Rani ma knows."

"What?"

Veer shrugs.

"Humari shaadi nahi hui. She knows." Amrit opens her mouth and he rises a finger. "Suno. That incident that happened with you on the wedding day, unno ne hi karwaya tha. Amrit her men would have sold you to a brothel. It was your luck that Noor was there. Now that it didn't work - and you are here - we - are here - she is uncertain whether or not her actions stopped the marriage from taking place. Do you think it's a coincidence that she took your lover of all people to be her press secretary? Humare ma sahab isn't that kind hearted. Woh tumhari imtehaan lena chahathi hai - dekhna chahathi hai ke how long it takes you to confess him the truth."

Veer approaches her, holds her gaze, his voice drops so that those words remain between the two of them.

"The moment you give in Amrit - the game is over. You will be finished. Bin shaadi ke ek paraya mard ke saath reherahi ho tum. This is not some freaking tattoo in your arm. Give her a speck of truth Ma Sahab tume kahika nahi chodengi. Iss mushkhil mein matt pado, unne yeh mauka matt do. Ask him to leave."

Over the pounding of her heart, she bearly hears his last words. Amrit looks at Veer at loss of anything to say.

"Those were Rani Ma's people? They took me there deliberately? They - kiyun?"

Veer's smile in reply is rough like a edge of a glass shred.

"You were going to marry me." He tells her. "Humari kushi unhe manzoor nahi hai."

Amrit sways on her feet, corners of her vision darkening. Veer has to grab her shoulder once more to steady her. She leans against him unconsciously, feeling the earth tilt beneath her feet.

Veer curses under his breath.

"Were you being serious right now? Have you really not eaten Amrit? Pagal ho?" His words drip with sarcasm and she opens her mouth to retort.

What did he know of her stressful day, trying to avoid Randheer? What did he know of her at all apart from - it seems - the plots in place against her?

Without warning Veer picks her up and instead of the retort at the tip of her tongue a startled yelp escapes Amrit.

"Nahi. Neeche rakho neeche rakho mujhe- Veer, no!"

"Kaha tha na? Chup!" Veer snaps. "Humein koi shauk nahi hai tumhe uttane ke. You are the one who keep collapsing all over the place."

Her vision spins and Amrit unwillingly rests her forehead against his shoulder. Veer bites back a chuckle. Yet his chest rumbles with laughter. Amrit wants to hit him for making a joke of her distress, but Veer had always been a sarcastic man. She shouldn't have hoped for anything better from him. He smells like horse and herbs again and not of alcohol for a change.

From the balcony above, Rani Sahiba watches, taking the shelter of the shadows to remain unseen as her remaining son carries his supposed wife up to the palace in his arms. He is laughing at something, while she hides her face against him.

Her hand clenches on the railing. How scandalous, she thinks, how lowly. It was one thing to be young and happy. That she could understand. But to do that in blunt disregard to customs and traditions?

She did not expect any better from the refugee girl, she had an excuse of a reputation already. But Veer? With all the pious, noble blood and breeding? Could she never expect anything decent from this boy?

She turns away by the time she could hear their voices, more chuckling and muttered exchanges. Something has to be done soon. This impious, immoral relationship cannot be allowed to continue.

**
As you might have noted I've changed things with how this entire fake marriage begun, what Amrit's reasons were. So it seemed only logical to me to say that Veer at this point knows Randheer's identity.
Him having looked into what happened on the day of the wedding and learning of his mother's actions has made that one conflict Amveer had go away. Veer no longer thinks she ran away from their marriage.
So this again I think would be the natural progression of their characters if that was the case.
Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!