Ghuroor

TW! Violence/ self harm/ mentions of past abuse. Reader's caution advised
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Summary: Ghuroor ho aap meri...Kudh par yun sitam karne ka maine aap ko ijazat nahi di.

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The dungeons of Shrighar are silent graves.

Nothing that happens there has ever gone out. There is darkness locked behind those doors, glamoured by the golden shimmer of other aspects of royalty.

At the end of the day, you should not make an enemy of a Pratap Singh, for beneath all cool and composure they were cruel men.

Their affections run deep and so do their grudges. Their mercy and their menace were two edges of the same blade, and they wielded it with the same precision with which they ruled.

Nobody who provoked a Pratap Singh, who dishonoured women of that family lived to tell the tale.

Randheer Raizada just did both.

Shravan Singh unlocks the chains on the door with deliberate slowness. The man is no stranger to wrath of his masters, but he finds himself unable to meet his prince's eye.

This isn't the Veer baba that he carried on his shoulders in the years gone by, this man who looked like a red hot iron, had none of that child's softness.

People of Shrighar always talked of how much their Kuwar resembled his father, how it felt as if times have turned and Rana sahab was walking these halls again, but Shravan had always shook his head at them.

Veer baba was Veer baba. He had laugh lines in his face, he had soft caring hands. He had a soul of silk, unlike his father. But seeing him now, Shravan Singh's well practiced hands shake.

That child is lost. In his place is another Pratap Singh, mating out justice.

The door opens with a "creek."

Veer pushes past him, and inside the cell, Randheer stands up.

There are chains in the walls, monuments of more cruel times. But since he is clearly instructed Shrevan Singh has not dared to touch his master's enemy.

"Feeling better?" Veer asks rather conversationally. "Had enough time to gather your wits?"

"You won't get away with this..." Randheer tells him. "Does Amrit know you do things like this? There she thinks you are spun gold and here you are -" he gives Veer a speculative look. "Kitne masoomon ke jaan liya hai tu ne? Hiding behind your power and prestige?"

Veer ran his tongue over his lower lip, a movement so predatory that Shravan Singh wonders if the other man was blind not to fear for his life.

"It's not everyday that a "maasoom" decides to ruin my wife's life," he says matter of fact -ly. "And I am compelled to return the favour."

"She is not -"

Veer holds out a hand silencing him. Randheer wonders why he adhered to that, but Veer is already taking out a folded piece of paper.

"Take it," he tosses it at Randheer. "Tell me if the light is weak because I want you to see it very clearly even if it is the last thing you see."

Randheer's hands tremble as he holds the official document, where Amrit had signed her maiden name for one last time.

"Her highness Kuwar Rani Amrit Veer Pratap Singh, humari thi, Humari hai - humari rahengi. Phir kabhi apni zubaan se unki naam matt lena. For all your claims, all your proclamations of true love, ek baar nahi poochonge, woh mila ki  nahi, woh teek hai ki nahi?

" Kaha tha humne, sambhal ke - baar baar maaf karne ki Aadat nahi hai humein. Kaha tha Humne, ke agar hum yeh baazi khel jaaye toh woh tera naam sapne mein bhi nahi lengi. Tu ne bohut badi galathi kar di humari Amrit ko humse cheenne ki koshish kar ke -"

"Tu - tu ne," Randheer drop that paper, and stares at Veer with fire in his eyes. "She would never do this!"

"And she did. Do you know why? Woh ladki, jiss ko poore Shrighar ke saamne tu badhnaam karna chahate tha, tujhe riha karwane ke liye - tujhe Pakistan se yahaan lane ke liye - humse sauda kiyi thi. Tujhe lagtha tha na ke humne usse qareeda hai? Haan! Qareeda hai. Pata hai uss ki keemat kya tha? Tu tha! Teri aazaadi ke beadle apni poori zindagi de di uss ladki ne, aur tune uss ki Ehesaan ki yeh keemat chukaya?

Randheer launches at him at that, consumed with fury.

"Sauda kiya tu ne meri Amrit ke saat!" He screams. Shrevan Singh's men are at ready to wrench him off Veer.

Veer barely shrugs, adjusts his collar and starts removing his rings one by one. He gives them to the nearest man for safe keeping and nonchalantly says,

"Let him go. Hum itne bhi kamzor nahi hai ke isska saamna na kar paaye." He gestures them with his head.

"Step back. Nobody intervenes. I know you are duty bound to guard my life with yours, but you are also duty bound to obey my verbal commands. And I order you now, nobody gets involved in this! I mean it!"

Randheer shakes off those men and laughs at his words.

"You self entitled brat -"

Veer punches him. Randheer who had not been expecting that stumbles and has to brace himself against the wall.

Before he had collected himself Veer's fist sinks into his solar plexus and air is knocked off of him.

He pulls back anyway, and his own fist finds Veer's jaw, the man takes the hit with a grace of a boxer that makes Randheer waver for a moment.

Veer simply cracks his head to the side, and runs his tongue along the inside of his cheek gathering blood. And the next punch Randheer aims at him, he blocks by holding that fist, twisting his arm and kicking him on the knee at the same time.

They collapse together, because Randheer manages to headbutt him. In the shadows the guards move, but Shravan Singh stops them with a look. The two men roll in the dust, and Veer wipes angrily at his bleeding nose before blocking another blow and managing to crash his fist against Randheer's jaw.

This time when he falls, Veer follows him, his hand locking around Randheer's throat.
The fury that consumes him will not be quelled.

All he could see is Amrit looking at him with those unfocused eyes. Amrit telling him how the incident had brought back ghosts from her past. Amrit is ruined because of this man.

Randheer chokes.

But manages to hold Veer's throat too, and in the resulting struggle he knees him and as he falls follow him with a kick.

The foot Randheer uses to kick him Veer gets hold of it and tugs so that the man slams against the stone floor with a thud. Randheer is a bloody mess. But Veer's fury still roars.

Veer turns that ankle in his grip. He could at least break that leg in six different places? Would that suffice, he thinks savagely. Would tearing him limb from limb suffice?

His fingers brushes against a rough patch of skin on that ankle and he pauses. This man has a scar on his ankle. Something inside him starts to throb and his heart wrenches.

Down on the floor Randheer twitches. His head has slammed against the floor and his eyes are blurry. Veer examines at foot withholding an exhale.

That scar - that scare looked exactly like -

No. No. No!

But the scream doesn't come from him.

"No!"

It comes from; Veer turns sharply; from his mother.

She stands there, Dai ma at her shoulder, clutching what looked like a torn piece of a photo and a locket. Veer lets go of that foot and stares at her as she marches up to him.

Rani sahiba bunches his collar in her hands and shakes him. Then starts to hit him with her fists.

"Ek baar maar kar dil nahi bhara? Aur Kitne baar maaronge? Jaanvar! Humein hi maar dete ek hi baar mein - humein kyun nahi maar dete?"

Veer stumbles back from her hands, flinches away from the fire in her eyes.

Rani sahiba goes to Randheer, kneels at his side, keeps his bleeding head on her lap.

Tears drain down her face as she touches him with trembling hands. His eyes are closed now.

"Prem! Aanken kholiye- Prem! Hum aagayi na, aapke ma aagayi. Aap ko kuch hone nahi dungi. Kuch hone nahi dungi. Prem! Prem!"

She gathers him against her bosom and starts to weep. Veer falters and Shravan Singh has to hold him. He grips the man's arm tightly, but his eyes remain on his mother.

"Prem?" He asks.

"Jaanvar!" She spits at him. "Kha jaayenge aap hum sab ko. Uss baar bachgaya toh aap phir se - humara Bachcha- humara Prem!"

"Ma -" Veer chokes on the word. He had seen that scar of cause. But his head is reeling. He barely registers those hurtful words.

"Hum ma nahi hai aap ke! Nahi hai hum aap ke ma! Kaise janam de sakthe hai hum aise ek darinde ko jo apne ki bhai ke saat aise -" she breaks off and starts sobbing.

Veer bends down and picks up the torn piece of photo that she had dropped. And reaches out to collect the locket too.

His hands tremble. His world tilts. He had lost all hope of seeing that piece of their last picture together. Dai ma must have found it with Randheer's belongings when she went snooping around and planting letters. Veer draws in a tortured inhale.

Prem is Randheer. Prem would have died at his hands. Prem, had done all that with Amrit. His brother and his wife.

"Somebody catch that animal and put him in chains!" Rani sahiba was saying now. "Khooni! Khoon ke pyaasi jaanvar!" Nobody moves. "Shravan Singh hum aap se kehe rahe hai -"

Shravan Singh actually moves, not towards Veer, but to step in front of him. He bows his head low.

"Maaf kar dijiye Rani sahiba. We cannot touch his majesty's heir. Even you can't order his arrest."

But behind him Veer has already turned away to leave. Shravan Singh turns just in time to notice him walking off, shoulders hunched, fists clenched and he knows, that command to not intervene no longer stands.

Because not even Veer baba himself could give them a command that threatened the life of the heir, that threatened the continuing of the royal line.

And Shravan Singh knew of only one person who could perhaps save Veer baba from himself; Dulhan Rani.

*

Amrit sits on the floor, where she had collapsed after Veer left. Her knees drawn towards her body and her hands clutching at her clothes. That is how Shravan Singh finds her.

The man had protocol drilled to him for so many decades that he never lifts his gaze to look at her.

No, she is the queen of this palace. The sight of her being so devastated, vulnerable or weak should rightfully bow their heads with shame.

The older man clears his throat and the girl jumps. Shravan Singh feels an urge to finish what Veer baba had stopped mid way and kill off that man who dared to do this to her.

Amrit draws back and shoots up to her feet, self conscious and slightly frightened. She did not know Shravan Singh from before.

"Dulhan Rani," he begins and pauses not knowing how to word his request. Not knowing if he should be asking this girl, who was on the edge of a mental breakdown herself to save another.

However Amrit draws herself straighter. Something inside her had snapped shut. She reaches for Veer's night robe hanging nearby and pulls it on, drowning in it, but effectively hiding her odd choice of clothing as well.

"Where is he?" She asks softly. "Take me to him."

While her words are soft they ring with belonging and  demand.

Shravan Singh nods at her approvingly and stands aside for her to come out of the room.

They descend through muted dark hallways, taking the servant's passages instead of the main ones. Amrit doesn't question him on this choice, her bare feet doesn't pause behind him.

Not until she hears the first lash of a whip cutting the air. The sound of air being cut that follows by the sickening sound of it finding skin, a sure sign of blood being drawn makes her shudder and stop.

When she turns to Shravan Singh Amrit's eyes are wide.

The older man folds his hands into a begging gesture.

"Veer baba akele hai, yeh akelapan unhe kha jaayengi. Unhe bacha lijiye Dulhan Rani, unhe rokh lijiye. Iss riyasat par aapki meherbaani hongi."

His words are punched by the sound of yet another cut and the old man's eyes redden.

"Kahi saal hogaye uss baat ko,  par yahaan ke log kuch nahi bhoole. They have branded guilt upon him so many times that he doesn't wait to punish himself."

Amrit's lower lip starts to tremble. She makes a move to barge in, but then stops short and turns to Shravan Singh.

"Kaka," she calls him, the older man's eyes brim. "Nobody should see him like this."

Just as Shravan Singh nods, Amrit waits no more.

It takes a lot of effort to make one hate oneself. All these years, all these people had been doing that with Veer. Telling him over and over what a beast he was, until he had simply given up fighting against their poison and let it mix into his blood.

The floor beneath her feet is freezing. Amrit looks around and finds herself in some sort of an arena. There are ornate swords hanging from the walls. Shields that carry the proud coat of arms of Daulathabadh mounted beside them.

The ceiling opens up to a vast drawing of a battle scene and the balconies above them are empty.

There is no one watching a man struggle with his demons. There is none to witness his defeat. Amrit drags in a tortured breath through her half parted lips, an unconscious hand clutching at her throat.

Veer is bleeding. In the silence that blankets them like a heavy shroud, Amrit hears his ragged breathing.

Muscles in his arm bunches up when he moves the whip, whirling it through the air before it catches him in a lashing embrace. Muscles on his back ripple and take the pain unleashed upon them, fresh markings of doom upon old ruins soaking the whip with blood.

Who taught him such self inflicted torture? Who drove him to this brink of ruination? The whip lashes through the air again and thoughtlessly Amrit reaches for it.

"Ah!"

The scream is torn from her, when her palm makes contact with that all powerful blow, the whip cracks savagely and her vision blurs.

Amrit stumbles and loses her footing, had it not been for an arm around her waist plucking her off the ground slipping beneath her feet, she would have ended up on the floor.

Her palm stings, and where she slams it against Veer's heart, she leaves a bloody imprint of her hand.

His eyes are bloodshot, doused in fire and agony. When he puts her down, Amrit finds her feet upon his, standing flush against him.

Veer shudders as if surfacing from the depths his ghosts had dragged him to. Amrit allows her hands to cup his face, trail along his pricking, stubbled jaw, watching all the while, how his eyes brim with her.

"Bass," she says, voice barely a breath between them. "Bass."

He shudders again and lowers his head to rest his forehead against hers. His exhale washes over her, his grief weighs upon her.

Amrit takes both, and the man in her arms. It comes to her naturally, this protective instinct. She had always been a sail in storm before, blown and torn with the wind. But somewhere along the road the scales have tilted, she is the anchor now, holding them in place.

She is jasmin and sandalwood to his blood, sweat and tears. This combination of them would always be tilted towards shadows, always be slightly bitter, slightly acidic. Now that she thinks of it, Amrit should have known it the day she set her eyes upon him.

A chapter of her life had ended then. And in the chapter that begun, she is no longer a damsel protected like a fragile flower, led by the hand like a child, counseled in every decision.

No.

Veer would do none of those things. They are equals here. Two halves that make whole. Fire and wind - meant to embrace and ignite.

"You are mine," she speaks soft, clear words, stroking along his jaw. "Kudh par yun sitam karne ka maine aap ko ijazat nahi di."

"You don't even know what I have done." He says cynically, his voice rumbles against her. "You know nothing. You -"

"Ghuroor ho aap meri, kudh ko dosh matt dijiye Veer..."

A lone tear trickles down the side of his face and stings against her cut palm.

"Jaanvar hai hum," he mutters nuzzling against the side of her face, buring his face in her hair.

"Apne aap ko iss jaanvar ke hawale matt kijiye. Jaao Amrit, itni qareeb aaongi toh hum kudh ko rokh nahi payenge."

"Jaaungi," she replies voice muffled against him.

Gingerly, her arms come around him and she touches the injuries on his back. Veer allows her, his weight half leaning on her, his eyes closed. "Aap ko saat lei kar jaaungi."

She pulls away, takes his hand in hers.

"Aayiye,Kuwar sahab."

But Veer doesn't move, instead he takes her other palm - the bleeding one and stares at it. With a gentle finger he traces along the cut and his hand trembles.

"Humein dard ke alawa kuch dena nahi aata. Cheen ne ke alawa kuch paana nahi aata. Hum tumhare layak nahi hai - humein kushi dena nahi aata."

He exhaled deeply.

"Woh bhai hai humare."

Amrit pales. She takes an involuntary step backwards. Veer meets her eye.

"Randheer is Prem."

With that he falls on his knees, hunched at her feet, his exhale is tortured.

"Humein saza milni chahiye, I couldn't do right by you. I cannot hurt him. I cannot give him what he deserves. I'm such a worthless -"

He is cut short when Amrit hugs him, crouching over, her arms clasped around him.

"I have no right to look into your eyes. He is my brother. He did that to you. And I - I - how will I ever make amends?"

"Shh," she says. "Shh."

Her fingers comb through his hair and Amrit presses her face against him. He shudders against her, before his arms come up to hold her, pull her against him, into him. Veer breathes her in and nuzzles against her throat before pressing his mouth just below her ear.

"Itni mohabbat humse bardaash nahi hota." Those words are caresses pressed against her skin and Amrit's hand clenches at his hair. Veer pulls back and looks at her, searching her eyes.

"Kya tum sach mein yeh chahati ho Amrit? Kya tum sach mein humari ho?"

Amrit's fingers reach for his face,  she trails them along his jaw. Her eyes never wavers from his, as she breathes her reply, presses it upon his lips with a caress of her exhale.

"Haan."

Veer reaches in and catches that word with his lips, his mouth fitting over hers. Amrit drags in an exhale that he breathes for her and he tugs her lower lip into his own mouth.

The sound she makes, a low growl of approval has his blood pounding in his ears. He can't bring her closer enough, or kiss her harder enough.

With Amrit everything is vivid and vital, too much and too little at the same time. The taste of her on his tongue, as he languidly explores the cavern of her mouth; her sighs and gasps that melts into his inhales; her softness pressed against him or her hands that try to bring him closer with an equal despair; make his doubts dissipate.

They break apart to catch a breath and Veer runs his thumb over her lower lip. It is beginning to swell, its colour deepening with their shared passion.

"You have no idea what you are doing to me..." he mutters caressing her jaw and throat, reaching into nibble along her jawline.

A hushed breath leaves her at the sensation and her hand clenches on his shoulder. When he draws back Amrit meets his darkened gaze with an equal fire.

"Show me," she says and plunges both of them headfirst into uncharted waters.

"Oh I intend to!" His whisper is a decadent promise.

He drags his hand over her shoulder and down her arm before putting it around his neck. Veer lifts her up in his arms and looks down at her with smouldering eyes.

"Yeh zidd hai humara ke aap ko bhi utni hi betaab kar de  jitna hum hai, biwi sahab. Itni betaab ke dua mein kudha ki jaga humara naam aajaye."

**
Ooh. In case you are still at sea, the chapter I've been hinting at, cautioning children off, is the next one. ;-)
I'm still debating whether to make it private or not. Because there are some people who will apparently lose the chance of reading simply because they don't have wattpad accounts. That feels unfair.
But then again, it is an individual decision. If you know what triggers you or what makes you uncomfortable and you stay away from them, there is no need for me to go to any extra lengths.
Therefore if I end up not making the chapter private, that is because I trust my readers to know their minds. :-)
Thank you for reading, also for putting up with this lengthy author's note.
Do vote and comment if you loved the chapter.
See you on Friday!