Isha

A loud commotion signals their presence. So much so that I have to roll the car window down and check for myself, whether I am dreaming, or this in fact, is our reality.

Hundreds, no thousands of Syncitians are gathered around the Royal Palace, cheering loudly and in demand of the Council to step down. In demand for the win of true love, no matter what the status between two people may be. With huge banners, bands around their foreheads, protests and shouts of requests to listen to the "common people" and not be an obstruction against two souls from becoming one, spread across the lands. Guards find it hard in blocking them from barging inside.

Never did I ever think our little video (with a little help from my social media influencer cousin, Ekta), would reach so many views, likes, comments of sympathy in the entirety of Fantasia's platform. And when we had least expected for only few to show up, many have turned up, shocking us immensely.

Funny, aren't they? The members of the Council think they have any right to have a say in others' personal lives. Who are they to think they are worthy of that right, because of some damn title they didn't even earn but rather inherit from ancestors? It is most laughably ridiculous, and makes me want to crack their heads open and squeeze out delusional junks from those wrinkly brains.

A delicate touch unclenches my infuriated clenched fists. "Are you murdering the Council in your imagination?"

My lips twitch in infuriation at the mention of the said people, the polite smile that I've been wearing throughout the ride here, on the verge of disappearing. "Of course not. How could I dare to commit a serious felony against such esteemed people? I was merely performing a brain surgery in my mind." 

Calix visibly shudders at the potentially devilish expression on my face. "Haha, I see."

I inhale and exhale, forcing my anger to calm down but it has been nothing but rising, gradually reaching unreachable heights as we near the front entrance of Nirvana's main building. Anyone else would've been excited, elated even that there is a 99.9% chance of them winning, however, I am angry. I have been furious no doubt ever since I first learnt of the Council, but it had been suppressed. Today, it is coming out in the form of a volcanic eruption and I can only pray I do not say or do something undesirable during the meeting.

Calix's hand when slips into mine, it swiftly melts the boiling anger. And one glance of his reassuring, charming smile, eases all nerves.

His gaze then moves onto his mother's, who is sitting in the front passenger seat, presumably worried and also solemn as quite naturally old memories she had, at Nirvana, comes back to her.

"Mom, how are you doing there?" Worried, Calix leans forward to check on the elderly woman who only smiles, assuring him.

"I am alright, Calix. Just a bit nauseous."

"Do you need motion sickness medicines—"

As soon as Beth shakes her head, the bittersweet smile remaining intact, Calix understands. It is not motion sickness, but rather, a suffocating feeling.

"Please don't force yourself to accompany us," I add to Calix's mother.

"Oh you two," she laughs softly, "Stop being such worriers, I will be fine. I am just..." her eyes go outside to the Royal Palace's building, "I am angry, sad, and everything beyond and above. In the end, the man who had ruined me, I am going to face him in person after years."

And before we know, we are stepping down the car and being led to the meeting hall. Beth behind us; Calix and I in front, our hands gripping onto one another, the touch of promise of staying and fighting together no matter what.

"Didn't expect you to be here too, Miss Sen," King Richard taunts the moment Calix and I step inside the meeting hall filled with Council members, and few news reporters. Today's meeting will be live broadcasted in all of Syncitia, and that is more so reason why the pressure is real. Not to mention, this King seems to be an awful lot confident for someone whose face of pure terror I am waiting to see.

"Of course I should be here, Your Majesty," grinning like a Cheshire cat, I answer tight-lipped, "You went ahead to form an entire Council, thinking of me. I am rather honoured to be completely honest."

King Richard's jaw tightens, but he doesn't lose his calm. Few clicks of tongues in annoyance are heard throughout the hall. Murmurs of disapproval follow suit.

"Shall we get down to what we are here for today, then?" Carlos interrupts with an interjected chuckle as he walks into the meeting hall, to Richard's surprise. As to him, Carlos had been neutral, however...

"Carlos," Richard frowns, "What are you doing here?"

"Standing against the wrong, of course," Carlos answers as he takes a seat beside me.

Clenching his fists, the King almost yells, "You damn brothers are so infuriating. Betraying your kin is written in your blood, it seems. But then again, both your mothers turned out to be foul."

The two princes do not reply, but their calm expressions are the mirrored meanings of the calm before a tumultuous storm.

Before he could make a scene, others including his secretary, somehow become successful in calming the King down. He was more so furious at the lack of response to his meaningless outbursts.

Calix nods at me to speak first, as the meeting begins. I stand up, and with confidence face the discriminating glares. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I hope you all already know my name but to those who aren't aware, my name is Isha Sen and I proudly stand here claiming that Calix is my lover and will forever be." The distasteful murmurs do not faze me. In fact, Calix's blushing cheeks and sparkling focused eyes only fuel the words pouring out of me. "It is completely unacceptable if, with all due respect, people in high positions such as yours behave like hormonal adolescents throwing a tantrum, when something doesn't go their way. Are we still living in the past or is this 21st century?"

Silence follows my speech.

"Of course it is the 21st century," I continue, "But you all seem to want to continue living in the olden times of objecting relationship between a commoner and the Crown Prince. Perhaps you should try writing on the genre 'forbidden love'; your books will turn into bestsellers in no time." As I huff out an angry breath, except for the stunned faces that greet me for my audacity, Calix's face is entirely red in an attempt to control his laughter while Carlos doesn't hesitate to laugh out loud.

"Welcome to 2024 where anyone can be with whoever they like, if it is mutually consented and I say no one, not even the King of a country can stop them. Mark my words.

"I love Calix and as much as I am his, he is mine and you would not want to unleash my wrath. That would be all, thank you," I slump back down, immediately chugging down water to calm myself down while the hall stays in silence. It takes them a while to stir as the members burst in aggravated stammers directed to me, for my intentional rudeness.

Despite all that, Calix leans in to whisper, "Is it bad that I want to devour you whole right now?"

I clear my throat, his light touch on my wrist leaving a trail of fire in their wake. "Wait until we go back to my apartment."

"Alright," with an obedient nod, he returns back to the poised manner he was sitting in, previously.

"Guys please, I can hear everything," Carlos grimaces his face in disgust, rolling his eyes.

Our playful encounters with us turning deaf ears to the loud chatters in the room remain short-lived as King Richard slams his fists into the table, creating pin-drop silence. His enraged eyes fall on me, entire body trembling in fury. "You insolent girl. Who do you think you are, born of low blood, trying to act all high and mighty? Those words you spouted are empty phrases that aren't enough to stop our Council. Show your vocabulary in the books you write, not here, where adult-matters are dealt with."

I grab Calix's wrist in an instant when he moves to stand up, to throw curses at him equally probably but now is not the time. King Richard's face will soon die down.

"You immature kids these days speak too much, with absolutely no respect for your elders. Foolish of you to think gaining general favour would help you in winning. We stand here today to protect the pureness of royal blood, which I will no more allow to be wasted by creating more illegitimate descendants. As a pure royal blood myself—"

"Pure? You are the foolish one here, Brother," making a dramatic entrance, Calix and Carlos' aunt, Arisella, enters the hall and with that, behind her enters, Beth.

Old faces in the Council who knew Arisella and the infamous maid Beth, appear close to falling unconscious while the other members are plain confused as to who these unknown women are.

"Arisella...Beth..." whispers of horror falls from Richard's lips, his balance wobbling as if he has seen real-life ghosts. "W-What—how did you two enter even?"

"Arrangements made by us," Calix and Carlos replies together but then glare at one another before grimacing for appearing in sync.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" "Your Majesty, you look sick." "Who are they, Your Majesty?" "Please answer our questions, Your Majesty."

"We will answer your questions," the former Princess Arisella steps up, placing copies of the documents that reveal Richard's birth's truth; the letters exchanged between the former King and Richard's biological mother, birth-certificates, emails that were sent and received after Calix's birth, regarding the arrangements to be done to Beth, in the form of printed words, and other such all are placed in front of the so-called Council."

"You seem too proud of your royal blood, Brother," Arisella snaps, "When you yourself were an illegitimate child of our father."

Questions surround His Majesty who, like a maniac frantically look through the documents over and over again, mumbling "no" constantly, as if that would change the truth. He dug his own grave when he himself decided to broadcast the entire meeting and now, each and every Syncitian knows the wrongdoings of the former late King and Richard. The questions are answered when Arisella and Beth begin narrating their tales.

"Besides," Calix places few more documents on the round table, "Over the past weeks, thanks to our research, we have found records where royals of Syncitia did have relationships with commoners, over the years. Just because you want to turn a blind eye to the reality by manipulating others into believing your lies of pureness of blood, doesn't mean the truth won't come haunting you one day."

And surprising all, Beth, with angry strides, doesn't hesitate to put a tight slap on Richard's cheek earning gasps from all around. "This was for blaming everything on me, humiliating me, manipulating me." Slap. "This was for making my son's life a living hell, all these years." Slap. "And this, was for the slap you had given me after calling me a 'whore' in front of others." Slap. "Oh and this? This was just for my absolute pleasure." Calix's mother harshly wipes the tears in her eyes, as Richard's chest falls up and down while clenching his red cheeks, and collapsing on the ground.

"Y-You will pay for this. For raising your hand on the King—"

She only laughs, as I watch with delight at the scene unfolding. Richard still doesn't know what he has done.

"Your Majesty—oops, Richard," Beth's eyes glint maliciously, "You should've taken your lessons seriously. According to Law Number 100, under the Syncitian Monarchical Rule, any association, community, group, or council formed to oppose the activities of a royalty, if the objective of it is not proven to be rightful, the members of the Council will be stripped off their occupations, titles, status and whatever they possess. Therefore including every Council member here, Richard, you are no longer the King. Not even a royalty.

You are now, a mere commoner."

As expected, the hall breaks out into roars of protests when Calix speaks, "My mother is correct. What the law states, we should follow it, shouldn't we? And please ladies and gentlemen, don't worry about our nation. I and Carlos, the Kings of Syncitia will now onward grant noble titles to those who deserve it, and shall earn it by proving their worth. The corrupted system of inheriting titles, slouching in meetings and enjoying privileges shall no longer be permitted. Goodbye," grinning heavily Calix grabs my hand and glances at me, his gaze softening, "Ready, Isha?"

"Ready as hell, Prince High Horse," I answer as we walk onto the adjacent balcony, our supporters cheering for us, for our love.

And for them, for the world, but above all, for us, Calix pulls me into a passionate kiss and I return it gladly. Oh, and he keeps his promise of devouring me whole, once we return to the homely abode; my apartment.

Once upon a time, I believed 'happily ever after's existed only in fiction, and for the most fortunate ones. But maybe, it is not fictional. Maybe it isn't a matter of fortune. But rather an unbreakable force that will make two people, even if they are polar opposites having met due to unfavourable circumstances, fall for each other, no matter what. And some tales may even end tragically but that doesn't mean, love is invisible for them. The love that breathes within is eternal and is one of the greatest gifts known to mankind. We fight for love. We cry for love. We laugh for love. We love for love. And we do receive our 'happily ever after', because of this love. In our own way.

I just never realized that two tellers of lies will be trapped in this beautifully damned thing called love.

But then again, Prince High Horse shall forever be mine, as much as I shall forever be his.