Chapter#3: BIRTHDAY WISHES
A few days later at the palace, Sharon woke up feeling tired but happy and different. She thought about their dance, his hands on her waist, his presence, his smile...she could think only of him, not what Simmi or anyone else chattered about. The feeling she felt when they described him. Her lie, her truth. She smiled at the memory.
Swayam was in no better state. He lay in bed gazing at the ceiling and smiled like he was watching every minute spent with her all over again. Feeling them, living the night all over again.
"Why?" they pondered. "Why was this dance different? Why did it seem special? Why did they want to go back to that time and stay there forever?" they asked themselves. Both of them got out of bed and went to get dressed up. Their quarters faced each other and was on opposite sides of the main staircase. They got dressed and came out and the same time. They opened their doors and they smiled at each other. Sharon shyly while Swayam brightly. "Coincidence or..." they thought. The had to come to the main stairway to go down for breakfast and so they reached the staircase at precisely the same moment. They felt a weird happiness coursing through their veins at this. "Good morning princess" Swayam greeted her bowing courteously. "Good morning prince, and please call me sharon, everyone calls me that be it a peasant or my parents" she said smiling. "i shall if you will call me Swayam, had a good night?" he asked. "Well Swayam, yes a pretty much beautiful night wasn't it?" she said sighing while feeling the same weird feeling coursing through as she said his name. She paused for a while confused at why was her heart thumping so wildly all of a sudden. "It was splendid, and you looked gorgeous Sharon, i couldn't tell you last night because..." he paused confused at why his heart asked him to continue the sentence 'Because words failed to describe your beauty still fail to describe it, and i like you...i love you' "because?" she asked gently. "Because, uh because words couldn't have described your beauty last night, and when i found a few words that would do justice, i didn't get a chance" he said looking at her through his lashes while his heart thudded as he complimented her. "Had he said too much? Maybe she didn't return the intrest?" he feared. "Thank you, i do get that a lot from new acquaintances" she said, she could feel herself blush. "What i said was true...but why did it seem different and special when he spoke it? Why does my heart race when he compliments me?" she wondered. Feeling awkward, she made a move towards the stairs and so did he, it was like they'd known the other was going to move; they paused. "Ladies first?" swayam said motioning for her to make a move. She went down the stairs only to be matched in speed by Swayam. Together they entered the dining table where the cooks had prepared a lavish feast and right in the middle of the table was a huge cake which read 'Happy Birthday Sharon' and suddenly they were showered in flower petals, Rey and her parents appeared singing happy birthday as she squealed and covered her mouth her eyes wide open in surprise. She ran across the dining area and gave Rey and her parents a big hug. Swayam stood there frozen still covered with flower petals. "It was her birthday he hadn't known, he hadn't wished, she must be hurt" he thought. He saw her running to hug her family and he wished he was there too. "Stop it! She's Rey's sister" he scolded himself. Sharon cut the cake and fed her family a piece each and they fed her back. Swayam just stood there and watched them. "Her smile is so pretty" he thought and automatically a smile appeared on his face as he saw her and admired her. "Swayam! Come here" rey called out. "No it's ok, I'm fine here" Swayam said. "He must be feeling out of place, wouldn't he?" Rey whispered loud enough for Sharon to hear it. She then took a piece right over to him and fed him, smiling gracefully. Swayam was helpless as he accepted it and fed the same cake to her, during which he caught her hand to turn the cake towards her. She took a bite and a bit of the cream rested on her cheek next to her lips. He gestured with his hand to wipe the cream away and she rubbed the wrong cheek which left her other cheek with chocolate cream too. He chuckled while she looked him confused and lifted her head as to ask him why was he laughing. He shook his head and gestured again. This time she got the right cheek but before she could rub it, he caught her hand. She looked up confused. He nodded towards her hand which still had cream on them. Asking her to wait, he got his handkerchief wiped her cheeks ever so gently. She closed her eyes as her heart pounded at his every touch. She could feel him rubbing her cheeks clean. He suddenly had an odd urge to kiss away the chocolate. Resisting the urge he wiped her cheeks gently, all the while feeling her blush under the hanky.
"They look perfect don't they?" the queen whispered to her husband. "Looks like we've found our son in law" the king whispered back. Rey who heard this smirked and vowed to himself that he'll get them together. It was his golden opportunity and he wasn't going to let go of it. "Ahemmm" rey coughed. Swayam and Sharon snapped out of their bubble and turned. Sharon immediately stepped away from Swayam and wouldn't look at him while her cheeks turned crimson. "If you've fed Swayam the cake can we start eating? I'm hungry" Rey said mocking them as Sharon's cheeks turned redder. Without a word, they hurried over to the dinner table and took their places. Rey and Swayam sat together while sharon sat on the other side facing Swayam and Rey. They finished breakfast and Rey blindfolded sharon to reveal her gift. Swayam followed the family into the room where the gift was. "Are we there yet?" Sharon asked impatiently. "Almost..." rey replied smiling at her impatience. She removed the blindfold and saw. There it was nestled on a cushion were the daintiest pair of dancing shoes alongside a piano with Sharon emblazoned on it. Sharon let out a small squeal and looked at Rey, her eyes shining like stars. "For me?" she asked Rey nodded his head. She hugged him tightly and gave him a peck on his cheek "Thank you thank you thank you sooo much" she cried. "And I couldn't have chosen your gift without Swayam's help" he said patting Swayam on his back. Swayam was standing next to Rey observing Sharon with an amused expression. Sharon pulled him into a hug a pecked him on the cheek too, too caught up in happiness. As she pecked his cheek she came into her senses while he went out of it. "Sorry I'm so sorry prince...i didn't mean to...i was too happy I'm so sorry" she stammered. Swayam stood there frozen listening to her. When she looked up again, he shrugged a little and excused himself from the room and headed to his chamber still in shock. He could feel her lips on his cheeks even then. He sat on the chair and revisited the previous moments with Sharon. He felt the spot where her lips had touched his cheek.
Sharon was confused and embarrassed. Rey looked at her teasingly and she just returned it with an apologetic look. Her parents were shocked but ok. After giving her their gifts, they retired to the court to look after the matters of the state. Sharon still in a shock went and shut herself in her room. It wasn't until she'd sat down that she came out of her shock. She could still feel his cheek, and his warmth as she'd hugged him. She unknowingly smiled at the memory. Two raps on her door startled her and she found herself smiling. She wiped the smile of her face and asked whoever it was outside to come in. Her maid came in carrying her gifts. All except the piano which would be shifted the following day. She dressed up for official visit through the country a ritual which she followed religiously for the past few years. She dressed and wandered about the palace while waiting for the carraige. Swayam was nowhere to be seen. Upon asking she found out that he was in his room. Her carraige arrived to rake her on her annual tour of the town, where she distributed sweets to the peasants.
The witch too was present at the town hall where the princess came to distribute sweets. Her evil eye fell upon Sharon who smiled radiantly and talked sweetly. She smiled wickedly and thought, "Smile all you want my pretty one, it won't be long until I get all your beauty and power". The witch had disguised herself as a commoner and had come to buy ingredients for her evil spell, a powerful evil spell. A spell to harm the princess.
It went on longer than Sharon had expected it to. She returned home expecting to see him but alas there was no such luck. "He didn't even wish me" she thought. Her friends came over for dinner and she had to spend time with them. He came for dinner but didn't even look at her. He talked to Rey and everyone present at the table except her. "Maybe he is angry...maybe its better like this...maybe its good we do not talk and cause more awkwardness" she thought. After dinner, he left for his room while Sharon and her friends took a walk in the garden.
Later after her friends had bid adieu, she went to the sitting room tired and vexed. She cupped her face in her arms and sighed thinking of the days happenings. Her tiredness seemed to have vanished when she thought of him. Her face glowed with a radiance that made her even more prettier than the moon. She was so lost in her thoughts about him that she didn't notice when he came in. It wasn't until Swayam had shaken his hand in front of her that she came out of her reverie, startled. "What on earth were you thinking about?" Swayam asked curious. "You" she said dazed by his appearance. "Me?" Swayam asked confused, though glad; after which Sharon realised what she'd said and not wanting to make it awkward added hurriedly, "You, I meant how come you're here at this time? Did you want something?" she asked. "Oh, um no not at all, I came in fact to see you" he said. A slight blush crept into her cheeks. "Me? Whatever for?" she asked surprised. Swayam quietly handed her a small velvet box, "I, well umm, I wanted to give you something for your birthday, and I would've given it earlier had I known it was your b'day" he paused waiting fir her response. Sharon slowly reached out for the box and took it as he continued, "And well, happy birthday sharon" he said as she took the box and opened it. A silver chain with a single heart pendant rested in the box. The heart was encrusted with diamonds on the outside and it could be opened. Inside the heart was a picture of her. "Well its something that I had made for my mother and I thought i'll give one to you too, the other side is for the picture of the person who completes you" he said warily watching her. She stroked the heart and murmered "It is soo pretty" she looked up at him and smiled and said "Thank you Swayam, for such a beautiful and thoughtful gift, I shall treasure it for the rest of my life" she said with a shine in her eyes. "I'd ordered it just this morning and painted the potrait of you, which took me so long...I'm sorry" he apologized. "It doesn't matter, seems like you're an artist, the potrait is perfect, I love the gift, thank you so much...and I'm sorry about what happened earlier this morning, I guess it was a woman's whim" she said blushing as she thought of it. He colored a little and said, "It's okay I understand". They stood there looking at each other for some more time after which sharon broke the ice, "We should get going, it's late and I think it's time we went to bed" to which he agreed and they walked together to their respective chambers, both unable to sleep a wink that night thinking of their moments together. "I think I'm in love" was the last thought both had when sleep finally invaded their tired selves.
4: OF REALISATIONS & CONFESSIONS
The days progressed and Sharon and Swayam still felt unsettled around each other. A bit awkward,a bit shy and it aroused weird sensations in them. Their hearts paced when they were close by. Their breath became irregular when they looked at each other. When their eyes met, both would get lost until someone or something snapped them out of it. As if this wasn't weird enough, they often dreamt about each other. Thinking about their events, their hugs, their feelings..themselves together. They pictured themselves together. Rey who was a silent observer often smiled to himself, having felt the feeling of being in love, himself. He wished and prayed for something to happen, so that they would realize their feelings for each other. Swayam and Sharon too found themselves wishing for the same, to recognize what was this feeling that they never felt before. This feeling that was too beautiful, too happy, too intense, a feeling that couldn't be expressed by any word in this world. They often asked one question, "Am I in love?". They were confused about this feeling.
The old witch is not to be forgotten. She'd finally finished her spell. Her evil spell. She disguised herself as a peddler one fine day, selling pretty hats and cloaks. She passed by the palace and seeing that Sharon was walking in the garden, decided to put her plan into action. She cast a spell over the palace guards and commanded them to let her in. She entered the garden and the grass turned brown as she walked. Her very presence radiated evil. She crept to the princess, and before sharon could react, draped a cloak and bewitched her. Entranced in the spell Sharon followed her. Swayam who had also spotted Sharon from his window, hurried down to talk to her. He'd decided, this time he would talk properly without any awkwardness. He hurried down to the garden and on finding her there, asked a maid who passed by, had sharon gone to the palace. The maid nodded in the negative. Swayam then wondered where could she be? She was here a while back...she wasn't in the palace...so where would she be? He walked forward trying to trace her path. Suddenly he noticed that a few flowers had wrinkled, and the grass had turned dry. Finding it weird he decided to follow the path. He hadn't gone a long way when he saw the witch and someone else draped in a cloak making their way out of the garden. Sharon wobbled momentarily, but the jerk was enough for the cloak's hood to fall off and make her hair visible. Swayam's mind raved as he recalled the story that Rey had told him once long ago about a witch who lived deep in the forest. He'd mentioned that her presence would be evil to anything and everything she touched. Putting two and two together, he hurried forward to stop the witch. The witch had momentarily stopped and on seeing Swayam hurrying forward immediately took out a silver knife that she always kept and pressed it to Sharon's throat. Seeing this Swayam stopped. "drop the sword or she dies" she hissed. "No, don't you dare touch her you evil scum" he yelled. "Leave. NOW!" she yelled, loud enough for the entire palace to hear. "I will not unless she comes back" he yelled back. Sharon's eyes were a ghastly green. the witch pressd her knife harder at Sharon's throat. Beads of blood glistened at the edge. "No don't you dare!" he roared. Rey who had heard the witch had seen what was happening. He silently made his way out of the palace through a secret exit and came to his sister's aid. Swayam saw Rey creeping behind the witch, and in a flash, Rey had his sword at the witch's throat. "Release her from your spell" he said, tightening his grip against her throat. The witch mumbled something and Sharon came out from her trance, dazed and confused. Too confused to decipher what was happening she fainted and fell. Swayam who watched all this went to catch her as she fell tight into his arms. Rey making sure Sharon was safe, dragged the witch away.
Swayam held a pale and unconscious sharon in his arms, stricken with worry. He shook her and she didn't budge. Finally dropping his sword, he carried her in his arms to her room. The maids came in to tend to her and the royal physician was summoned. Swayam refused to leave her side. The king and the queen were away, on a royal trip. Swayam held her hand all the while, as the physicians tended to her. They'd made a paste of a few herbs to be applied to her forehead with a damp cloth every few hours, and a syrup that was to be give along with it. Swayam took note of the entire process and carefully tended to her all through the night. Sleeping by her bedside and waking up every few hours to change the cloth and give her the syrup. Slowly her colour came bac, but not her consciousness. Swayam took the colour in her cheeks as a good sign and continued tending to her. He sat at the piano and played out a little tune, hoping music would bring her back soon. He played a soulful little tune, that eons later was composed again in a very mordern motion picture called Bollywood. The lyrics were written in a different language, and the composition was named pehla nasha. Slowly just as the sun cast its last beams at the end of the second day, she stirred in her sleep. "Sh...Sharon?" he whispered. Her eyelids fluttered and then lay still. "Wake up Sharon...Please wake up...I need you back...I don't know why but I need you back" a desolate swayam said, his voice heavy with sadness. He held her hand and studied her face. Calm, gentle, beautiful and yet powerfully elegant. He thought back of moments spent together and of moments that could be spent together. He thought of that irrevocable feeling she stirred in the depths of his heart. "Is this Love?" he asked her sleeping figure, weakly before he fell asleep, his head close to hers.
Mid-night struck, and the moon cast its light while the stars complimented the night sky with their twinkle. Sharon stirred a little and opened her eyes. The sense of something damp on her forehead, the feeling of skin on her fingers and breath on her neck hit her all at once. turning to the side, she was startled into silence, by the charming face that had lines of worry and confusion on its face. She raised a hand weakly to touch the lines, feel the contours of his cheek and jaws that were set into a tensed line. She wanted to erase them of worry and replace them with happiness. Her fingertips slightly touched his cheeks, and his eyes flew open, startling her and his eyes enrapturing her with their depth. A moment later, it was gone. She looked up, the eyes which initially held worry was now replaced with concern and relief. "Swayam?" she whispered, her voice hoarse. He quietly helped her sit up and removed the herbal cloth. Carefully measuring out the syrup, he made her drink it, caressing her hair softly. "How are you m'lady?" he asked her, his voice burning with concern. "Fine...maybe a bit weak but I'm fine" she said and looked around at her surroundings. Empty plates lay on a table a little away from the bed while a table close to her had damp cloth and some paste and the syrup she just had. "What happened?" she asked, confused as the only thing she could remember was being terrified for him, what if the witch did something? "The witch has been banished. You are safe now" Swayam said, the words sinking in as he said it. Yes, Sharon was safe. She is safe. She will be safe. Relief coursed through his veins as he hugged her. A tight, bone-crashing, protective hug. "You're safe, Sharon" he said his voice relieved. She hugged him back as well, understanding the turmoil he must've been through when she wasn't conscious. "Yes, I am Swayam"she said warmly. "Never...so helpless...so angry...so much of care" he mumbled as he pulled back and sat in the chair his head between his hands. "So much of L..." he mumbled and then stopped realizing what he was about to say. "I should leave" he said an turned to walk away. "Of what Swayam?" Sharon asked softly. He paused. "Love?" she asked gently, as she sat up earnestly, her eyes eager. "Goodnight princess" he smiled slightly as he shut the door behind him. She fell back on her bed, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushed. The door creaked for a second time and he partly re appeared, "Maybe, this is love?" he said with a smile. The door creaked shut but the words hung in the air slowly settling in. As their hearts beat rapidly, and the feeling of love unleashed itself on them, the crickets started whistling a sweet melody, as the moon shined brighter, and the stars twinkled with all their power. Suddenly the world seemed to be a much beautiful place.
