War For Love

~Thirty Two~

A little reminder: The plotline belongs to year 1900.

"You're smiling." Vedika pointed out as Siya was sautéing vegetables with a smile on her face. Siya rose her brows, her smile only widened as she looked at her sister with amusement swirling in her eyes.

"And?"

"You're scaring me, Siya. Ma fixed your marriage with Mehul even after knowing you love Sahib and instead of protesting against her decision, you're smiling here! What's going on in your mind? Tell me you won't marry that Mehul sacrificing your love with Sahib."

Siya laughed at her sister, shaking her head as she pulled the hot utensil down. Vedika knew when Siya smiled like this when someone forced her to do anything against her will, it only meant trouble. Real trouble. Siya wasn't a woman who would cry and marry another man just because her parents told her to. Siya was the very kind of woman who would fight for her love until her last breath. She would cry, she would break down but she would gather her broken pieces again and stand up, stronger and mightier than before.

"Jiji, you're worrying too much for me. I am not doing anything against my wish." Vedika narrowed her eyes as she watched her sister making tortillas, totally unfazed about their marriages which wasn't very far now.

"I know you won't do anything against your wish but atleast let me be prepared beforehand when you'll try to get arrested on purpose again or decide to get whipped again! Everytime you smile like this, things happens." Siya rolled her eyes at her sister but she wasn't wrong.

Siya invited trouble. She liked being on the other side of the world where no-one wished to even think about. A woman getting arrested! No-one of their village thought about this. No-one thought that one day would come when a woman would get arrested and she would be proud of it.

"I might be a little guilty for that, Jiji. But right now, I'm not worried for my marriage. My prime concern is the marriage of Mamta which is next week. I need to stop that sham of a marriage! I won't let that landlord ruin another woman's life." Vedika's eyes widened at her sister's plan.

Vedika had thought of so many possibilities. Siya running away from her own marriage. Fighting Mehul and his family. Threatening Mehul. Threatening Prema and what not. But never in her life she thought, she'd try to break Mamta and the landlord's marriage when she had her own marriage to break. Okay, maybe she did. But after days of no action from Siya, Vedika thought Siya must have accepted her defeat but who was she even kidding? Siya and accepting defeat?

"Why do you always have a death wish, Siya! The landlord will kill you!"

"He won't, Jiji. Because forced marriage is illegal in our country now, just like marrying a girl under twelve years of age." Siya said and Vedika's eyes widened in shock. No wonder a lot of people didn't knew.

When the royals had issued the law, not many people were aware of, nor were they really interested in knowing rules and laws that didn't benefit them financially. The only laws they were up-to-date with, were taxes: house tax, land tax, salt tax, export tax and what not.

"Forced marriage is illegal?"

"See. Ninety nine percent of our women are unaware that forced marriage is a punishable offence now. And people like landlords doesn't even want women to know about their rights. Do you know why, Jiji? Because if a woman would know of her rights, she won't accept the harrassment." Vedika blinked twice, shaking her head. She didn't knew there were such laws and rules too.

"What do you plan to do then?" Vedika asked and Siya sighed.

"I originally had thought of making Mamta escape her wedding but now I realize, running is not an option, Jiji. Forced marriage is a punishable offence and that arrogant, oppressive landlord should be punished for it. And if Mamta escapes her marriage, the landlord would be left unpunished and our women would never know about their rights. It's time to encourage women to know about their rights and to fight for equality." Vedika nodded her head before she frowned. Siya's words were good to hear, encouraging to some extent even; but would they be successful in encouraging the other women?

"But Siya, would Mamta agree to this? Would other women agree to this? Even today our women want to be in veil, they don't want to even voice their opinion. Do you really think, they would agree to protest against these evils?" Siya shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't sure herself.

"I don't know, Jiji. But we can try. Even if one woman realises the power they have, I'll think my efforts finally got their destination."

For a long time none of them spoke. Vedika thought about what Siya had just said. They had to keep close contact with the government policies and it was the time they had to raise their voices too. Swaraj (independence) shall be their moto.

"I still have a doubt, Siya." Vedika said softly and Siya turned towards her, rasing her brows as she flipped the tortilla on the pan.

"You'll help Mamta out of her forced marriage. But what about you, Siya? Neither you, nor Mehul denied for the marriage. What's going on in your mind? Because I can't see you marrying someone who isn't Sahib." Siya smiled at her concern and she moved closer to her sister, placing her hands on her shoulders as she looked into her eyes.

"Don't worry, Jiji. Siya would never sacrifice her Sahib. Not his love, not his name. Silence doesn't always mean defeat and rage doesn't always guarantee victory. There is something that needs to be mended before I break my marriage with Mehul."

"And would Mehul be alright with you breaking the marriage? Like won't it be unjust to him that after giving him the hopes of marriage, you'll break it, just like that?" Siya's smile only widen at Vedika's words. She was unaware of the biggest secret that Siya won't even reveal until the right time comes.

"If it reduces your stress, Jiji, then just know that Mehul doesn't want this marriage even more than me."

"What! Why?" Vedika asked and Siya only laughed silently, shaking her head.

"Now that's not my place to tell you why, Jiji. Just have some patience and Mehul himself will reveal the truth, hm? Until then let everything go as it is going right now. After all, water shouldn't be stopped from flowing because it only results into flood, hm."

Vedika shook her head. Half of the time she can't understand what Siya says. She always talks in such riddles that Vedika finds it hard to decode what Siya actually meant to say. And if she said, time will explain everything then she'll wait until the right time arrives instead of thinking about her hard riddles.

~~~~~~

"So you mean to say our moon has mountains and valleys?" Siya asked, gazing at the moon, sitting beside Sahib, on the cot and Sahib nodded his head softly.

"Hm. And the most interesting thing about it is that moon experiences neither the tectonic movements nor the volcanic activities which could lead to mountain formation. And yet mountains are there on moon. They are somehow created by the asteroids hitting the moon." Siya turned to look at Sahib.

She didn't knew what was more attractive, Sahib sitting on the cot discussing about a solar body so passionately or the light his eyes had as he talked so effortlessly about the universe and its magic, Siya was so unaware about. She looked down at his fingers holding the cot and she slowly slipped her fingers in between his, intertwining their fingers. Sahib looked down as she cupped his hand and a smile formed on his face before he looked at the moon again. Siya saw his smile.

Something about Sahib was so different. His dark eyes, akin to the darkness that surrounded the moon and his scarred skin, holding scars of countless battles and wars. His long, calloused fingers that made her heart to curl in happiness. The kind of warmth he provided her was beyond all the words and all the phrases of the world.

"Aren't you a student of law? How do you know so much about our universe?" Siya asked softly, placing her head on his shoulders and he slightly bent down to give her an easy access of his shoulders and Siya felt warmth spreading inside her chest at his smallest gesture.

"I love knowing about our universe, galaxies and planets. They have always made me so curious. Do you know, there's a possibility of existence of a parallel world too? Maybe there's also another earth. There's a possibility that life is present on another planets too. Doesn't these thoughts make you curious?" He asked and she smiled, almost snorting at his question.

"The only way we see moon is as a symbol of love. You see the world with logic, Rudra. And we have always been taught not to question the nature. So the only things I learn about our planets and our universe is from you."

"If you wish, I can tell you more about our solar system." He offered softly.

Sahib looked down at her, his fingers gently cupping her face as he gazed down in her dark eyes. There was one moon, the earth had and there's this moon, Sahib had. And no wonder Sahib felt his moon even more enchanting and beguiling than earth's moon. Beautiful beyond the words. He rubbed the side of her face by his thumbs and she closed her eyes and she felt a spark of electricity passing down her body. Heat dwelled inside her, her abdomen twisting and curling for attention. There were so much more her insides craved for and so much more Sahib wished to give her.

"And do you know, where else do I see my universe?" Sahib asked in his low, husky tone and Siya gulped, shaking her head. She slowly opened her eyes only to suck in a breath as how close he was to her. So close that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin. She could feel the warmth rolling out of his body. Her toes curled when he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears, she had intentionally left out from her braid. The cool wind only made her to shiver more.

Sahib smiled when she was breathing heavily, her chest heaving up and down. Her fingers digging in his skin as she moved closer to him.

"In your eyes. I see my universe in your eyes. Clear and beautiful. Mysterious but beguiling. I see my whole world residing in the depth of your eyes, Siya. You're my whole world." He confessed.

Siya felt her mouth going dry and parched. She felt so many things at that one moment. So many waves of needs and desires swirled in her guts, wanting to be released at once. The moon was also on its prime. On its brightest night, gracing them with its moonlight. The night was darkest at that moment and she felt the need of embracing him in her arms, to feel him until her body knows of nothing but him. Only him. Like a chant, like a mantra. Rudra. Her Rudra.

"And I want to feel how this universe feels when one eternal part of soul makes love to the other eternal part of the soul. I want to feel the warmth of your sun and the darkness of your night. I want to touch the mountains your moon has and I also want to reach to the depth of your oceans."

"But, my love, the moon you wish to seek is beyond our reach. The sun you wish warmth from would only burn you. The depth you wish to explore is only a trap for death. You wish to feel to forbidden love, my Siya." Siya gulped down, shaking her head as she moved down, on the ground, her knees on the muddy ground, making her skirt dirty.

Sahib's eyes looked down at her in awe. How raw she looked at the moment, disheveled under the moonlight, making him to wish to love her like she had never been loved before. The kind of love no woman would have ever felt in their lives before. Her eyes begged him for the love, his own eyes had promised her of.

"Let me burn into your flames then, Rudra. Once. Just for once. Please."

Sahib gulped at her request. He bent down, gripping her face from either side as he pressed his lips to her forehead and she closed her eyes, feeling his soft lips against her forehead. Respect, love, affection clear in his one gesture and Siya melted right there into a puddle.

"The kind of galaxies I want to show you, my Siya. The kind of love I want to bestow you with, no-one can understand."