SWASAN: The Sword of Love… Chapter 24 [by Raina]

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Chapter 23
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~HER MISTAKES AND HER GUILT!~
Ragini stepped out of King Shekhar’s room after giving him his lunch as he is still not so much fine to walk to the huge royal dining table. It is afternoon and still Princess has not returned.. her worry grew as she walked to the balcony and kept looking at the entrance waiting for the Princess. Her gaze went around the garden when she found Sanskar also staring at the huge main gate. She smiled remembering her conversation with the Princess this early morning..

FLASHBACK
“Ragini! I have to go now!” Ragini frowned hearing her, it was too early to go anywhere out. “but Swara!” she started only to be interrupted by her Princess. “it’s really so important. I have to go now”. Ragini looked at her as Princess Swara took her sword and kept it in her holder and then followed her till outside when she was all set with her horse. Ragini suddenly remembered something, “will it take so much time? Shall I give you any food Princess?” she again frowned seeing her nodding a no. “you just do one favour for me. Just see whether Sanskar is missing me!” the Princess said and then she turned her horse and started going when she suddenly stopped and looked back making Ragini alert. Did she need anything? She as a perfect slave was ready to follow her order while the Princess’s words startled her, “and it’s not Princess! It’s Swara for you!” her eyes shrank because of confusion but then she realized that she called her as ‘Princess’ just now. She smiled and nodded to her and stood there till the Princess vanished from her sight…
FLASHBACK ENDS

Ragini looked at Sanskar who was pacing around the garden and kept on looking towards the gate. She smiled whispering, “he is indeed missing you Princess!”…
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It’s been days since Princess Swara spent time near her favourite waterfalls in her land which is just near her Palace. She used to spend a lot of time here from her childhood playing with the water.. plucking the flowers.. staring the sky.. but today she did neither of these activities and was lost in her thoughts crying silently. Her closed eyes again and again remembered Sanskar, while her own words of addressing Sanskar as a ‘slave’ kept echoing in his ears. She did a mistake. She did a sin.. she had no idea what to do now. Words have so much power to hurt others and also us. Whoever was standing in the Prathap Palace that time would have forgot her words, the slap would be the talk of that land now but still her guilt seemed to be so much strong to hurt her and make her cry.. make Princess Mithra cry.

She got angry when he said that he was not a Prince the previous day, but today.. she closed her eyes more tightly choking with her tears. This tongue… the words that had rolled off her tongue, she can never forgive herself for this. Covering her face with her palms, she sighed realizing that there was no way that she can make her mistake right. She can do nothing now to wash away from her guilt or change whatever has happened. there was no solution for this.. she just kept crying not really having any idea about her next step.. she whispered against her tears filled wet palms, “I am sorry Sanskar!”
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The day seemed so long today without Princess Swara for him. he don’t know where she was, no guard knew the answer! He was given a delicious breakfast which he tried his best to avoid but the doctor treating him and Ragini said that it the order of Princess Swara to take care of him. He sighed. He will be fit and fine only if she is near him safe and sound, her sudden disappearance from the morning had worried him a lot. Was she angry with him? she was shouting at him like a lioness yesterday that he was about to tell her father his reality. She told him that her father is sick and must be happy now, their conversation remained incomplete and she just walked away from his sight which very rarely happens.

It is she who always sorts the misunderstandings and the awkwardness between them with her beautiful talks that always manages to bring a smile on his face. He smiled remembering the time they spent in the competition when she said she hates silence. How he wish to go back to that time and be happy with her? God! He had become mad and selfish for this Princess. He was unable to remain in a same position and kept walking around the garden.. there were a lots of flowers. His smile grew more when he remembered their horse race when she asked him lots of flowers. This Princess was so humble, so kind, so brave and of course breath takingly beautiful. He sighed looking at the entrance and again started walking. He was really behaving like a mad and was getting so desperate to see her…

It was almost evening and the Princess has still not returned making him more frustrated and scared. He was inside the royal guest room he was given.. actually sitting on the floor and thinking about Princess Swara who have always amazed him. The desperateness have now started choking him as he wiped his tears before they could come out of his eyes. He felt so lonely.. he was missing her!…
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Princess Swara walked through the corridors of her big Palace all the way to her father’s room. She had spent hours in the waterfalls immersing herself in the thoughts of Sanskar and the guilt till now has not left her for even a single second. Standing at the doors of the King’s room, she hesitates for a moment to do what she wanted to. Closing her eyes tightly and wiping her tears, she stepped inside the room and locked it to have an alone talk with her father..
At the sound of the click of the knob, King Shekhar opened his eyes and looked at his Princess looking at him. a smile crept on his lips but soon he frowned seeing her pale face and reddened eyes. “what happened my Princess?” he asked worriedly getting up himself and sitting on the bed making her rush to him. “father! You..” she was interrupted by him. “first tell me what happened Princess!” at his stern voice, she could do nothing but look down and cry. Wiping her tears, she looked at him determined.. she had to tell her father.

Only he can help her! Sitting on the bed near her father she hid herself in his chest and sobbed making him more worried for his daughter. “I have fallen in love!” a smile formed on his lips hearing her choking whisper. “so much madly!” she whispered again and he wrapped his hands around her caressing her hairs. “the Prince whom you have brought here?” he asked still smiling knowing that it was a lame question. It would be obviously him! coming out of the hug she looked at her father teary eyes who looked so happy. She nodded letting a tear roll down her cheeks, she saw her father smiling more. “but I need to say something to you!” at her choking voice, his smile vanished sensing her worries as he caressed her hair and again hugged her comforting her while she hugged him more tightly. She took a deep breathe before starting, “father! I have again announced something really important without asking you!” he became confused hearing her but continued to caress her hairs giving her strength not speaking anything giving his daughter her own time to tell everything. He prepared himself too because he knew that his little daughter is going to say something which is so important and it was also hurting her so much.

Closing her eyes tightly, she hid herself in her father’s embrace scared from his anger, “I..” her voice broke.. “say it Swara!” he said in a soothing voice controlling his own tears to see his daughter like this as she continued, “I announced that we will no more have any business with King Prathap!” she closed her eyes more tightly not knowing how her father will react, she no more felt his hug and soon she was away from his chest and was facing his shocked eyes. “Swara?” he whispered still shocked, what was she talking about? “how can you just do like that? Where did you announce?” she shivered at his stern voice with the tears blurring her vision. “please hug me father!” at her soft whisper, he was shocked at the vulnerability of his daughter and he saw her again hugging him. his anger had to flew away hearing her sobs as he hugged her back. “Swara? What happened?” there was silence for few seconds and then he heard her, “father. Please once listen to me fully, please?” he sighed hearing her and hugged her more tightly remaining silent to let her speak. “Prince Sahil Prathap sent someone to the competition to bring me to him!” his grip tightened around her while she was scared thinking about the condition of her father, she knew she was telling him so much shocking things, she may end up in making him more sick, but it was only her father who can help her now. “that Prince wanted me father.. forcefully!

And the someone he sent is Sanskar!” she paused still staying in the hug gulping her tears to give strength to herself, her father remained silent that scared her.. she continued again, “he ordered Sanskar to act like a Prince and bring me to him!” her voice went slow as she said everything and then she felt her father not hugging her. She became scared thinking that she was making him tensed and was deteriorating his condition while he broke the hug forcefully and looked at his daughter, “act like a Prince?” she looked down closing her eyes and crying more. He sighed seeing her as he too became teary by now, he remembered what Sanskar said to him the previous night,
“I am not a Prince!”

“who is this Sanskar, Swara?” she opened her eyes and looked at her father hearing him. “act? So he is not a Prince?” she looked away with tears making him more shocked while she nodded crying. How much she ever denied this fact, but she had to tell her father the truth. “but I really love him so much father!” she finally looked at his eyes and whispered. “I fell in love with him during the competition and then he didn’t follow the order Prince Sahil gave him! He in fact asked me to kill him so that I can escape!” she looked at her father who was just listening to her, she wanted to again hug him but he moved away making her frown with tears, she continued looking down, “I can’t live without him, father!

I took him here. I want to marry him!” her last words went a bare whisper as she could feel herself getting so much overwhelmed. God! How much she loved him! “so according to my prediction..” she looked up at the King as he started saying. “he must be a slave!” he completed making few more tears form in her eyes. She again looked down and nodded slightly. “why are you crying now?” at his anger filled voice, she again looked at him with tears while he continued, “you love him. you want to marry him, you brought him here. You broke our business with the Prathaps.. everything is happening as per your wish. Then why are you crying Princess?” she cried more hearing him. “I asked why are you crying?” her father asked again as she whispered in a choking voice, “because I am guilty!” King Shekhar looked at his daughter, how much ever he melted in her tears he had to control himself. Even he was not against the slaves but still.. he sighed asking, “for doing all this?”

Swara looked at him, she can never be guilty about whatever she told her father now. She loves him, she can never be guilty for choosing Sanskar and she is also not guilty for insulting Prince Sahil.. “when I asked Sanskar to marry me, he cried and said that he doesn’t have these rights!” his eyes softened hearing her whisper again that was filled with pain as he again engulfed his daughter in a hug while she continued whispering, “he was so sad and told me that he doesn’t have right to marry me, he told he doesn’t have right to reject me too! I became so sad for him father!” snuggling more in her father’s embrace, she continued, “I wanted him to be out of this bitter reality of his, that’s why I brought him here too.. but today!” she broke the hug and looked at King Shekhar. “while insulting Prince Sahil, I told that he sent his..” choking to say anything, she finally broke in loud cries. “I addressed Sanskar today with his reality which I wanted to take away from him!” she closed her eyes as she said fighting with her tears, “I am so bad.. I am very bad!”

she felt her father hugging her and without opening her eyes, she broke down in his embrace when she heard her father saying, “yes my Princess! You are bad!” she cried more hearing him. “because you are also treating him like a slave!” she opened her eyes shocked and broke the hug and looked at her father with her wide red teary eyes. “if you want him to be away from his reality. You should give him freedom Swara! You should not force him like this to marry you!” she closed her hands in a fist unable to take this anymore. “but I will not force him..” she whispered in her shivering voice. “I am just giving my love a chance father!” she titled her head a little and whispered it so innocently that no one would believe that she is the same brave Princess who won the powerful sword. “just a chance! I will try. He might also love me someday na?” he sighed hearing her. “but till he loves you, he will be here as per the wish of you.. the wish of a Princess!” she blinked her eyes to stop her tears as her father continued, “if you want him to be happy, you should give him the freedom to live his life according to his wish Princess!” King Shekhar cupped her face and wiped her tears.

“I can see how much you love him!” he whispered slowly seeing her crying. “I have no problem, but you have to think about his happiness too!” Princess Swara looked down, she has become numb by his words. “good night father!” she whispered after some time and stood from the bed and walked out of his room, his tears finally came out looking at her retreating figure. He closed his eyes crying praying for the happiness of his daughter…
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She was sitting on the garden in a royal swing and was staring at the black sky, her father’s words kept ringing in her mind. She has become so much selfish.. indeed so selfish.. today turned out to be a very bad day for her. Her tears seemed endless, she was finally brought out of her thoughts by a voice behind her,
“where were you Princess? I missed you!”…

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Precap: ~Confession~
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A/N- Soooo..
hmm.. i don’t know about others, but i am really excited for the next chapter..
hope you all liked this chapter..
i will be glad to know the reviews of the silent readers too..
thank you all.. love you all..