It's a gloomy afternoon. A chilled breeze is blowing all around. And it's constantly shaking the funeral pyar. The smoke from the pyar is  trying to touch the clouds of heaven, but it seems that there is someone on the earth who is not ready to let her yet.

First Encounter

It's the Hermitage of Premacharya. Disciples from various regions have come to his abode to have their training of warfare and education.

    Rohitashwa, the brightest student of the Gurukul, is the son of the famous king Mahendradev of Kundanpur. King Mahendradev was also a student of Premacharya, so Acharya has put a lot of faith on his favorite disciple's heir. But unfortunately, Rohit is completely different from his father. Although the boy is very good at memorising the scriptures but he's reluctant to take the training of arms. By his experience, Acharya knows that the boy is full of potential but he lacks interest. So all he needs is a true inspiration, someone or something that can motivate him.

     Rohit has come to the forest for cutting wood. It's his daily punishment, for not taking the arms control training seriously. Acharya has already threatened him that he would complain to father if Rohit couldn't amend himself. Rohit cannot understand why it is necessary for the royal children to learn the art of arms. Rohit doesn't like those bloodsheds or the greed for power. Why can't people live in their own territory? Why they keep their eyes on others?

    Sitting under a tree, Rohit has plunged into his own thoughts. But suddenly he flinches back when he hears a 'hiss' sound. Yes, it's really a cobra there in front of his legs. That black creature is preparing to bite him, it's just a moment's delay. Rohit's voice has been chocked in fear, he doesn't know what to do now. Suddenly, something happens and to his great dismay Rohit discovers that two darts has stucked in such a way that the cobra can't move its body anymore. Rohit takes a deep breath of relief. But then a question strikes his mind and he shouts aloud, "Who is there?"

A sound arises from the banyan tree.

"who is it?" Rohit asks again.

A man covered in black jumps down from the tree with a bow in hand and darts on back. And Rohit discovers that, the person who has saved his life is actually a woman.

"A girl!"

"No thanks, no gratitude… the prince is shocked to discover that just now he is saved by a tribal girl!"

Rohit cannot utter a word for the first few moments.

"What?" the girls asks again.

"You are getting me wrong lady. I am really thankful to you, I was not ready to see a girl in this deep forest, that's why I just… I am really sorry if you are hurt by my words." Rohit says in a trembling voice. The girl now looks at Rohit with astonishment, "A prince… so decent!"

Rohit smiles a bit and looks at her eyes, there are like a restless fountain in them.

The Proposal

"Bravo my son…" Mahendradev cries in joy and embraces his son. Rohit is also happy to hug his father after a long time and his happiness gets doubled by the recent achievement.

"I'm very grateful to you Acharya. You have raised my son just as I wanted. In fact, I am more than happy to see my son has such a strong command over arms."

" Certainly, you should be proud of your son. He is one of the gems of Gurukul. Infact, I am really blessed to have a disciple like him."

"When your son Nagesh came to my place he regretted that you couldn't manage to make Rohit attentive towards arms."

"Yes, it was that time."

"I couldn't imagine that he can improve  in such a short period of time."

"Neither we."

"I am really grateful to you."

    Premacharya tries to smile but he couldn't. Who knows better than him that whatever Rohit is today, is nothing to do with him. It's the influence of someone else, someone whose name cannot be uttered right now .

       "Stay away from me."

"Why? What happen?"

"Don't you know? You're late."

"Oh my dear, don't get angry. Listen to me."

"What?"

"Today my father has come to our Gurukul."

"Really? Why?"

"There was a competition in our Hermitage. So father came to see my performance."

"Competition! You didn't tell me anything about it."

"Yes, I did it on purpose."

"I know I am not so important to you that you feel to tell me about your important events."

"Is it so? Then why I've brought this for you?"

"A garland of sunflower!! Is it…"

"Yes, it is the award of my performance."

"Oh… I am so happy now. You have done it!"

"And this garland suits you more than me." Rohit tries to put the garland on Vasundhara's neck. But the girl steps back in fear, "what are you doing kumar? It's your reward."

"No, it's yours. You are the one who deserves it most because you are the person who made a lazy prince realize to enjoy it as a game, not as a tool for bloodshed. Without you I could never realize that arm control is not only for attacking others but also it helps to protect others. Thanks lot a Vasu, please accept this."

"Kumar, you have honored my training and also proved yourself in front of your father. It's enough for me, it's the real reward for me. I don't want anything else."

"But I want something else."

"What?"

"I am not offering this as a vote of thanks, but I am offering this as an emblem of your lazy prince who has given his heart to you. Won't you accept?"

"Kumar! Have you forgotten who I am? I am Vasundhara, a tribal girl. And you are the prince of a huge province, you are the son of the famous king Mahendradev. How can you offer me your heart?"

"Vasu I have nothing to do with who you are or who I am. I just know I am a human being loving another."

"Kumar you are mad."

"Yes I am. I am mad for this fountain like eyes, I am mad for this cloudy hairs,  I am mad for this rosy lips, I am mad for this lotus cheeks. I am mad for the girl who is strong like the thunder, I am mad for the girl who has the shine like the sun, I am mad for the girl whose heart is tender like Nature."

"Kumar…"

"Look at my eyes and tell me you don't love me…"

"Kumar…"

"Come on, tell me that you feel nothing about me."

"Kumar, don't do this. I can't accept your offering but...."

"What? Tell me… can't you…"

Before Vasundhara could say her words, Rohit kneels down and grabs her waist, he mumbles, "please don't refuse me. Please..."

Tears roll down from the eyes of the girl who probably knows the consequences but has not the power to resist her heart…

A Good Bye

"Why Guruji? Why didn't you inform me earlier? Oh I can't even imagine that my son…"

"Please be calm pal. Whatever we have done, we have done for the sake of you and your Kundanpur."

"Really? You let my son to woo a tribal woman for my sake?"

"Don't take it like this. We didn't thought that Rohit could go that far."

"You didn't though!" Asks the king sarcastically.

"Calm down son. Listen to me carefully. When Rohit came in contact with that girl, the girl began to train him & make him an expert in the art of arms. What I couldn't do for a long period of time, the girl makes that possible. So, I thought lets use the girl for the benefit of Rohit. But I could never imagine that Rohit can fall for that ugly tribal girl."

"But it has happened. Your should have anticipate it earlier.  Rohit is my son. He is very tough like me. It will be very difficult to break his vow now."

"I know Rohit is not going to break so easily."

"Guruji now how should I save my reputation? Rohit is my only son and the heir of my throne."

"Calm down. It's all my fault, so I will sort it out with my plans…"

       "Vasu…"

"I know it's our last meeting Kumar."

"What are you saying? Why should it be our last meeting?

Vasu, I have come to you forever."

"What?"

"I have left my inheritance. Now I am free to marry you. I have nothing to do with the royal family of Kundanpur."

"No!… you can't do it."

"Why ? I love you."

"Kumar, if you truly love me then please go back to your palace."

"What? Don't you want me anymore?"

"I have loved you more than myself kumar. And that's why I want you to go back. I don't want you to sacrifice your happiness for me."

"You are my only happiness Vasu."

Oh the god heaven, why did you bring me to face this consequences!!!  No one could ever understand how it feels to refuse the person you love the most!!!

"But it's not my happiness Kumar. I can't live with the blame that I have made a person to be separated from his parents, I can't bear the fact that you have left your kingdom to suffer just for me. And moreover, we can't built a family on the thorns of sighs of your mother. She has fallen sick after she came to know about me. Go, go back to her and never come again."

"I won't, I never break my commitment."

Love Lash…?

Maharaj Adityadev is riding on his horse alone. The silky fog is bathing him. The alleys, the meadows are all free of skelter, only the hoofing of the horse can be heard. The king is desperate, he has lost his way while hunting. Suddenly the horse stops running and breaks the morning silence with his neighing.

"What happen Birju?"

The king tries to make the animal move forward, but the animal is not ready to take a step further. Suddenly something just passes beside the king's ear, he cannot see it but feel  the vibration of the wind. And strangely Birju also stops his neighing at that moment. The king is startled, what happened just now! He comes down from horse's back. Then to his great dismay he discovers that there is a cobra hissing in front of Birju's feet but the creature cannot move because two darts have captured its body in such a way that it cannot move. The king's breathe deepens. And with the dreamy fogs an image of his former days comes in front of his eyes … this trick!!!

"Hey who is there?"

The nearby pipul tree starts trembling and a girl jumps down from it. The king is shocked. How is this possible! Sixteen years have passed and she has not changed a bit!

"Who are you?" The king asks in a trembling voice.

"Nirjhara."

Nirjhara…! The name which he planned for his daughter who has never been born. No… no… this cannot happen.

"What happened? Are you okay?" The girl asks. The king shakes his head and asks, "Who is your father? Who is your mother?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Please tell me girl, it's very important for me." The king is desperate. The girl cannot understand the reason but the man's desperation touches her heart, "I don't know about my father. I live with my mother only."

"Mother!" mumbles the king, "What's her name?"

"Vasundhara."

        It's a small hut with a thatched roof. Inside the unornamented hut, a lean lady is lying on a mat. It seems that she is very sick.

"Vasu…" the king calls in wetty voice. The lady opens her eyes and there is a ages' astonishment raises in her eyes. She mumbles.

"Why Vasu why? Why did you do this to me? I asked you to wait for me until my crowning. But you…"

"They burned our thorp." the weak lips mumbles, "They killed my father."

"Who?"

"Your father's army."

"What! I can't believe it."

" By chance I escaped the fire to save your daughter who was in my womb at that time."

"My daughter! Nirjhara...oh what a poor fellow I am! Why didn't you bring her to me? I am her father, I can do anything for her safety."

"I...I went to your palace after I heard that your father was no more. Because before that couldn't dare."

"Then why didn't you meet me?"

"Because you are not the person whom I loved. Because you are not that person with whom I made love and have my child."

"What does it mean Vasu?"

"When I went to your palace I heard that you were not there because you went to conquer someone else's territory. Was it my Kumar? No, you are King Adityadev. My Kumar Rohit had a tender soul which used to care for all, who hated the bloodsheds most. Who are you then? I couldn't leave my child under your care."

The King remains silent for a long time and then he holds the pale hands of Vasundhara and says, "When I went to look for you I was told by Acharya that you are already married to another man. And you were his fiance for a long period of time and hid that to me."

"And you believed it?"

"I'm sorry Vasu. I thought if the person whom I loved most can betray me like this, then there were no values of those ideals of love whom I used to cherish.  Please forgive me."

"We can't get angry with the person we love, we can only sulk."

"We can't capture the days which have slipped from our fingers but we can start a new journey together."

"But I can't."

"Why?"

"I donot love you king. My love has lost many years ago when he first aimed his sword on purpose."

"Vasu…"

"You can take your daughter, but I may not be…"

"Vasu...Vasu…"

"Maa.."

                                   ************

It's a gloomy afternoon. A chilled breeze is blowing all around. And it's constantly shaking the funeral pyar. The man's heart is not yet ready to bid a good bye. But who can alter the fate! He placed his palm on the flames of pyar and cried, "Oh God of heaven, today in front of my beloved's pyar I'm taking the vow that from today I would never raise my sword for war. From now on I will try to spread the message of love and peace.

        And my dear lady, we couldn't be united in this birth. Please wait for me on the heaven until I hand over my throne to our daughter and goes to you. Please wait for me my love. .."