“I think I’m beginning to quickly understand that fact about you, Miss Senani,” he said before rolling away.

  Devasena felt a keen loss of his presence. She slowly stood up and left his room the way she had come.

  When she was climbing off of the balcony, she heard his rich laughter once again.

  CHAPTER 4

  Abhimanyu was having the toughest of times.

  His sweet yet cunning fiancée was trying to make him lose his concentration, and she was almost succeeding. She was teasing him by moving and playing with the cloth covering her lower face.

  She must have sensed that after her visit to his room the previous night, his anticipation to see her face has increased tenfold.

  He and Devasena were the final contestants in the competition. Over the last few hours, although he was leading, he was more than impressed by his fiancée’s skill with archery, riding, and sparring.

  Now, all he had to do to win was to shoot an arrow at the target thrown high up in the air at a distance.

  “Ready!” came a shout before the target was thrown high in the air.

  Abhimanyu aimed at the target, but from the corner of his eye, he could see Devasena had thrown off her head cover completely. But controlling himself, and taking in a deep breath, he shot the arrow.

  The cheers indicated that his arrow had hit the target as he expected. But his eyes were on his fiancée who by then had already covered her face again.

  ***

  Everyone congratulated Abhimanyu. Even as he spoke to them, his focus was still on his fiancée.

  Finally, the woman consuming his thoughts came closer. “Congratulations,” she said. Her eyes were smiling. “And is the winner ready to make a wish?” she asked coyly.

  He was about to reply when another group of people came to congratulate him. They began to talk and discuss the art of shooting guns.

  Although Abhimanyu patiently answered their questions, he felt impatient to be alone with his fiancée.

  Vikram Senani must have sensed that because he joined the group and insisted that Abhimanyu be taken around the Senani lands for a tour. “And who better than my Deva to show what we do in some of the nearby lands,” Vikram Senani added.

  Everyone laughed at the not-so-subtle hint to push the soon-to-be-married couple together.

  A few hours later, Abhimanyu was more than impressed by Devasena. The people working in the mansion and also in the surrounding villages loved her. He noticed that she was kind to them while also being firm at times.

  Watching, observing, and spending time in Devasena’s presence, Abhimanyu forgot all his worries. He was also filled with a burning desire.

  My soon-to-be Singham bride.

  At that thought, a fierce surge of possessiveness shot through and surprised him.

  Before he had met Devasena in person, he had only considered her to be a duty he had to perform like all the other responsibilities he shouldered. He wasn’t dreading their union, but he wasn’t excited about it either. But now, he knew he wouldn’t be able to leave the Senani lands without claiming her as his bride.

  They continued their ride until they entered a forested area. Devasena stopped when they reached a small pond.

  She got off her horse and tied it to a tree before walking further into the dense trees. Abhimanyu followed quietly behind her.

  Amidst the trees, there was a small temple. Devasena went inside and lit a few incense sticks.

  And then, she stepped out of the temple and walked towards a small clearing next to the pond.

  They stood quietly watching the serene pond with the light reflecting off its surface.

  “I have been coming here often since my childhood,” she said. “This is my favorite place where I can spend time swimming and also offer my prayers.”

  When he didn’t say anything for a while, she turned towards him. And whatever she saw on his face made her eyes widen slightly.

  CHAPTER 5

  Devasena noticed that Abhimanyu Singham continued to watch her with one of his intense stares.

  All of sudden, she felt shy and didn’t know why. She wasn’t the type to ever feel shy. But her cheeks felt as though they were on fire. Luckily, he couldn’t see her cheeks because she was still covering her face.

  Pushing away her shyness, Devasena stared back at the man she was to marry.

  Abhimanyu Singham was handsome. Not in a classical way, but more in a raw and rugged way. A lock of his hair had fallen on his face either from the ride or the gentle breeze blowing over the pond.

  Without a thought, she reached up and brushed the lock away from his regal forehead.

  He didn’t move when she touched him, but the fire in his eyes burned even hotter. “Marry me,” he commanded in a deep voice.

  Devasena was so busy getting lost in his heated gaze that she didn’t understand his words at first. “What?” she asked.

  “My wish is for you to marry me.”

  She still didn’t understand. “But we are to be married anyway in a year,” she said softly.

  “No. I don’t want to wait for that long. I want you to marry me sooner. If I had my way, I would marry you right now in this very temple.”

  Devasena heart began to pound hard inside her chest. “Why?” she asked. “I haven’t even shown you my face completely yet. We haven’t even met each other before yesterday.”

  His eyes fell on the cloth covering her lower face. “I know what I want, and I’ve seen and heard what matters to me.”

  She remained quiet.

  “I know I’m being selfish and demanding,” he continued. “And I also know that you deserve the wedding of your dreams.”

  “And how do you suppose I would have dreamed my wedding to be?” she asked.

  His eyes remained on her before he replied. “You will want a wedding that would be talked about and discussed for decades if not centuries to come.”

  “You are right,” she said. “But not about the part where you think that for a wedding to be discussed for decades, one needs to make it into the biggest event.”

  A look of confusion passed on his face.

  “The wedding of my dreams is a small, intimate event with only our immediate family in attendance.”

  He remained quiet, probably finding it hard to believe her.

  “I know that we Senanis might not have the same passion and zeal towards the changing world around us,” she said. “But we are not so unaware of those who are, like you.

  “Right from my childhood, my mother had begun her preparations to make me an eligible Singham bride. She used to remind me that the Singham Mansion was thrice the size of ours and had ten times more land. And that there were ten times more people working in the mansion and living in the province. But along with that, she also taught me to think like a Singham. She told me I would have to learn to spend much less on ourselves or on luxuries and to think of the people first.

  “My family knows that your father, and before that your grandfather, have spent most of their time and resources in fighting for freedom and even gave their lives to that cause. And now, you are continuing their legacy by spending most of your time and resources trying to unify and develop the people around our provinces.”

  She gave him a level stare. “Me sabotaging your hunt yesterday morning… and deciding to hide my face… and the contests… all these things were to get whatever attention I could from you. I knew that these two or three days might be the only few times you could spare from your busy life away from your usual duties.”

  “You have more than succeeded in getting my attention,” he said.

  She lowered her eyes. “My intention was only to get your attention and for us to meet properly. I understand and wholeheartedly support your vision of unifying the people and provinces. My family does, too. There is no need for you to be compelled to marry me sooner than you want to.”

  Devasena’s heart began to pick up speed once again when Abhimanyu Singham stepped even closer.

  He cupped her cheek through the cloth covering her face. “I know I cannot leave the Senani lands without thoughts of you consuming me. When I leave, I want you to accompany me as my bride.”

  She remained quiet, savoring his words. Her eyes closed when his large palm began to softly rub against her cheek through the cloth.

  “I admit that wasn’t my initial plan,” he continued. “I had come here to request your father to postpone the wedding further until I could be finished with the major part of my mission. And then, I saw you and how you are with your people. I decided not wait any longer.”

  She slowly opened her eyes when he tipped her face up. “But I must warn you,” he added, “it will not be an easy path for you to adjust in my home because some of my relatives and people will trouble you and try to give you a hard time. And I won’t always be there to help or support you as I’ll be travelling often.”

  She had already heard about his relatives who were known to be troublemakers.

  “Or for that matter,” he continued to say, “even when I’m around, it will not be easy being my wife. I’m not an easy man to live with. I’m old-fashioned in many ways. I am rigid in my rules and expect my people to follow my orders blindly without questions. I am also demanding at times and expect people to give in.”

  Devasena knew those facts already.

  She met his eyes. “But I’m not one of your people,” she said. “I will be your wife and the mistress to the Singham Mansion.”

  His eyes flashed, and she saw pride and respect form in them at her statements rather than anger or annoyance.

  He slowly smiled. “I can already see that there will be many instances in the future when you will challenge my authority.”

  “Surely not those many instances,” she teased. “Only during times when some of the rules need bending to catch up with the current times.”

  He laughed. And then, his face had an intense look once again. “I’m not the kind of man to make poetic declarations or love,” he said. “But one thing I can promise you is forever.”

  ***

  Abhimanyu and Devasena returned to the Senani Mansion after which Abhimanyu immediately requested attendance from Vikram Senani.

  Vikram Senani readily agreed to have the wedding held the next day.

  At nineteen, Devasena was at an age where most other women were already married with a child or two. But at no point had the Senanis applied pressure on him to marry Devasena and to do his duty. Abhimanyu felt humbled by that fact.

  “You should stay for one more day after the wedding,” Vikram Senani requested.

  “I have to meet the Prajapatis in five days to sign an important pact.”

  Vikram Senani nodded in understanding. He knew Abhimanyu’s life was dedicated to his people. If Devasena were like most highborn women, Vikram would have been worried about his daughter. But Devasena being as she was, he knew his daughter would not only thrive well, but also would assist her husband in his life’s ambitions. A century-old tradition or not, Abhimanyu and Devasena were a match made in heaven.

  Less than an hour later, after the announcement, the Senani Mansion was buzzing with excitement and activities to begin the preparations for the wedding.

  CHAPTER 6

  The wedding was simple yet beautiful.

  It was held outside the Senani Mansion in the garden area with only the immediate family in attendance. It was exactly as Devasena had envisioned over the years. The only thing that was different was the look in her husband’s eyes as he watched her.

  She had finally revealed her entire face to him.

  At the first glance of her face, Abhimanyu Singham’s eyes blazed with a possessive look. And since then, he continued to watch her raptly throughout the ceremony.

  Devasena could not help but stare back at him. In his wedding attire, Abhimanyu Singham looked like a warrior king. His sword and turban held the Singham insignia. A thick gold medallion with the Singham emblem was worn as a chain around his neck.

  And during the ceremony, since he hadn’t come prepared, he took off his ring which also held the Singham insignia and put it on her finger. Devasena decided to always wear it. And since it was quite loose, after the ceremony, she decided to put it on her chain and wear it as a pendant.

  Outside the Senani Mansion, twenty horse carriages were being readied. More than half of them were going to be filled with expensive gifts, jewellry, and goods. Several Senani men, women, and children would also be accompanying Devasena to begin their new chapter of lives on the Singham lands like her.

  Devasena hugged her mother, father, and brothers. “Visit us often,” Saraswati Senani told her daughter. “Don’t forget about us as soon as you reach the Singham Mansion.”

  “I love you all. How can I ever forget you,” Devasena replied with a smile even though tears filled her eyes.

  Hundreds of people gathered outside the mansion to see her off. Feeling touched, she went up to the balcony to address them and say her goodbye. “Please take care of yourselves,” she said. “I promise I will visit you all as often as I can.”

  Seeing the sad faces, and the ones crying, Devasena’s eyes filled up with tears yet again. Leaving was quite painful even though she had been preparing for this day for a long time.

  But the silent yet commanding man who promised her forever, stood next to her giving her the courage to smile.

  CHAPTER 7

  The ride to the Singham lands would take three to four days.

  If it were just Abhimanyu and Devasena, they would have ridden within two days, but since they had other people and carriages filled with things, it would them take much longer.

  The first day of the ride was uneventful. Devasena didn’t get much time to spend with her husband. She was helping her people with tasks such as cooking while ensuring they remained comfortable during the journey.

  “We should have started a day later, Deva,” one of the women laughed and said. “The way Singham has been looking at you, we won’t be surprised if he rides in here and throws you on his horse before carrying you away from the group to demand his husbandly rights.”

  There was good-natured yet loud laughter from the rest of the women.

  Devasena blushed. She was well aware of his heated looks. But if only the women knew that her body and heart were equally longing for him to fulfill the promises his eyes made.

  Abhimanyu’s horse reared up, and he rode towards the carriages where Devasena and the women were talking.

  “Oh my God!” a woman said with a giggle. “Singham is really going to do just as we predicted!”

  But Devasena didn’t join in the merriment. Because she noticed the tensed, determined look on Abhimanyu’s face.

  “Everyone,” he commanded. “Go inside the carriages and remain there. Don’t come out until I order so.”

  The Senani men in their group drew out their weapons, but Abhimanyu ordered them to remain behind to guard the carriages that housed women and children. And since there were only a few Senani men in the group, Devasena asked them to guard the other carriages while she protected the one she was in.

  “What is going on?” a woman asked in a fearful voice.

  “Are we in danger?” another asked.

  There were several more scared whispers from the women and children.

  “We’ll be fine,” Devasena ensured even though she had no idea what was happening. “Just remain inside.” She opened the carriage window so she could see outside.

  Every instinct ordered her to join her husband and to face whatever threat it was. But she didn’t want to disrespect his order.

  “What is it? I don’t hear anything,” someone in the carriage said.

  “Me neither,” another replied.

  There was mostly silence. Amidst the silence, Devasena heard the faint noises. Horses. There were several heading towards them.

  Less than a minute later, more than half-a-dozen men wearing brightly colored clothes of multiple hues rode out of the trees.

  “Oh my God! Gypsies,” a woman whispered. “We are doomed.”

  Muffled crying filled the carriages. Devasena tried to console them, but she knew that the reputation of the brutality of gypsies was well-known.

  Taking a deep breath and shutting down the rest of the world, she kept her eyes firmly on Abhimanyu.

  He had gotten down from his horse to go towards them. The gypsy men followed suit by getting down from their horses. But they slowly surrounded Abhimanyu with knives in their hands.

  Devasena’s heart thudded hard and fast. She noticed that Abhimanyu was not carrying any weapons. His powerful gun was left hanging at the side of his horse.

  She took deep breaths, praying for calm while she watched her husband face the group of gypsies alone.

  “Our group has women and children,” Abhimanyu said in a firm tone. “Leave us alone, and I will grant you shelter along with enough gold for your families to settle on the Singham lands.”

  The leader of the gypsies laughed. “Don’t take us for fools, rich man. We know what you all think of us. We are just some dirty, robbing gypsies to you and would remain that forever. So handover the gold and goods to us, and we might leave all of you alive.”

  Devasena knew that gypsies were reputed to lie. Even if Abhimanyu handed them what they wanted, chances of the gypsies killing them were high.

  “No,” Abhimanyu replied in a commanding voice. “You will not rob us. Either take the deal or face the consequences.”

  “What is your husband doing, Deva. They will kill him! And then they will rob and kill us all, too! Oh God!”

  “Remain calm. I promise we’ll be fine.” Devasena’s hand enclosed on the handle of her knife while she prepared to defend her husband and people.

  A look of cold determination passed on Abhimanyu’s face. Power radiated every pore of his body. Abhimanyu was much taller than all of the gypsy men. And even though he was outnumbered and had no weapon, he looked much more confident and in control.

 

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