Mohini POV

This line is so ironic right now in this moment- 

Aapki khushi mein har koi hota hai par aapki barbadi mein koi aapke saath nahi hota hai. 

Everyone is with you in your happiness but no one is with you in your destruction. 

In my whole life I never had anyone in my happiness and achievements other than Dada but now everyone is just so happy to be involved in my destruction. 

They all just not want to be with me during my destruction but also want to play role in my destruction and the one person I want the most is not here. 

I know that I have to have faith on Rao but I am equally scared by 'what ifs?'. The attendees are preparing me for chura ceremony. 

Duringn the 'chura' ceremony, the bride is given a set of green glass bangles, along with gold or pearl ones. In Maharashtrian culture, green is seen as a symbol of life, creation and fertility. It is considered to be a lucky colour that represents hopes for a newly married couple's happy life. 

I am taken to the temple hall where I worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati for blessed and prosperous married life. 

I know that I don't want this marriage neither this marriage will happen but I have to keep up with pretenses. 

I am taken to main hall where married ladies make me sit on chauki and with crossed hands carrying small amount of rice, touch that rice to my feet, knees, arms, shoulders and head. 

Then they uncross their hands and sprinkle the rice on my head from their hand. This is done five times by each five married ladies. 

Then Maina Kaki comes forward with green decorated chura and gold kangans. Like a bride's mother she herself makes me wear the bangles. 

Everybody is seeing that Maina Kaki is fulfilling all duties of my mother but nobody says anything because they don't care about my real mother the least bit. 

How can I say this to someone else when my own father has given her the free reins to behave like my mother. 

Devika comes forward and take me to my room where she tries to say something but I just raise my hand to silence her and lay on my bed facing away from her. 

I am already holding on by thin ice if she gives me any more words of encouragement and braveness, I will break down. 

So I give myself the rest before the wedding. Devika sighs sadly and lies down on the deewan sofa, resting herself. 

I don't know when but I drifted off in sleep tired of fighting my inner turmoil and wake up when Devika tries to shake me up to get ready for my marriage. 

I sit up and see that the attendees are inside my room to light it up and pull back the curtains from the window. 

I freshen up in the bathroom, take a quick bath. 

I wear a mid pink paithani saree with deep magenta red blouse and the same colour shawl on one side. 

Attendees perfume my hair after drying it with dhoop which has the scent of rose. 

My hair is made in messy bun with 2-3 locks of hair faling out on the side of my face. The bun is decorated with white and pink gajra, and light pink flowers. 

Attendees and Devika help me in my my makeup which is pretty much basic with dark lip magenta colour and light golden and light pink eyes. 

I wear a heavy choker necklace of gold and hanging necklace along with gold designer nosepiece, and gold with small stone studded ear cuff. 

Devika brings my mother's heavy Tode(Maharshtrian heavy gold bangles) which she slides on my hand. She hugs me and says, 

'Hume pata hai iss samay aapko sabse zyada aapki Aai chahiye na ki Rao.' 

'We know that at this time you need your Aai the most, not Rao.' 

Hearing her words I get emotional but I hold myself as I can't break down, I can't become weak now when I am so close to victory. 

I just nod at her and give her a sad small smile. 

She brings gold armlet studded with white stones and makes me wear it. Then brings heavy broad waist chain and ties it around my waist. 

For the first time I notice how much weight I have lost these past 14 days worrying about everything. 

Suddenly I hear two evil cackles entering my room, Gargi and Gunjan. 

Devika eyes narrow on both of evil sisters and mutters under her breath to me, 

'Aa gayi dono chudail, hume toh lagta hai ki picchle janam mein ek Ravana ki behen Supranakha thi aur dusri Prahlad ki bua thi.' 

'Both witches have come, I think that in the previous life one was Ravana's sister Suprankha and the other was Prahlad's aunt.' 

I just hold her hand to indicate her that I don't want any drama right now. 

Gargi comes up to me and says in evil glee voice, 

'For the first time in your life I have seen you looking beautiful but I am saying this just to lift your mood, even at your marriage you look terrific.' 

I just silently raise my eyebrow which cleary tells her that I don't belive in her garbage and even with so much stress and pressure I know I am looking terrifically beautiful. 

She gets uncomfortable seeing I am not affected by her words but rather make her feel ugly by intimidatingly running my eyes up and down on her and twist my mouth in distate. 

Gunjan steps forward to break the thick silence by snatching my hands towards her and says, 

'Humne toh aapki mehndi dekhi hi nahi 'chudda' rasam mein. Kitna gehra rang chadha hai lagta hai apke hone wale Navara bohot pyar karenge.'  

'We didn't even see your mehendi in the 'chhuda' ceremony. The color is so deep, it seems that your future Navara will love you very much.' 

But Gargi interfer with her nasty voice, 

'Lekin ye kya, aapki mehndi mein aapke pati ka naam pheeka rah gaya hai, aisa lag raha hai jaise aapki mehndi par aapke pati ka naam chhodakar ek rang aa gaya hai, lagta aise he aapke pati bhi aapse sirf duniya ke samne dikhane ke liye prem karenge , lekin andar se tumhara prem uske naam ke tarah hi pheeka hoga.'  

'But what is this, your husband's name has remained dull in your mehndi, it seems as if there is a color on your mehndi leaving your husband's name, it seems, like that only your husband will also love you only to show off in front of the world, but from inside your love will be dull just like his name.' 

I tilt down my face seeing the difference in colour but I remember removing the name of his as soon as it was written so its miracle that this much color even came on his name. 

But I can't tell her this and just look at her showing that I don't care about her opinion about my married life. 

Her face goes red at my lack of response and emotion on my face and she stroms off with Gunjan following her. 

'You really showed her, her place this time.' 

Devika says with a smile and I share her smile genuinely. 

An attendee arrives running and said smiling, 

'Rajkumari, aapki baraat aa gayi.' 

'Princess, your wedding procession has arrived.' 

Now that news completely wipes off my smile and nerves hit me as show time is nearing. 

Devika follows the attendee to see the baraat and leaves me with reassuring smile. 

I pace my room when Devika enters with worried frown and I ask her what happened that made her worried. 

'Mohini, Yuvraj apne saath jitne baraati lekar aaye hain usse dugna sainik lekar aaye hai mano ki shaadi nahi balki jung ke liye aa rahe hai.' 

'Mohini, the Crown Prince has brought with him twice as many soldiers as the number of wedding guests, as if he is not going for a wedding but for a war.' 

She says with a worried voice. 

I leave her and run towards the veranda near entrance seeing for myself the truth about Devika's words. Devika is calling my name to stop me from behind. 

I am now scared for Rao, How will he deal with this situatuion? 

We really underestimated the intelligence of that Yuvraj but not my father that's why he gave his soldiers holiday for today to show himself defenseless in front of Yuvraj. 

Maina Kaki comes forward to do 'Seemanpuja' of Yuvraj. He moves back when he sees that she is bending to wash his feet but then Baba say something which relax him. 

In Seemanpuja, upon the groom's arrival, the bride's mother receives him with Aarti and sweets. The bride's mother washes the groom's feet, applies tilak on his forehead and welcomes him inside the wedding venue. 

I turn towards Devika and say in signs, 'We have to tell Rao about this development. he can't attack now forefront even though he know every secret entry of Palace.'

Devika nods her head and says, 

'Yes I will send warning of changing the plan and then-' 

She stops in middle and see her eyes widen in fear but she recovers quickly and covers my face with pallu saying, 

'Don't turn around but Yuvraj is seeing you and before you think this is good idea to let him see you, your Baba is watching with angry eyes.' 

She warns me with stern eyes and steer me towards my room, 

'Don't forget about Ramaji Bhau, we still don't know about his whereabouts.' 

I look at her with confused eyes, she seemed more fearful about Yuvraj finding out the truth than Ramaji Bhau. 

I shake it off and enter my room. An idea pops in my head and I ask Devika to leave me alone. 

She looked perplexed but left me alone. After closing my door I write a letter to prince explaining about my father's plan from start to finish. 

I hav a doubt that Rao's Plan won't succeed so when I am taken to mandap I will discreetly pass the letter to him. 

When he will read the letter he won't leave my father alive and with Rao I will find my Dada. 

My father made a big mistake being defenseless today, he will die along with his family and I will flee the site with Devika to Chandvanipur. 

I hide my letter in my saree when Maina Kaki enters with Mundalvya and ties it around my forehead, then covers my face with pallu. 

This doesn't happen in our marriage but since it is political marriage so the groom can't see his bride till marriage. 

The bride's mundavalya is tied onto her forehead just before she enters the mandap, signifying that she's ready to get married. 

This headress represents unity between the couple and it's customary during the ceremony for them to touch foreheads illustrating that unity as well. 

Devika enters and take me to the mandap with all my cousin sisters following us. I reach mandap and see 'antarpat' between me and Yuvraj. 

During the Antarpat, the mundavalya is tied to the groom's head, he sits on his seat. 

When I reach mandap the Antarpat is removed between us and I see him after so long, a familiarity envelops around me. 

I don't know why but his presence soothes me, relives me. 

We exchange 'Varmala' before we are made to sit for the wedding. In the pretense of fixing my saree I slip the letter to him. 

He frowns at me but takes the letter and I urge him to read it with my free hand while my other hand throw holy grains in holy fire with him. 

'Kya ye aapki aavashyakatao ki suchi hai? Aap chinta na kare vivah ke baad iss suchi ko padh lenge. 

'Is this your list of requirements? Don't worry, after marriage I will read this list.' 

He leans closer and says,

'Aapko kisi vastu ki kami nahi hogi. Na pehne odhne se aur na hi shareerik taur se.' 

'You will not lack in anything, neither in materialistic way nor in physical way.' 

His voice dropped in a low whisper at the end. 

I can't believe this, he is such a flirt. I just gape at him with mouth open. 

He slowly closes my mouth with his hand under the veil and winks at me. 

'Don't worry I will read it.' 

Suddenly Gunjan appears and takes the letter from his hand and says jovially and evilly, 

'Why need love letters now when you both are getting married and have whole lifetime. So I think I will take this letter to Kaka.' 

I am scared and berate myself as to why I slipped so bad in my plan. But a man steps forward and takes the letter from her hand saying, 

'Ye prem patr ho ya na ho, ye un dono ke beech ki baat hai, isme aap na hi bole toh accha hoga. Aapke liye sahi hoga ki aap saali dharm nibhaiye aur joota churane ki kooshish kijiye.' 

'Whether this is a love letter or not, it is a matter between them, it would be better if you neither said anything about it. It would be right for you to follow your sister-in-law path and try to steal the shoe.' 

The moment he says this his eyes become wide with surprise, I turn around to see that Devika took advantage of chaos and stole Yuvraj's shoes. 

I am surprised as to why Devika is participating so much in my marriage. The man tries to run after her but she is already vanished in the crowd. 

He turns toward Yuvraj with apologetic eyes for letting it happen but he just smiles. 

He questions him, 

'Do you want this letter now or want me to hold on this letter for after marriage?' 

I nod my head but he says in an authoriative voice, 

'After marriage.' 

And just like that my one last hope is destroyed and I wish that please Rao come before it's too late. 

We take seven vows but my eyes are on the garden from where Rao has said he will come. 

The vows are taken, we sit. Yuvraj ties 'mangalsutra' around my neck and fill vermillion in the partition, a little falls on my nose. 

This remind me of when Rao used to say in his letters that he will purposefully drop it on my nose if it doesn't fall on its own to signify that he will love me for his whole life. 

The memory brings tears in my eyes. Where are you Rao? Please save me. 

But my eyes don't part from the garden. We are taken to sit on throne but my eyes still are locked on garden waiting for Rao. 

'We will do 'karmasamapti' ritual.' 

His eyes move my eyes toward the priest and frown as to how will we do this without Dada. 

My father hasn't done any ritual which creates question about Dada then how this. 

During this, the groom gives the bride a new name. To add a fun twist to this ritual, the bride's brother teasingly twists the groom's ear and reminds him of his marital duties. 

Yuvraj takes my hand in his and calls my name before adding the new name, 

'Mohini 'Kaashvi' Agam Surya Chauhan.' 

I am shocked by this because I after my new name, I wouldn't be called Mohini but he just added the name after my given name. 

Then I am even more shocked when on calling bride's brother, Ganesha Bhau comes forward. He adoringly rubs his hand on my head while blessing me. 

He turns toward Yuvraj and says, 

'Remember your marital duties to your wife and never let her feel neglected. I just want to say this and nothing else.' 

He then turn towards me and says with a grim and ashamed smile, 

'Mohini, I wish that God gives you even my virtues.' 

And that's when I shatter from inside with hopelessnes because from a young age when Rao had gone on the mission, Jayant Bhau and Ganesha Bhau always called me 'Vahini'. 

But today he called me Mohini instead of Vahini. 

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

Next update soon!!!🤞🤞 

If you like my book then vote, comment and share the book!!😘😘🙌 

Love y'all guys!!!!❤❤❤