A 6-year old Rudra bounced towards the room, smiling brightly.

"Is it true that the king is my father now, Maa?" A 5-year old Veer asked his mother, widening his eyes.

Rajwanta smiled, "Umm-hmm. Your father is the king. Veer, relations always come prior to status. Keep in mind, okay?"

Rudra beamed. He could not wait to mingle with his mother and brother. The words almost felt strange in his consciousness but the childish exuberance suppressed it.

Veer crinkled his nose cutely before tugging his mother's dress. Rajwanta sighed and bent down to his level. She caressed Veer, cajoling him to ask.

Rudra stared at them. Would she caress him as well? Would she tell him bedtime stories? Would she stroke his head till he fell asleep, on her lap?

"Does that make me a prince, Maa?" Veer asked, grinning.
"Will I be the king, one day?"

Rajwanta chuckled.

"You have an elder brother, Veer. He will always protect and guide you. You will be a great prince under his guidance," she said.

"No," the five-year-old boy, shouted.

"Tell me, I will be the king."

Rudra stood at the doorway, looking at Veer. His gaze was fixed on Veer but his mind was somewhere else. He turned and leaned against the door. His hands trembled slightly and his chest heaved a little.

"No, Veer. You are my good boy, aren't you? Good boys don't shout like that. Go to your room," Rajwanta said, intimidating him with her eyes.

Veer puffed up his cheeks and ambled out of the room. Rudra who had been taking the shield of the door, followed him.

"Dear brother," Rudra called out, smiling.

Veer turned and glared at him, his chubby cheeks turning red with anger.

"I ain't no brother of yours," he yelled and ran up the stairs.

"Veer! You will hurt yourself," Rudra warned and hurried behind him.

Veer raised his tiny hands and pushed Rudra. The sudden jerk made Rudra lose his balance, making him miss a step. However, out of reflex, he reached out for the railing and gripped it.

"Stay away from me. Don't come near me. Don't call me your brother," Veer screamed and raced past him.

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Rudra opened his eyes as the car halted, dragging himself back to the present.

He smirked, brushing away the few strands of hair that had fallen upon his forehead. He disembarked and breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the fresh breeze.

Instead of going inside the palace, he walked towards his favourite garden that grew some of the exotic varieties of roses.

Walking ahead, he let his hand graze over the velvety-soft petal of the red roses. His gaze settled upon Aadya and Veer who were strolling around.

A searing pain shot up his hand and a single red trail of viscous fluid ran down his palm when he unknowingly gripped the stem.

"Sh*t!" He peered over his hand, emotionlessly.

That was what he liked about roses. Beauty adorned with painful blemishes. He grinned and walked up to the duo.

Aadya saw Rudra approaching them from her periphery. She stopped short in her steps and turned around to face him. Her entire demeanour lit up with delight.

"Dhada bhai," she addressed softly, before embracing him.

Rudra smiled, arms coming up to return her gesture. Unexpectedly, his arms did not wrap around her, rather they fell back to his sides.

Aadya furrowed her brows, breaking their hug. She started at him who had been scrutinizing Veer.

"Dear brother," Rudra greeted Veer with an acknowledging nod.

"Dhada bhai," Veer cleared his throat.
"You didn't inform about your arrival."

Rudra's lips stretched in a smile.
"Were you not expecting my return... today?"

Veer chuckled lightly and looked Rudra dead in the eyes.

Aadya's gaze swept from Rudra to Veer. The similarities and differences weighed upon her conscience, briefly. Both were her brothers. Both were elder to her. She loved both of them.

Her eyes fell on Rudra, the intensity of whirling quietude and dominating promise of depredation was blended with a touch of birth traits of regal power.
Her gaze then settled on Veer, the tameable hostility was no more in his clutches. Day by day, it had started to crawl its way up his head. Sometimes, Aadya feared, it would soon reign his rational state and turn him blind, leading him willingly to his ruination.

The nights have witnessed her pondering over the dilemma to choose one between them. It was easy for one to ally one party in the battle of righteousness when one was their kindred and other, foe.

But what would one do when both the parties were their kin, one's own blood and flesh.

Each time, she emerged out with only one answer...

"Dhada bhai."

"I just remembered something. Let me take my leave," she informed, shortly glancing at her brothers.

Turning around, she walked towards the palace. A smile graced her face. She was craving something sweet and bitter for her palate. She looked back concisely.

Rudra turned his head sideways, meeting her eyes. He smirked ever so slightly before turning back to Veer.

Aadya giggled softly.
"Veer bhai, you need more than just luck."

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"We haven't talked in a while. Won't you agree, dear brother?" Rudra asked, ignoring the throbbing pain in his right hand.

"It seems," Veer replied, eyes roaming around.

Now when Aadya wasn't here with him, he just remembered how much he despised roses.

Rudra narrowed his eyes, only fractionally.

"How are you?"

Veer let out a scornful laugh.
"Good. Absolutely fantastic."

The corners of Rudra's lips tugged upwards. His eyes gleamed with a malignant shine.

"You don't know, brother, how pleased I am to hear that," he stepped forward.

Resting his left hand upon Veer's shoulder, he whispered, "especially, coming from you; it just adds a cherry on the top."

Veer's enraged face blessed his vision. A strange satisfaction surged through his chest.

"Go, brother. Daata might need some help. Go, help him," Rudra said, sounding amusing and spiteful.

Veer clenched his jaws and walked past him.

"Meanwhile..."

Abruptly stopping, Veer waited for Rudra to continue.

"I hope you don't suffer from those repeated spells of headaches, anymore."

Rudra did not get a reply. He did not expect one. He did not need to see Veer's face to see the actual fear on it; deathly pale, beads of perspiration and heavy breaths. He already knew that much.

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Aadya gripped Rudra's hand and signalled him to take a seat.

"Aadya..."

Aadya raised her chin in defiance and called a maid. A maid came running with a first-aid kit and a bowl of water.

Aadya cleaned the blood with utter concentration. The water turning light pink as she removed the blood. She checked his palm for any embedded thorns, finding nothing else but three tiny punctures.

After that, she took another cotton roll soaked in antiseptic ointment and directly placed it upon his wounds without a cringe on her face.

The ointment stung on his wounds but that did nothing to falter the smile on Rudra's face. The pain was worth it and he knew, his sister felt the same.

"Don't expect me to blow air and soothe the pain," Aadya stated curtly.

"Have I ever?" Rudra deadpanned.

Aadya gave him a fleeting glance, her lips stretching in a thin line.

She completed wrapping a sterile bandage round his palm.

"Didn't you know, it could be infected?" She questioned, not even glancing at him.

The latter stretched out his legs and rested his arms upon the headrest of the sofa.

"Go, dispose off these items. Carefully," she ordered the maid, referring the bowl of now-pink coloured water and bloody cotton.

The maid bowed and sauntered away.

"Superstitious," Rudra muttered under his breath.

"One's blood can be a base for various black magics. Haven't you heard of this?" Aadya said.

"You are a modern girl, dear sister," Rudra teased.

"So what?" Aadya sighed.
"I am not a girl who would wait for something to strike, for me to take precautions, rather I am one of those people, who would erect walls upon walls for protection."

Rudra chuckled and crossed his legs.

"And if needed, sneak behind the opponent and stab him when he least expects, rewarding him a swift but painful death," he voiced out.

Aadya giggled, "You know me so well, dhada bhai."

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"Good Heavens! What, in the name of hundred-holy gods, is this shirt doing here?" Radhika shrieked, dangling a black shirt in front of Gauri.

Gauri gave a momentary glance towards the door. Satisfied that none of her family members had heard Radhika's loud proclamation, she quickly shut the door and attempted to snatch the shirt out of her hold.

"Nuh-uh," Radhika twirled while holding onto the shirt.

Her eyes twinkled with mischief and her lips stretched to give a Chesire cat grin.

"Whose shirt?" She asked, wriggling her eyebrows.
"Wait... wait. Let me guess."

Gauri wanted the ground to open up and swallow her at that very moment.

"Why did Rudra leave that behind?"

True to his words, he had removed all the traces of the breakout and his stay except...

She shot a death glare at the black shirt.

"My Jaan doesn't allow any random male within a one-metre radius of her safe vicinity except..." Radhika put an exasperated pause.

"The love of her life, Mr. Rudra Pratap Rathore," she started dreamily.

"How romantic!" She squealed.

"Oh no!" She gasped suddenly, turning to give an accusatory look to Gauri.

"What is his shirt doing in your bedroom? Don't tell me you both... Gauri," she covered her mouth with her hands and scanned Gauri.

"Shut up! What are you speaking?" Gauri chided.

Radhika paid no heed to her words and typed something on her phone at a speed of light.

"Wait! Whom are you texting?"

Gauri snatched the phone. Too late, the message had already been sent.

Her eyes were ready to pop out of the sockets as she read the message.

'You call yourself her brother. Do you even know what happened between your sister and your to-be brother in law/ best friend last night, espèce d'idiot?'

Aghast, Gauri lifted her gaze from the phone's screen.

"Radhika!" Gauri yelled.
"I will kill you."

Radhika squeaked and dashed off, escaping the wrath of Gauri. She jumped on the bed and ran across the room with Gauri hot on her trails.

After a few minutes of jovial exhaustion, they plopped themselves on the bed.

"Was that French?" Gauri asked, breathing heavily.

"Simply cursing him in one language is no fun at all, so I am trying to curse him in different languages," Radhika replied.

Gauri chuckled in amusement, shaking her head. Her soft laughter subdued soon and she found herself staring at the walls.

"Gauri," Radhika shook her.
"Is everything okay?"

Gauri had not told anything to Radhika. She did not want anyone to feel troubled by the horrible accounts. Also, she knew that Radhika had not fully recovered out of their previous encounter with the terrible situation.

And maybe, somewhere, Gauri too did not want to remember the events.

"Yes."

"Rudra is a good guy, Gauri," Radhika said, all of a sudden.

"How do you know?" Gauri quizzed.

"Somethings don't need any explanation or reason. They are because they are, no what, no why, no how. And I feel it, that Rudra is the right person for you. He'll keep you happy, Gauri."

Almost instantly, Rudra's face flashed in front of Gauri. His smouldering gaze, his intense affection, his heart-rending kisses; everything. But soon, those flashes of raw rage and feral animosity invaded her vision.

"I don't know," Gauri muttered, almost inaudibly.
"Sometimes, Rads. Sometimes, I think I have started to understand him. I've spent some of my best moments with him, that I wouldn't trade for anything. Then, come those instances where he evolves into someone else, to the point where I am forced to question myself, 'Do I know him?'"

Radhika listened quietly. At this point, she believed that Gauri had to let it all out; her feelings, her reasons, predicaments and even accusations.

"What's worse is that I see different versions of him. Each one is so different and... and dangerous from the other," Gauri uttered the words as if they were too foreign coming out of her mouth.

"His eyes. Have you ever seen how they morph and change shades? People say that eyes are the windows to one's soul, but when I look in his eyes, I... I am unable to decipher what's going on inside him. Like I am falling deeper into an unknown abyss."

She lifted her chin and glanced at Radhika.
"The fear of me being unable to understand him, fears me. There are always too many questions and little to no answers, and that scares me."

Radhika stared at Gauri, not able to comprehend the words or the way to put them. Heaving a sigh, she grabbed her friend's hands.

"Gauri, I won't answer your questions, I don't have the answers. I can just give you suggestions and comfort you when you feel defeated. And you, Jaan, shouldn't depend on others for answers. This is your life, your journey. You have to figure it all out on your own," Radhika spoke softly.

"I just want to ask you one question, Gauri. Do you love him?"

Gauri looked Radhika in the eyes.

"I do. I am in love with him. I love him so much that just a mere thought of us not being together, hurts me. It hurts like all the wounds have been ripped open and I am left to bleed. I love him. I love him unconditionally," Gauri said deliriously.

"That, my friend, should be a reason enough for you to go on. If you love him unconditionally, then you can't put conditions hereon. Just go on. Who says love is easy? It isn't. But Gauri, you are a fighter, remember? This path on which you are walking on, asks you to be strong, for yourself, for your love. Eventually, you'll figure out everything."

Gauri smiled, her eyes shining with tears.
"I will. Thank you. Thank you, Rads."

Radhika laughed and hugged Gauri.