"Where is Udit?" Talia demanded soon as she stepped into the throne room, sharp green eyes searching for the warrior.

"I'll send him right away, Mistress," a man bowed his head then left the room immediately to search for Udit.

He knocked impatiently on the door to the senior warrior's room, knowing that any delay would cause Talia's anger to increase which could become a threat for all of them.

"Udit! Mistress demands your presence in the throne room immediately," he called out, impatiently knocking upon the door.

A slight shuffling sound was heard and shortly after Udit's voice trailed out, "what happened?"

"Mistress is calling for you. And why the hell are you so late?"

His irritated voice addressed him, "I am coming. And don't interfere in my matters more than its necessary."

"She will behead you then all of us," but he finally retreated, knowing Udit would turn up at the throne room immediately afterwards.

Udit's features knitted into worry as he got off the bed, quickly dressing up while the color from his face had drained upon noticing the time, realizing that he had missed the morning bell and slept in.

The sheets on the other side of the bed were made up and there was no trace of the woman he had been with, except for a piece of paper under the pillow.

It definitely meant Aleama must have left earlier without disturbing him.

He flicked the note out and pocketed it, knowing that going to Talia was a priority right then and he would read the note later. Then as soon as he could, he went down to the throne room, bracing himself for the severe words and possibly some punishment that he would have to face.

Talia was seated on her high chair when he entered and bowed his head respectfully in front of her, right hand resting on his chest in the usual greeting to a leader.

Sharp emerald eyes swept over him, noticing the haste with which he had gotten ready as his light brown hair were not even properly combed and his eyes were sleepy.

"Udit, where were you?"

"I beg your pardon, Mistress," he kept his eyes trained to the floor, "I... I missed the morning bell."

Surprisingly, Talia didn't ridicule him for it, instead she spoke up, "make sure not to miss it from now on or else I won't be so lenient."

"I promise not to repeat the mistake, Mistress."

She nodded, eyes flickering towards the other people in the room who understood the unspoken order and stepped out immediately. Udit felt more anxious at the other people leaving but stood still, bracing himself for whatever she was planning to say to him.

When the throne room was empty except for Talia and Udit, she spoke up, "I want to assign you a confidential task which I believe only you can carry out properly."

He kept silent, closely listening to her.

"What I am about to order you is something I would want you to execute without letting any emotional attachment hinder you from it."

Udit nodded, "any wish of yours is my command."

"Yes I know," she leaned back in her seat, eyes observing him closely, "but the task is not going to be easy for you."

"I will try my best to execute it the way you want me to."

She paused, knowing that he was loyal and not lying to her. But the task she had in mind would shake him up and that too she knew very well.

It would be near impossible for him to carry it out exactly that way she wanted him to.

"I want you to get rid of Aleama," she stated at last, saying no further as she watched his expression change.

His features had drained of color and he stood very still, not a single word passing his lips as he tried to keep his expression neutral.

"You see, Aleama has been interfering too much in things that don't concern her," she resumed, "and I can not afford to take any risk when it comes to Mona and my rank. You know well that I am planning to make the child my successor, don't you?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"But Aleama has been misleading her and that is unacceptable," Talia's voice had turned piercingly stern, "so I want you to see to it that she is no longer able to cause any obstacle." 

Udit said nothing, his mind blanking out as it registered that Talia was ordering him to kill Aleama.

"You are listening to me, aren't you?"

"Yes Mistress," he nodded but felt his blood freeze in his veins.

"Good. I know you are my most trustworthy warrior," she added, "that is why I am entrusting you with this task. I want her gone by tomorrow morning. Understand?"

Udit could do nothing but dip his head in affirmation, though his tongue failed to form any words.

"You are dismissed. I will suspend Mona's training for today so that you can look after the task assigned to you."

He nodded again then upon her approval he left the throne room.

And though he had kept his composure in front of her, the second he stepped out, he felt all the air diminish from his lungs as he held onto the pillar for support.

He could not refuse Talia's order but he couldn't bring himself to execute that task either. Even thinking about taking Aleama's life was unbearable for him.

He had no idea what to do next. He knew if he failed to execute the task he would lose his own life and if he followed Talia's order then he would lose the only woman he had sincerely loved.

He remembered that he still had her note in his pocket and took it out, eyes skimming over it. She had asked him to meet her in the woods that evening, saying that she had to tell him something important.

He placed the note back, hands reaching up to his throbbing temples.

He would have to go and meet her in the woods but he was dreading what would happen during their secret meet up.

***

Aleama spotted his jet black horse coming to a stop in the clearing and she emerged out from behind the alcove of trees after he had tied his horse and climbed down. Hazel eyes met her light brown irises and she observed that he looked troubled.

"Udit," she approached him, her hands gently resting on his chest. 

A very light shudder had raked through him upon her delicate touch but he tried to keep himself steady. She did not know what Talia had ordered him to do and he didn't want her to find out either or else it would complicate things further.

"You wanted to tell me something?" He asked, tearing his gaze away from her.

"Yes," she breathed, "we might have to end whatever this is between us."

"What?"

"It is too risky," she resumed, her palms trailing up to his shoulders as she looked at him entreatingly, "this morning I almost got caught by Devaan when I left your room. If anyone finds out, we will both be in trouble."

"We are already in trouble," he mumbled in a barely audible tone.

Her brow furrowed in alarm, "what did you say?"

He shook his head in a silent gesture of telling her that he hadn't said anything important. 

"Udit, you mean a lot to me," she resumed, "but I can't watch you be put into any danger because of me. Mistress already thinks of me as an enemy and if she finds out about us, she will not spare us both."

He did not reply and it seemed as if he hadn't even heard her properly because his mind was still racing with what he was supposed to do but couldn't.

Seeing her so close to him, with her doe like eyes and those features he had grown to love dearly, he felt terribly weakened. He knew he would never be able to obey Talia's order that once even though he had blindly followed every other wish of hers.

"Trust me, it hurts me to let go of you too but we don't have another choice," she sighed softly, her fingers lingering on his shoulders.

"So this is the last time you and I are meeting like this?"

"Ideally, yes," her eyes were sad as she nodded.

"Then let me make the most out of it," he breathed, leaning closer to her ear as he kissed her cheek.

She nodded, letting him push her back against the trunk of the nearest tree, his head nestling in her neck as he left trails of deep kisses, his hands holding her close by the waist.

She felt as if he was holding something else in his hand too, a flat surface pressing against her waist along with his palm. But she paid no heed to it, keeping her eyes closed as she savored his touch, his lips trailing down to the valley in between her collarbone.

She trusted him enough to know that he would never plunge a dagger in her back, no matter what happened.

Udit, on the other hand, was stuck in a dilemma. He held the sharp blade in his hand, all he had to do was plunge it deep into her flesh and release her from the chains of the slaved life she led as well as execute the task Talia had demanded from him.

But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Her eyes were still closed and the complete trust she had in him as she let him hold her and kiss her was almost painstaking. She trusted him too much and he couldn't dare to break that trust.

At last the blade slid from his hand to the ground and he stopped, backing off from her immediately.

Light brown eyes fluttered open, surprised at the abrupt reaction as she asked, "what happened?"

"I'm sorry," his voice shook, "I'm so sorry..."

"Udit?" She was alarmed to see his hazel eyes well up and as she placed her arms around him, she found him break down in her soft embrace.

Never before had she seen the man in such pain and it hurt her.

"Udit, what's wrong? What happened to you?" She asked, keeping him close as she sank down to the leafy ground along with him, her arms holding him tightly, "tell me, what happened all of a sudden?"

"I can't do this anymore, I can't..."

"Would you tell me what's going on?" She was getting more worried to see him so broken.

He thrust the dagger towards her, "I was ordered to kill you."

Her eyes widened as she looked down at the dagger, realizing she had felt the blade against her waist back when he was kissing her. "What?"

"Mistress ordered me to get you out of the way because she suspects you are interfering too much and trying to mislead Mona. And she probably knows what I feel for you or else she wouldn't have told me it was going to be difficult for me before ordering me to kill you."

No word escaped her as she looked back at him in shock.

"But I can't kill you, Aleama," he held his head in his hands, "I can not..."

She was dreadfully silent for a long time, pondering on the situation but then finally spoke up, "perhaps it's a good thing she ordered you to kill me instead of anyone else. At least... At least you would make sure it won't hurt too much.

He looked up, hazel eyes stricken with distress, "don't say that..."

"I would rather die at your hands than face the torture she would have kept in store for me," she placed the dagger in his hands, fingers trembling and eyes brimming up with tears, "do it, Udit. Kill me."

***