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🔸Here's the new chapter...👀

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Soft sunlight falls gently over the clear, cool water of the pond, making it shimmer with a soft golden glow. The sweet call of a cuckoo echoes nearby, blending naturally with the quiet of the morning. Lush green trees and plants surround the pond, their leaves swaying lightly in the breeze. Along one side, rows of white lotuses bloom calmly, adding to the stillness of the scene.

Near the steps of the pond, the soft chime of anklets breaks the silence. The tiny bells tinkle as they brush against the cool water, creating small ripples on its surface. Along with that sound comes a light, carefree laughter, gentle and warm, as if the morning itself has found a voice.

She sat on the stone steps of the pond-and the world, without knowing why, seemed to slow itself down just to look at her.

Her skin was the color of warm chocolate kissed by the sun, and beneath it ran a natural golden undertone, as though the earth itself had glided her from within. She did not glow-she radiated. The kind of radiance that doesn't ask for light, because it carries its own.

Her feet-soft, round, unhurried - rested where the stone met the water, her toes drawing lazy circles in the cool stillness below. Across the curve of her feet, someone had painted alta - that deep, aching red - and against the rich chocolate of her skin, it looked like poetry written in a language older than words. Around her ankle, a thin silver payal caught the morning light, its tiny ghungroos whispering a melody each time the water swayed her feet - soft, sweet, secret, as if the pond itself was listening.

Her hands - small, round, unhurried like the rest of her - rested on the steps beside her, holding her gently in balance. On those fingers, alta had bloomed again into delicate designs, red against brown-gold, like mehndi's quieter, bolder sister. Gold bangles crowded her slender wrists, catching and scattering light with every micro-movement, singing softly in the still morning air. And on her left upper arm - a tattoo, deliberate and proud, a symbol that whispered of roots, of belonging, of a people she carried within her skin.

She wore a white lehenga - lower half only, traditional and unhurried - its fabric adorned with such exquisite embroidery that the white no longer looked simply white, but like moonlight that had learned to hold pattern. A thin kamarband rested at her waist - not tight, not decorative alone - but like a quiet boundary drawn by grace itself, defining the soft, beautiful curve of her. Above it, a white blouse, simple and elegant, resting gently against her.

At her throat, a thin gold chain lay like a whispered promise, just barely grazing the edge of her blouse. Her beauty bones - those delicate collarbones - rose softly above it, unapologetic, luminous in the afternoon sun, chocolate-gold skin stretching smooth and warm across them. From her ears hung gold jhumkas, catching every small breeze, trembling slightly, as though even the jewelry was nervous in her presence.

And then - her face.

Her cheeks were full and round and alive - chubby in the way that makes a face look like it was made for joy, flushed a warm rose-brown where the sun had touched them, as if even sunlight couldn't resist at the curve of her chin - not a flaw, never a flaw - a signature, as if the universe had signed its own masterpiece. Her nose was small and perfect, the kind that makes a face feel complete without trying. Her lips - untouched, unstained - were naturally pink, the dusty-rose pink of petals that have never needed to prove anything.

But her eyes.

Her eyes.

Dark brown, deep as a forest after rain, framed by lashes so full and long they cast their own soft shadows - lined thick with kajal, darkened further with mascara, and still-still-the eyes themselves were more dramatic than anything painted on them. Almond-shaped and heavy-lidded with a calm, unhurried knowing. between her brows, a bindi of red chandan sat like a third eye, a diya lit in the middle of the temple.

And her hair-black, long, dense, unbound-moved around her in the breeze like it had its own life, its own mood, its own slow, beautiful restlessness.

She sat there, feet in the water, hands on the stone, the wind in her hair, the gold in her skin catching the light and throwing it back at the world.

Her beauty is like the kind whispered of in the Vedas when they speak of goddesses-timeless, almost sacred, something meant to be felt more than seen. It soothes like the cool shade of a tree on a weary afternoon, gentle and comforting, yet quietly powerful. There is a purity to it, like the steady flow of a river-clear, calm, and untouched, carrying a stillness that settles deep within the soul. Words feel small in its presence, unable to hold all that it is. And anyone who looks at her, even for a fleeting moment, does not simply see her-they carry her with them, as if that single glimpse etches itself into their memory for lifetimes, refusing to ever fade.

She is sitting by the edge of the pond, absently playing with the water, when suddenly the faint sound of multiple anklets begins to rise from behind her-as if several ladies are approaching. But instead of turning, her smile only deepens, as though the sound brings her a quiet, familiar comfort.

At the same time, something shifts within the pond. A movement-slow, controlled, almost unnatural. It moves closer...and closer...yet the surface of the water remains still, undisturbed. She doesn't notice. Not even for a moment.

Then, from behind her, a voice call out-soft, slightly firm, yet filled with warmth.

"Aparajita..."

The sound of her name makes her turn-

just slightly...just enough-

and in that very instant, the still water explodes.

A crocodile lungs forward, its massive jaws snapping open, rushing straight toward her.

For a spilt second-everything stops.

The girls behind her scream, their voices tearing through the silence. Among them, the princess cries out the loudest, her voice sharp with fear-

"APRAJITA!"

But before the jaw can close-

before the distance can disappear-

Aparajita moves.

Fast. Precise. Without hesitation.

Her hand reaches behind her waist, pulling out a small but deadly sharp dagger, and in one swift motion, she strikes straight into the crocodile's open mouth.

And then-

before the creature can even react-

five sharp arrows cut through the air.

One after another.

Two pierce through its jaws, tearing straight across. One strikes its head. The remaining two bury themselves deep into its back.

The moment Aparajita’s eyes fall on those arrows, surprise flashes across her face. Almost instantly, she turns around, her sharp gaze scanning every direction, trying to understand where they had come from.

Her deep brown eyes search restlessly, moving from the pond… to the trees… to the towering cliffs surrounding the palace, trying to find even the smallest sign of the person behind them.

But there was nothing.

Not a single human figure.

Not even the shadow of a bird in the sky.

The entire palace was surrounded by massive mountains on every side, their heights stretching so far that they almost swallowed the horizon itself. And no matter how far Aparajita looked, as far as her sharp eyes could possibly reach… she couldn’t see anyone.

Which only made those arrows feel even more impossible.

Hearing their terrified screams, Yuvraj Saumy and his soldiers come running toward the pond, urgency clear in every step. As soon as he reaches, Saumya's eyes immediately search for his younger sister. Spotting Princess Swara, he rushes toward her, his voice tense with worry. "Kya hua, Swara? Aap itni zor se chilaai kyun?"

Swara stands frozen, her face pale, her lips trembling, but no words come out. The shock of what she has just witnessed still grips her completely. Before she can respond, Saumy's gaze shifts, and the moment it lands on Aparajita and the lifeless crocodile lying near her, his breath catches. The worry in his eyes instantly turns into something deeper...fear, disbelief, shock. For a second, he just stares. Then, without wasting another moment, he runs straight toward her.

Aparajita, in contrast, stands there almost unnaturally calm. There is no fear in her eyes, no trace of panic from what just happened. Instead, her gaze is fixed on the five arrows that have pierced through the crocodile's body as if something about them has caught her attention more than the attack itself.

Saumy reaches her, his chest rising and falling unevenly, and asks, his voice low but shaken. "Chhoti...aap theek hai na?"

Hearing him, Aparajita looks up, as if returning from a thought, and then stands properly. A faint, almost reassuring smile appears on her lips. "Ji Yuvraj, hum bilkul theek hai."

But Saumy doesn't relax. Not even a little. His eyes moves quickly over her, her face, her arms, her hands, searching, checking, as if expecting to find an injury somewhere. His breathing is still unsteady, the fear refusing to leave him.

Just then, Swara rushes forward and pulls Aparajita into a tight embrace, holding her as if letting go might make something terrible happen again. Tears fill her eyes, her voice shaking as fear finally spills out. "Chhoti...agar aapko kuch ho jaata toh...!"

Aparajita gently tries to calm her, her tone soft but steady. "Rajkumari ji, hum sach me theek hai...aap dekh lijiye."

Swara slowly pulls back, though her hands still hold onto her. She looks at her carefully, almost anxiously, scanning her face-and then notices the crocodile's blood smeared across it. For a moment, her expression tighten again.

Aparajita then turns slighlty toward Saumy, curiosity returning to her voice. "Par Yuvraj...aap is waqt yahan?"

Saumy exhales slowly, trying to steady himself. "Hum mahal ke bahari hisse me ghum rhe the...yahin se jaa rahe the, tabhi hume Swara ke cheekhne ki awaaj aai aur hum bhaage chale aaye."

As he speaks, his gaze drifts back to the crocodile. This time, something else catches his attention-the dagger...and the five arrows embedded deep into its body. His eyes narrow slightly, then widen with recognition. A faint spark appears in them, mixed with surprise.

"Yeh teer..." he murmurs under his breath.

Aparajita look at him, curiosity replacing the confusion in her face for a moment. "Aap jaante hain yeh teer kiske hain?"

A slight smile forms on Saumy's lips, though his eyes still remain serious. "Is Rajya ka har praani jaanta hai yeh teer kiske hain...sivaaye aapke chhoti."

But Saumy's expression changes again, the seriousness returning fully. "Baat teeron ki nahi hai," he says, his voice firmer now. "Sawal yeh hai...yeh magarmach is talab me aaya kaise? Mahal ke kisi bhi talab me magarmach nahi hote."

He looks at both of them, his gaze sharp, protective. "Aap dono abhi ke abhi apne kaksh me jaaiye. Aur humri aanumati ke bina...koi bhi is talab ke nikat ni aayega."

Swara nods quietly, still shaken. But Aparajita, with that familiar spark of defiance in her eyes, is about to say something.

Before she can say anything, a soldier suddenly arrives and bows respectfully. "Pranam Yuvraj...Pranam Rajkumari ji...Pranam Aprajita ji..."

At his greeting, Yuvraj and princess give a slight nod, silently accepting his respect. But Aparajita, who had been calm until now, feels something shift within her. A faint discomfort flickers in her deep brown eyes, subtle but unmistakable, as if she did not like being addressed that way, as if something about it unsettled her.

The soldier lowers his head again and speaks, "Yuvraj, Maharaj ne aapko pustakalaya me bulaya hai."

Saumy responds calmly, "Tum jao, hum abhi aate hain."

"Ji Yuvraj," the soldier replies, bowing once again before turning and leaving.

As he walks away, Saumy looks back at Aparajita, a faint firmness returning to his expression. "Aapki koi baat nahi maani jaayegi." he says.

Hearing this, Aparajita puffs her cheeks slightly, her lips forming a quiet pout, clearly displeased. But the moment Swara and Saumy notice her expression, a soft smile breaks across their faces, unable to hide their amusement at her innocent stubbornness.

Yuvraj then walks toward the dead crocodile, pulls Aparajita's dagger out from its mouth, and rinses it in the pond water before handing it back to her. Looking at her, he says with a hint of pride, "Shabash...aapne bahut achhe tarike se apni raksha ki." As he says this, he gently places his other hand on her head, giving it a light, affectionate pat, as if offering her a quiet blessing.

Watching this, Princess Swara's eyes soften, a warm, tender smile forming on her face. And Aparajita...for a moment, it feels as if she has won something far greater than a reward. Her eyes light up with an almost childlike brightness, shining with happiness, yet she finds herself unable to say anything-as if words simply aren't enough for what she feels in that moment.

Just then, Saumy turns toward the soldiers standing behind and commands, "Is magarmach ke sharir ko talab se bahar nikalo. Aur baaki tum sabko pata hai kya karna hai." Then glancing once more at Swara and Aparajita, a faint, caring smile appears on his lips. "Apna dhyaan rakha kijiye aap dono...bahut pyaari hain aap dono hume."

With that, he leaves, and the soldiers begin pulling the crocodile out of the pond.

After a moment, Aparajita's gaze drifts back toward the crocodile again. Turning quickly toward Swara, curiosity returning to her voice, she asks. "Rajkumari...Yuvraj ne kaha ki is rajya ka har vyakti jaanta hai yeh teer kiske hain...toh aap bhi jaanti hai yeh yeh teer kiske hain na? Bataiye na, kiske hain yeh teer? Kaun hai woh surveer jiska nishana itna sahi tha ki magarmach turant mar gaya? In teeron ki nok kitni tej hai...ye koi aam insaan ke teer ni ho sakte."

Hearing the excitement and curiosity in her voice, Swara lets out a soft chuckle and says teasingly, "Aap khud ko bahut bada jasus maanti haina? jisse koi baat ni chipti, toh chaliye, ab khud hi pta lagaiye yeh teer kiske hain. Isme koi aapki madad nahi karega."

Hearing this, Aparajita instantly frown, clearly annoyed, and says with a small pout. "Rajkumari ji, aap aise kaise kar sakti hain? Aapko humri jigyasa ko aise nahi maarna chahiye..."

Swara, smiling mischievously, lightly pulls her ear and says, "Beta ji, ab aapki jigyasa ka uttar Rukamni maa degi...chaliye ab."

The moment Aparajita hears this, her eyes widen in fear. She immediately starts acting, wincing slightly as she says, "Rajkumari ji, dekhiye hume chot lgi hai, aapko hume ved ji ke pass lekr chalna chaiye aap hume maa ke pass kyu le jaa rhi....Aaaahhhh...Uuuiiiiiii...humre kaan dard kar rhe hai, thoda aaram se khichiye inhe...Aaaahhhh..."

Watching her overdramatic reaction, the maids around them burst into laughter, unable to hold it in. Swara continues pulling her along playfully, leading her away from the pond.

But even as she is being dragged away, Aparajita turns back one last time. The crocodile has already been pulled out of the water, but her gaze isn't on it. It is fixed on those sharp, gleaming arrows. There is something in her eyes now...a quiet determination, as if she is silently telling them, hum tumhe dhoodh kar rahege...tumne humari jaan bachayi hai.

And just then-

a loud voice suddenly breaks through everything.

"Doctor Didi!"

The sharpness of the sound jolts made Lavanya out of her dreams. Startles, she straightens up in her seat, her heart still racing.

Lavanya had seen those dreams again, the same dreams that had haunted her since childhood. But this time, everything had been clearer...every face, every voice, every moment.

Her head throbbed violently with pain. Gripping her hair tightly with both hands, she shut her eyes and muttered in frustration. "Again...the same dream...", The pain was so intense she could barely open her eyes, but somehow, forcing herself, she finally looked up. The moment she did, her deep brown eyes widened in shock.

"Shit...Lavanya, tu phir night shift me so gayi..." she mumbled to herself in panic as she hurriedly got up from her chair.

Before she could gather another thought, that same loud voice echoed again through the corridor-

"Doctor Didi!"

Without wasting a second, Lavanya ran toward the emergency ward, her heartbeat speeding up with every step.

And the moment she reached there, her breath almost stopped.

An eight-year-old boy stood beside the hospital bed, crying uncontrollably. Nurses surrounded his unconscious mother, checking machines and vitals in panic. The little boy looked toward Lavanya with tear-filled eyes and cried out desperately, "Doctor didi...meri mumma...", Before breaking down into louder sobs.

Lavanya immediately rushed to the woman lying unconscious on the bed. Looking at the nurses, she quickly asked, "Kya hua?"

One of the nurses answered anxiously, "Ma'am abhi thodi der pehle tak sab normal tha...pata nahi achank se inke vitals itne low kaise ho gaye. Inki heartbeat lagataar kam ho rahi hai. Machines bhi bilkul theek hain...lekin inke vitals normal hi nhi ho rahe..."

Before Lavanya can process another thought, the heartbeat monitor suddenly lets out a long, continuous beep.

The line on the machine turns completely straight.

Flatline.

For one horrifying second, the entire room falls silent.

The little boy's cries become distant in Lavanya's ears. Her deep brown eyes lock onto the monitor, and instantly she understands, Cardiac arrest.

"No..." she whispers under her breath, almost instinctively.

Without wasting even a second, she climbs onto the bed beside the unconscious woman. Placing her knees firmly on either side, she quickly positions her hands over the center of the woman's chest-one palm above the heart, the other locked tightly over it.

"Crash cart ready rakho!" she orders sharply.

And then she starts CPR.

Hard. Fast. Relentless.

Her hands push down against the woman's chest again and again with all the strength she has, every compression forcing her own breath uneven. Sweat slowly gathers near her temples, strands of hair sticking her skin, but she doesn't stop for even a second.

Not this time...

The words echo inside her head like a challenge.

Tum inhe nahi le jaa sakte...not this time.

The machine continues screaming beside her. The boy is crying uncontrollably in the corner. Nurses stand frozen with fear and helplessness, watching Lavanya desperately fight against the silence of death itself.

And for a moment, it almost feels personal.

As if death is standing right in front of her, watching quietly...waiting for her hands to slow down.

But Lavanya presses harder.

"Come on...come on..." she breathes out shakily refusing to give up.

Just then, the doors of the emergency ward burst open as the rest of her colleagues from the night shift rush inside. They stop abruptly at the sight before them-Lavanya on the bed, desperately performing CPR, her eyes filled not with panic...but stubborn determination.

You don't get to win today, she thinks, her jaw tightening as she continues the compressions.

One second passes.

Then another.

The flat line remains unchanged.

But Lavanya refuses to stop.

Not while I'm still here.

And then-

suddenly, the machine beeps.

Once.

Then again.

A heartbeat appears on the monitor.

The straight line trembles...before slowly turning back into a rhythm.

The woman's heartbeat had returned.

A shaky breath escapes Lavanya's lips as her hands finally stop. For the first time in the last few moments, the tension leaves her body slightly.

She had won this time.

At least for now.

The moment the heartbeat stabilizes on the monitor, relief floods through the entire emergency ward. One by one, everyone begins clapping in happiness and disbelief that the CPR had actually worked. Lavanya’s colleagues clap as well, some smiling in relief, others still trying to steady their racing hearts. The machine beside the bed continues showing a stable heartbeat now, its rhythmic beeping sounding almost comforting after those terrifying moments of silence.

But Lavanya… whatever strength she had left inside her was already gone. The adrenaline that had kept her standing until now begins fading all at once. She quickly steps down from the patient’s bed, but the moment her feet touch the floor, her vision blurs slightly and her body stumbles forward.

Before she can fall, two of her closest colleagues rush toward her and catch her immediately.

“Lavanya!”

Samiksha quickly brings her a glass of water, gently helping her sit on the empty bed nearby. “Slowly… pehle paani piyo,” she says softly, concern evident in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Dev immediately takes charge of the situation, guiding the nurses about the next procedure and making sure the patient remains stable.

Lavanya sits there quietly for a moment, trying to steady her breathing as she drinks the water. Her hands still tremble faintly from exhaustion, her heartbeat refusing to slow down completely.

She had pulled someone back from death again… but it had drained something out of her too.

Just as she finally stands up from the bed—

suddenly, the little eight-year-old boy comes running toward her. Without hesitation, he tightly hugs her, almost crashing into her in the process.

“Thank you, Doctor didi…” he says between his tears, his tiny voice trembling with emotion. “Aapne meri mumma ko bacha liya…”

For a moment, Lavanya just looks at him quietly.

Then, a soft smile slowly appears on her exhausted face. Gently placing her hand over his hair, she says warmly, “Thank you toh mujhe tumhe bolna chahiye… agar tum itni zor se nahi chilate, toh shayad main sahi waqt par nahi aa paati.”

Hearing her words, the little boy hugs her even tighter, as if she has become the safest person in the world for him in that moment.

Deep inside, Lavanya silently thanks her Bholenath.

Thank you Baba...

For guiding me at the right moment.

For giving me the strength to keep going when my own body was giving up.

And for helping me save a life once again.

For a brief second, her exhausted eyes close softly, a quiet sense of relief settling inside her heart amidst all the chaos around her.

Thanks for the reading...✨🫰🏻

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