Entanglement With Fate (Part 2)

22. Three Broken Hearts

The news came to me as a shock. Yashasvi's twin sister? Yashasvi has a twin sister?

"Can I go meet her? She doesn't even know me. So, recognizing me is a far thought."

Mama took me ahead into the private wing. Aakram's harem. Several girls were there. I heard a familiar song. The same voice I had heard when I first came here to the palace while trying to find Vijaya.

I walked ahead, following Mama. There was a beautiful girl sitting there.

She was singing a song to an idol of Ranganath. The specifics of Vaishnava worship were missing. No garlands, no grand colorful rangolis, no tulsi. One fruit was offered to him as food with a glass of water. She had made a garland out of paper and put it over him.

She turned around and saw Mama. Giving him a smile, she touched his feet. She was dressed in yellow clothing. Beautiful grey eyes, straight brown hair coming till her back which was tied in braids. The girl was beautiful. She looked like an angel. She didn't wear much jewellery. Just a bit here and there. While all the other girls wore elaborate silk clothing, Payal just wore simple clothing. She reminded me of the Vasudhara waterfalls far behind Badrinath. It flows with such grace. Pouring down over Satopanth Glacier and meeting into the Alaknanda River. There was some beautiful feeling when you watch it. Vasudhara means the water falling from feet of Vasudeva. Narayana says that Vasudhara and Alaknanda are rivers present in Vaikuntha. When he came down to Earth, they too desired to appear down on Earth to be in the company of Narayana. 

Payal gave me the same feeling of grace, beauty and sweetness. 

"It might seem that you're in love with him."

She just smiled. "We all have several people we love. One can't exist without loving someone in one way or the other." She answered.

Mama chuckled. "Between these walls, there is one kind of love and it can only be offered to our lord." A few rakshasis commented.

"Well, that is the entire problem. You can't have love through a demand. You have to earn it. The kind of love he wants to demand from me can never come from me." She answered.

This was Payal. Yashasvi's twin sister. The girl that Aakram was obsessed with.

Mama sighed and left me with her.

"Hi. I'm-"

"Alaknanda. I know." She answered with a smile. I was quite shocked and wanted to deny it but the look on her face was proof. I cannot deny her because she was so confident. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. I know that the entire palace thinks that you're dead."

"How do you know I'm..."

"I was very young. Aakram was completely obsessed with taking me with him. But I didn't want to go. My father used my sister as a shield and me like a ladder. Letting Aakram take me away gave him a higher place in the court. That is when I tried to run away, trying to save myself. No one wanted to mess with Virat at that time. During that time, he and Mahadev came to help me." She pointed to Ranganatha. "I was very scared of everyone. He found me and kept me safe. I was extremely hungry so, he took me to Kailasha. Maa Parvati kept me safe. But later Aakram attacked Gurukul and took 18 devansh. He killed four more devansh and threatened to kill them all if I wasn't returned. Mahadev was all decided to kill him but that would disrespect the shield Brahma dev gave him. Ranganatha offered me friendship, care and love when I didn't have anyone. He fed me as a friend, told me nighttime stories as a guardian, and protected me when I was scared. I can recognize his aura anywhere. I hear in Patala that Ranganatha and Ranganayaki's daughter gives off the same aura. I felt the same aura when you stepped in here."