The Timeless Oath

Abhira's POV

The palace corridors were eerily silent as I walked back from the temple within the fort. The air was thick with the scent of burning diya wicks, and my fingers still held the warmth of the sacred flame I had touched moments ago. The guards followed at a respectful distance, but a strange unease settled in my chest.

Something felt... off.

I had been restless ever since our return from the temple. No matter how much I tried, the words of the allied kings, Karan's unwavering loyalty, and-most of all-Arjun's fierce, consuming devotion kept spinning in my head. My heart was at war with itself.

"How can I belong to him when I don't belong to this time?"

The thought was like a slow poison, seeping into my veins, weakening my resolve.

And then-

A sharp gust of wind blew, extinguishing a few torches along the corridor. The shadows thickened. My senses screamed in warning.

"Chidiya..."

Arjun's deep voice rang in my ears, not in reality, but from the many times he had warned me to stay alert. To never lower my guard.

I turned sharply-

Just in time.

A black figure lunged from the shadows, a glinting blade slicing through the air towards me.

Everything slowed.

My breath hitched.

Time had not trained me for this. But time had prepared me.

The countless hours of observing warriors, the nights of learning to hold a dagger, the instincts sharpened from knowing death was always a heartbeat away-

They saved me.

I dodged, twisting to the side, my ghoonghat slipping from my head as I grabbed the dagger from my waist and swung-

Clang!

Steel met steel, sparks flying as I blocked the assassin's strike. His masked face remained expressionless, but there was a slight hesitation in his movements. He hadn't expected me to fight back.

Neither had I.

The guards rushed forward, but the assassin was fast. Too fast. He knocked two of them down with swift, brutal strikes and turned back to me.

I was the target.

I tightened my grip on the dagger, steadying my breath.

"Tu sirf ek rani nahi hai... tu iss maharaj ki patni hai."
(You are not just a queen... you are the wife of this king.)

Arjun's words echoed in my mind.

And in that moment, something inside me shifted.

I wasn't just a woman from another time, lost and helpless. I wasn't just a foreign soul trying to rewrite destiny.

I was Abhira Singh Rathore.

I was the wife of a Rajput king.

I would not go down without a fight.

The assassin lunged again. This time, I didn't step back. I met him head-on, striking at his arm, forcing him to retreat. He growled, realizing I wasn't the easy prey he had expected.

"ABHIRA!"

The roar of my name shook the palace.

Before I could react, Arjun was there.

And he was furious.

Arjun's POV

The moment I heard the clash of weapons, something inside me snapped.

I sprinted through the corridors, my sword already drawn. My vision blurred with rage, my pulse roaring in my ears.

And then I saw her.

My Chidiya.

Standing in the dim torchlight, a dagger clutched tightly in her trembling hands, facing a masked assassin.

A sight I never should have seen.

A sight I never wanted to see.

The assassin barely had time to react before I reached him. My sword sliced through the air, forcing him to defend himself, but I was stronger. Faster. My anger gave me power, turning every strike into a deadly promise.

"Kaun bheja hai tujhe?" I growled, blocking his weak attempt to escape. (Who sent you?)

The assassin didn't answer. He only fought harder, but I didn't give him the chance to win. With one swift move, I disarmed him and slammed him against the wall, my blade pressing into his throat.

"Bol!" I demanded. (Speak!)

But before he could, he bit down on something. His body convulsed, and within seconds, he collapsed to the ground.

Poison.

Another spy who was trained to die rather than talk.

The rage inside me burned brighter, but as I turned-

My anger melted into something else.

Abhira stood frozen, staring at the lifeless body, her breathing ragged. Her hands were still gripping the dagger, her knuckles white.

She had fought.

She had fought back.

A strange mix of emotions flooded my chest-pride, anger, fear.

She was strong. Too strong.

But she shouldn't have to be.

She should never have been forced into this battle. Never should have been a target. Never should have held a weapon to protect herself.

"Chidiya..."

She turned to me then, and for the first time since I met her, I saw the raw weight of everything she carried. The loneliness. The pain. The burdens she never spoke of.

Her lips parted as if to say something, but she didn't.

She just looked at me.

And I-

I couldn't hold back anymore.

I crossed the space between us, grasping her shoulders.

"Mujhse door mat jao." My voice was hoarse, rough with the force of my emotions. (Don't go far from me.)

She blinked up at me, and suddenly, her strength cracked. The storm inside her broke free.

Her dagger slipped from her fingers as she stepped forward and buried herself in my chest.

I felt the shudder of her breath, the silent sobs she held back.

And I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as tightly as I could.

"Tumhe meri kasam, Abhira... ab se tum akeli nahi ladogi." I whispered against her hair. (Swear on me, Abhira... from now on, you will never fight alone.)

She didn't reply.

But her hands fisted in my angrakha, as if anchoring herself to me.

And in that moment, I knew-

No matter what war awaited us, no matter what fate had planned-

I would fight the world itself to keep her safe.