𝐑𝐔𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐀

Ch13 The Burden of a Throne

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I was lost in my thoughts when I heard Dadi Maa’s gentle voice.

Dadi Maa: “Rivanya beta, what are you thinking about?”

I replied softly,

“No, Dadi Maa, nothing… But can I ask you something?”

Dadi Maa held my hand, pulled me close, and said,

“Ask, beta. Whatever is in your heart, just ask.”

I hesitated but spoke,

“Dadi Maa… how was Rudraksh’s mother, Sikha Maa? I mean, her nature… who she was?”

Tears welled up in Dadi Maa’s eyes. I gently placed my hand over hers and said,

“It’s okay, Dadi Maa… if it’s too difficult, you don’t have to answer.”

Dadi Maa wiped her tears and said softly,

“No, beta… I will tell you about my eldest bahu, Shikha… Agnishikha Vardhan.”

I echoed softly,

“Agnishikha Vardhan…”

Dadi Maa continued,

“Yes, Agnishikha… we all lovingly called her Shikha. Her full name was Agnishikha… fiery as fire, playful as water, and pure in heart. Our Agnishikha…”

I listened to every word, completely absorbed.

Dadi Maa: “Rivanya, our Agnishikha was extremely brave. Why wouldn’t she be? She was a princess by birth, courage flowed in her veins.”

I asked,

“Princess?”

Dadi Maa smiled wistfully,

“Yes, Agnishikha was the eldest daughter of Maharaj(King) Abhijeet Rathore of Ajmer… a true princess of Ajmer.”

I listened intently, my heart swelling with curiosity and awe.

Dadi Maa: “Agnishikha feared no one. She hated lies and deceit. Even enemies would tremble at just the mention of her name. Though she was a princess, she had virtues beyond many queens. For her enemies, she was death itself. For the people she loved, she was a goddess.

She treated every home in Ajmer as her own, and the people adored her as their own daughter.”

I realized suddenly… Rudraksh had inherited everything from his mother his nose, his eyes, his aura… everything reminded one of Agnishikha.

Dadi Maa: “Agnishikha and your Pratap’s marriage was initially a compromise, arranged for family politics and business reasons. She upheld her duties as a wife, and Pratap obeyed his father’s wishes.”

Dadi Maa sighed deeply,

“But after they fell in love, everything changed… even we were surprised. Pratap had lost his mother in childhood, and his father had passed away after their marriage. Agnishikha stood by him, managing Vardhanpur, but… the cursed fate took her life… leaving Pratap alone again.”

Dadi Maa began to cry. I held her hands tightly, tears welling in my eyes as well. She continued,

“After Agnishikha left, Pratap’s condition worsened… only he knows how he held himself together.”

I was astonished when she added,

“You know, Rivanya… Pratap’s real name isn’t even Pratap.”

I gasped,

“What, Dadi Maa? Then what is it?”

Dadi Maa explained gently,

“After Agnishikha passed, he told everyone to call him by only half of his name. Without Agnishikha, he was incomplete… he wanted that whenever anyone called him by his half-name, it would remind him of how incomplete he felt without his wife.”

I sat there in stunned silence, amazed… Could someone really carry such a personal reminder of their lost love in their name? And yet, Pratap did… to remember that without his Shikha, he was only half…

I looked at Dadi Maa and asked softly,

“Then… what’s Papa’s full name, Dadi Maa?”

She sighed deeply, her eyes distant with memories.

“That, beta… I cannot tell you. Especially when Pratap is around. He made me promise never to speak his full name to anyone.”

She paused, her voice trembling.

“Rivanya, Pratap and Shikha’s love story wasn’t ordinary. It was the kind that could teach the world what true love means… but it ended painfully because of our family’s ancient curse.”

I could see her eyes glisten again with tears. Before I could speak, she looked straight into my eyes and said in a grave tone,

“Rivanya… today I’ll tell you something very important something you must know.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What is it, Dadi Maa?”

She took a deep breath, as if preparing herself to reveal a long-buried secret.

“Do you know the truth behind the curse on the Vardhan family, beta?”

I nodded faintly.

“I’ve only heard that… every queen of Vardhanpur dies before her time.”

Dadi Maa’s expression turned grave.

“That’s true. But there’s another part to it a prophecy. The curse was destined to break with the hundredth generation of the Vardhan bloodline. Yet, even then, the queen of that generation would face the shadow of death.”

She looked at me with tear-filled eyes, her voice breaking.

“And the hundredth generation’s king is Rudraksh… your husband.”

Her voice cracked completely as she whispered,

“May the curse end with you, beta. I cannot bear the thought of losing you. Even though you’ve been in this house for only a short while, your presence makes me feel as if my Shikha has come back to me…”

Her trembling words broke something inside me. Tears filled my eyes as I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her.

“Dadi Maa, whatever Goddess Gauri wills… will happen. We cannot change destiny, but we can pray with faith and love.”

She hugged me tightly, as if she was holding onto a piece of her lost past. Then, slowly pulling away, she said in a low, emotional voice,

“Rivanya… there’s another truth you must know. A very heavy responsibility rests upon you.”

I wiped my tears and looked at her, confused.

“What responsibility, Dadi Maa?”

Her gaze softened, filled with concern and fear.

“According to the Maha Pandit, Rudraksh’s kundali carries a dangerous dosha one that can even threaten his life.”

I froze, her words echoing in my ears.

“What? His life is in danger?”

Then, quickly, I asked, “But… there must be a remedy, right, Dadi Maa? Some way to remove it?”

She nodded slowly.

“Yes… there is.”

My voice trembled as I said, “What is it, Dadi Maa?”

Her next words left me speechless.

“You, Rivanya.”

I blinked, confused. “M-me? How?”

Dadi Maa clasped my hands tightly and explained,

“The Maha Guruji said that only the girl whose kundali matches Rudraksh’s in all thirty-six gunas can be his true life partner across lifetimes. And only through her devotion and love can Rudraksh’s life be protected. We spent four long years searching for such a girl,

but no one’s kundali matched completely. Then one day, we received a marriage proposal for Alisha… and her kundali matched perfectly. Or so we thought. Later, we discovered… that it wasn’t Alisha’s kundali. It was yours.”

Her eyes welled up again, a faint smile of faith crossing her lips.

“So, according to destiny, you are the one Rudraksh’s wife in every lifetime, and now in this one too. Your loyalty, your love, your very existence is his shield his raksha kawach. Only you can protect your husband’s life, Rivanya.”

I sat there in utter shock, my mind spinning. How strange were the ways of fate playing with lives, twisting paths until truth revealed itself in divine timing.

Dadi Maa continued, her tone filled with reverence and pain.

“If Rudraksh had married Alisha that day, who knows what might have happened? But see the miracle of destiny the one we all failed to recognize, God chose you for him.”

She took my face in her trembling palms and said softly,

“I know Rudraksh doesn’t believe in all this. He is strong-headed, stubborn… and yes, his words can hurt sometimes. But believe me, beta, my Rudraksh is not a bad man. He’s just wounded… guarded. After I’m gone, I know he’ll try every possible way to distance himself from you. But promise me,

Rivanya promise me that no matter what happens, you will never leave his side. Promise me, you’ll never let go of my grandson’s hand.”

Tears blurred my vision as I placed my hand gently over hers.

“I promise, Dadi Maa… I will never leave him. No matter what.”

Her eyes softened with relief and pride as she pulled me into her arms again, whispering against my hair,

“May Goddess Gauri bless you both, beta… may she protect this bond that even fate tried to test.”

I closed my eyes, holding her tightly unaware that the promise I just made would one day decide not only Rudraksh’s destiny… but mine too.

After almost two hours, Rudraksh returned home, carrying a beautifully carved idol of Maa Gauri in his arms. The moment he stepped inside the doorway with that divine idol, Dadi Maa turned to me and said softly, “Rivanya, go and welcome Maa Gauri with the aarti, beta.”

I immediately adjusted the pallu of my saree over my head and picked up the puja thal.

My heart felt strangely peaceful as I walked toward the entrance, where Rudraksh stood holding the idol with both hands.

The idol’s face was covered with a red chunri, which, as Pandit ji had said earlier, would only be unveiled after the puja.

I performed the aarti slowly, my eyes stealing a glance at Rudraksh.

His face was calm yet powerful his eyes steady, his presence radiating something divine, almost as if he belonged to that sacred moment.

After the aarti, he carried the idol inside, straight to the puja room, and placed it beside the grand idol of Lord Shiva.

For a moment, I stood there, lost in awe the Shiv idol finally looked complete, as if it had been waiting for its Gauri all along.

Pandit ji asked Rudraksh and me to sit before the hawan kund.

We both took our seats side by side, with the rest of the family behind us.

The air filled with the crackling sound of firewood and the rhythmic chanting of mantras.

As the sacred flames rose, Rudraksh and I offered ghee and flowers together.

Every time our hands brushed slightly, a strange shiver ran through me, but I kept my eyes fixed on the fire.