Chapter-1

One of the darkest nights,

Everyone in that place are filled with joy, as the battle between their Emperor and the emperor of next empire, ended that day after ten days  and the new empire became theirs as their Emperor won the war.

But…

There were lines of worry, clearly seen on the faces of soldiers.

A frown on their faces was clearly noticed by the people, the reason for which was unknown to them.

The soldiers were pacing the place with panic, as if searching for something …may be someone.

 

 

There stood a small hut, far away from all the celebrations in that place,

Calm and silent in that scarily silent darkness.

 

She, after finishing all her routine chores, got ready to put off the one and only light, lit by fire in that hut, making it look dim and dull.

She stopped in her tracks, when she heard a knock…better to say bang on her door.

She praying that it should not be any burglar, as her hut is secluded from the town, slowly opened the door, only to feel a heavy thing fall on her, in standing position.

She after realizing the thing to be a person fell on her, touched his shoulders to push him apart from her.

 

Then she heard his whisper, “help”, from his lips which were very close to her ear.

She felt him even heavier than before.

She slowly parted him from her only to find a fully-drenched-in-blood, unconscious person in her arms.

She quickly somehow managed to get him laid on the small cot in her room.

She started to shiver with panic, as she didn’t know what to do and how to save him.

He seemed to have lost a lots of blood.

She rushed to the doctor’s house and fetched him to her hut.

She helped him clean the blood from the unconscious person’s body and remove his upper garments.

While doing so, her fingers unintentionally traced his skin, which sent some unknown feelings through her body, which she never felt for anyone anytime.

She moved the wet cloth from his fore-head to jaw, only to find a very very indeed the most handsome face, she had ever seen.

There were lines of pain visible on his face.

He winced with pain when the doctor was treating the wounds.

She took his head onto her lap, slowly caressed his head as to ease his pain.

The doctor after dressing his wounds, told her the precautions to be taken, and took leave from her assuring that he would check that man the next day.

The doctor didn’t take money from her as he knew that she lives by selling the flowers, which bloom in her small garden and most of her earnings were being snatched by her step-mother and half-siblings ,who after the death of her father, threw her from their ancestral house and gave her this hut.

They never did care for her but always cared for her very small earnings.

After closing the door she came in and glanced him from top to bottom for the first time.

Yes, he was indeed the most handsome.

His face which got relaxed a bit ,his broad shoulders, shining hard chest, his biceps ,his toned muscles, his entire body, though covered with bandages here and there, she could say he was very handsome.

She noticed a small tattoo on his chest which she couldn’t clearly notice as that was partly covered with bandages.

She couldn’t inform about him to anyone in there as there was a danger of they informing her step-mother and she making a fuss about this. The doctor also promised that he wouldn’t tell anyone.

Her reverie was broken when he moaned and whispered for water.

She quickly rushed and got him water.

As he was still not conscious, she slowly and carefully made him rest on her shoulder and made him drink.

She cleaned the droplets that fell on his chest and lips, with her garment and tried to lay him down.

He tightly held her hand, which made her sit on the same cot, with his head on her lap, the rest of the night.

 

Who knows how this night and this stranger changes her life?

Whether he becomes a morning ray of sun in her gloomy and dark life or he becomes the one who throws her into even darker valley of sorrows?

What would be the future of this girl,Madhubala?