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Aloud smacking sound resonated across the thin walls of the minister's house as Sahasthra collapsed to the ground flat on her face, sobbing in pain while Kashyap took out his unbearable anger on his daughter.

All the servants of the house were kneeling down since the early hours of the day in the scorching heat of the sun. They were being punished for their recklessness which helped the lady of the house to play an act of attending a prayer session at a nearby village.

While a few maids cried out for their aching legs and burning skin, the cook of the house wept for the poor lady who was getting beaten the life out of her. Will the lady ever be saved? Why are the lords of heaven being so harsh with an innocent soul like her?

Inside the space of her chambers lay Sahasthra crying on the floor as she noticed blood dripping from her busted lip. For a moment she couldn't hear, her ears felt blocked and her vision was blurred with those welling tears.

She has been expecting her father to be angry. But not this, not this hate from him.

Sahasthra couldn't even push herself up from the ground, the embarrassment and pain forcing her to stay rooted to the ground.

"Get on your feet." Kashyap's rough voice commanded his daughter to stand as he wiped his hands against his silk costume, but when she didn't obey his words a rush of rage flashed through him.

"If you don't stand up this instant, the maid who helped you to play this act will be beheaded. Don't test my patience, daughter."

Sahasthra's heart drummed at her father's words, he won't think twice before taking a life and no one but her knows better. Slowly pushing herself up from the floor bearing the discomfort of her spinning head she managed to stand on her feet and almost immediately her father grabbed her jaw in a death grip, making her whimper in pain.

"How dare you try to fool me?" Kashyap gritted his teeth spitting words out like shooting daggers, "Not only have you lied to me but also you spent a night in a house full of men?"

Sahasthra could only cry in pain at the pressure on her already broken lip.

"From where did you get this courage, huh?" Her father questioned her in a whispering voice as his hand now slipped around her neck choking her.

Sahasthra's hands flew to her neck unable to breathe as she tried to stop his hands from choking her. Her large eyes turned blood red and her face resembling one of a dead body as he continued his assault. Sahasthra tried to fight her father, she tried her best to push his hands away. The reduced intake of air made her hands go weak and powerless yet this didn't seem to stop her father as he only increased his pressure and right before Sahasthra could take her last breathe he let her go, removing his hands by forcefully pushing her to the floor.

A painful sound of her head hitting the floor was almost heard by the servants kneeling outside making them flinch in fear.

Sahasthra wailed loudly, but only her voice remained hidden. Her silent cries were invisible to any eye.

"I could have killed you, but why do you think I didn't?" Kashyap asked in a calm and composed voice slowly sitting down to face Sahasthra making shudder in fear, "Answer me."

Sahasthra's fearful eyes lifted to met his as she couldn't find the energy to raise her fingers to reply in a gesture language.

"Reply, reply! How dare you disrespect me." Shouting on top of his lungs Kashyap caught his daughter by yanking hair forcefully making Sahasthra scream.

Though her lips parted to let out a scream, a voiceless whimper made her father look at her with astonishment.

"Ah, my bad. My daughter is mute, isn't she?" Saying he immediately got up letting her hair out his fingers, and Sahasthra crawled to the corner of the chambers trying to hide herself.

Kashyap let out a small chuckle observing his daughter as he kept talking, "You will be alive. You should be alive till the next new moon for your wedding with Senadhipathi Satya-"

Before he could continue a low voice of the house cook interrupted him, "M-my lord? My apologies for this interruption, S-senadhipathi Satya is here to me-meet you."

Tisking loudly, Kashyap threw a glance at his daughter, "Look daughter, your husband to be is already here!"

Sahasthra flinched at his words and tears rolled down her cheeks thinking of her future.

"Be a good daughter and maintain your dignity by staying at home. Don't push me to snap that tiny neck of yours, daughter." Speaking in a deep voice, Kashyap left the chambers with long strides and the second his footsteps faded the cook ran inside the chamber towards Sahasthra.

"Oh, my poor girl." The cook whispered slowly as she observed the bloody lifeless face of the lady.

Unable to handle the pain Sahasthra threw her hands around the cook crying her eyes out. Why didn't her mother take her along to the heavens? It would have been less hurtful than living like this, with no affection and dignity.

"I would have never let you leave with the sage had I known your father would be this angry." Sahasthra only tightened her grip around the cook hiding her rolling tears, "But Lady, listen to me for this once. Please don't go against your father. Marry the suitor he has chosen for you, and in that decision lies the best of everyone."

Sahasthra understood the hidden meaning behind her words. The cook always knew her passion and like for prince Dipankar, that was the reason she let her out of the house with Physician Vishwanath.

Now, after today even she knows what her future was. All this torture and harsh words of his father would have been nothing but scars if she could get some love from her prince, but only he seems to doesn't care.

All these years, she kept trying to make him feel something for her. She even degraded herself to dream of him when she was engaged to her ex-fiance but now she can't be that shameful, for her father will not only kill her but also him.

So she will let him go. She will let her first love fade with time like these freshly forming scars on her broken skin and heart.

"What nonsense are you even spurring, old sage?" Riya tried to yell at him in frustration, but her voice came out in a low whisper.

However absurd the sage sounded she couldn't get to push herself away from this place. He was speaking sheer nonsense, but a tiny part of her liked the idea of having Raghuveer as her husband. Oh sweet lord, who is she kidding? She has developed a massive liking for him. But that doesn't mean she might believe any crap a person might say.

Riya immediately held her head in hands, irritated by the man in front of her. He was so stubborn about telling Riya what he wanted to, that he kept spinning around every topic only to end up at the soulmates concept.

She was so exhausted, this was the end of her capacity for dealing with other person stubbornness.

Only if she had wings to fly away from here, only if she had that talent.

All at once, reacting to the word talent her brain created a plan. She might not have the talent to fly, but she had a huge talent to act! She was a great actress for god's sake!

Swallowing a huge creepy grin off her face, Riya corrected her position by sitting straight as if a wave of interest flooded through her.

She can not escape, but she could act. She will listen to his words with great dedication by an act and then will escape this place and after the escape, she will bang the head of Vishwanath before going back home, that stupid man is the cause why she was trapped here.

Though the sage looked surprised at the sudden change in her behaviour but he let it go by continuing with what he had to say.

"Raghuveer and you-"

"Ah, fine. I get it! We are soul mates or that is what you want me to believe and also," Riya scratched her forehead as she tried to remember the last part he has said, "oh yes, that I have time travelled?"

"Yes, child. I am happy that you are at last understanding-"

"But old sage, according to what you have said why would I ever time travel when Raghuveer might actually have a past-me at this period?" Riya mentally patted her back in proudness, this man kept irritating her and now it was her turn to make him go crazy with her questions.

It's revenge time.

"Uh-it is a good question but child, that aspect is a little complicated to explain-"

"Oh no, don't worry about time! Just tell me everything you had to!"

The old sage ran a through his bread hesitating a little but in seconds his posture straightened nodding his head as if he had come to a conclusion.

"Every person's present or the life they live is dependent on the karma of their past life. Great virtues from the past life would lead to a better and peaceful present life, and likewise the greater sins a person had committed, the disastrous their life would go. And your husband or Prince Raghuveer to be specific is living the fruits of his sins and his punishment for this life is no you."

"W-what?"

"A life without a life partner can be torturous enough. Just think about this child, the need of having parents and their guidance is only evident at the initial stages of a human's life but later on, the desire and hopes of creating a family for themselves deepen. For social beings like humans, depriving one of having a family love of his own is more than a chronic punishment. Having such fate is too torturous, too harsh and worse than death."

Riya couldn't think anything other than his words. His words were making sense and for some absurd reason, she was getting involved in the conversation rather than just acting and nodding.

"What can that sin be that Raghu-"

"I am afraid that I don't have any knowledge about it but I can definitely say one thing." His old eyes glowed with compassion as he spoke with her, "That the prince had suffered more than he was supposed to, I watched him grow up lonely, yearning for love and his desperate wish to find love has bought you here, back in time."

"Impossible, why will Raghu-"

"A person is not what he looks, or what he says. The true nature of his wishes and desires are only known to himself, but you can determine a person's virtue by understanding his thoughts when he is alone." The sage kept explaining, his words sinking deep in her heart. It was true, Raghuveer didn't seem like a carefree person, rather he always cared a strong aura of power and gloom, "And your hus-,"

"His name is Raghuveer." Riya corrected the sage, it would be a huge trouble if anyone else hears this talk.

"Ah, yes. Prince Raghuveer it is."

And after that interruption the sage didn't speak much, he looked around observing the rabbits and squirrels running around the hut.

"If I had to say something about how you appeared here, I would talk about a humans wish. It is said that a human's sincere prayers have the capacity to even bring the heavens down to earth, and probably Raghuveer's desperate wish to find love might have pulled you from your world."

"But, I clearly remember falling from a cliff and-"

"And where did you wake up? In a large garden with people following a culture different from yours? How can you ever explain the differences between your world and this, other than my words?"

"Whatever." Riya whispered in a low voice trying to not let herself involved in this conversation but she couldn't do that anymore.

Wiredly this made sense. Time traveling made sense.

Least of the least, she was supposed to be hurt by falling from such a tall mountain edge but instead she woke up in Raghuveer's garden with faint body aches and a fractured leg.

Emperors ruling, Raghuveer being a prince, the way of dressing, their rich language and humble tones, oh God.

Had she actually time traveled or was she finally losing her brains? Her head began to ache at the flooding thoughts.

"Bu-but, how is that ever possible? How can anyone ever time travel so easily? I-"

The sage exhaled loudly before he spoke in a low voice, "I am just a sage dear, not an angel to know the comprehensive information but there is one thing you should definitely know."

For some reason, her heart sped up at the certainty of his words.

"Your presence here, is changing the order of everyone's life. Every person has to pay for the sins they committed but unexplainably you are altering the future from what it was destined to be." His old voice was now sounding dry and worn out but he continued with his speaking.

"What has changed?" She really dosen't want to know this, but the curiosity and concern in her heart didn't let her stay calm.

Now that she was finally believing his hogwash theory she will be knowing everything.

"If only you can give me a word that you won't speak of this anywhere."

"I give you my word."

"Prince Raghuveer's servant was supposed to depart from this world by now but he didn't. He is still very much alive."

Riya's face paled at his words. Dhruvan.

The sage was partially right, they were attacked by those robbers at the forest yesterday and they barely managed to get out of there alive. But why should he die?

"Why should he? He is pure and innocent! If such honest person is supposed to die so soon, the I will find a way to save him!" Riya's body ragged with anger as she spoke, how dare this sage say that Dhuruvan was supposed to die.

She will never let that happen.

"Life is not fair, child. But remember, whatever you do, however you plan, a person's fate cannot be changed. It will turn out at the same point, where his life was supposed to end and so will that servant die, if not now, then tomorrow or the morrow. The death's of the people around Raghuveer and himself is unavoidable, take my word and leave this palace."

"I will prevent it! I will do everything, I will give up my life if I have to save my dear ones from such sick fate!" Shaking with anger Riya screamed loudly as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

Riya stood up quickly running away from there. Her long skirt not allowing her to run fast, these stupid traditional clothes.

Nonsense. He was speaking nonsense, nothing will ever happen to Raghuveer and Dhruvan! She will not let it happen.

"Riya! Please stop, I can't run around with this declining age." A faint, panting voice of vishwanath reached her ears making her halt at her spot.

This crazy old hag! She had to listen to all of this shit because of him.

Fisting her palms tightly she tried to punch his nose but he quickly stepped aside in reflex with a shocked expression.

After that stunt, Riya didn't bother to let her anger out on him. Whatever just happened, all his words had to be a lie. What does he mean by saying that fate is unavoidable?

Didn't she reach this place? Didn't she help Dhruvan escape from the forest robbers the other day?

Soft sounds of the night crickets could heard as Riya walked aimlessly through the forest not bothering to get rid of the thorns hurting her feet.

"Don't dwell too much on what the sage has said, child. But for one last time, listen to what I had to say."

She could see bright lamps hanging by the gate and wall as they walked closer towards Raghuveer's house. What had left over from that nonsensical talks that he wishes to tell her something?

Nodding her head slowly, she kept walking. Not wishing to see his face.

"I know the way back to your world and going back to your world would be the right decision to make. You have a soul mate at your time period waiting for you, but unfortunately you have ended up with this Raghuveer who doesn't need a mate. So go back, go back to your world and find your mate and have a happy life."

That sounded like a wise option, any sane person would do that. Her father would be worried sick and her only friend God knows what he was doing to find her, she could go back and play her life as a popular actress with a nagging father breathing down her neck but only that can never happen.

A disbelieving scoff left her throat as she kept walking.

Riya has fallen for Raghuveer so bad that she was rejecting her life for him. If she stays back here, she might probably has to live with the tag of a maid and nothing else, but everything was worth to see him smile, losing her life would be nothing if she could protect him from that cruel fate.

"Does your silence mean a rejection, child?"

Riya didn't didn't bother to reply but stood in front of the huge entrance of Raghuveer's house.

"If ever in life you happen to feel an urge to leave this period, the way to your world lies on the hills behind Raghuveer's garden."

Riya didn't bother giving him a nod as she walked past the entrance. She need not know the way back home as she has no intention of leaving this place.

His secret smiles, the sweet concern behind his harsh words and his tingling touches made her heart sting with pain. How can she ever leave him behind when she knows he is unhappy, how can she when all he ever wished in life was some affection?

She can't, not at this point. She has fallen deep for the broken prince, she has fallen in love with him.