Last Love Letter

Next Day Morning, In the Palace of Ratanpur,

Sun has risen and the Crown prince Veer is meditating in the morning sun in his personal courtyard.

Prince Veer is a kind of scholarly person and more inclined towards literature than battles. In the Kingdom of Ratanpur, a King can be a great warrior or a great sage based on their interest. If a King is a warrior, he will be able to expand the Kingdom and make the Kingdom powerful. If a King has great knowledge and grows to be a sage like a person, all others Kingdoms will respect him, he can plan the Kingdom's development internally and can make his people happy. Although people favor Warriors most, still there is no discontent toward Prince Veer being crown Prince as he is Good natured, down to earth and Eldest of three princes.

From yesterday itself his heart is feeling uneasy and he is not able to concentrate. He tries to think hard but can't pinpoint the reason of restlessness. He couldn't help feeling if he was meditating or in a daze because of his anxiousness.

He also remembered that Princess Vishnupriya has been restricted by her family and he was not able to receive any news about her in last few weeks. Could something have happened to her? But he again removed those thoughts because it's really not possible for something to happen to a princess suddenly under the protection of so many warriors and also in her own home.

He felt like someone has arrived. He opened his eyes called "who is there?" After few moments one person entered through the gate and stood few meters away from him. He is Bhim Singh, his trusted person and head of his security personnel. Bhim Singh came near and whispered "Meena has come. She has brought some message for you. I have let her stay at my place."

Whenever Veer met Vishnupriya in past, Meena used to be with her and Veer knows that Meena is Priya's most trusted friend and maid. As a trusted person of Prince Veer, Bhim Singh also knows Meena.

After listening to Bhim Sinh, Veer stood and without delay walked toward the exit and Bhim Singh followed him. He was feeling happy yet anxious due to his uneasiness from last few days. Today he is going to receive news about his Priya. After coming out of the palace, the moment he reached a distance where no one could see him, he started running toward the house of Bhim Singh and Bhim Singh also ran behind him.

Very few people recognize the mysterious crown prince as he is always so engrossed in his studies of Vedas, Upanishads and his pursuit of the spiritual way and is also a kind of aloof person and whenever he comes out he normally wears the disguise. And also as Veer is not a warrior, people are not overly curious about him, So Veer and Bhim Singh were able to reach their destination almost without any obstruction on the way.

After reaching the Gate of the house of Bhim Singh, Veer pushed it open without hesitation almost startling two ladies in the courtyard inside. Bhim Singh entered later and closed the gate from inside. Meena was lying on the bed and Bhim Singh's wife was tending to her. Seeing the state Meena was in, Veer felt confused and anxious. Meena has her clothes dusty and her face looks languished and her feet swollen. Veer saw her shoes which are tattered from excessive running. He felt heartache after seeing her.

Veer walked slowly and sat on his knees beside the bed and took the hand of Meena in his and asked softly "Meena! what happened? How did you become like this?" And then he turned to Bhim Singh and his wife and said: "Please prepare something to eat for Meena." Bhim Singh and his wife understood his intention of asking for some privacy and went inside the house.

Meena took hold of Veer's hand and sat up with his support. She saw the different feelings of hope, fear, anxiousness in the eyes of Veer and could not stop her tears and hugged Veer tightly and wailed and said "Veer! Our Priya is no more. Those heartless people forced her to die."

From the sudden shock of this news, Veer felt like losing his consciousnesses due to a headache. His tears started falling and it seemed like he has nothing left in this world.

It was just one month back when they have met when she was going to visit her maternal Grandfather in his village. She sent a secret message to him and they met near the Hills of DevPahari. In the trails of Hills of DevPahari, they wandered around for hours while holding hands. He saw the naive and innocent looking whose eyes seemed to smile and she used to laugh at almost his every word and has told him so many times "Veer! I never felt so happy in my life."

Before leaving she smiled, and said with teary eyes "Veer! It seems like I have been given Birth for the sole purpose of loving you." How much yearning was there in that sentence. Veer felt like Priya has already known that something like this might happen. His attempt to stop tears failed again and a stream of tears fell again.

He came out of daze when he saw Meena has separated herself from him and brought something out of her clothes. He saw that it is a letter and Meena put it in his hand. Veer looked at the face of Meena and Meena said emotionally "Priya wrote them for you. She wanted you to know how she felt."

"How she felt" Veer whispered. Was there a need to know? Was his heart not a proof enough about how she felt? he looked at the letter in his hand. After a few minutes, he opened the letter in his shaking hands and wiped his tears in his sleeves and started to read the letter. As he started, it felt like each word of the letter was cutting a part of his heart.

[My Dear Veer, My Love, Ruler of my heart, My Everything,

There are so many names I wish to call you with. How good it would be if I was in your arms and you could hear me calling you by those names but now those dreams will remain as dreams.

The hope I had in my heart that Emperor Skandgupta will return triumphant and after that, due to the contribution of your family during the war, we will be able to reunite. But now Emperor Skandgupta has died in Panchnad state and Purugupta has become the emperor, I don't see a way of freeing myself from this political marriage. I can't even leave the palace. I am not allowed to interact with anyone out of family before marriage. What should I do, my love? What can I do?

My only achievement in this life has been your love. The earnings I have made in this life were the tears I shed while I missed you. Without you, there won't be this life. Don't be sad that you could not tell how much you love me because every sentence of this letter is my reply for your love to me. You love me so much that is why I can go with so much happiness. Due to your love, only death feels better than life.

How should I say how much I love you? I will just tell to find that in the love story of Radha-Krishna, know it from Ram and Sita or visualize it from the story of Nal-Damyanti. Today I am also feeling so envious of these Goddesses because they got to live together with their beloved in the last, while I am forced to leave you in such a way.

I won't tell you to be happy after I leave because I wish you would always remember me, miss me and even after I have left your love for me will still be there. I will also not tell you to find someone and live a happy life because I want you to be mine always, not only in this life but all the lives we will have. I want you to love me so much that you won't have any place in your heart for anyone else.

My Love, Husband of my dreams,

I am feeling so sad that I did not follow you leaving everything and go somewhere far away when I had a chance. My mother who I care for, whose agreement I sought in order to marry you, also does not understand my love and even called it childish. Everyone thinks they are doing good for me by separating you from me while ignoring the pain they are causing me. I kept waiting to see if anyone will understand me. I am so sad and not happy with the God because I could not share my whole soul, mind, and body with you by being your wife.

I am happy that I have only loved you in this life and no one other than you have ever touched my heart or body while I was alive. If given next life, I would pray to God to give this lover of yours, a chance to be your wife and live a long life together.

There is so much to say and too less of paper and ink. Our love can never be described in words. Don't feel sad My dearest, rest of the things I will tell you in your dreams.

It is my last wish and will be my final happiness in this world if my last words could reach my beloved Veer.

The one whole lived and left while loving you

Your Beloved Vishnupriya ]

After reading the letter, Veer felt like his heart has been pierced by something. How much helplessness was in the words, how much reluctance to leave, how much is there the wish to meet her love. Now Veer is feeling that compared to Priya, he faced nothing due to their love. She was the one who truly felt the restrictions, unbreakable walls of politics and helplessness due to various conspiracies. His tears kept falling and he also could not stop thinking about their final moments of the last meeting.

They wandered through the trails hand in hand. In the afternoon when the sun started going down in the west, Meena came and said their afternoon lunch and rest was done by everyone and they need to set off soon so that they may reach their destination before sunset. Meena went back after relaying the message.

She, the one who was laughing with no worry, whose smile was making sunshine less bright, suddenly fell silent and with tear-filled eyes looked in the eyes of Veer. With a sad smile, she said "Veer! I feel like I was born only to love you" and her tears fell as confirmation of her sentence. She does not wish to go but she has to, but she has given her promise for life in that sentence.

Veer wished to remain calm but how could he. He moved and pulled her in his arms. She turned stiff for a moment and then relaxed in his arms and held him tight. He sniffed her hairs and stroked her hairs with his hands.

He held her cheeks in both his hands and brought her face in front of his and looked in her eyes and said "Not only in this life but in every life, only you would be my lover and wife. God is my witness, if I break my promise, I don't deserve to be born as a human." And in next moment his lips were on hers. They remained like that for few seconds, he inhaled deeply like trying to remember her scent and then he pulled back slowly and opened his eyes. She was still in the same position eyes closed, like reminiscing about their kiss.

When she opened her eyes and found Veer looking at her, she felt shy and then remembered leaving, she hugged him and put her face in his chest and said while sobbing "Now this will be harder being away from you. How would I live without you?"

When Veer came out of his memories and saw the letter in his hands, his tears fell and with his broken heart and defeated voice, he could only say "What should I do when you are not in this world? How would I live without you?"

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Note: The event about emperors Skandgupta and Purugupta is a historical fact of India. Skandgupta was a great emperor of Gupta Dynasty. Ruling period of Gupta Dynasty is called the golden period of Indian History. There are Radha-Krishna, Sita-Ram, and Nal-Damyanti which are the pair of lovers who are considered the ideals of love in Hinduism.

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