kingdom of hearts | sumellika

• chapter eleven •

"Jaya Janardhana Krishna Radhika Pathe," Madhuri sang softly, placing flowers at her Kanha's feet. "Jana Vimochana Krishna Janma Mochana."

She smiled at the idol of Lord Krishna and Lady Radha, continuing to place soft pink lotuses, feeling blissful and happy.

"Garuda Vahana Krishna Gopika Pathe," she sang, unable to stop the smile from coming on her face. "Nayana Mohana Krishna Neeajeekshana."

Amar walked inside the big room and stopped, hearing her sing.

"Prince Amar?" came her voice, as she continued to venerate the blue lord. "Come in."

He hesitated, as if he was nervous.

"Come," she insisted, as he slowly began to make his way towards her. "How are you?"

"I-I'm good," he said, smiling. "And you? What are you doing?"

"It's my Kanha's Janmashtami today," she replied, as she picked out a rose from her basket, then placed it at the feet of the idol. "It's got to be celebrated, right?"

"Oh, can I help you?"

She looked at him from over her shoulder, and nodded. "Sure, Amar."

He knelt before Krishna, and placed a lotus. He didn't know what was happening, and why it was happening, but he couldn't shake off the happiness he got from seeing Madhuri's love for Lady Radha and Lord Krishna.

An hour later, she completed the generation of Lord Krishna and sat on a chaise, letting out an exhausted yawn. The Prince sat before her, glancing at the sunlit sky and then painting a few strokes on a piece of paper.

She softly hummed a hymn of RadheShyam to herself as she gazed at Amar. Her eyes scanned the curls that framed his face, he had that serious look in his eyes that would appear whenever he was painting. The morpankh fixed in his pagri slightly wavered due to the subtle breeze of the wind.

She had lately begun to notice the way he stared at her from time to time. She knew that look all too well, many men had gazed at her with the same expression.

But his gaze was different.

She didn't know how, or why, but it was different.

"Amar?" She said, her voice soft.

"Yes, Madhuri?" He looked up from his paper.

"Have you ever loved someone?" she asked.

His eyebrows slightly moved, and he looked a little startled, as if he wasn't expecting a question like that from Princess Madhuri. "Loved someone?" He repeated.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Have you?"

"No, not really," he replied, and his cheeks colored. "I mean, not exactly..." He watched her reaction to his answer carefully.

"Oh," she deadpanned. "You've never loved someone?"

He shrugged. "I haven't thought about it too much," he said. Amar then looked at her. "Why? Should I have to love someone?"

"No, nothing of that sort," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "It's just...you are a handsome prince, I expected you to have a lot of...admirers. They must be very pretty too, so..."

"I..I don't know, I usually don't notice those things," he muttered. Then under his breath, he whispered, "Until now."

His gaze was fixed on the strand of hair that escaped her long braid. It swung around due to the wind, and she irritatedly tried to confine it back to her tied hair.