BLACK AND WHITE #BOOK 1 - SWORD OF SILVER

[Chapter 1: Part 1]

Aashutosh Mehta was a normal guy. 24 year old , handsome , tall and kind hearted. He enjoyed going to the library whenever he had the time. It was really a huge one , but scarcely used by the people of the town of Kamhaan. On one such day , he was searching for a book among the neatly lined shelves, and found it. He pulled the book , and behind it , looking at him from the other side was a face so beautiful , he lost his heart .The moment their eyes met, she quickly pulled the book from his hand , and before he knew she was long gone.

As days passed, he had begun to spend a lot of time in the library than usual just to see her, just to have a glance of her beautiful face. But he just didn’t have the guts to go and talk to her.

But impossible to resist his heart’s wish , he made the courage , and spoke to her.

’Uh-um...I-I’m Ashutosh Mehta, nice to m-meet y-you!” He extended his hand for a shake.

“I’m Bhanumati. Nice to meet you too!” She shook his hand .

He was sure he would have a heart attack . Her voice was just as beautiful as she was . And her touch , every cell in his body reacted to the touch of her gentle skin .

He started sitting next to her and knowing her was a dream come true for him . Amazingly , even the books that they liked were the same . She was an ideal , and hard to believe kind of a girl. Every moment they spent together, they grew closer.

But one thing mysterious about her was that she did not remember her surname and her family. Aashutosh didn’t care!

He was just too happy to care about that, as they had finally, after two years of dating, had decided to marry.

After marriage they were the happiest couple ever to exist.Neither of them could keep their hands off each other.They would make love whenever they felt, and they enjoyed it with pleasure.After marriage , Bhanu had changed her name , she was now Aarohi, as a symbol of love towards her husband and an old family tradition.

But marriage isn’t only about making love.Aashutosh’s mother was now craving for a grand child. She wouldn’t miss a chance to taunt Aarohi about that.

It’s not as of they didn’t try, but no results. Even after 4 years of their marriage, they were childless. Aashutosh’s mother had given up her wish of a grand child and was now wishing for a new daughter-in-law instead.

In the four years of their marriage, Aashutosh and Aarohi , though loved each other the same as they were did, making love was not a pleasure now.It had turned into a duty.

They had gone to every temple, they made donations to the poor and needy , they distributed food and clothes . Not one stone remained unturned.

But whatever they did ,nothing happened at all.

And one day, when as if even the sky was mirroring what they felt, it turned grey, and then black within the next hour even though it was still evening.The weather turned out to be the worst ever seen by the town of Kamhaan.

As night rolled in, Aarohi put the latch to the door and closed it and went to have another forceful love making .When she entered the room , she saw her husband lying on the bed thinking something .She was holding this for so long, but she finally made her courage and said,

“Aashu...enough is enough. I think we should adopt a child.”

“I was thinking the same. I really think it’s high time. Do u really want to do it even today?”

Aarohi shook her head.

Aashutosh said,

“Fine then, let’s just have a peaceful sleep today”

And then Aarohi went to sleep in her husband’s loving arms, with peace finally settling .

At midnight, the sky was roaring with thunder . Rain washing down like bullets from the sky. Aarohi woke up , and was thirsty, so she went to the kitchen to have some water. As she was about to take a bottle of water, she heard the door being knocked vigorously.

The town of Kamhaan was peaceful, so there were rarely any cases of crimes.And the people also were kind. So she didn’t think for a moment that it would be someone meaning harm , and went to open the door. But the door was being banged so vigorously , that even such a kind soul as Aarohi had second thoughts.

So she spoke without opening the door.The storm was so loud that she had to scream on top of her voice,

“WHO IS IT SO LATE?”

A voice so familiar, yet forgotten to Aarohi said or to say screeched,

" PLEASE OPEN, IT’S ME, INDU, YOUR SISTER.”

“I DON’T HAVE ANY SISTER, WHAT DO YOU WANT WOMAN? GO AWAY OR I WILL CALL THE POLICE!”

“NO, BHANU, YOU DON’T REMEMBER, PLEASE FIRST OPEN, THEY WILL FIND AND KILL ME, PLEASE..”

Aarohi was shocked, nobody except for Aashu and his mother knew her actual name. She opened the door and standing in front of her was a woman, who looked so much like her, she felt as if she was looking at her mirror image which was a thinner and weak compared to her.

The woman was wearing a plain saree that was bloody and in her hand was a child covered in blood. The moment the woman who called herself Indu, saw Aarohi , and she chanted something under her breath and placed her blood bathed hand on her forehead.

Aarohi didn’t understand for a moment what the woman was doing, but then all her memories came flooding back to her.

The memories of Aarohi’s past came like a mountain of waves crashing straight at her.

She saw herself standing in a large room more like a throne room. A huge throne at one end , and a person who was wearing rich black robes and a huge crown that was carved out of a single stone was sitting on the throne . And she was standing behind it , she knew she was just 4 years old.

She didn’t know how, but she knew that the person on the throne was her father and he was being congratulated for being blessed with a girl child again.

The scene changed.Her younger sister who was named Indumati was always following Aarohi like a shadow and she loved her sister more than anyone in this world, even more than herself.

The scene again changed,Now she was in a grown woman of 18 years and so had her sister was 14 now.She saw that her sister looked so much like her or better to say, a modified version with perfect qualities.

Indu had grown up so beautiful, that she was getting much attention. Though she was just 14 years , she was like a woman grown , not by her body , but by her maturity in the kingdom's ruling.All around the palace people said that Bhanu(Aarohi) envied Indu.But it was utter false. Instead Bhanu was so happy looking at her sister.

Then the day came when she and her sister started sneaking out of their world and going to the mortal world.They would roam around wearing beautiful clothes and they were so happy to see the people.

Indu always would urge to go back after some time but Bhanu didn’t want to.She had her eyes on a very handsome man...Aashutosh was his name.

She used to sneak into their library following the guy and she would sit long hours staring at him.But as days passed, and the princesses grew of age, they became even more beautiful, if that was even possible.

Great royal families of the Black Kingdom were asking the girls' hands in marriage.Many proposals were that both of them should marry the same Prince, but their father didn’t want that.He needed his daughters to be queens of different kingdoms and not of the same, because he didn’t want the pearls of his eyes fighting over the king’s love.

One day, Bhanu decided that she shouldn’t keep the thing from her parents, so she finally said about the boy in the mortal world to her father.He was angry like fire. She hadn’t seen him this angry ever in her life.

So she, Bhanu, made a decision and decided to run away.The only people who were supporting her decision were her sister and one other person.

He was the PRIEST . That’s what everybody called him. Nobody knew how old he was or even who he was.But he was beyond a everything.He had unimaginative powers.Some even claimed that he could predict the future.

The Priest never used to stay in one place, for every few years, he would change his place of residence and travel to other kingdoms.Some even claimed that he was the only living person who had seen HIM, Lord Silver.

He also was a very good friend of the princesses. So Bhanu decided to ask him for advice and also for his help.

She went to him and said,

“Priest, I can’t wait any longer to meet my love. Please help me to escape”

His voice was heavenly.He said,

“My child, I will help you but on one condition... Or maybe two..”

“I can approve of a million conditions if it takes me to my love”

“Okay then, listen carefully..... My first condition is that you should forget everything about this place. Even your parents, the kingdom and even the person whom you love more than your life, your sister. Do u agree for that?”

“But if I forget everything, how will I remember my love?”

“No, you will only remember your name and also him.”

Bhanu thought for a while and she asked him...

“Tell me one thing friendly priest, will there be a point in life where I will remember everything back again?”

“That, my child, is the second condition. After you get married to the man you love, four years later, on ’the day of when he was killed’ , your sister will come to you and place her hand on your head , then you will remember everything.”

“But, why would my sister come to me?”

“I am forbidden to tell anything further, my child. But I can tell you u one thing, that whatever she asks you to take care of, do it. Whatever she asks you to tell ,do it. And ask her nothing.

Now drink this and run away to your love and lead your life with happiness.

May HE keep you and your love, eternal for life.”

He gave her a vile of some pure liquid and she drank it.

The next moment she knew, she was on the ‘door of the split’.

Now all of Aarohi(Bhanu)’s memories were back.

She hugged her sister Indu and said,

“Dear sister, what happened?”

“I’m glad that you remember Bhanu di(elder sister) . But I’m not permitted to say or ask you anything more.”

She handed over the boy who was covered in blood to Aarohi’s hands and continued,

“Take him and love him like your own child. From now on, he is your son.But promise me one thing.”

“Tell me sister....”

“Before he turns 17 he should know everything about himself.He is no normal child, dear sister, take good care of him.”

Bhanu knew exactly what her sister meant by ‘who he is’ .But before she could glance at her beloved sister once again, she was gone....