Part 4

"RUN!" He doesn't know which one between them shouted those syllables or if it was just a figment of his imagination but they ran anyway, as fast as their legs would take through the immensely crowded streets of the fair to reach their camp. 

Once there, they ordered the guards and maids to pack everything up and come back because they were already leaving.

"Oh God! I don't want to die like this! Not like this....I am not even married!" Meghraj panted climbing atop his horse and Nair on his own. For if that King got his hands of them, even their dead bodies won't reach home for if rumors are to be believed king Chitram feeds the corpses of his enemies to his pet tigers.

"com'on!" Nair hollered kicking his Persian chest brown horse and rode away with a strange nasty feeling at the pit of his stomach. 'He was forgetting something! But what?' 

Meghraj followed a little behind but the queasy feeling never left, instead kept on increasing as the horses galloped on.

And it was a good mile later when in a town he passed by two giggling girls that he recalled. 'HIS SISTER!'

'Oh God! No!' He pulled the reins of his horse and it halted instantly. Turned around and headed the same way they had came.

"Have the heat effected your mind?" He heard his friend shouting behind, the air rushing fast around his ears. "NO!" He didn't mind explaining anymore.

"Then it's nature's call, isn't it?" Meghraj laughed.

"No!  Maya and Mohini are still there. I need to go back."

"Goodness...Your memory is so strong brother! so-so strong that I want to pat you hard on your face. You recalled too early, don't you think?" He sniggered.

"DO NOT SPEAK A WORD TO ME! Because the condition we are in is solely due to you....You're just so desperate to land yourself a wife."

"Don't blame me for it, it was just a harmless hello I said and the queen turned her hood up and hissed. It was not my fault." Meghraj murmured and Nair didn't bother to banter with him anymore. He was far more distressed than being in the condition of speaking, let alone talking rubbish. 

He have to save his sisters, somehow....anyhow...

Another half an hour later they were back at Saurashtra and for the first time in his life he was so happy to see those twinkling eyes and mischievous grins that had always put him into trouble.

"Maya" He sighed. "Mohini."Jumping off the paddle he enclosed them in his arms together while they squealed in protest. 

"have you lost your mind?"Mohini glared at him pushing him away. "No...don't you understand sister...he wants us to tell mother when we get back to palace that what a nice boy he had been throughout the journey and behaved himself." Maya raised a suggestive eyebrow waiting for him to get angry at them once again, but he left both of them shell shocked as he pulled them closer to his chest instead and kissed at the top of their heads while he laughed. "perhaps you two are right!"

"He had actually lost it then?" One of the twins muttered. while the other nodded in silent agreement. "Oh poor boy!"

***

"I am not going to ride with him!" Maya probed her finger at Meghraj with distaste and Nair then looked at his other sister with hopeful eyes because the more time they wasted here...the more they went closer to death.

Mohini rolled her eyes. "no, not working brother....I will either ride with you or I want my own horse."

"we don't have another horse now and both of you cannot ride with me." It was just another futile attempt to make them aware of the looming danger."have mercy on that poor animal, he cannot carry three buffaloes on his back at once."Meghraj tusked. "It would die."

"what did you just say?"Mohini screeched. "see I told you brother he's nothing but a bullheaded arrogant donkey."

"How dare you call us buffalo?" Maya marched forward to back up her sister. "we would rather die here than riding with him!"

"Oh really?"Meghraj looked at them. "Die here?" He suddenly whistled. "well, it seems like your wish is going to be fulfilled soon."A speck of white horse was galloping towards them at a speed that could easily put the blowing wind to shame with a rider so enormous and his expression so menacing that even the powers of heaven would think twice before clashing with him.