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The wedding went off without a hitch, much to Scarlett's relief, but as the reception got underway, she kept a wary eye on her father. Arjun showed no signs of the strange fit that had overtaken him earlier in the afternoon, but even so, she was on her toes lest he turn back into the controlling monster she hated. She did love her father; she just hated the man he'd become ever since their falling out over a year ago. Then again, she recalled, he'd always been controlling, ever since she could remember, and she prayed that for now, at least, that controlling monster was gone, and the gentle father she remembered had come back. 90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzhYGsSQdZ
In any case, she had little time to worry about her father; Ihenri peppered her with kisses whenever they had a moment to themselves, and whenever they didn't, he was always close by, not in a controlling manner, but more in the manner of a man who couldn't believe his luck in winning such a pretty prize. This eased Scarlett's worries, and as the night went on, she found herself relaxing more; Arjun seemed to be on his best behaviour, and things were progressing well.
At midnight, the first guests began to head home, until it was just the newlyweds and Scarlett's parents. Dread came back in a strong wave despite her best efforts to control it, but Arjun merely wished the newlyweds goodnight before heading into his study. He slammed the door with a bit more force than was necessary, and Scarlett winced. "I knew he was fooling us," she muttered in disgust, as Ihenri led her inside.
Saanvi shook her head. "I don't think so," she assured her daughter. "He didn't look cross; just distracted. I'll go talk to him, though, just to be sure. You two go on upstairs; I think my new son-in-law is very interested in finding out what's underneath that dress."
Scarlett blushed mightily, but Ihenri put an arm around her waist and whispered something that brought a wicked smile to the new bride's lips, and she laughed as her new husband swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs. Soon the sound of a door shutting and locking floated down, and Saanvi smiled wistfully, before turning to the closed study door. She gave a tentative knock, half fearing she'd be rebuffed, half fearing her daughter was right. To her surprise, though, Arjun called for her to come in, and she stepped nervously inside, shutting the door carefully behind her. "Are you okay?" she asked her husband.
"I've been a right shit," Arjun said bitterly, staring at his empty desk. Usually he had documents pertaining to all manner of business littering the red oak surface, but tonight, there was nothing there save Arjun's tense hands, clenched into fists. Saanvi had not been expecting this.
"In what way?" she ventured.
Arjun rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb," he said curtly, but for a wonder, his voice wasn't laced with the usual scorn it carried whenever he addressed his wife. "You know what's been going on with me, but I'll enlighten you. I was cursed to go into fits of nightmares whenever I thought of attempting to invade the planet where Hope and her friends yet remain." He sighed. "Only, it grew, until I became a changed man whenever her name was even mentioned, or the word itself. And it left me horribly unbalanced, as you have seen over the last almost sixteen years. But Scarlett yelling at me - it broke the curse and opened my eyes. And I say again; I've been a right shit."
"How do I know you're not playing me for a fool?" Saanvi demanded.
"You don't, and I don't blame you," Arjun said. "But the truth stands; I'm free of the curse, and I'm aware of all the bullshit I put you and Scarlett through. That doesn't make up for the years of abuse I inflicted on you both, so I'm going to let my actions do the talking. My father and the rest of the council won't let any child of Scarlett's be raised by her since, as you know, any child she bears will be the kickstarter for our new master race, as is Emily's son, who is somewhere even I have no idea. But if I can do anything to spare Scarlett the same pain her mother was put through, I will."
"The council won't let her go," Saanvi warned, wary, but reasonable enough to give her husband a slim chance. She still didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, but for the moment, she was willing to hear him out. "After she's given birth to her first child, they'll keep her trapped here, even if it means killing her to prevent an escape."
"Over my dead body," Arjun growled, and Saanvi was convinced. She'd never been one to read people, but she could read her husband now, and she knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that he really was ready to defend his daughter. That didn't mean she forgave him - and she knew she'd be a fool if she did - but she was more than willing to declare a silent truce in her mind.
"What do we do?" she asked. "You know they're going to separate her from Ihenri after she's given birth, and unless I miss my guess, that young man isn't from Pandora."
"No," Arjun said. "I'll wager he was sent by Queen Tanila, and I'll also wager the council aren't as stupid as we think. They're on to him, and when Scarlett gives birth, they'll kick him out and send him back, likely in pieces, to warn Queen Tanila not to interfere. And unless I miss my guess, they're keeping tabs on our newlyweds. Father had a direct line to Scarlett through me, but he's got to know by now that the line is broken, and if he doesn't, he's dumber than I thought. But since he will know the line is broken, he's going to take drastic steps to ensure his great-grandchild never even knows the name of his or her mother, let alone that she's their mother in the first place. The moment Scarlett becomes pregnant, the clock starts ticking."
Saanvi shivered. "We can't warn them, can we?"
Arjun shook his head. "No," he said bitterly. "I just pray Ihenri has a magic that will outstrip anything the council can throw at his wife; otherwise, another child grows up ignorant of their true parentage, and I won't have the cycle repeating." He finally looked up at his wife, his eyes carrying more self-loathing and bitterness than she thought it possible for a man to display. "Don't say anything to them," he said. "Ihenri knows what's going on, but he's probably got his orders from the queen not to say anything to Scarlett; I'll guess they've got her tagged in such a way that she'll suffer greatly if anyone tries to warn her of what's to come. But the moment she gives birth; that's when she's got to know. I can step into the breach if the council tries anything to silence her, and if it costs me my life, at least I gave it doing the right bloody thing for a change." He sighed and dropped his head into his hands. "God, this is such a mess," he said, his voice ragged.
"Get some sleep," Saanvi urged. "You'll have a clearer head in the morning."
"I damn well hope so," Arjun muttered, and Saanvi wisely left him alone, her head spinning as she closed the door behind her. Things had taken a turn she hadn't seen coming, and as she went into the kitchen to get herself a coffee, she prayed the turn would see this vicious cycle broken. Otherwise, history was doomed to repeat itself.
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