Subhadra looked at him, her mind a storm of emotions. But Arjun’s words had struck something deep within her—something she had not even admitted to herself.

Still, she could not let it go so easily.

Her voice, when she spoke, was steady, but beneath it lay a quiet tremor.

"You did not give me a choice, Rajkumar."

She stepped forward, eyes blazing, her chest rising and falling with the force of her emotions.

"You stole my right to choose for myself."

Her voice did not break, but her fingers curled tightly into fists.

"You decided my fate before I could. You took me before I could stand in my swayamvar, before I could even know if I wanted you at all."

Arjun did not move. He let her words settle, let her rage pour out of her.

But she was not finished.

"Do you think I have a choice now?" she demanded, her breath uneven. "Even if I decided to run from you, do you think there is a single man in Aryavarta who would accept me after this?"

Her voice wavered. She hated that it wavered.

"You tell me Bhrata Krishna will stop Dau, but what if he cannot? Have you seen Dau in his fury?"

Her breath hitched.

"Dau has always been on my side, always been my protector. And now, because of you, I will have to watch him raise his weapons against a man I…"

She could not finish the sentence.

She looked away, forcing herself to breathe, forcing herself to hold back the storm rising within her.

Then, quieter, more raw—

"And you…"

She turned back to him, eyes dark with unshed emotion.

"You speak of your wives with respect and love. And I believe you would do nothing but justice towards them."

She swallowed, looking past him, past the temple, into the vast emptiness of the night.

"But what of me? my point of view?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper now.

"I have always been the only daughter of my parents. The only princess of Dwarka. The only sister to my brothers."

"And now, you ask me to be the fourth."

Her breath came shallow, uneven.

"How can I bear it? Did you think I can beat it? What if I can't?"

Silence.

But in her heart, a treacherous voice whispered—

Tell me, Arjun. Tell me why I should stay.

Because the truth she could not say aloud—what terrified her most—was that she wanted him to answer. She wanted him to fight for her. She wanted him to prove to her that she was not just another wife, another duty to be honored, another name in the long list of his victories.

She wanted him.

But she needed to hear him say it.

Arjun exhaled slowly, his gaze steady.

"Rajkumari… you are right."

His voice was quiet but firm.

"I did not give you a choice."

She stilled.

"Because like I said, the moment I saw you, the moment I knew you—I could not, I could never bear the thought of losing you."

His hands curled into fists at his sides, as if restraining himself.

"Yes, I took you from your swayamvar. Yes, I stole you away before you could choose."

His voice dropped lower, rougher.

"Because I could not risk a world where you were not mine."

She inhaled sharply.

His gaze did not waver.

"But do not think, even for a moment, that I did this lightly. I have faced death more times than I can count, but the thought of standing in a hall, watching you place a garland around another man’s neck—"

He closed his eyes for the briefest second, his jaw tightening.

"That was a battle I did not have the strength to fight."

Her chest ached.

"As for your Dau…"

Arjun stepped forward, slow and deliberate.

"Yes, I have seen him in his fury. I know the force of his wrath. But tell me, Rajkumari—do you truly believe that your bhrata Krishna would let Dwarka and Indraprastha destroy each other?"

Subhadra hesitated.

"You know him better than anyone. You know he does not think as other men do. Even now, he is standing before your Dau—not with a sword, but with words that will reshape fate itself."

His voice softened.

"If you trust no one else, trust him."

The words settled deep in her chest, shaking her in a way she could not explain.

"As for being my fourth wife…"

She held her breath.

"You say I ask you to be the fourth."

His voice was barely above a whisper now.

"But to me, you are not a number."

Subhadra’s breath caught in her throat.

"I have never loved a woman the way I love you. I have never fought for a woman the way I fought for you."

He took another step forward, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him, close enough that his words wrapped around her like a promise.

"My heart does not see you as 'one of many.' To me, you are simply you."

"The woman I risked everything for."

"The woman I wish to spend my days with, my nights with, my life with."

His voice trembled—just slightly.

"And if that is not enough… if the thought of being my wife brings you nothing but sorrow—then I will not force you."

She stared at him, unblinking.

"I will take you back to Dwarka, face Bhrata Balram’s wrath myself, and accept whatever fate awaits me."

His shoulders rose and fell with a slow, steady breath.

"But if there is even a small part of you that believes there is a place for us—"

He reached out—gently, cautiously—stopping just before his fingers could brush hers.

"Then I will spend the rest of my life proving that you will never be just one among many."

The temple was silent.

The space between them impossibly small.

Subhadra’s fingers twitched—just slightly.

Her heart screamed at her to move.

To take his hand.

To hold onto him before the moment slipped away.

But she hesitated.

Because once she reached for him—once she accepted him—

There would be no turning back.

But the choice—her choice—was no longer stolen.

It was hers to make.

Subhadra’s heart pounded, her breath uneven, as emotions surged through her like a flood she could no longer contain.

And then—she broke.

A sob tore from her throat, raw and aching, her body curling in on itself as if trying to contain the pain bursting inside her. But there was no containing it. No stopping it. The dam had shattered, and everything she had locked away came crashing down.

Tears fell freely—hot, relentless.

She cried.

Cried for the weight of this moment.

Cried for the choices she lost and now regain.

Cried for the terrifying, inexplicable happiness blooming inside her despite it all.

"Rajkumari," Arjun’s voice was hoarse, almost desperate. He reached for her, hesitant, his fingers barely brushing against hers.

Subhadra did not pull away.

Arjun exhaled sharply, relief flickering across his face as he clasped her trembling hands in his own. His grip was steady, grounding her.

"I am sorry," she choked out between sobs, her hands tightening around his. "I kept taunting you… I—I kept asking you questions I already knew the answers to. I keep doing it even when I see the truth in your eyes, I was cruel."

Arjun’s brows knitted together, pain flashing in his eyes.

"No," he murmured. "You were not cruel. You were probably afraid."

Subhadra let out a broken laugh, shaking her head. "Yes. I was." She wiped at her tears, but they would not stop.

She lifted her gaze to his, her eyes shimmering with raw emotion. "And I still am."

Arjun stiffened

Subhadra inhaled shakily, her chest rising and falling with the force of her emotions.

"I'm afraid of you," she admitted, her voice trembling. "Afraid of… what you make me feel."

Arjun's breath caught.

"Subhadra—"

"You took me," she interrupted, her voice wavering. "You decided my fate for me. You stole my choice."

She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, her fingers curling into the fabric.

"But… tell me, why does it hurt more for me to imagine leaving you?"

Arjun's lips parted, but no words came. His dark eyes bore into hers, searching, pleading.

"I should hate you," Subhadra whispered, fresh tears slipping down her cheeks. "I should wish to return to Dwarka. I should want to forget this night ever happened." She exhaled a ragged breath. "But I do not."

"I do not understand it," she continued, her voice cracking. "I do not understand why my heart aches at the thought of being without you. I do not understand why, even after everything, I still—"

She swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut.

"—I still want you."

Silence.

The words hung between them, heavy, irreversible.

Arjun inhaled sharply, his body tensing as though struck by lightning.

"You—" His voice broke. "You do?"

A single tear slid down Subhadra’s cheek.

"Yes."

Arjun let out a shuddering breath, his fingers trembling against hers. His lips parted as if to speak, but he said nothing. He just stared at her, his dark eyes wide with something that looked like disbelief—like wonder—like salvation.

"You say you love me," Subhadra murmured, searching his face. "That I am not just one among many. That this is real." Her voice cracked. "But rajkumar, what about me, how do I know that this feeling inside me is real?"

Arjun exhaled slowly, his eyes dark with something fierce, something unshakable.

"Because it has consumed me, Rajkumari."

Subhadra’s breath hitched.

"Do you think I have ever done this before?" Arjun's voice was rough with emotion. "Do you think I have ever risked my honor, my life, my kingdom—for anyone?" He shook his head, his grip tightening around hers. "Never."

He reached up, brushing his fingers against her cheek, wiping away her tears. "It is only you."

Subhadra let out a strangled sob.

"And I—" She faltered, her entire body trembling.

Arjun’s hands cupped her face, his thumbs tracing the wet trails on her cheeks. His touch was so gentle, so reverent, as if she was something precious, something sacred.

"Tell me," he whispered, his forehead resting against hers. "Tell me."

Subhadra squeezed her eyes shut, her breath hitching as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I choose you, Arjun."

His breath caught.

"Say it again."

Her voice broke. "I choose you."

Arjun let out a sound—a half-laugh, half-sob—as if he could not believe what he was hearing. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his embrace, holding her as though she was the most precious thing in the world.

Subhadra clung to him, burying her face into his chest, her body wracked with silent cries.

"I was afraid," she whispered against him. "Afraid that if I admitted it, I would lose myself. That it would mean my life in Dwarka was truly over."

Arjun pressed his lips to the crown of her head.

"Your life is not over," he murmured. "It is only beginning, I swear."

Subhadra let out a shuddering breath, her fingers gripping his uttariya as exhaustion pulled at her.

But this time, she did not cry from sorrow.

This time, she cried because she had finally found her answer.

She had chosen.

And for the first time that night—

She felt at peace.

Her body grew heavy against him, her breathing slowing. Arjun exhaled, cradling her as sleep claimed her. Gently, carefully, he laid her down on the cool temple floor. He pulled off his uttariya, draping it over her to shield her from the cold.

Then, he sat beside her, crossing his legs, his fingers lightly brushing against hers.

She had chosen him.

And he—he would spend the rest of his life proving that she had made the right choice.

As the stars bore silent witness, Arjun closed his eyes, vowing in his heart:

"Nothing will take you from me now."

Not fate.

Not war.

Not anything.

*****

The air was crisp when Subhadra stirred. For a moment, she lay still, blinking away the haze of sleep, her mind sluggish. Then—like a wave crashing onto the shore—the memories of the night before surged back.

Her breath caught.

She sat up abruptly, her eyes darting around until they found him.

Arjun.

He was walking toward her from the temple steps, the soft glow of dawn casting a golden hue around him. His dhanush was still slung across his back, his posture steady, regal as ever, yet his face—his face softened when he saw her awake.

"You are up," he said.

Subhadra swallowed, nodding as she brushed stray strands of hair from her face. She watched as he sat beside her, his hands full of fresh fruits.

Wordlessly, he handed some to her.

She reached out, but then—she hesitated. A thought struck her.

"Shouldn't we offer this to the temple first?" she asked, glancing toward the deity’s shrine.

Arjun stilled, then—he smiled.

Not a mere curve of the lips, but something deeper. Something that lingered in his eyes.

"You are right, Rajkumari," he murmured.

They moved to rise—

Then—

The sound of hooves.

Not one. Not two.

Three.

The steady rhythm of horses approaching made Subhadra freeze.

Her heart lurched.

For a single, breathless moment, neither of them moved.

Then, instinct took over.

She grabbed Arjun’s wrist, pulling him with her as she ducked behind one of the temple pillars.

"Let me see who it is first," she whispered, her grip firm, her voice sharp with urgency.

Arjun raised an amused brow at her sudden decisiveness, but he did not resist. He let her take the lead, his eyes watching her intently as she carefully peeked out from their hiding place.

Her fingers trembled slightly against the cool stone.

Her pulse pounded in her ears.

Who had found them?

And what would it mean for them now?

To be continued

Note: I'm crying like crazy, it's hard for me to edit this due to I don't want to read it over and over again but gladly I survive and now I can deliver it to you guys. I hope you like it❤. Don't forget to vote and or comment 😉