Love's Singe - Final Part

Love's singe - A warrior's story (Final Part)

Final Part

MADAME… 

“Go ahead and set the table,” replied Cinda.

She turned her back to Andrew and asked him, “Why haven’t you drawn the eyes, Andrew?”

“I don’t want to. It was only her eyes that I saw and I don’t want anyone else to see the eyes I own,” replied Andrew.

“Then let my eyes substitute hers…” replied Cinda eagerly.

“Your highness I am not a great artist. It’s the love that I have for her that has got me into painting her. I don’t think I would be able to…”

“It’s my order Andrew,” demanded Cinda.

“Okay Madame, I shall. After you are done with your dinner,” replied Andrew.

She quietly walked away leaving Andrew with thousands of questions unanswered.

When the princess was out of sight, “Now why did she not reply to the question I asked her about Tony,” wondered Andrew.

As she was walking Cinda slipped and fell from a sand dune. She hurt her leg; the guards helped her get back to the castle.

Cinda was waiting for Andrew and he finally arrived. She looked like an angel. She had a cloth in her hand that she had carefully folded. He slowly took it from her hand and it read:

For me to see him is a dream,

To own him is greed.

Which I can never receive,

Let mockery make its melody

With my tears as drums to beat.

There is so much of pain and so much of love in those words.

"Is she missing Tony? Or is it someone else?” wondered Andrew.

“GENERAL…”

“Shhhhhh…. The queen is sleeping. I don’t want anyone to disturb her,” whispered Andrew.

The sentinel gestured Andrew to come aside and said, “GENERAL THE QUEEN HAD HURT HER FEET AND HAD BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!”

“What…? Why didn’t you call me? How is she now? Is everything okay?” screamed Andrew.

“YES GENERAL THE FAMILY PHYSICIAN ATTENDED TO HER.”

“Why is she here? She must be in her bedroom!”

“SHE WAS WAITING FOR YOU.”

“Me…! Why…? Oh My!!! The eyes…” Andrew was talking to himself.

“Okay. You can leave. I will take care of this,” said Andrew to the sentinel.

He tiptoed to Cinda’s side and sat there beside her, he just could not take his eyes of her, “She is a maze… there is something unsaid about this lady…” thought Andrew.  

Suddenly the wind blew heavily and the vase on a table fell down with a bang.

Cinda was awakened with the sound. She looked straight at Andrew. He was sitting beside her looking at her.

“When did you come, Andrew?” asked Cinda trying to get up from the seat.

Andrew helped her and said, “I just came in Your Highness!”

“And doing what?” asked Cinda with a grin.

Andrew stood there quietly.

“How much does Tony mean to you Andrew?” asked Cinda.

Andrew was confused with the question, “He is everything to me! Everything!!!” stressed Andrew.

“Everything?” asked Cinda in a cynical tone.

“Yes Your…”

“Do you value him more than that girl!” asked Cinda on a lighter tone.

Andrew was taken back with this question. He looked at her wondering what to say. He did not want to reply.

“Answer me Andrew!” asked Cinda.

“No your Highness, he isn’t.” replied Andrew.

“You’re a brave man Andrew!” replied Cinda admiring him.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” replied Andrew

“Now when are you going to paint my eyes?”

“Right away…” replied Andrew.

“Okay,” replied Cinda.

With her permission he carried her to the riverside, not once did he dare to look into her eyes when he carried her, but she did not take her eyes off him.

He sat there painting her eyes when suddenly he heard someone calling out.

“GENERAL ANDREW, KING TONY HAS COME.”

He left the picture half complete and said, “Look after the queen. I would be back in a few minutes…”

He rushed to the castle leaving behind the disappointed Cinda.

After Tony’s return, Andrew was never seen with Cinda again.

One night Andrew was sitting on the same shore thinking of the girl he had seen that night, when Cinda walked him.

“What are you thinking General Andrew?” asked Cinda.

“Nothing your highness… It’s just that girl, the same girl who sucked every drop of my life. It’s the same girl,” sighed Andrew.

“Ha ha…” laughed Cinda.

“Why are you laughing Madame?” asked the irritated Andrew.

“What is so special about that girl? What makes you hunt for a girl who cares a damn for you?” asked Cinda.

“She is an entrapment, Your Highness. I have been trapped in her eyes forever. She is my love; I have loved her with all my being. It would be a crime to denounce her beauty. Each facet of hers whether it is physical or that of her character is an ensnarement from which there is no release. But I do not wish to be released. I wish to stay entrapped forever. With her I want to live.”

Cinda quietly looked at him and said, “A man who had all these years considered women to be articles of beauty, today, loves a girl as a woman. That sounds great! Good for her.”

He meekly looked at her and said, “That was the dark side of me!”

“Okay… Now what do you want from her?” asked Cinda.

“I want to live with her,” replied Andrew.

“Then go ahead and live!” said Cinda with a smile.

“But where is she?’ asked the confused Andrew.

She handed him the painting that he had left half done. The eyes were drawn, “I know her!” said Cinda with a smirk.

Andrew looked at her wide-eyed.

“I know her and she is with me… the girl you saw that night collecting shields and swords, is with me. I will get her to you if you promise me something. I will promise you a kiss from her. You keep your promises, I know you do. So now you get to decide what you are going to do,” replied Cinda.

“I will do anything you ask me to Your Highness!!!” replied Andrew eagerly.

“I want to avenge for my brother. I want to kill all of them who put my kingdom to shame. Now, Kill Tony…” she said with smile.

Andrew was shocked, thoughts were pouring in and he was getting all the more confused with what he was hearing. But, he had to decide. “You don’t love Tony, Princess Cinda?” asked Andrew.

“No I don’t.” replied Cinda firmly.

“Okay Princess I would do that!” replied Andrew.

As they were conversing Tony saw Andrew and Cinda conversing personally. He mistook his friend and got furious with his friend, rushed at him with a sword.

“Andrew, look out” screamed Cinda.

Immediately Andrew drew his sword out and sent it razing into Tony's body. Tony dropped at the feet of Cinda screaming in pain.

Andrew smiled at Cinda, gave her the sword and kneeled in front of her, and said, “I have kept my promise your Highness, Can I meet my girl?”

She smiled at him and said, “No you haven’t General Andrew. There is one man behind this entire massacre! One man who caused all this.” she said with a smile.

Then she looked with her eyes turning red with wrath and screamed, “It’s you Andrew… It’s you Andrew Arthur. Kill yourself.”

Andrew looked at her in dismay. He was shocked and hadn’t expected this to happen. He looked at her unable to believe what he heard.

“Yes Andrew… you are the person responsible for rending so many of us homeless, you killed every man! You shattered our lives. Do you know the value of life? I care a damn of everything now! Kill yourself, let your blood flow in my country, and let your blood quench a land that you have fed upon.”

“So it was Your Highness who devised the plan for the war?” asked Andrew.

“Yes it was me!” screamed Cinda.

Andrew looked at her quietly, still kneeling, “Your Highness! You know I keep my word. I would surely keep my promise. But then can I see the girl?”

She pulled a black cloth that lay on the sea shore and tied it around her face leaving her eyes uncovered.

Andrew was stunned. He looked at her without a word and said, “I love you Cinda! I don’t want to kill myself for one reason because I want to live with you. Since I had given you my word, I have no choice. My death should be a lesson to every man who falls in love. Every man who falls in love should realize that he is sending an invitation to his death. Cinda, The very first day I saw you, the pain in your eyes said it all. I knew very well that you were hunting for something but I failed to realize it was me. I have heard that love kills but today I know it really does.

“Everything is fair in love and war.”

I am a Warrior and I do not repent killing so many, for that’s what I love to do and will continue to if given another chance, but, if that was the reason why I could not live with you, I swear never to do it again.

Whenever I looked at you my heart skipped a beat but I failed to realize that this beat could mean a lifetime of tears wasted on something I knew I could never have. The only thing I did was, I failed to realize what you were.

“Love is blind.”

It’s only my body that loses its identity in this world of illusion. I would continue loving you… as I do now. I love you beyond death.”

She looked at him without a word, after a few seconds she went close to him and kissed him.

Andrew drew his sword and said, “For the one I loved…” and sent the sword across his neck… his head went rolling off.

Cinda stood there looking at her lifeless love.

“Is everything okay dear?” it was Gendine the King of Tideland.

“Yes father. I have avenged my brother and my countrymen. Andrew, who was feeding on humans, the man behind it Tony, and their King all are no more.” said a triumphant Cinda.

“I am proud to have you as my daughter, Cinda. You devised it so well, that I knew nothing would go wrong. I must admit, it is really difficult to put love for the country before the one we love and am glad that you did,” said Gendine.   

  

“I have been a Warrior from the day I was born. I fell in love with this man when I first saw him that night! I loved him with every passing day, I loved him every second. I was stopping myself from forgiving him. I loved him so much that every second I spent with him was a life by itself. This one week I spent with him will remain etched in my hearts room forever. He was a man of my dreams… He would remain as the one I loved. He would remain as the only one I loved,” said Cinda with a tear falling with a thud.

She continued, “Where he used to be, there is a hole in this world of mine. In this I would find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night.  I know I will be missing him like hell.”

“Good that you won my dear,” it was Paul the old man.

“Yes I did Uncle Paul. I have avenged for all those men out there who have lost all theirs to this blood thirsty man!” replied Cinda.

“Yes Princess Cinda, I still remember that night, 4 years ago, when he killed my son. I knew I would never be able to kill him on my own and that’s why I decided to help you. But I must admit…Andrew Arthur is a difficult man. We had two weapons that played the game well… One was that he kept his word and the other weapon I never knew would come handy - “Love” Even wise men become fools when they fall in love. Andrew Arthur was one man who lived life the way he wanted and still managed to taint thousands of lives,” replied the old man.

“Not just taint, Uncle Paul, he has left many a heart with a scar, after which I am sure none of them would ever remain the same,” said Cinda with an unknown pain that was murdering her.

Her father put his hand around her shoulder and took her away. She carried his sword and memories of moments that she had spent with him inside of her so that she could live with them forever.

  

Far away the waves were still hitting the shore searching for something, searching for someone…

Inscrutable and barbarous are the ways of love. Love’s singe prevails.