???? Please read Author's note at the end of chapters for information.????
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Heaven shot her eyes open. She looked around quickly, specially the sofa. Zarin was still sitting there, resting with eyes closed.
So it was all a dream. He had come, but only in her dream. This time she didn't wake up scared. She was curios.
Why did he ask her to remember him?
Did he exist?
That would be terrifying.
Who was he? And what did he want from her?
"Did you sleep well?" Suddenly Zarin stood next to her bed.
Heaven sat up on the bed and adjusted her hair quickly. "Yes. Thanks to you."
"Good, I'll take my leave then."
Heaven gave him a nod, feeling a bit strange that she let him stay in her room at night. It was very inappropriate for a lady to let such a thing happen. People would start talking if they knew.
Zarin left before her handmaidens came to help her get dressed. This time she wore no dress. It would be trousers because she would fight the famous warrior princess and Zarins mother, Klara.
After dressing and getting her hair braided, she made her way to the castle's backyard. She knew she was early since nobody was there yet. Heaven took her sword and started practicing by herself. Her mother had made her practice from a very young age.
"I don't want you to be like me. I want you to strong, confident and independent." Her mother had told her.
Heaven knew her mother didn't have a good upbringing. She wasn't raised to be strong or independent. She was raised to be frail and submissive. But circumstances taught her to be strong and brave. Besides circumstances, she had her one and only friend Princess Klara to teach her a few things, like swordsmanship and politics. Still, sometimes her mother would join their fighting lessons and learn a few tricks herself.
"Good morning, Princess." It was Princess Klara coming from afar with her daughter and my friend Gina trailing behind.
Heaven had always admired princess Klara and had wanted to be like her. She was a woman who walked with such grace and confidence and had an aura that demanded respect. Not to speak of her beauty, she was a woman who turned heads. Her husband Roshan wasn't any less good looking. He was alluring in his own dark way. You would find yourself drawn to him, yet you would want to keep a distance. But Heaven liked him a lot. He was fun to be around and always full of sarcasm.
"Good morning Princess Klara, good morning Gina." Heaven greeted.
Her friend Gina was very cheerful, unlike her mother and mischievous like her father. She hurried and gave her a tight hug. "We have a lot to talk about" She whispered in Heaven's ear.
Heaven already knew what Gina wanted to talk about. She wanted to know if Heaven had found a man. She would be disappointed to hear the news.
As for the fighting lesson, Princess Klara was disappointed with her after the lesson ended.
"What happened?" She asked, concerned. "You are not focusing today. Are you ill?"
Heaven was panting as though she had been running through the entire castle. Her lungs and heart couldn't take it anymore. She felt weak and exhausted. What was happening to her?
"I am fine." She lied, but Princess Klara didn't believe her.
"I think it's enough for today." She said despite the quick lesson. "Get some rest."
Gina who was watching from afar wondered why they had stopped. "What happened?" She asked as she came up to them.
"Nothing." Heaven hurried to say. "Just a little tired."
Princess Klara put a hand on her shoulder. "Make sure to rest. I'll meet your mother." She said and left them both behind.
Once her mother was out of sight, Gina placed her hands on her hips. "Whats wrong?" She asked, clearly aware that something wasn't right.
Heaven contemplated on whether to tell her about the man who dwelled in her dreams and now in her mind, making her unable to focus on anything except for the voice in her head.
'Remember me.'
Well, she clearly couldn't forget him.
"Come, let's go to my room. I'll tell you everything." Heaven said.
Gina was two years younger than Heaven, yet she was more experienced about everything. She knew more about the world and its people. Not because she was more educated, but because she socialized more, whether it was with humans or demons.
"So…" She began making herself comfortable on Heaven's bed. "Tell me." She urged.
Heaven sat next to her, ready to share her worries and get some of that weight of her shoulders.
"Well, I have this dream. About a man." She began and quickly Gina sat up with eyes wide. She seemed excited for some reason.
"Oh. A dream about a man? Tell me about it." She said excitedly.
"He has silver eyes and…" Heaven wasn't sure what more to tell her about him. It was all still very confusing. "The thing is, he appears in my dreams every night."
"Do you know him?" Gina asked.
"No. Never seen him before."
"Is he good-looking?"
"Well…" Heaven tried to think. Even though she had seen his face it was difficult to remember. "He is very alluring."
Gina nodded thoughtfully. "You have probably seen him somewhere. Try to remember."
Heaven was very sure she had never seen him before. If she had, she would never forget those eyes.
"Nevermind. It's just a dream." She waved it off. "Now help me with the reality. I have to get married and I don't want to."
"Why not?"
"Because, I want to get married for love. Not like this."
Gina shook her head. "Where politics rule, there is no love. Our parents were lucky to find each other, but only a few people find love and even fewer get married to the person they love."
"Thank you for making me feel better." Heaven said, irony clear in her tone.
"I am sorry." Gina apologized. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad."
"It's all right. You are somehow right. What should I do then?"
Gina seemed to think for a while. "See we are demons. We get to live a long life. You will eventually find love, but right now you need to get married soon. Choose someone you can negotiate with. Tell him you'll accept to marry him and he will get access to power, but he won't touch you. Unless you want to, of course. As for an heir, he can have other women. It's just an idea. Maybe its bad idea. You know what? Forget it." She rambled.
"No, no. That's a brilliant idea," Heaven said with a wide smile. She gave Gina a quick hug. "You're so smart."
Now, she would have to find this man that she could negotiate with. Who could it be?
Suddenly someone came to her mind.
Zarin.
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???? Hello everyone,
I am glad that ya'll are excited about this story. I read some of your comments concerning whether Zarin and Heaven are related. You guys had different opinions, but they are not related. The Devil is a created demon (Highest rank) which Roshan explained in one of the chapters. That means he has no siblings. Yes, Roshan called him uncle, but he also calls Lucian brother. It's just a thing he does.
Hope this cleared a few things. Let me know what you think so far.
Do you still think Zarin is the silver-eyed stranger? If not, who do you think he is? ????