CHAPTER 1: Beginning of a Fairytale

"Every great love starts with a great story."

~Nicholas Spark

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'Once upon a time...

In a land far and wide, lived a young princess named Meera, with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair, as dark as the raven.

She was kind and gentle, sweet and innocent. She was the prettiest of them all but most importantly, she had a beautiful heart.

She had it all but her heart longed for something else. Every night when she closed her eyes, she dreamt of a man with crystal eyes coming to her.

Finally on her sixteenth birthday, as custom would have it, a witch was called to grant the princess a wish. And Meera wished for a love so profound that it will transcend all. A prince to whisk her away to his kingdom in the clouds.

One day while roaming her gardens, she came across a beautiful multicoloured butterfly. It seemed to be speaking to her in a language of its own and then flew away.

Entranced by its spell Meera followed the trail as it led her into the enchanted forest. They stopped in front of a waterfall whose water glittered like diamonds under the sunlight that escaped through the thick canopy of trees.

She searched around but the butterfly had vanished and in its place, in front of her stood a handsome stranger.

With high cheekbones and unruly dark hair falling upon his forehead he was mesmerizing. But what stunned her most were those hypnotizing crystal eyes that held her captive. Even when wearing a crumpled shirt drenched in water, he still looked like a prince.

His lips stretched into an alluring smile as he started walking toward her. Meera was still rooted to her place, unable to take her eyes away from this beguiling creature who had managed to steal her heart at the first glance.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm the one your heart desired and you're the one I've waited for." His deep voice reached her.

"And I've finally found you."'

Meera gasped, opening her obsidian eyes wide as she let them sweep across the pale blue walls.

She was back in her room. Enclosed within blue walls and white furnishings embellished with gold, a mural of a castle and carriage on the back wall and a painting of a dancing couple on the side wall, a white net canopy over her bed covered in a luxurious mauve velvet duet cover,and yet her mind was still back in that forest, the dream vivid behind her eyes and the stranger's eyes etched in her heart.

Glancing down she saw a tattered, old booklet carelessly placed open on her lap, that she'd been reading before she had fallen asleep in the confinement of her bedroom.

The binding had already come loose after repeated use and the thin pages had turned yellow over the years.

Meera traced the handwritten words, the ink slowly fading away, and sighed.

He seemed to be everywhere nowadays, always in her dreams when she couldn't see him in reality.

The book was one a mother had lovingly penned down for her daughter who had been obsessed with fairytales as a child so that she could have a story of her own.

Had her mother known that the story would indeed come to live? That prince she had written about would be around the corner but Meera would come to despise the princess?

Meera exhaled a long, tired breath, bemoaning the loss of her simple childhood, at the advent of a complicated life ahead, on the eve of her birthday.

In her daze she didn't hear the click of her bedroom door.

"Welcom back, Sleeping Beauty."

A loud female voice jostled Meera from her thoughts. She stared at her friend who was already placing the packets of chips that she must've nicked from the kitchen on the bed before climbing in herself.

"When did you come?" asked Meera staring at the clock. There was still a good two hours to the party.

"Just now. Thought we'll start your birthday early," Ahana grinned. "What's that?" She pointed at the object in her hand.

"A story book."

Ahana reached for it and she gingerly placed it in her hands.

Flipping through the pages, Meera watched as Ahana's face changed from interest to boredom as she gave a dramatic shudder. She'd had too much sweetness for the day.

Lastly she said, "A fairytale? Why am I not surprised?"

Meera gave a sheepish smile. "I liked them when I was young."

"You still do," Ahana pointed out.

But did she, really?

Fairytales and the talks of happily ever afters used to give her hope. They were in no way close to reality but little Meera did not know that. Unfortunately she had spent too much time in the real world to ever dream of that again.

"I'm curious," Ahana stated, reclining back. "What does the Prince look like in your head?"

Meera thought back to her dream and realised with surprise that she had actually never seen his face. Only his eyes were prominent.

"I don't know," Meera mumbled then with a dreamy sigh she said, "but I do know that he has the most gorgeous set of crystal eyes."

"Crystal?" Ahana nodded, almost teasingly, "I suppose they are unique."

"Very. They're grey, like-" she paused

"Like?" Ahana prompted

"Dev's."

Those eyes weren't always grey. They were brown when she was young, just like her father's. She hadn't realised when the earthly shade had changed to grey, more specifically; silver-grey.

Her mind conjured an image, his eyes a striking shade of grey that turned silver when they were light. They were almost kaleidoscopic, with specks of blue and green scattered around the pupil like colourful sea glasses hidden in the sea.

"Dev, Dev, Dev," echoed Ahana. "Dev has beautiful eyes, Dev is a painter, Dev is smart, Dev could solve this, Dev can do that. In the last four months I've heard so many things about Dev that I feel like I've known him for years. I'm starting to worry that when I finally see him, I might fall in love with him instantly."

The thought rubbed her the wrong way. Ahana and her had been friends for just over six months so she had never seen Dev in person.

"I don't think he is your type," she said.

Ahana raised an eyebrow, amused and Meera pressed her lips together that tugged up slightly. "It's just- he isn't someone you date casually. He is someone you fall in love with."

"So he is your type?"

Meera chocked on her saliva, her eyes widening. When Ahana looked serious she chuckled although it sounded forced, "Oh no. Nothing like that."

Ahana seemed confused and Meera shrugged, "I'm probably just biased. Now help me get dressed," she said swiftly ending the topic and turned away, hiding her rosy cheeks.

Meera and Dev?

She shouldn't even be thinking about this.

But then why did her heart flutter?

*********

It was a busy day in the Raichand Mansion and Adira Raichand in the kitchen, instructing the chef on some last-minute preparations while her husband was busy assisting her. Or more like disturbing her.

Sending a glare towards her husband who wanted to put the put the upper layer of buttercream on the cake, and even after demonstrating it to him, twice, managed to do it wrong.

"Kabir, I swear to god, I'll chop off your head if you don't leave me this instant," Adira said finally having had enough, looking deadly serious with a knife in hand.

At a different time, it would've been absolutely hilarious and cute to see Kabir Raichand, the man who dominated the business world and led his multinational company to its success, couldn't even handle a simple household chore. But not today, not when they had a party to prepare for and he was increasing her work instead of helping her.

"I'm just trying to make a cake for my daughter." He was genuinely confused as to what he was doing wrong? Sure, the presentation was not so good but surely it wasn't- okay, it was bad.

The layer of cream was uneven, showing more cake that covering it and the excess of it on the sides was dripping down on the marble counter.

Kabir looked sheepishly at his wife who was busy throwing daggers his way. He had just wanted to help his wife knowing she was handling everything on her own. But kitchen and him just did not get along.

He gulped knowing he should not infuriate her anymore. He backed away, giving up on trying to accomplish the simple task because while he may rule the entire world, at home he surrendered to his wife who knew the best.

"Just leave the kitchen before you ruin your shirt. Guests will start arriving soon."

He nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Yes, my queen." On his way to wash hands, he gave his wife a peck on her rosy cheeks and was satisfied to see a coat of red on them. He couldn't resist himself. She looked absolutely divine in her off-white saree which was embroidered in jewels.

They had been together for twenty years now and she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid his eyes on, and he still found it hard to stay away from her, especially when she looked so sexy while angry.

He smirked, leaning against the counter as he watched her correct his mistakes, while shooting him annoyed glances.

Some things never change. His love, for one, never wavered.

*********

"He's not coming?"

Meera gazed at their reflection in the mirror as Ahana took another portion of her hair to curl. Between the two of them, she was more adept to doing a makeover.

"I don't know." She shrugged trying to sound nonchalant but the worry in her voice was palpable. "I don't even know if he's coming back."

Meera chewed her bottom lip, dreading it. The thought had crossed her mind once or twice but she had pushed it aside. But now, it was getting close to two months and there was still no news of him.

One day, two months ago, Ayaansh had come home, anxious and worried, and had informed them all, rather angrily that Dev was gone. Gone where? No one knew. All his mother had told them was that he was taking a trip nearby, to sort through his head before college resumed.

Since then there hadn't been a single message from him, at least to her, that is. She was quite certain that he was in touch with his mother and her brother, none of whom had bothered to tell her anything. Lately she was forced to think if the problem was her.

"He promised me that he'd be there for my birthday. But that was before he-left." She cleared her throat. Whenever she thought of his abrupt leave she felt a lump form in her throat.

Dev had never broken a promise, ever.

Once he had promised her that he'd get her five unique shells from the beach when he had Ayaansh had gone to Lonavala on a school trip. He had spent all day on the beach searching for them and had brought her back exactly five shells, each of a different shape and size. She had then fashioned a necklace out of them for herself.

That was why she was still holding onto his word. It gave her some remnant of hope.

And She'd hold on to it till the last minute.

Meera twirled in front of the mirror, brushing her hands on her silk organza ruffled gown, specially made for her, a gift from her father and her favourite so far.

With added layers of net, in the shades of deep and greyish hues of blue, it fit snuggly against her waist and spread like a ball gown with a strapless bodice adorned with embellishments that cascaded down the silk, twinkling like the stars in the night sky.

Her jet black hair cascaded down in waves. Slipping on her crystal-covered pointy-toe pump she was ready to go.

But before walking down, she took a detour towards the east-wing.

She rarely ventured to that side of the house. It was where her brother's room was and if she could help it, she tried to stay away. But today was an exception.

Knocking on the teak door, she waited with baited breath as she heard his upcoming footsteps.

As soon as he opened the door, without giving him a chance to speak or reprimand her for disturbing him.

"Please?" She asked, not daring to be hopeful and yet couldn't contain her eagerness.

Ayaansh released a breath harshly, seemingly done with this conversation, and her. Leaning against his door with his fingers curled on the handle, he said, "Like I told you yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. I. Don't. Know!"

Meera huffed, "You're lying." She puckered her lips and mumbled, "He promised."

Ayaansh stared at her then with a hard look in his dark brown eyes and clenched his jaws. "If he can't come back for his bestfriend, do you think he'll come back for you?" He derided, almost mocking her.

Meera sniffed and looked down, biting her lip.

That hurt.

"So instead of wasting your breath on who isn't coming, why don't you focus on who's there." His lips curled in a sneer, "Always so ungrateful princess."

"Don't call me that," she snapped and he raised his left eyebrow before backing away and slammed his door as she flinched back.

He didn't have to be so harsh.

But then, what else was new?

********

Meera made her way to the top of the grand staircase and descended down.

Her parents were present in the hall which was decorated aesthetically in her favourite blue and white with ribbons and balloons. Round tables and chairs were set for the guests while another square table was placed in front of the arch of balloons for the cake and gifts.

Her mother was the first to notice her come. "There she is! My, you look so lovely, baccha." (Baby) Adira graced Meera's head lovingly. "May you get all the happiness in the world and everything that you desire."

"Thank you, Mumma."

If only he comes, Meera mused.

Kabir took this time to marvel at his daughter who had grown up so fast. She was no longer the little girl who used to trot behind him all day wearing her little blue frock and a plastic crown. She was now a young woman, resembling her mother more and more with each passing day.

"Look at you. You grew up so fast." He inched closer and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you for this dress, papa" (Father)

"Was it to your liking?" Kabir asked. He had it made specially for his Disney-loving daughter for her special day.

"I love it!" Meera squealed.

Alvira, who till now was engrossed in her phone, peaked her way and gasped, staring at her- no, at her dress with heart eyes.

Turning to her dad she demanded, "I want one!"

"Okay," Kabir immediately agreed to the demand of his little one. He could never say no to that face.

Adira looked at both father-daughter duo with stern eyes. "Alvira, you already got your dress," she pointed at the black lacey off shoulder dress Alvira was wearing along with her strappy heels, "and Meera got hers. No more."

Kabir nodded, agreeing with his wife but behind her back, he winked at his chastised daughter who immediately perked up as he mouthed, "I'll get you one."

Adira turned sharply, her hazel eyes narrowing as Kabir put a finger on his lips and Alvira stifled a mischievous giggle. She rolled her eyes knowing Kabir would end up buying her another dress.

Just then they heard the first of the guests arriving and Kabir was spared from another lecture about spoiling his kids.

********

Meera did not like parties.

She had begged her parents to keep the party small and intimate but the names had kept getting added to the list and soon the whole town had gotten an invite.

You only turn sixteen once, they said. Meera rolled her eyes.

After greeting almost two hundred people, she was exhausted. Her jaws ached from smiling constantly, her feet, she was sure, were swollen after wearing those uncomfortable heels and she was hungry. She hadn't even had one bite of her favourite chicken nugget from her own party.

It was blasphemous!

Her mother was the only one still catering to the guests. Alvira was gone with her friends, Ayaansh still hadn't made his entry- which was extremely rude of him- and her father had vanished.

Meera sighed, excusing herself after hours long torture, Meera succeeded in escaping to her room- which was already occupied by two very noisy teenagers.

Ahana and Sameer were busy solving the latest Wordle or more like Ahana wracking her brains for the answer while Sameer busy disturbing her.

"Who dressed you?"

Meera had settled on the window seat and was busy eating, so she missed Sameer's question and Ahana's accusatory glare thrown her way.

Ahana pointed towards her, "she made me this way," said Ahana looking at her emerald green dress with disgust. "I'm never letting you dress me again."

"You should thank me," Meera scoffed. "I saved you from being the only one in jeans and leather jacket."

"At least you finally look like a decent girl," Sameer said, teasingly which earned him a sharp elbow and Meera chortled.

Honestly Meera didn't know what she was complaining for. Ahana looked stunning in her V-neck emerald green dress. The deep colour highlighted her red curls and suited well on her.

Meera let them bicker, used to their weird dynamics and stared out the window facing the driveway.

It was almost close to dinner and there still wasn't any sign of the man. As the hours passed by and with every car driving away instead of pulling up, her spirits were going down.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Sameer finally asked after watching his cousin watch out the window every three seconds.

"Uh huh," Ahana said with a teasing grin. "Her prince."

Meera glared at her friend, "Do shut up."

Sameer looked confused and Ahana took it upon herself to clarify. "Dev."

"Oh, he still hasn't returned, eh? He will soon." Sameer reassured and just the next second he said, "I'm just glad that dog went with him."

"Hey!" Meera took offense in that. She was really missing her baby.

"What? He's a nuisance."

Meera defended, "No he isn't. He's the sweetest little thing."

"By no means is he little. That vicious looking thing," Sameer scowled.

"Stop calling him a thing!"

Ahana snickered and mocked, "Are you scared, Sammy?" She was delighted to learn this little piece of information.

Sameer's lips twisted and Meera chuckled at that. "Oh, he is. Has been since he was seven and a dog chased him through the street." She laughed harder vaguely remembering a young Sameer being chased by a dog double his size.

"This is brilliant!" Ahana grinned, awfully pleased hearing this.

Sameer shook his head, "Whatever. I'm just glad I won't have to deal with that dog-"

No sooner had those words left Sameer's mouth, they heard scratching at the door.

The moment the door was unlatched, Meera was attacked by a ball of fur jumping on top of her.

A gleeful golden retriever stared back at her with his tail wagging in excitement as he pounced on her forgetting that he wasn't a baby anymore.

"Bruno!" Meera squealed in delight. She vaguely heard Sameer yelp before standing up on the bed. Due to his tall height he nearly bumped his head on the ceiling.

She laughed heartily, feeling his sloppy licks on her cheeks, her make-up long forgotten. "I missed you so much!" She hugged him tightly, sitting on the ground. It was the longest they had gone without seeing each other.

A thought suddenly struck her. She moved back.

If Bruno was here, did that mean-?

Stumbling up, she rushed out of her room with the dog tailing behind and stopped on top of the stairs.

There he was, in all his glory, surrounded by her family in the middle of the room. He was smiling politely, talking to them, answering their questions.

Her grip tightened around the banister, her knuckles turning white. A breath released out of her lips, that she didn't know she had been holding.

When he glanced her way at last, surprise filled those piercing silver-grey eyes when they met hers and she couldn't tear them away. They beheld her with awe, making her feel as if she was the most beautiful girl in the world, from whom he couldn't look away.

Under the light of the chandelier she could see him more clearly. Dressed in a white shirt and navy blue blazer, he was a sight for sore eyes with his tousled dark hair and striking grey eyes that complimented his attire.

It was hard not to notice him. It might have been the sharp, prominent features that reflected a rich lineage or in the way he held himself, but there was a certain regality to him, of age-old aristocracy. That even in his most disheveled state, he appeared no less that a prince.

It always stumped Meera, to think that he came from a simple household when everything about him screamed noble.

From the time he had entered, eyes had followed him. He had a natural aura that had people gravitating towards him, for even when he stood in the corner of the room, he was the center. His mere presence commanded attention, when all he wanted was to blend it.

Because he was not meant to hide. He was meant to rule.

And rule he did, her world.

It was only after she felt a wet snout nudge her, did she snap out of her reverie. Then there was no stopping as she picked up her gown and broke into a sprint.

And as he filled her vision, he was all she could see. Not just Dev as he appeared now, standing in the middle of the foyer with his mouth agape, but Dev smiling at her gently the first time they met, Dev gifting her, her first set of anklets when she discovered her passion for dancing, Dev holding her hand to guide the brush upon the canvas as she attempted to paint, Dev taking care of her burnt hand when she tried to bake, Dev in the kitchen leaning closer.

Meera darted down the stairs to reach him as fast as possible and he took several quick strides towards the stairs at the same time to catch her as she launched herself into his awaiting arms.

And it was at that precise moment that she realised, hidden in his embrace, how much she had missed him, that had been harder to breath in his absence.

Her chest tightened. The momentum knocked her on her feet and she reached out, holding him even tighter, blinking away the tears pricking her eyes.

"Dev," She mumbled, burying her face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent; cloves, salt and soap. Her days had been unfulfilled without him. That, even though he was the one who had returned, she was home. "I missed you."

For a moment his hands were equally tight around her and she relished the feeling. Then he let her go and stepped back.

Meera stumbled slightly. She hadn't expected either the tight hug or a quick shove away.

After months of separation, she was still busy committing him to her memory, unaware of the numerous stares they were getting, or she simply did not care as she soaked in his presence.

He looked different too but Meera couldn't quite concentrate on. Dev was watching her intently just like she was taking him in.

She started to smile, but it feel the next second when he said, "Happy birthday, Meera."

And all at once her mind woke up and started giving her a list of reasons why he seemed different.

His hair, which he'd always kept short and clean, had grown out in thick luscious brown curls, touching his ear tips. His face had settled into a more mature look with a light stubble shaping his jawline because he had forgotten to shave, the softness of adolescence resetting into more youthful and mature lines. And it wasn't as if she had forgotten the colour of his silver eyes, but somehow, today they appeared both lighter and darker. The blue in them had merged with the grey resembling a stormy ocean on a cloudy day. He had grown taller too, by at least two inches since now she barely reached past his shoulder. But the most distressing change was- he hadn't called her butterfly.

Dev rarely called her by her name. For him, she was his butterfly; had been since the first time they met. The memory was still fresh in her mind.

"What's your name?" He offered her a faint smile making his eyes shine brighter.

"Meera."

She told him her name. So what if her mother had always warned her to never give her name to strangers? She'd tell him anything he asked for, just to get him to stay with her for a while longer.

"And I'm Dev. It's nice to meet you, butterfly."

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a body of fur snuggle against her leg.

Meera looked down and suppressed a grin as she watched the Golden Retriever demand her attention back. Staring back at her with his sparkling eyes,, he was offering her a long stemmed flower which he had been holding between his teeth.

Even Dev appeared amused at the actions of the cheeky dog. She bent down to take hold of the white chrysanthemum that he must've plucked from her garden.

"You brought a flower for me. Such a sweet boy." She cooed, scratching behind his ears in appreciation which he seemed to love and snuggled closer.

"Do you want to see your gift?"

Dev held out his right hand, holding a small velvet box tied with a silver ribbon.

She opened the box. Inside, cushioned against the velvet surface was a thin gold chain and a small butterfly pendant with wings made of golden wires. She choked on a gasp. "Only you, Dev," she grinned.

Did he really seem different? People often did when you hadn't seen them in a while. Maybe he was a bit more tanned than usual or more serious but he was still him. But people often looked different when you hadn't seen them in a while.

Maybe it was just all in her head after the moment they had shared the last time they were together.

"You came," Meera stated, breathless, still unable to believe He was here, with her on her special day.

"I did promise you." Dev smiled his gentle smile, like a breeze of gentle air, caressing her within.

This was her moment. Meera dropped her voice and asked, "Can we talk?"

She almost had his attention for a split second before it was drawn to something else behind her and she was certain that he hadn't heard her over the loud murmur in the background.

The overwhelming urge to voice out her deepest desires almost overtook her. But it was through sheer will that she refrained herself. She'd waited two months, she could wait another day.

After all, a room full of strangers was no place to declare her love.

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