Tia was reading a book when Gayatri barged into the room.

"Bhabi-sa!!" Gayatri cried flopping down on the bed.

"Awwllee, what happened to my Gayu?" Tia said keeping the book on the bedside table, "Why are you crying?"

"Bhabi-sa, it's Rakshabandhan tomrrow! But I haven't got the special Rakhi for him yet! "

"Yes, so what's to cry in this?"

"The matter is that I forgot! And now I can't even buy one at this time of night. What should I do...." rested her head on Tia's shoulder.

"That's it?" Tia patted on Gayatri's cheek. "Wait, I will solve your problem right away!"

She got down from the bed and went to the cupboard.

"By the way, Gayatri, how is Rakshabandhan celebrated here?", asked Tia while rummaging in her cupboard.

"Close relatives and friends come. As for example....my friends, Dad's friends, relatives and important business relatives."

"Found it!" Tia took out a wooden box and went back to Gayatri.

"What is this, Sister-in-law?" asked Gayatri curiously looking at the wooden rectangular box.

Tia opened the box. There were some thick threads and needles and other stuff.

"Now we are going to make the Rakhis!" Tia squealed happily.

"WE will make it? But why?"

"Don't you want a SPECIAL rakhi? If you make it yourself, it will definitely be special!"

"Do you know how to make it?"

"Yes, I myself used to make it always," Tia's voice became low as her mind went across the memory lane.

"For whom did you make them? Do you have a brother?"

Tia's smile faded and she got thinking.

"Bhabi-sa," Gayatri shook her lightly, "Where are you lost?"

"Noth...thing," Tia tried to smile again. "Did you ever make it before?"

This time Gayatri turned sad, "I never got the person from whom I was supposed to learn all these stuff..." Gayatri sniffed.

In her 6 months of being a part royal of this family, Tia had come to know about the death of Arjun and Gayatri's mother, Late Maharani Kadambari Devi. She and her friend, the Queen of Pathancot Late Maharani Meerabai were on a flight to Mumbai to attend an art exhibition. But God had some other plans.... The flight crashed down near Mumbai with 250 passengers and crew on board. Gayatri was just 10 years old at that time.

"I am here now, your sister-in-law," Tia caressed Gayatri's hair lovingly and wiped the tears which were forming in her eyes.

Gayatri smiled and wiped her tears properly and composed herself.

"How do we make it??" asked Gayatri excitedly.

They spent their evening making rakhis for Rakshabandhan.

~

-Next day-

The main hall of the grand palace was bustling guests.

Gayatri went up to Tia and said, "Bhabi-sa, ritual should start now. I will make everyone sit, can you bring the rakhi please?"

"Surely."

She went up to her bedroom and opened her cupboard to take the rakhis. She found them and was about to go back when her eyes landed on the folded clothes which were kept on the bed.

"This clothes are still outside? No problem, I will keep them," she took the clothes and went to Arjun's cupboard.

She kept all the clothes in their proper place but she stopped when her eyes fell on a rectangle piece of paper in the far corner of the cupboard. Curiously, she turned over the paper and got the shock of her life. It was the picture of a girl who was smiling looking at another direction.

"This..." she wondered who it might be, "Tejaswini?" she questioned herself.

"Arjun keeps Tejaswini's picture till now?" her thoughts were interrupted when the photo disappeared from her hand.

She turned around to see the person who snatched the photo away from her hand. She found Arjun standing behind her, fuming with anger.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY THINGS!" he yelled.

She got frightened hearing him yell because she had never seen him so angry or he never yelled at her like this.

"Arjun, I was just keeping..." she tried to reason in a gentle voice.

"YOU DON'T HAVE ANY RIGHT ASK ME ANYTHING!" he was in no mood to hear anything. "DO THE WORK YOU ARE HERE FOR. STAY IN YOUR LIMITS, RANI-SA!" he came closer to her.

Tia couldn't register why he was getting so angry. His eyes were all red. Tears were forming in her eyes and they were ready to roll down.

"Tia...." came a masculine voice from the doorway.

Both Tia and Arjun turned to see the person. There was Yohan standing in the doorway.

"Yohan...." it came out as a whisper from her mouth.

She immediately turned to the opposite side and wiped her tears, hoping that Yohan didn't witness what had just happened in here. She turned back again with a smile plastered on her face. Arjun left the room almost in a split of a second.

"Yes, Yohan. Did you have any work?" she tried to act as normal as ever.

Yohan entered the room and said very gently, "Are you okay, Tia?"

Tia still hoped that he didn't witness anything.

"What will happen to me?" she tried to laugh, "I am fine. Come, come. Let's go downstairs. I was here to take the rakhi only."

She took the rakhi and left the room hurriedly.

Tia came back to the main hall and saw everyone already settled on the couches with their respective sisters standing with pooja thalis in front of their brothers. Gayatri was standing in front of Arjun whose eyes were still red from anger. She went to Gayatri and handed her the rakhi and stole only one glance at Arjun.

Yohan took the seat in front of his two sisters but his eyes were still stuck on Tia, he was thinking something. Tia saw Praneet standing away with Maharaj. She went to him, dragged him to one of the couches and made him sit.

"Arreh, Rani-sa, what are you doing?"

"I want to tie rakhi to my brother, what else. I hope you have got a gift for me."

Praneet's eyes turned glassy at her sweet gesture.

"Give me your hand."

Praneet forwarded his wrist to Tia.

"You started the ritual without us!" echoed Rana Jai's voice in the main hall.

Everyone stopped and turned towards the doorway to see Rana Jai standing with a wide smile curved on his face.

"Rana Jai, you came here to celebrate Rakshabandhan?" Maharaj asked curiously.

Slowly, Arjun, Praneet and Gayatri got up from their seats as Maharaj walked forward.

"What's the matter? Why did your faces turn pale?" asked Rana Jai. "Even I am here to celebrate Rakshabandhan!" he said proudly.

The guests were looking at each other then at them. Confused about the whole situation, Tia also stood their watching the drama.

"What kind of joke is this, Rana Jai!" finally Arjun spoke up.

"Why will I joke? Even I have a sister. Even I can celebrate Rakshabandhan."

Suddenly there was pin-drop silence till Rana Jai spoke up.

"So here I present before all of you....my one and only sister! Rajkumari Tejaswini...." Rana Jai clapped as he moved to a side to make way for someone.

"No...." whispered Gayatri as she held onto Arjun's arm tightly.

Proving everyone's suspision right, entered the beautiful girl whose picture Tia had seen just a while ago. There entered Tejaswini, dressed gorgeous two-piece lehenga with a million-dollar smile.

"Hello, everyone!" her voice was melodious.

She smiled at everyone present but her smile got wider when her eyes fell on a certain someone.

Tia's eyes followed the direction in which Tejaswini's smile widened and it turned out to be Arjun. Arjun's eye-brows were twitched, clearly depicting how angry he was from the inside.

Tejaswini started walking in that direction and stopped just a few inches away from him.

"Hello, Arjun," she flashed her million dollar smile again before wrapping her arms around his neck.

Tia saw the tensed expressions on Gayatri, Praneet and Maharaj's faces. Then her eyes changed gazed from them to Arjun. She watched his hand becoming red as he clenched his fists.

He had become a volcano from the inside, which would erupt at any moment. But soon his fists relaxed as a soft palm covered his fist. He relaxed at the touch of that soft palm and his facial expression also turned normal.

"Tejaswini..." Arjun spoke surprisingly in a calm tone, causing Tejaswini to break the one-sided hug.

"Arjun," she replied dreamily.

"Meet my wife. Tia," Arjun released his fist and held Tia by the waist.

Tejaswini's smile faded as she looked in the direction in which Arjun was looking lovingly. Tia was wearing a proud smile as Arjun introduced her.

"Oh, hi!" said Tejaswini dramatically. "I was so excited to meet you!" she hugged Tia.

"You might be Arjun's wife but never forget that he loves me ONLY and he will always love ME!" whispered Tejaswini in Tia's ear when they hugged.

Tia's smile faded a little but she composed herself.

"If everyone has arrived....let's begin the celebration?" suggested Tia.

"Let's go, guys, it's the Queen's order!" chuckled Rana Jai taking the seat beside Arjun.

Everyone took their positions again and completed the ritual.

For once, while tying Rakhi around Praneet's wrist, Tia looked at Tejaswini doing the same to Jai.

"Tell me, Rani-sa, what do you want as gift?" said Praneet after Tia tied the Rakhi around his wrist.

"I will treasure anything you give me," she said sincerely with a smile.

"If it was in my hands, I would have erased all the troubles frok your life...." Praneet sighed looking at Tejaswini.

"It's okay... I am fine," Tia flashed her best smile at Praneet trying to make him believe that she was genuinely fine.

~

After the ritual, Yohan and Nikhil were talking. Tejaswini was just passing by.

"Nick, I am telling you again! Tia is not happy with Arjun. Today I heard them fighting and...."Yohan was intervened by Tejaswini.

"Excuse me? Hi, I am Tejaswini. I couldn't recognize you two."

"How will you recognize them? You have came back to our lives after so many years...." intervened Gayatri joining in the conversation.

Gayatri was throwing daggers at Tejaswini with her eyes.

"Hi, I am Yohan and this is Nikhil. We are Gayatri and Tia's friends," introduced Yohan, trying to neutalize the negative vibes.

"Tia's friends?" Tejaswini smirked, "Okay...."

"If you are done, can I talk to my friends now?" Gayatri hissed again.

Tejaswini nodded and went away.

Tia, Maharaj and Praneet were talking in one corner of the main hall when Tejaswini arrived.

"Baba-sa! After so many years...." Maharaj intervened.

"I am not your 'baba-sa'. 'Maharaj'. I am just 'Maharaj' for you," said Maharaj sternly and coldly before leaving the circle.

Tejaswini ignored him and turned to Praneet.

"Congratulations, Praneet! You are getting married. Who's that lucky girl?" Tejaswini teased.

"Rani-sa, we are being called there. Let's go," Praneet royally ignored her and went away with Tia.

~

Maharaj and Praneet were with Rana Jai.

"How dare you bring Rajkumari Tejaswini here!" scolded Maharaj.

"Baba-sa, what else could I do... She's my only sister. She came back after so many years, I couldn't stop myself. After all, I am a brother. Being a brother, I couldn't separate myself from her. Forgive me, Baba-sa," weeped Rana Jai with folded hands.

Maharaj melted a bit and this time his tone was much gentle, "It's okay, Rana Jai. I agree with you. But tell Tejaswini to stay in her limits. She has the permission to stay here till Praneet's wedding. After that, she should not stay in my palace for another second!" warned Maharaj.

Rana Jai nodded. Praneet wanted to protest but Maharaj lifted his hand gesturing him not to say anything.

~

Tia twists the knob of the door of her room but finds it locked from the inside.

"Is anyone inside?" she knocked on the door.

The door opened slightly and she slipped through. As soon as she entered, Arjun locked the door immediately. Tia went to the dressing table and started removing the jewellery.

"Rani-sa," Arjun started. "Me... I...." but he lost the words.

Noticing his unease, she walked back to him. She looked at him but he wasn't making any eye contact. She cupped his face and made him look at her.

"It's okay," he said softly. "You don't have to say anything... I can understand," she spoke looking straight into his eyes.

She stroked his cheeks withe her thumbs lightly and then wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Soon after, he hugged her back too. She smiled when he hugged her back.