A New Side

Kunwar Pratap was determined to solve the issue without bloodshed, Bhils were friends, and their grievances were to be met from the heart and solved. The Bhil Sardar entered the Khema as he stood up.
" Kunwar Pratap! Gani Khamma. "
" Khamma Gani." He indicated the seat. " Tell me your grievances."
" The Mughals." He replied, still not taking the seat. " You know how close the forests are to Mughal camps. Every day, the Mughal soldiers come, attack the settlements, and take women and children. If we kill them more come the next day." Kunwar Pratap was visibly shocked and angry. He tightened his fist.

" Rawat Ji, why are no soldiers guarding the Mewar Forests and the borders near Bhilwara?"
" Woh Baojiraj, none are trained for..."
" This is ridiculous, select a team of the most competent soldiers and get them to Chittor by tomorrow morning, I will train them on camouflage and forest tactics."
" Ji Baojiraj."
" And also until they are ready, you are going to stay here and look after the settlement, the Bhils are friends we cannot lose." The Sardar was happy he meant every word. He folded his hands in gratitude." Kunwarsa, I think It's not safe for you to be here." His words shocked Rawatji. " I think you should leave. The Mughals..."
" I will leave once the borders are taken care of." The sound of horses outside made Kunwar Pratap frown as Rawatji smiled. In a few minutes, Raoji entered the Khema, hands folded.
" Raoji ?" Kunwar Pratap was shocked.
" Ji Ranaji sent me." He smiled at Rawatji. " I didn't inform you because then..."
" Kunwaranisa would have wanted to come," Rawatji added. Kunwar Pratap nodded with a grateful smile.
" Ayiye, I hope everyone is well in Bijolia."
" Ji Baojiraj. Ajabde..."
" She is fine."
" Baojiraj, I think you should return before dusk." He added.

" Kunwarsa padhar rahe hai..." A maid came running. " Kunwarsa..."
A happy Jaivanta Bai smiled at a blushing Ajabde. " Let's go give him a grand welcome."

Ajabde was helped to dress by the maids in a red lehenga and she took the remaining time to decorate the room with flowers from the palace garden. She lit the lamps and incense sticks. And made rangolis. She couldn't wait to ask about the trip.
Kunwar Pratap got down from his horse and looked at the receiving crowd. There he could spot his mother's happy face and Majhli Maa and Daajiraj too. He walked up the steps of the Kumbha palace and touched his parent's feet.
" Congratulations on your success Kunwar Pratap." Udai Singh was pleased. " Learn something from him, Kunwar Shakti." The one to whom this was directed looked humiliated as he quietly walked away
" No Daajiraj Bhai Shakti too..." Kunwar Pratap was trying in vain as Udai Singh gave a cold look to Sajja Bai for her son's audacity.
" Ranima..." Kunwar Pratap changed the topic quickly. " I missed Majhli Maasa's aachar." A smile appeared on Sajja's face as she said " You will get many achar options for lunch today, I will see to it." She walked away after Udai Singh left as Jaivanta nodded at her son approvingly.
The sound of a familiar payal made him look behind Ranima as she smiled at the approaching figure before walking away.
She approached him with the puja thali in hand. He put up a disappointed face at her saying " I didn't expect this from you!"
" Ji?"
" You came after everyone else to welcome me. I didn't expect this." His disappointed voice made her feel scared as she fumbled.
" Woh... Woh...I..." He laughed, shaking his head at her confused face.

" Ajabde, let's go. You want to hear what happened or not?" She nodded excitedly, quickly doing his aarti and then following him to the room.

She had totally forgotten to mention the rangolis as he stepped on one ruining it.
" Ohh no! Kunwar Pratap! I spent all morning on this!" She exclaimed as he stopped looking at his feet.
" You should have mentioned this to me."
" You are a warrior, you have to notice the smallest of details don't you?"
She frowned as he stared amused. He missed looking at her.
" Kunwarani Ajabde Baisa! You seem to know so much about warfare yet I see you not practising your skills or taking part in any planning or suggestions. Why?"
" Practise?" She asked, eyes wide.
" Why not? The Princesses practice." He shrugged. She smiled.
" They are Rajumari Kunwar Pratap not..."
" I will talk to Ranima about this." He spoke determinedly.
" Don't!" She exclaimed.
" Why not? Besides..." He stepped forward making her heart skip a beat as he leaned close to whisper " I can teach you a lot of things you don't know Ajabde!"
" I... I...." She was fumbling red as he smiled lovingly grabbing her by the wrist as daasi came calling.
" Maharanisa has called you Kunwarsa." He nodded and left her smiling.

She decided to unpack his things before he comes back and wants to read. She was keeping away his things as two Daasis helped when she came across a paper neatly kept between two rolled maps.

Woh Komal jaise Pankh koi... Her eyes widened as a smile curved her lips. Is he a poet? He never...She kept it back between the maps, smiling to herself at the lines.

Kunwar Pratap walked back into the chamber expecting her to be busy reading. Instead, she was sitting with paper and ink.
" You are writing a letter?" She didn't reply. He frowned and walked up to her.
" What are you doing Ajabde?" He hoped for a reply.
" Writing down my deepest thoughts." She responded without looking up, he smiled taking a seat in front of her.
" What are your deepest thoughts?"
" That you hide things from me!"
" Kya?" He was surprised as she looked up, with a serious face.

" Haan! I feel there are things we still don't know about each other."
" All right, things like?"
" I like pigeons more than peacocks. I don't like the gaudy beauty the peacock flaunts in vain." Ajabde wondered.
" And ... I should know this because?" He smiled amused.
" Leave it!" She got up as he held her by the wrist.
" No No No, let's do this, Okay? My turn! I... Like archery more than swords. Few people know that!"
" I like spears!" She smiled. " And sewing."
" I like writing." He stopped alarmed. " I mean writing down my..."
" I never saw you write." She frowned.
" When do I get the time?" He shrugged.
" Now." She sounded excited. " Write something."
" Now?" He asked surprised as she nodded. He thought for a while.
" How can I write something just like that?" He frowned at the empty paper.

" Then show me something you already wrote." She smiled. One look at her and he could read what she was up to, so he decided to play along.
" All write. I wrote this... " He showed her a paragraph on Mewar he had penned down.
" Something else?" She looked disappointed.
" No."
" No? Kunwar Pratap you must have..."
" No Ajabde, I don't remember writing something else." He shook his head. She got up disappointed again.
" I...need to go ...see if dinner...."
" Where did you keep it?" He got up after her as she stopped frowning.
" Ji?"
" Where did you keep the paper you found?" It made her look away as he stared at her amused.
" I found nothing. What pap..."
" Ajabde." He shook his head. " Learn to lie properly if you want to try." She looked up at him with narrowed eyes as he smiled.

" Kunwar Pratap Singh naam hai humara. It's not easy to fool me." He smiled. She looked defeated as she stepped away and stopped at the threshold and turned.
" People say Ajabde Baisa can fool enemies with the sword in Bijolia." She smiled.
" This is Chittor and Kunwar Pratap Singh is not a fool." He smiled back, throwing a challenge.
" I defeated you once Kunwar Pratap." Eyes were locked still.
" That was a ring, this is a sword." He nodded.
" And I will win again." She smiled intimidatingly.
" Even if you do, it's my win! Because you are mine." His words made her blush as he smiled victorious, as she walked away and he sat with the paper with a smile. Let's see how you fool with the sword Ajabde Baisa... I will like to see this side of you Soon!

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See You Soon

Kunwar Partap entered the relatively quiet stable premises at the break of dawn checking on Bijli who was asleep, when he heard the sound of anklets near the cow shed. He walked up to the entrance of the stable, from where he could see her, her dupatta placed loosely over her wet hair, devoid of jewellery the way he never saw a royal lady, with a basket of flowers in one hand and a plate of sweets on the other. She was distributing sweets to the cow keepers, veterinarians and everyone who came by on the occasion of Lakshmi giving birth to her calf. “What will you name her, Hukum?” an old man asked. She smiled shyly, pressing her lips together. “Mandakini, Kakasa.” The old man smiled at her suggestion. “Like the kund? Very nice.” Kunwar Partap walked up to Lakshmi’s shed only after most people had dispersed to their work. Ajbante Kanwar heard footsteps behind her and turned with the plate that now had one sweetmeat left. Alarmed at his sight and at the lack of options she could offer fr...

Stable Boy

“Jija, I want to go to the stables too.” Ajbante was stopped in the corridor of the inner palace by Ratan Kanwar, followed by their half-brother, Akhil who was three. “We do.” Ratan corrected herself. The dawn had just set on the horizon and the birds were chirping in the gardens. Ajbante Kanwar had just taken a bath in the private pool and managed to grab her empty flower basket to go to the gardens still before that, she would visit the stables and cowshed, check how Lakshmi was doing with her newborn, and if Bijli was okay with the sudden changes her father made. Ratan Kanwar’s nagging made her sigh and nod. “Don’t make so much noise so early in the morning.” She scolded them as they followed her, giggling and skipping down the hall behind her. “Don’t touch the newborn Kunwar Akhil, you will scare Lakshmi.” The familiar alarmed voice made Kunwar Partap stop gathering hay as he placed them down, wiped his forehead and glanced over his shoulder at the cowshed. There was some gig...

I Saw You

Kunwar Pratap was in his brown Dhoti, off-white angrakha and a piece of brown cloth tied to his head when he entered the palace premises. He was standing in the courtyard, eyeing the lofty towers and domes, wondering whom to talk to as some soldiers galloped their horses out of the stables on the right and some people were gathered on the left. The main entrance and two guards on either side and he decided to go towards the stairs leading up to the inner palace when the guards stopped him. “Who are you looking for?” “Rao ji?” He asked unsurely. “Rao Ramrakh…” “What audacity, boy?” The old guard scolded, “Say, Hukum!” “Yes, Hukum.” He nodded. “I came to tend to the stables.” “Then go to the stable, why are you loitering around the private gardens?” One of the soldiers said in a gruff voice. “He must be the one we were told about…” The other one reminded him. “Oh, go to the stables anyway, Hukum is busy practising, I will summon you once he is on the premises.” Pratap nodded at his words...

Towards You

Kunwar Pratap and Ajabde were friends. He didn't feel awkward sharing his plans and thoughts with her anymore. She was more than happy to advise him on everything. She was happy he listened to her advice before taking or discarding them, be it on what to wear to Padmavati's Sagai or how to befriend the revolting Bhils. He loved the way Ajabde always used metaphors from Puranas and Ramayanas to explain the toughest things so easily. She expressed herself so well, so easily that it amazed him. The Afghans were now led by Mehmood Shah. They have made secret territories in the forests and waited to attack. Rawatji and his spies had confirmed the news and Udai Singh had warned Mehmood Shah to withdraw his troops from Mewar in vain. Now, it was time they declared war. Mehmood Shah had limited resources in Mewar. And his spies clearly suggested that in no way could he win, especially with Kunwar Pratap leading his troops. He was having second thoughts about the war. One of his aides...

Queen of the Heart

Kunwar Pratap was in the Dangal Sthal practising his moves. Ajabde decided it was fair to know his strength before the big competition. Sword in hand, in a white female warrior attire with only her face visible she hid behind one of the large watchtowers of the Dangal watching him move. She heard Rawatji say, " Your left hand is still weaker than the right one with the moves. Both should be perfect." A smile curved her lips. Knowing an opponent's weakness always helps, which is one rule of the war she always remembered. Kunwar Pratap swung his sword with his left hand and turned around. He could sense someone watching, his sixth sense was never wrong. He looked around and hatched a plan. Ajabde again peeped at the grounds to see it was empty. He had left. She walked towards the empty ground, sword in hand. Suddenly, the cold blade of a sword was felt on her neck. She stopped still. " So someone was spying on me." His voice had a hint of taunt. " No, I was...

Prologue: Impulsive Hearts

1576 CE. The dark clouds circled over the Haveli of the Chieftain at Avadgadh, one of the unimportant posts on the western borders of Mewar, Rajputana. It was the arrival of the rainy season, with occasional downpours over the green veil of the Aravallis on the horizon and the streams that often meandered around the hills now surged like rivers. The monotonous life in the little settlement was stirred by the arrival of guests in the Haveli. It was not usual for the old chieftain to receive so many guests, especially women and it sparked curiosity and rumours among the villagers. Who were these people? Some of them looked like royal ladies and some not. In the inner palace of Avadgadh, on a balustrade that was designed with Jali, nymphs adorning its pillars that looked over the Aravallis in a distance, covered with dark clouds, the gusty wind blew the new curtains almost toppling a vase kept by the window. She caught it, alarmed, almost out of the force of habit to be alert about her su...

Unexpected

" This is your room Ranisa." Hansa opened the door to the well-furnished large guest room of the Bijolia Palace. The diyas were lit and the room was neat and clean. " Your Daasis decorate the rooms well." Jaivanta Bai looked around. " Oh, Ranisa. all these... " Hansa smiled proudly. " All these are done by my daughter." " Your daughter?" Jaivanta Bai smiled surprised. " Milwayiye ." Jaivanta Bai was eager to meet her. " Ajabde! Ratan!" Hansa called as the girls came in. 13-year-old Ajabde preferred a simple lehenga in a pink and blue Dupatta clad over her head. She was the first one to calmly bend down and touch Maharani's feet as a five-year-old Ratan came running. " Ajabde is very talented in sewing, gardening and home decor. She can also...." " Maa Sa...." Ajabde's soft protest stopped Hansa as Jaivanta Bai smiled. " Accha, I won't tell but these are your good talents, right? ...

Protectors

Rao Surtan was at the Palace gates as the soldiers tried in vain to attack with arrows. His army was stronger and more competent than the one Balwant headed at the Bijolia Fort Gates. “Break the door” he ordered. “Where is Ajabde?” Hansa looked around the cellar. “Jija!” Ratan exclaimed. “She was on the roof last I saw.” “Ajabde.” Hansa Bai opened the cellar door and stepped out followed by Ratan who was equally worried. “Stay back!” Sajja Bai called in vain as Jaivanta Bai too walked out and up the stairs to the corridors of the Ranimahal in search of Ajabde. Meanwhile, Surtan’s army had entered the palace and he made his way to the Ranimahal. He was having different thoughts now. Killing Jaivanta Bai won't yield him anything… Maybe capturing a few young maidens… Ratan froze in the corridor seeing the man approach. Behind her were her mother and Jaivanta Bai with the same reaction. “ Jee Bavro ho gayo!” Surtan Singh took out his sword. Ratan took two ste...

Life and You

" Maharanisa! Maharanisa!" The Daasi ran through the quiet Rani Mahal as Jaivanta Bai who was sitting in front of the Lord in her room ever since she was back, rushed out of her room followed by Sajjabai and Veerbai. " What happened?" She asked, her voice calm, but her heart thumping. " Kunwarsa is here... with Kunwarani... She... She...." The Daasi sobbed as Jaivanta Bai rushed to the room. She stood at the door as her eyes couldn't believe what she saw. Kunwar Pratap was soaked in her blood as he laid her down on the bed shouting " Jaldi. Rajvaidya..." His eyes stopped at the door as Jaivanta Bai rushed to be beside the unconscious Ajabde. The Daasis and Sevaks were running about soon enough. SajjaBai gasped at the scene. So much blood. Kunwar Pratap hadn't noticed anything except her calm unconscious face. Now he looked down at his blood-soaked hands, red, he stared at them as though in a trance. " Kunwar Pratap! Tell me what happ...

You Deserve More

Ajabde woke up with the song of birds as she felt something warm clinging to her hand. Her eyes went wide. Her hand was on the pillow in between, between his hands, clasped as he slept. She thought of removing it slowly but he was holding it so tight. Ajabde's heart beat faster and faster. What do I do now? How do I not wake him? What if... why is my hand in his? She was utterly confused. " Am I..." In love? Pratap was staring at the sleeping figure on his bed as he again looked back at the rain. Then he looked back frowning as she shivered. He closed the windows of the room, to make it cosy then sat on his side of the bed. A lamp flickered on her side like always and he stared at her sleeping figure as he put his blanket over her as well. She shifted a little in her sleep to make herself cosy again. Her payals and bangles made a rhythmic sound breaking the silence of the room. Her hand was out of her blanket and on the pillow in between. He tried to slowly put it in th...

RAABTA

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