Sleepless

Kunwar Pratap woke up when it was still dark. He opened his eyes in the dimly lit room and could see her calm, contented face in the darkness, in deep sleep. Known to be a fighter, he had no idea how or when he developed these weird feelings. His Guruji had always taught him to be emotionless. Fighters don't have emotions. He was reminded again and again, and yet, this time around, unsure of what was in store at Bhilwara, he was... scared? He shook off the feeling. Yes, tonight was about his promise to himself to make her his wife. Tonight, he had explored his feelings and hers like never before. But, in the back of his mind, even as he watched her sleep, he could not shake off the thought. I have to leave her alone here. What if.... last time there were Ratan, Balwant and Padma, but this time she is alone... He touched her cheeks with his fingers with a smile as she leaned toward his touch, even in her sleep.

Ajabdeh woke up with the first light of dawn. She had a lot of work to do before he left. She was about to get out of bed when she saw his hand holding hers. A shy smile curved her lips as she carefully freed her hand and was about to walk away when she felt a tug at her dupatta. Ajabde stopped wide-eyed and softly spoke up, " Kunwar Pratap... I..." She turned around to see her dupatta stuck under his sleeping figure. She pulled at it in vain and decided to leave it there.

Mharo Pranam Banke Bihari Ji

Mor Mukut Madhyan Tilak Birajya

Kundal Alkakori Ji

Adhar Madhur Dhar Bansi Bajawa

Kunwar Pratap woke up to the sweet voice as he sat up on the bed and spotted his things all ready to be packed, including all his clothes, arms and amenities. He smiled, knowing she did all that by herself, without being asked for, that is what Ajabdeh was all about. He got ready to leave as she came up with the aarti thal. Eyes smiled at each other, hiding the fears within.
" Your things are ready to..."
" I can see that." He spoke up as she was about to leave. " Ajabdeh." She stopped and turned back after keeping her thaal on the table.
" Ji?"
" Promise me." He held her hands. " You will take care of everyone as well as yourself."
"Only if you promise me to be safe first." She smiled as he nodded.

Maharani Jaivanta Bai was at the entrance to see off Kunwar Pratap.
" I will be back in a day or two. If things go well..." He told his mother as worry swept across his face.
" Everything will be alright." Ranima smiled at him and stared back at Ajabde. " It has to be when people pray for you day and night." Kunwar Pratap smiled a proud smile at Ajabde, who looked away.
" Chalte hai." She nodded softly as Ranima approved. He walked up to Sarang and turned back to see her standing there with a smile. He left as she watched.

" Baojiraj, I think we should call Bhil Sardar for a talk before deciding anything." Rawat Chundawat suggested as he entered the tent.
" Yes, Rawat Ji, I want to talk to him about their grievances first thing in the morning." Rawatji left with the task of finding the Bhils in the forest. Kunwar Pratap sat alone in his camp as he unpacked some things from the trunk. His eyes stopped at a wrapped thing. He unwrapped it, and it was her Ramayana. A smile curved his lips. She sent a part of her in his trunk. Did she not know he carried a part of her in his heart? He sat down with the book, under the lamp.

" Today we are making our favourite dishes." Sajja Bai smiled excitedly as Ajabde entered the Paak shala. " You want to make something, Kunwaranisa?"
" Yes, Bhabisa, make kheer please." Maan pleaded. Ajabde smiled in approval as Dheer bai entered the Paakshala.
Ajabde was busy making the kheer when she didn't put cashew nuts and Kesar as per the Raj traditions in the kheer. She was about to serve Maan when Dheer Bai interrupted.
" What are you doing?" She stopped a scared Ajabde.
" Giving Rajkumarisa Kheer...."
" No, where are the nuts and Kesar? Will my Maan eat what the villagers of Mewar eat? Have you forgotten you are not the Samantputri anymore?"
Her words struck Ajabdeh like an arrow, yet she remembered she had promised him to take care of everything.
She smiled a polite smile, saying, " Rajkumarisa doesn't like nuts, so I thought... I will add them, Chotima." She gave the Katori to Maan, adding, "Never disrespect the food we eat, Rajkumarisa, no matter how simple it is. We never know what it's worth until we starve due to a lack of food, like millions of others."
Maan nodded impressively as Dheer Bai fumed, Sajja Bai praised Ajabdeh, saying, " You are absolutely right, Kunwaranisa. We must always be grateful for what we have because we never know when we will lose it all." Dheerbai left disturbed.

" Kunwaranisa." Ajabde walked out of the Puja Ghar at the call, delighted to see Majhli Maasa.
" Ji?"
" Come, read the Ramayana to me today." Ajabde happily followed Sajja Bai to her room.
" And she stayed a decade, bringing up Labh and Kush, aware that he missed her presence. That he chose to be the King rather than the husband."
" Sita was strong enough to live her life without his help. It was Ram who needed her more." Kunwar Pratap read aloud in silence as the lamp flickered. He stopped and looked at the light flickering in the lamp, lost in thought. He missed her explanations. He missed her presence.

Ajabdeh walked into the room after dinner with a sigh. She didn't need to wait today, but something told her she would be sleepless tonight as she lay staring at his empty place on her right. He walked up to the empty papers in a roll and sat down to pen down his thoughts. Not a soul knew that the valiant warrior Kunwar Pratap Singh was a poet at heart.

Gentle like a petal,

Pure like a conch
She touches every heart with Kindness,
She is elegant and full of grace.

He smiled at his own silliness and kept aside the paper, neatly in his trunk. Miles apart, two souls waited to be united, as the moon and stars witnessed their sleepless night.

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