Kunwar Pratap stormed into the Mahal at Gogunda. Happy faces of the chieftains and soldiers welcomed him as Rao Ramrakh and Rawatji stopped the ongoing Raj tilak. A visibly scared Kunwar Jagmal looked clueless at a visibly angry Kunwar Pratap. Rani Dheerbai Bhattiyani hadn't expected this son of Mewar to show up that too twenty-one days after his father's death. He was not informed as per Dheerbai's instructions. She looked at Rawat Ji. He must have gone to Raoji at Bijolia. No one except them knew where Kunwar Pratap was staying. It was for the safety of his family.
" What are you doing Chotima?" A disappointed voice came. She could stoop down so low?
" We were about to inform you..." She spoke up in her defence.
" When Dheerbai ji?" Maharani Jaivanta Bai, clad in white entered the hall as people bowed before her. " After your son's coronation?"
" I did nothing Badima I swear!" A low voice came from Jagmal.
" Maharani Jaivanta Bai, Rana Udai Singh has stated in his last wish that he wanted Jagmal as heir." Rana Raimal spoke in a clear tone as Raoji interrupted " Who witnessed that?"
" I did, Jagmal and Dheer Behna..."
Rawatji stopped the man." Rana ji always wanted Kunwar Pratap on the throne, and so did Mewar."
" But Rawatji if that was Daajiraj's last wish..." Kunwar Pratap said in a rather irritated voice. He was fed up fighting against his family for the throne.
" No Kunwar Pratap. Mewar Needs You. We all need you." Jaivanta Bai's voice was matched by the people who cheered for him. He had lived for these people and he had sworn to live for his motherland. His eyes searched the crowd and stopped at Ajabde. She nodded in approval. Her eyes said this was right. And all his doubts disappeared.
" Rana Pratap Singh Ki Jai. Rana Pratap Singh Ki Jai."
The new king took his throne as Amar exclaimed to a smaller Chand
" See Bhai Chand we are not Bhanwar anymore."
" We are not? Then?" The toddler asked, confused.
" You are Kunwarsa now Chand." Rajkumari Phool Kanwar exclaimed happily. At last, some luxuries of the mahal are ours. Jasobai and Ashabai thought the same too.
" Why haven't you unpacked Jija?" Solankhini asked, surprised.
" Because we are moving soon, Behna." She smiled, tying the Princess' braids.
" Moving?" She asked surprised. " Where?"
" I don't know. All I know is he won't stay in Gogunda, or in Udaipur."
Solankhini rushed to tell the others not to unpack. Jija was never wrong about anything, especially about him.
He looked at the packed things around the room and smiled. Ajabde was putting Amar to sleep. She was wearing gold after many days he gathered as he realised she had changed a lot from when they left Chittor till now. He sat down silently and looked at her with a questioning face.
" What?"
" Why haven't you unpacked?" he smiled. She knew his soul.
" Because I gathered we will be moving soon."
" How did you know that?" He asked surprised as she shrugged smiling.
" We are moving to Kumbhalgarh the day after tomorrow."
" Kumbhalgarh?" Her eyes twinkled remembering the tales of Rana Kumbha, Rana Raimal and Panna Dai.
" Yes, I was ..."
" Born there, I know." She smiled.
" I will show you the place, it's still there, I heard." He managed a smile.
" Kun... Ranaji." Her call stopped him at the door as he turned.
" Are you..."
"I am fine, Ajabde. I need to go talk to Ranima."
Two days later, in the Kumbhalgarh fort...
" I think you should declare Kunwar Amar as Yuvraj." Rawatji insisted.
" But Kunwar Amar is so small. What if people try to harm him after the..." Raoji was tensed about his grandchild. Rana Pratap looked at the two elderly men having doubts about the future and he concluded that he needed to talk to Ajabde.
" What are you doing Chotima?" A disappointed voice came. She could stoop down so low?
" We were about to inform you..." She spoke up in her defence.
" When Dheerbai ji?" Maharani Jaivanta Bai, clad in white entered the hall as people bowed before her. " After your son's coronation?"
" I did nothing Badima I swear!" A low voice came from Jagmal.
" Maharani Jaivanta Bai, Rana Udai Singh has stated in his last wish that he wanted Jagmal as heir." Rana Raimal spoke in a clear tone as Raoji interrupted " Who witnessed that?"
" I did, Jagmal and Dheer Behna..."
Rawatji stopped the man." Rana ji always wanted Kunwar Pratap on the throne, and so did Mewar."
" But Rawatji if that was Daajiraj's last wish..." Kunwar Pratap said in a rather irritated voice. He was fed up fighting against his family for the throne.
" No Kunwar Pratap. Mewar Needs You. We all need you." Jaivanta Bai's voice was matched by the people who cheered for him. He had lived for these people and he had sworn to live for his motherland. His eyes searched the crowd and stopped at Ajabde. She nodded in approval. Her eyes said this was right. And all his doubts disappeared.
" Rana Pratap Singh Ki Jai. Rana Pratap Singh Ki Jai."
The new king took his throne as Amar exclaimed to a smaller Chand
" See Bhai Chand we are not Bhanwar anymore."
" We are not? Then?" The toddler asked, confused.
" You are Kunwarsa now Chand." Rajkumari Phool Kanwar exclaimed happily. At last, some luxuries of the mahal are ours. Jasobai and Ashabai thought the same too.
" Why haven't you unpacked Jija?" Solankhini asked, surprised.
" Because we are moving soon, Behna." She smiled, tying the Princess' braids.
" Moving?" She asked surprised. " Where?"
" I don't know. All I know is he won't stay in Gogunda, or in Udaipur."
Solankhini rushed to tell the others not to unpack. Jija was never wrong about anything, especially about him.
He looked at the packed things around the room and smiled. Ajabde was putting Amar to sleep. She was wearing gold after many days he gathered as he realised she had changed a lot from when they left Chittor till now. He sat down silently and looked at her with a questioning face.
" What?"
" Why haven't you unpacked?" he smiled. She knew his soul.
" Because I gathered we will be moving soon."
" How did you know that?" He asked surprised as she shrugged smiling.
" We are moving to Kumbhalgarh the day after tomorrow."
" Kumbhalgarh?" Her eyes twinkled remembering the tales of Rana Kumbha, Rana Raimal and Panna Dai.
" Yes, I was ..."
" Born there, I know." She smiled.
" I will show you the place, it's still there, I heard." He managed a smile.
" Kun... Ranaji." Her call stopped him at the door as he turned.
" Are you..."
"I am fine, Ajabde. I need to go talk to Ranima."
Two days later, in the Kumbhalgarh fort...
" I think you should declare Kunwar Amar as Yuvraj." Rawatji insisted.
" But Kunwar Amar is so small. What if people try to harm him after the..." Raoji was tensed about his grandchild. Rana Pratap looked at the two elderly men having doubts about the future and he concluded that he needed to talk to Ajabde.
He walked in as she was making garlands and his footsteps made her smile.
" Where is Amar?"
" He is with Ashabai, she is helping the Daasis pack Dheerbai ji's bag for Vrindavan, he is there too."
" Is that.... safe?" He was doubtful.
She frowned. " Ranaji! She is not there, and Ashabai is an overprotective mother to Amar."
" How can you trust all of them so easily, Ajabde? I can't!"
" Because I know and love my family. They are as much his mother as I am."
" But what if someone fakes concern and... and... tries to harm..."
" Kunwar Pratap!" She exclaimed at his thought. " If you can't trust your family then how can they trust each other? What is wrong with you...?" She looked worried. " What... Did someone say something?"
" Raoji was..."
" Oh! Daata is always worried. Forgive him for..."
" No No Ajabde, he is my father too, he is just worried for us." He stopped. " Rawatji was saying, to declare Amar as Yuvraj and..."
" Amar hadn't proved his worth yet. When he will, we will definitely do that, not this early." Her words made him stare like she was a reflection of Jaivanta Bai.
" But Ajabde...."
" Chand is a toddler still and by doing this we will make it evident that we don't trust anyone."
She held his hand
" I don't want that."
Her decision was his. He nodded and walked out with a smile.
" It's time that the Maharani takes the throne with the Maharana. " Rawatji smiled at the gathered crowd.
The women witnessed the scene from the jharokhas.
" Ranaji will choose his Maharani." Made Solankhini Bai smile at Ajabde who blushed.
" Ranaji had chosen his Maharani long before." Champabai giggled.
" Before he knew he was king," Jasobai added.
" Jija go before you are being called." Phool Kanwar smiled.
" Let him choose his consort." Jaivanta Bai hid a smile at his teasing wives as Ajabde looked trapped amidst her Behenas.
" Ranaji?" Rawatji asked as per the norms. He turned to his right where Amar Singh sat.
" Kunwarji, call your Ranima."
He said it loud enough to reach the jharokhas. Ajabde touched Jaivanta Bai's feet as she blessed happily.
" Bless me to be like you."
" No Ajabde, you did what I couldn't, you kept a united family, keep doing that!" She smiled.
Rana Pratap could hear her familiar Payal amidst the noises of the court. He remembered the first time he had heard her and made the mistake of looking up at the Jharokha, he looked up again as she got down from one today, helped by their son to the dais. She smiled at him, a smile he had known and loved, and thanked for years.
" Maharani Ajabde Baisa ki Jai." echoed as she walked down to touch her father's feet.
" What are you doing? This is the court, you are the Maharani and I am..."
" My Father." She smiled as Rana Pratap nodded approvingly. She walked up again, this time he extended his hand towards her as she took it.
" Maharanisa will sit on Ranaji's left." Rawatji declared as she did the honours. They together gifted clothes to the subjects like they did back in Chittor.
He walked into the room knowing she would expect him to. She was combing her hair as his reflection fell on the mirror.
" We are going hunting tomorrow. As per the traditions."
" Take Amar with you too." She smiled.
" Ajabde, you know it's not safe. "
" Who will teach him if not you?"
" As far as I remember." He smiled. " His mother won some sword fighting competition against me. By cheating."
" No, it was fair and square. You always lose to me." She looked wide-eyed.
" Ever since I lost my heart to you," he smiled.
She blushed red and looked away.
" I almost lost you then." He added.
" Let's read." She smiled. He nodded.
"Lord Rama lived for his subjects. He created the perfect kingdom, where all men were equal and laws were equal for all, he trained Luv and Kush the way Sita wanted, fierce warriors but intelligent like their mother. He divided his vast kingdom amongst the two, Luv got the east and Kush the west."
" Yes, we are descendants of Kush." He nodded.
" He missed Maata Sita's intelligence, her questions and eagerness in everything. He missed the part of him that questioned the right and asked why was the other way wrong. Lord Ram's questions died with her departure. The only thing that remained of her was the trace of hair he had held on to. He spent nights lamenting about what if he hadn't let her go. Then maybe, just maybe he could not be this immortal in the eyes of his subjects. His deeds and pain made him immortal. His sacrifices and work made him God."
She kept down the book and looked up at his face. After a pause, he smiled.
" We will start the Gita tomorrow." He said like a child.
" No, we always end up in fights and debates when we read that."
" You fight, you get over-excited, Ajabde."
" I just stick to my view like you do to yours." She pointed.
" That's your ego." He loved to make her angry.
She took a deep breath and said softly,
" Rana Pratap Singh, the Vaidji, has told me not to stress myself. You are stressing me out. It is not good for the... baby." She looked away blushing.
" When did I stress... wait... what? Baby?" He looked at her with wide eyes as she shook her head and nodded "Yes."
" When... why didn't you tell me?"
" I confirmed this morning, and you had work."
" No work is more important than this." He held her hand. "Than you are."
" Ranaji I am fine, Amar and Chand will be so happy." She smiled. He nodded.
" You make me so happy Ajabde, in a life full of regret and mistakes, I am happy I found you."
" Ranima found me, you were about to reject me." She frowned.
" I am glad I didn't." He smiled. " And I will cancel the hunting trip, I will stay with you."
" No, I vowed not to come between you and..."
" And I vowed you are my responsibilities. If ever it so happens that you go before me, I don't want to repent like Lord Ram."
" Ranaji." She giggled, surprising him. " The Ramayana always gets the insecure husband out of you."
" And it's amusing?" He asked with a serious face.
" No." She looked scared and then they laughed. The most carefree laugh they had laughed in years.
Today was not about what Mewar faced or the future uncertainties. Today was about their love, their family and all the tests they passed together. Today was about the journey of Kunwar Pratap and Samantputri Ajabde Baisa into Rana Pratap and Maharani Ajabde of Mewar. Today was about the marriage that witnessed the greatest love, struggle and sacrifice Saga Rajputana ever witnessed. They held each other's hand as the time stood witness to their Saga.
The End
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