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Ajabde looked around the unfamiliar surroundings nervously. The last two days have passed like a dream. The Marriage, the Vidaai and the arrival at Chittorgarh. She was now sitting in the room she called her own, yet seemed so unfamiliar. She got up to see whether anyone was there keeping an eye on her. A little relieved, she took the lota from the centre table and placed it on the bedside table.

As soon as she placed it three daasis appeared at the door asking “You need something Kunwaranisa?”

Eyes wide and nervous she replied “N…No… I was just…”

“Maharanisa has told us to be at your service for every need.”

“I… don’t… need….” She was scared at the thought that three daasis will be at their toes for her needs.

“Disperse now.” Sajja Bai’s voice made her feel relieved.

“I will get Kunwaranisa dressed for Kunwarsa’s arrival.” She smiled at a nervous happy bride.

Kunwar Pratap’s eyes were not easy to be outsmarted. He caught Rawatji in the corridor running out of Rana Udai Singh’s room worried.

“Rawatji.” His voice stopped the man. “What happened?”

“Baojiraj. Nothing. You…”

“Rawatji, tell me.”

“News is that Surtan Singh has joined hands with Bairam Khan and your Daajiraj is worried. Also, Badshah Khan is active with the Afghans, we are afraid they will also ally with the Mughals.”

“Badshah Khan? “ He frowned. “Shams Khan’s son.” Rawatji nodded.

“The Afghans have attacked at Kelwara in the evening,” Rawatji said absentminded.

“What? You are telling me now?” Kunwar Pratap looked disappointed. “I will be getting ready to…”

“No Kunwarsa.” Veer Baiji stopped him. “Your new bride…”

“Veer Baiji. “ Dheerbai appeared behind her “I am sure Ajabde knows her duties as …”

“Don’t worry Chotima. Ajabde will be happy to let me go.”

The new bride was sitting with nervous expectations as he entered the room worried about how to put it. Kunwar Pratap had forgotten that his new bride was Baijilal.

One look at his face and she frowned “What happened?” Her question made him smile faintly.

“Ajabde.”

She walked up to him and asked again. “What happened?”

“Badshah Khan attacked …”

"Who?" She frowned.

"Shams Khan's son. He attacked ..." Pratap looked angry.

“What are you still doing here?” She looked displeased as he looked up at her face. She walked away towards the adjacent room and came back with his sword as he stood confused at her behaviour.

“You get ready I will do the puja.” She reassured with a smile.

As she turned to leave he held her back by her wrist making her stop.

“Ajabde.”

She turned with a smile as his eyes twinkled proudly.

“Kunwarsa…”

He hugged her tight, as she found peace in his arms then moved away from his embrace shyly.

“Go. You are getting late.” He smiled with a nod.

As Kunwar Pratap got ready for the mission, she put down her aarti thal from her puja placed on the table in the room beside his sword. As she opened the door she saw a daasi standing.

“Maharanisa has called upon you both Kunwaranisa.”

“Ji.”

She nodded as he heard the orders and eyes met with a nod.

Jaivanta Bai smiled at the newlyweds as Ajabde handed him his sword. Rana Udai Singh walked in and stopped as Jaivanta Bai smiled at him proudly. He nodded with a faint smile as she did his aarti. Pratap and Ajabde smiled at each other as he walked behind his father. Maharani Jaivanta Bai urged her to follow to the Rani Mahal gates.

As Kunwar Pratap turned around at the gates she smiled. He smiled back faintly before looking at his mother who gave a reassuring nod before he left. As his horse went out of sight, suddenly Ajabde felt a cloud of loneliness around this unfamiliar place. She needed to shake off the feeling. It was home now.

Ajabde turned around as Jaivanta Bai said “Come stay with me tonight Ajabde.” She smiled faintly with a nod.

" You know when Pratap was just three, we used to live in Kumbhalgarh, he..." Jaivanta Bai knew her mind and soul needed to ease. They spend the night, telling and hearing childhood tales, mostly of Kunwar Pratap's adventures.

Jaivanta Bai smiled at the sleeping figure as she caressed her head with a sigh and whispered a small prayer. For her, mostly for him.

At dawn, Dheerbai ji walked into the decorated room of the newlyweds and frowned to find it empty.

“You need something Chotima?” Ajabde’s voice startled her as she turned to see her, in a red and yellow lehenga, ready after a bath, with puja thali in hand.

“No… I…. Kunwar…”

“Kunwarsa and Ranaji have gone to stop Badshah Khan, remember?” Ajabde smiled.

“He…went?” Dheerbai managed a sly smile . “Leaving his bride on the wedding night?”

“He went.” She nodded. “For his mother needs him to save her.”

“I feel so bad for you.” Dheerbai faked a concern.

“I feel so proud that I am his wife.” She smiled as she meant every word.

Kunwar Pratap and Ranaji reached in time to scare away the small troops of the Afghans but something in Kunwar Pratap said it was not over so soon. Shams Khan’s son wouldn’t stop. He made sure the borders were secured as of now, every bordering state needs alert.

Shams Khan's son was hiding in a khema in the Mewar forest after his escape. Pointing at a fort on the map he looked at his generals.

"Kunwar Pratap will pay for killing my father. And this is how. Prepare to attack the eighth day from now."

"But Huzoor, why here?" A man asked. Badshah Khan smiled faintly.

"Because according to their Rajput rasm, this is where we will find his heart, alone, in seven days. You rip his heart out, you devastate him, revenge taken." He smiled pleased and confident. He had all the information he needed to gather on the Samant family, Bijolia and the New Bride. Well, all the information he knew about!

Kunwar Pratap looked at the Mewar map in his khema with a frown. He circled out three places. Shook his head. He was missing something. What was he missing? The doorman announced Rao RamRakh's arrival. He folded up the map with a smile.

"Kunwarsa... you are going back to Chittorgarh, I am leaving for Bijolia at the earliest."

"Ji Raoji, I will give Ajabde your regards." He smiled.

"Actually, am here to invite you for the pakfera there on the seventh day, and like the rule, Ajabde would.... stay back till the tenth... Hansa Bai will write to Maharanisa." Raoji's words made him smile like he found something. Raoji stopped confused.

"Don't worry we will be there." He nodded as Raoji turned to go.

"Raoji...." He stopped the man. " Keep your armies ready. In case." He nodded.

Kunwar Pratap opened the map and circled the fourth spot with a frown on his face.

However, he was happy that in just two days they would be back in Chittorgarh.

In these two days, Ajabde learned many things with Sajjabai’s help. At first, she thought she needed a map around the palace of Rana Kumbha. She knew the road leading to the mandir and garden, others she dared not use out of fear. The princesses were in awe of their new Bhabisa as they showed her around the garden and the mandirs. Meera Ma’s mandir filled her imagination with the lady’s tales.

In the evening she read out to the eager bunch as she missed Balwant and Ratan. She missed home. She prayed twice daily for his safety. He who made her call this unfamiliar place home.

The news of his arrival filled her heart with happiness and her mind with nervousness as Jaivanta Bai Ordered the Daasis to get her ready in her wedding attire and jewellery before he arrived. He needed to see her just the way he left her.

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Of Faith and Fate

Series Announcement! Historical Fictions are special, so here is one, short but special tale close to my heart after a really long time! This story is a special one because it is completely historical fiction with very little connection to the fan fiction I have written previously. However, I have maintained the sequence of events, reading history books on the context. This is not a story of a man and a woman, their love and trust. This one is about the tests time often puts people through, forcing them to change. My protagonists in this one are hence, two princesses of the same age. Ajabdeh Punwar or Ajbante Kanwar Baisa, as she is locally called is the princess of a very significant district of Bijolia in Mewar. Bijolia lies in the seat of political events, at the border of Bundi and Mewar. Having her lineage from the mighty Chauhans, her forefathers once ruled Mewar. Her father is an officer in the army of Mewar under Rana Udai Singh and she is a lady of princip...

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