The dawn arrived as the Fort of Bijolia witnessed Kunwar Pratap's troop and procession, ready to leave for Chittorgarh soon. Ajabdeh Baisa was going to stay here, the rumours suggested.
"He will be back in three days to take Baisa back." A palace Dasi gossiped with her friend in the market.
"Baisa? Kunwaranisa!" Her friend corrected. "She looks happy?"
" A lot." The Dasi smiled. A man was buying grains opposite them in a commoner's attire. He smiled at what he heard.
In the western forests of Bijolia, a secret camp was set up. Badshah Khan was enjoying a hearty meal when this man came running.
"Huzoor! Huzoor!" He was breathless.
Badshah Khan stopped eating, a little irritated. "What is it, Mansoor?"
"Huzoor, Partap! He is ... leaving his Begum here for two days."
"What?" Badshah Khan couldn't believe his luck. Finally, after hiding here for almost a week, he had the good news he hoped for. He wanted Pratap to pay for his father's death. And no better way than to make his Begum a prisoner.
"Huzoor." Mansoor shook him out of his revengeful thoughts."What are the orders?"
"Don't be dumb and stand for orders, Mansoor! Go get the troops ready to go into the city under disguise. We will go in this evening, get her by night!"
"Jo Hukum." Mansoor bowed with a small Salam and went out of the tent in a hurry.
Kunwar Pratap was setting his pagri, his face all serious. Ajabdeh noticed that with a frown. She walked up to hand him his dagger as eyes met. Her frown made him ask "What" with his eyes. She shook her head and went ahead to keep his sword and her aarti thaal before saying, "If you go out with that face, you think it will be ignored by Daata or Balwant? We have a plan here, remember?"
"Yes, but..."
"You are worried about what? Patta? Me? I am Baijilal." She spoke in a tone that imitated him, making him smile. " A true Rajput doesn't fear..."
Her words were stopped by his laughter at her imitation.
" I was fearing for poor Badshah Khan." His words made her frown again.
"He has no idea he is thinking of kidnapping Baijilal." She smirked at it and added seriously, " Don't show yourself unless absolutely necessary; any action from you will be action from Mewar, and Ranaji doesn't know."
"Please specify absolutely necessary Ajab." He was in the mood to pull her leg now. " Is it when Baijilal shouts for Sakhaveer's help??"
"That was once." She pointed her finger at him, narrowing her eyes.
"Twice." He tried to recollect, "No Thrice!!" He chuckled.
" I won't do your aarti." She turned her back to him.
"But you have to." He faced her as she turned again.
"Ji Nahi."
"Yes."
"No no, no!"
" Ummm... am I interrupting?" Patta stood at the threshold, watching his Jija in her wife mode in front of a helpless Kunwar Pratap.
"No, come in, Bhai, what is the news?" Ajabdeh walked up to him, followed by Kunwar Pratap.
" News is that I am ready. Is Baijilal ready?" He grinned.
"Baijilal is always ready." She watched Kunwar Pratap sulk from the corner of her eye. " Now waiting for someone's departure."
Patta's eyes widened as he met Kunwar Pratap's. He walked away in silence, amused, " I will wait in the forests, Jija."
"You just told him you want me to leave?" He frowned.
"No, I just reminded you it is necessary for the mission. And someone always told me nothing and nobody before the motherland. I can't stand the Afghans sitting in my home, in my forests. He has overstayed his welcome." She was stern in her words.
" Hey Eklingji, I have lost my wife in Baijilal today." He murmured as she narrowed her eyes.
"Aarti." She frowned as he picked up his sword, and he smiled. He stood there as she did exactly what his mother used to and put the tilak on his head. Then she kept the thaal and proceeded to touch his feet when he stopped her.
" Let's free our mother of some creeps, Baijilal?" He smiled.
"Yes." She smiled back, but immediately a worry swept across her face. " Will Ranaji punish me for being Baijilal again?"
" No! It's self-defence. Kind of." He smiled. " True Rajputs always fight back." She nodded with a smile as he was ready to leave. He carefully folded up a map where Patta had marked X on a spot and put it in his Angrakha before he walked out.
Hansa Bai treated him to a hearty breakfast as she pleaded one last time, " If you could stay back..."
Raoji understood that duties came first. He just smiled at his wife and a helpless Kunwar Pratap, who actually felt bad lying about going to Kelwa. Balwant, on the other hand, was relatively silent. He had seen unusual activities around the palace. Ratan and Ajabdeh whispered. Patta and Kunwarsa planned something; the exchange of secret looks between Ajabdeh and Patta made him feel something big was happening, and he was being left out. He had thus sent a soldier after Patta when he went out this morning, in secret, and was waiting for news.
Kunwar Pratap was about to leave, and the entire Bijolia seemed to be present to see him off.
"Kunwar Pratap ki Jai." filled the air as a proud Kunwarani Ajabdeh Baisa smiled at her humble husband, folding his hands at the crowd.
As the horses departed, Ajabdeh turned to address Ratan.
"I will be resting in my room till lunch." She spoke. Ratan smiled. "I understand."
A soldier came running to Balwant as the ladies walked inside.
"What? Afghans!" He looked wide-eyed. " Daata! Daata!" He rushed inside. Hearing his call, Ajabdeh turned to her father's room.
"What? Afghans? Get the troops ready, Balwant." Raoji was about to walk out when Ajabdeh stopped him.
"Daata! Balwant! Stop!" She called after the men. They looked at her, frowning. It was a state of emergency.
"No one is going anywhere, nor the troops, nor you." She was firm.
"Ajabdeh. The Afghans have..." Raoji spoke up.
"I know. Kunwarsa knows. I trust his plan, so should you." She spoke up firmly. " Act like you know nothing. And I promise, if we need help, we will ask for it."
"WE?" Balwant sounded alarmed. "You cannot go!"
"Yes, he is right, you are not Bijolia's daughter anymore, you are Mewar's..."
"Baijilal is always Mewar's daughter first." She spoke firmly.
"I am coming with you." Balwant was adamant.
" No, you are not, and if you don't listen, I, Ajabdeh Baisa, Kunwarani of Mewar, am ordering you to stay!" Ajabdeh was a little tough on his younger brother. She had to. He was not ready.
Balwant fell silent as his father nodded to obey her. She walked back into her room and shut the door behind her.
The Trunk opened. She smiled at the white attire. White was the colour of peace, and yes, it gave her immense peace to be a saviour. That was who she was. She closed the trunk and put on the robe. Putting the saffron tilak on her forehead, she smiled at her image in the mirror. Getting down from the back stairs, carefully avoiding being spotted, she reached the stable. She patted her brown horse and smiled, " I missed you too." She rode into the forests knowing Sakhaveer and Kunwar Pratap were waiting.
Badshah Khan was inspecting the things Mansoor had brought for disguise, traditional clothes, false scars, moles, and a pagri. He was pleased. He then turned to the soldiers.
"Listen to the objective first, we need to get into the fort and hence the palace. We need to catch Pratap's Begum alive."
"But how do we recognise her Huzoor?" A soldier asked.
" She is Kunwar Pratap's choice; she will be brave enough to fight back." He smiled. " Abba Jaan used to say, always know your enemy's minds better than your friends."
"Did he?" A female voice made them turn. " So when are you starting to read mine?" She taunted from atop her horse.
"Who is she?" Badshah Khan looked displeased that his position was known to someone.
" Huzoor, she is Baijilal.... she is Bijolia's saviour... she had an aide..."
"Saviour?" Badshah Khan looked at the female figure in awe. He had heard of Baijilal and expected a more grown woman.
"Partner." A male voice corrected. Sakhaveer appeared in saffron as Patta nodded at her. " Sakhaveer is her partner, not aide."
" Look! I have no enmity with you two." Badshah Khan spoke up.
" Mewar's enemies are our enemy." They spoke in unison.
" Look, I will pay you in gold coins; all I need is Pratap's Begum."
" You want her?" She smiled, amused. " Then fight me first." Badshah Khan tried hard to avoid a fight, but now he couldn't.
" Soldiers, take care of them." He ordered. Sakhaveer jumped down from his horse.
"You go after him, I will take care of these insects." He said. Ready for the fight as she moved her horse after Badshah Khan, who made a run for it.
" See. I'm telling you again that we are not enemies. We can talk this out." He spoke up, sword in hand, as she got down from her horse after cornering him.
" Fight." She spoke in rage.
" All I want is Pratap's, Begum Aja..." An arrow hit his right hand as he shouted in pain. Baijilal frowned as Kunwar Pratap appeared behind her.
" Don't you dare take her name!" He shouted.
" I can handle him." Her voice went unheard as Kunwar Pratap walked past her, in his fit of rage and grabbed his neck.
" You cannot even commit the crime of thinking of harming her and get away with it." He punched the man. Baijilal stood displeased. It was her prey!
" Leave him alone, let him fight me." She reminded.
" No, I will kill him with my bare hands. He dared to raise his eyes..."
" Kunwar Pratap!" Her shriek stopped his hand as he composed himself. "Don't make it personal like him." She reminded him as he got up.
" Balwant!" His shout surprised her as her brother appeared from behind a bush with a few soldiers. " Take him to interrogation, I will do that myself!"
" When did you...." She asked in awe.
" I couldn't risk him hurting you. Not that I don't trust you." His eyes spoke genuine concern.
" Woh... I am going to check the forest for more..." Patta stopped spotting Kunwar Pratap.
"We will go with you." They spoke in unison.
After an extensive search, Kunwar Pratap was pleased that all Afghans were killed or taken prisoner. Patta left, pleased as he took the reins of her horse and tied it to Sarang, making her frown.
" We are going somewhere."
" Where? Don't you have an interrogation to..."
" I have a displeased wife to please. She wanted to fight, but I didn't let her." He smiled.
"It's fine." She lied. He paid no heed as he guided both the horses through the forest.
The Bhimlat looked so beautiful in the afternoon sun. Ajabdeh's eyes filled with a smile that travelled from her face, and she jumped down from her horse. It seemed like an eternity since she had been here. She sat down on the banks and touched the crystal clear waters with her bare hands, as Sarang was patted by Kunwar Pratap to drink and rest. He smiled at the memories of watching her as Baijilal again.
" I have informed Daajiraj." He spoke, sitting down beside her, putting his hand in the water like her, " He knows we caught him."
" We?" Ajabde gulped in fear as he smiled.
" Ranima will be proud of you." He smiled at her as he slowly unveiled her face. " Nothing else matters, right?" His indication of his father's favourite queen, she understood well, as she nodded a soft yes.
" I have some news for you." He continued, his eyes not leaving hers.
" Good or bad?"
" You decide." His answer made her frown.
" I am staying here two more days because I need to make sure the borders are safe." He said, knowing how her reactions would be.
She smiled happily and asked, " Sach?" He nodded positively as she, in an impulse, hugged him.
" I will help you." She was eager.
" No! Raoji will enjoy your stay with Ratan Baisa while you can before we leave for Chittor." His decision was made.
" We will see." She kept it aside.
" No, Ajab I..."
" Hush!" She held his hand in hers, fingers crossed.
Their legs dipped in the cool waters of the Bhimlat, and they loved being in the lap of the mother they served.
" You remember the first time..." He spoke, looking at the shining water.
" Yes, I do. You underestimated me." She said, looking at the same water.
" No, I didn't! You did."
" No, you did."
" Ajab, don't lie."
" Kunwar Pratap! I never lie."
Somewhere in this meaningless argument, Kunwar Pratap and Ajabdeh Baisa found marital bliss as their hands didn't leave each other, as a promise that no matter what, they would walk the difficult roads together.
