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, thanking him.
“What should I say your name was?”
“Kika.”
Ajbante knelt in front of the cow, looking distressed. Ratan Bai looked around at the maids accompanying them and cleared her throat. “Jija, they said they would call the vet. We should not be here. If Daata finds out…”
“You go inside with them.” Ajbante nodded at her words, settling down on a haystack and caressing the cow’s pregnant belly. “I will be here with Lakshmi.”
“But you…” Ratan Baisa eyed her sister, who looked at her sternly. “I can at least stay till her doctor arrives?” She watched them leave.
“It’s alright, Lakshmi. It will hurt a little, I know… I know…” She patted the cow as she looked into her eyes. The unspoken love she radiated seemed to warm Ajbante in her heart.
Kunwar Partap walked unsurely towards the direction a soldier directed him and ended up in the cowshed. “I must have come the wrong way.” He murmured. “Umm… Suniye…” He was unsure as there was nobody in sight. Did the palace not wake so early at dawn? He frowned a little as he heard a cow moo and someone speaking in hushed tones to it.
He walked up to the shed to find a girl in royal finery, not caring about her gaudy clothes being soiled as she sat on the hay and caressed the animal. Hearing footsteps behind her, Ajbante anticipated the doctor.
“You are late for the job.” She said with a frown.
“Oh? I apologise, Hukum.” He narrowed his brows. He did not know who she was, but he knew she was royalty.
“Now see her, she is in pain.” Ajbante turned to see a stranger standing in front of her, staring blankly. The boy seemed confused. “Pardon?”
“Are you not…” Ajbante suddenly looked alarmed. “Who are you?”
“I… am Kika, the newly recruited horse keeper.” He smiled faintly “Who are you looking for?” Ajbante was not sure what to answer as Lakshmi mooed loudly.
“She must be in a lot of pain.” He said sympathetically. “What’s wrong with her?” His words made Ajbante stare a little skeptical at him. On one hand, his rough demeanour told her he was a hard worker; he claimed to know enough about horses to land the job, yet he could not realise a cow was in labour.
“She… she…” Ajbante stammered, unsurely. In a flash, the conversations between her parents came to her mind as she eyed the boy. Could he be…? Ajbante’s hands trembled. Before she could finish her sentence, Lakshmi mooed again, forcing her to turn her back to him.
“The horse shed is up ahead on the left.” She instructed. But he did not leave. Instead, he stood there for a while before walking up to her and kneeling down beside the cow. Ajbante moved a little on her haystack to give him room.
“She needs to lie down. I will go call someone…” He said, inspecting her belly. Ajbante watched him walk away towards the shed and come back with one of the other horse keepers.
“You should go home, Rajkumarisa. We will take care of her.” The old man smiled reassuringly at a worried Ajbante. She did not move. She was too engrossed in watching the man lay Lakshmi on the hay and massage her belly to even notice a pair of eyes on her. His thoughts ran. Is she a princess? Raoji’s daughter? He had never seen any of his sisters or mothers in the cowshed themselves except on occasions of Gau Pujan. Ajbante refused with a polite shake of her head as she watched the old man take charge. Her eyes fell on him, still standing there observantly as she viewed him from the corner of her eyes, a small wrinkle appearing on her forehead, making the round Bindi take an oval shape as she looked at him with questioning eyes. That was when Partap realised he had been staring at her, still lost in his thoughts. Cursing his unchivalrous manner inwardly, he stepped back and walked to the stables.
Before he could be briefed about his job, Rao Ramrakh Punwar had himself come to the stable, his eyes reflecting an apology as he narrated that his guards had made a terrible mistake by not letting him in.
“I am Kika.” There was something in Kunwar Partap’s tone as if to remind Raoji of his disguise and how odd it looked to bystanders to see their chief apologising to a common stable boy. Raoji understood as he cleared his throat, regaining the voice of authority. “This is Kika.” He summoned the one in charge of the stable as he spoke, “His father once saved my life, and now they have fallen on hard times. Be nice to him.”
“Yes, Hukum.” The older-looking man agreed, “I was just instructing him to take charge of feeding and cleaning some of the horses.”
“Some?” Raoji looked alarmed. “Um… why don’t you let him take care of Bijli?” He suggested. Kunwar Partap stared at the unsure-looking man.
“But Hukum, the Rajkumarisa trusts me with her horse.” He looked reluctant.
“Don’t worry about her, tell her that I ordered you to.” He was reassured as he turned to Kunwar Partap.
“You see, my daughter is very careful with her moody mare, Bijli. She doesn’t let everyone take care of …”
“I understand.” Kunwar Partap nodded. “The princess will have no complaints from her new attendant.” A smile curved his lips. He had always liked challenges. He heard the stable in charge lament about the moody horse and its picky mistress. He would love to impress them by taking good care of Bijli. He had felt odd taking this job, being fully aware that Raoji would underwork and overpay him. He did not want that partiality. So he was glad that he could at least put in some hard work.
Ajbante Kanwar was busy making garlands when Hansa Bai approached her. She stopped at her mother’s familiar footsteps and turned to smile.
“Maasa, Laxmi has given birth to a daughter.” Hansa Bai smiled as she sat down beside her daughter, using the tip of her painted fingers to adjust her dishevelled hair as she asked, “Oh, has she? What should we call her?”
“I was thinking, Mandakini.”
“After our Kund?” Hansa Bai smiled. “That is a good suggestion, Ajbante.” She cleared her throat. Ajbante was in her own world as she wished to distribute sweets in the cowshed and stables for this special occasion. Hansa Bai suggested she would send someone, but she insisted that she would do it herself. Hansa Bai knew she could not stop her daughter. She cleared her throat again, and this time Ajbante stopped her hands at the flowers and looked up at her mother.
“Do you want to say something, Maa sa?”
“I… yes… Your Daata thought the new stable boy could take care of Bijli.” Ajbante looked confused at her mother. “He told me to inform you…”
“But he is new.” Ajbante interrupted, looking troubled. “Bijli gets very angry if anything is out of order. Kaka has been taking care of her for years.”
“I know.” Hansa Bai cupped her face with a smile as Ajbante looked bothered. “But we can always give someone a chance, after all, Kaka is getting old.”
“Hence, he should care for Bijli while the new person can handle his work.” Ajbante exhaled. She knew better than to question her father’s last say, but the last time Bijli found her food unpleasant because Kaka was sick, she had kicked the bowl, hurt the caretaker and dashed off into the fields. It took three soldiers to pacify her. Ajbante had overheard Raoji asking the horse to be put down, and she couldn't take it. Although she did not ride beyond her lessons and never rode Bijli, she claimed the horse to be hers and asked Kaka to look after it. “The new person looked inexperienced.” She added, remembering his confusion with Lakshmi. Hansa Bai eyed her and the maids as she held her daughter’s hand reassuringly. “Trust me when I say this, child. He knows more than you think he does about horses. Give it a chance.” Ajbante’s heart skipped a beat as she observed her mother’s tone. That meant what she assumed could be right. And if so, was it Kunwar Partap taking care of her horse? Could she even question him if something goes wrong without fearing the well-known wrath of the Mewar royals upon her? Worse, what if Bijli hurt him and landed Daata in trouble? Ajbante Kanwar knew she had to visit the stables and see the arrangements for herself to be careful about mishaps.
