"Jija, your fear has blinded you." Dheer Bai's words to Jaivanta Bai made everyone gasp. The entire Rani Mahal of Chittorgarh had gathered in the hall. Jaivanta Bai had accused Dheer Bai of poisoning her son's milk.
"I know you did it." Jaivanta's lips trembled. Her eyes were teary with fear. A copper glass of milk lay spilt across the floor. Kunwar Pratap stared at his mother in shock. "Your wet nurse was seen around the milk." Dheer Bai let out a soft chuckle.
"Just because Jagmal's nurse was around, it does not mean..."
"You hate Pratap. I know you do." Jaivanta Bai spoke firmly.
"Why will I hate him? He is like my son." Dheer Bai defended.
"Like..." Jaivanta shook her head. "It is not the same."
"Ranima." Kunwar Pratap held his mother's hand. "I am fine."
"If your servant did not notice the slight change of colour, the milk would have killed you." His mother scolded. "You are too naive."
"Jija." Dheer Bai spoke firmly. "I understand your fear..."
"No. I know you did it. I just can't prove it." Jaivanta shook her head. Dheer Bai smiled.
"Then prove it or else don't spew such hate." Dheer Bai shrugged. "Ranaji will be upset."
"I will talk to him. Pratap is not safe here." Jaivanta Bai looked worried. Udai Singh entered the hall, as everyone bowed to him. Almost like clockwork, Dheer Bai started crying frantically.
"Ranaji. Look." She sobbed. "After what I have done for them, Jija is accusing me." Udai Singh was shocked.
"You think Dheer Bai poisoned him?" Udai Singh was angry.
"I know she did." Jaivanta Bai spoke up. Everyone exchanged glances. Udai Singh shook his head.
"Dheer Bai loves him."
"My son is not safe here." Jaivanta Bai shook her head. " So either she stays in the Rani Mahal, or I do." Sajja Bai gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. Dheer Bai started crying again.
"Oh, Ranaji, where will I go?" She insisted. Udai Singh stared at his first queen and his son.
" You are not going anywhere, Dheer Bai ji." He insisted.
"Fine." Jaivanta Bai nodded. " Prepare for me to leave for Jalore." Udai Singh looked shocked at his queen. "Nothing comes before Pratap's safety."
Sajja Bai was in tears. She could not believe that Jaivanta Bai was leaving the Rani Mahal. Ever since she was married, Jaivanta Bai had always guided her. The keys and responsibilities of the Rani Mahal were handed to Dheer Bai. Udai Singh decided not to stop Jaivanta Bai from leaving. Kunwar Pratap looked scared as his mother's palanquin arrived at the gates.
"Come along, Pratap." Jaivanta Bai gestured at his horse. Sarang was a brown Marwadi breed horse that he had tamed after training. Pratap looked unsure.
"You told me my duty was to protect Mewar." He said. Jaivanta Bai stopped to stare at him. "How will I protect Mewar if I am in Jallore?" Jaivanta Bai smiled at her son faintly.
"You first have to protect yourself to be a protector of Mewar." She cupped his face. "You can never help others if you are in trouble." Kunwar Pratap nodded at his mother's words.
Shakti came and hugged Kunwar Pratap. He was crying.
"Take me with you, Dadabhai." He insisted. Kunwar Pratap shook his head. "I can't, Bhai. Your mother needs you." He smiled at his brother.
As the entourage started moving towards Jallore, Pratap rode on his horse, alongside his mother's palanquin. He glanced over his shoulder. The fort of Chittor was disappearing behind him. He hoped his father would ask them to come back home soon.
Jallore was very different from Chittorgarh. It was situated on a hill, and the area around it had drier terrain than Mewar. Being a close associate of Mewar and Marwar, Jallore enjoyed the peace from political turmoil. Kunwar Pratap was greeted with much happiness by his old grandfather, Akshay Raj and his uncle, Maan Singh Songara. While Maan Singh took him to explore the fort, Akshay Raj talked to his daughter.
"He is not safe in Mewar." Jaivanta Bai spoke. Worried, Akshay Raj frowned at his daughter.
"You may stay here as long as you want, but..." He shook his head. "Pratap belongs to Mewar. Whether the land keeps him safe or not is in his fate."
"Daata, if a war breaks out, I will be happy to sacrifice my son for the cause. Not like this. Not in the hands of traitors in the family." Jaivanta sobbed. Akshay Raj understood as he patted her head and consoled her.
"I will leave as soon as he summons me back. But he did not stop us from leaving." Jaivanta sounded hurt.
"He will summon you soon." Her father reassured her. "Or else, I will remind him of what we did to help him when he needed."
"No. Pratap will not go back on his pity. He will go back because his father needs him." Jaivanta was firm.
Pratap enjoyed the day exploring the fort with his uncle. They visited the market, the foothills and even the arid terrain where cactuses grew. When he came back, his grandfather had summoned him.
"I heard that you have grown up." He praised. "You now carry Rana Sanga's sword." Kunwar Pratap smiled.
"Yes, my mother gave it to me." He nodded.
"But you must know the kind of legacy you carry," Akshayraj spoke. "It is not only a sword."
Kunwar Pratap did not understand what his grandfather meant.
"Has nobody told you about your forefathers yet?" He asked. Kunwar Pratap shook his head.
"I know we are the lineage of Lord Ram from his son Kush." He said proudly.
"Do you know about Bappa Rawal, Rana Kumbha, Rana Sanga?" His grandfather asked. Pratap shook his head.
"Bappa Rawal was abandoned by his mother, the queen, when the fort fell." Pratap sat down by his grandfather's feet as he heard the stories for the first time. "He grew up as a cowherd. Then Sree Eklingnath Ji came to his dream and told him he was destined to be king."
"Then?" Pratap's eyes had childlike eagerness.
"He befriended a Songara princess. He pledged to marry her. Determined, he went to ask her father for her hand. But he was yet to be king. He reached Nagda, where the king was conducting a competition. The king was his uncle, who was sitting on the throne wrongfully."
"Did he defeat his uncle?" The old man nodded at Pratap's question.
"He defeated his uncle and established Mewar. To thank Eklingji, he made the temple at Nagda and called himself the Dewan of Eklingnath."
"Yes, my mother tells me, he is the true king of Mewar, Lord Eklingnath. We are his servants." Kunwar Pratap folded his hands in prayer. The old man smiled.
"Do you know about Rana Sanga, who alone united Rajputana against Babar?" Kunwar Pratap shook his head.
Akshay Raj realised Kunwar Pratap lacked an inspiring father figure at home. He was devoid of the love and attention he needed from a man in the house to teach him the values of his legacy. Akshay Raj began to train Pratap on his legacy.
In his grandfather, Pratap found a mentor. He had never received such attention from his father. He wanted to know more about the Veer Gatha of Mewar. The more he learnt, the more he realised that Udai Singh had been a coward to offer Sher Shah's Afghans the part of Chittorgarh that belonged to them. The more he looked up to these figures, the more he realised the responsibility he had to protect the legacy.
Jaivanta Bai was worried. It had been months in Jallore. There was no news from Mewar. Once or twice, Sajja Bai wrote to her, formally inquiring about her health and that of Kunwar Pratap. Shakti wrote to his brother that he missed him. Yet, there was no news from Udai Singh. Jaivanta had expected him to realise his mistake and summon them back home. But it was not to be. Frustrated and humiliated by the same, Jaivanta Bai realised she could not stay at her father's palace with self-esteem for long. The kin, the women in the Songara clan, had started to gossip. Her husband had abandoned her. Her son's future was doomed. They were a liability to Jallore. Although nobody dared to say it to her face, Jaivanta understood. The sympathy of kin, the pitiful eyes of her brother. She could no longer take it. She stayed quiet because she realised Pratap was happy in the shadow of her father. But she needed to teach him self-esteem.
"We are leaving." Jaivanta Bai whispered to Pratap in the darkest hour of the night. He smiled. His eyes sparkled. "Did Father summon us?" Jaivanta Bai smiled faintly.
"No."
"Then where are we going?" He asked, scared.
"I am not sure. But somewhere his spies will not find us." Jaivanta insisted. "It is not safe." Kunwar Pratap refused to believe he was not safe at Jallore. But he respected his mother and trusted her. They left Jallore in the night, with a bundle of clothes, on his horse.
"Tell me, Kunwar Pratap. Where will your father never look for us?" Jaivanta Bai threw the question at him like a challenge.
Kunwar Pratap thought for a while. "In the villages of the tribes?" He suggested. "They have a rule and reign of their own. They don't consider the Rana to be their king. They have hated the royals." Jaivanta Bai agreed.
"We can go to a Bhil Village in the forest." She suggested.
"What will we tell them?" Pratap sounded unsure. "What if they recognise us?"
"We will say we are travellers who lost our way and want shelter. We will never claim to be royalty. Or even Kshatriya. You can tend to their herds. Do chores." She suggested. Pratap suddenly remembered Bappa Rawal's story. He nodded. "But will we not be in danger if they find out?" He asked, unsurely.
Jaivanta Bai smiled. "You can win them over with your character, Pratap." She suggested. "Like your forefathers did and father failed to."
Kunwar Pratap was looking forward to his new life and new identity in the forestland of Bhilwara.
Some more adventures await Kunwar Pratap in the next chapter, but before you dive in, I’d love to hear from you. What is it about him that makes you admire him? The comment section is open for your thoughts and discussions. Please take a moment and share your views with me.