Chapter-4: Pratap v/s Jalal

Shehanshah-e-hind was looking at himself in the mirror again. His eyes scrutinized for any wrinkle in his white robe with gold and green threads weaved in to it. He straightened his pagadi. He checked if all his jewellery was good or not for the umpteenth time. He wanted to look perfect when he would meet Phool Kanwar for the first time. Gauharjaan would have already sent her to the location. He should not make her wait. He smiled with a feverish excitement. After all these months.. he’d finally meet her.

His eyes fell on his sword. And if he meet Kunwar Pratap on his way.. he might as well cut the loose end with that Rajput.

Ajabdeh felt restless. It has been quite some time since Phool had gone out of the tent. She tried asking everyone. No one saw her. She did not understand why she felt this way but she became worried. Last time her heart did this, Kunwar Pratap got stuck in a life or death situation.

Not knowing what else to do she ran to the person whom she was trying to avoid since the morning.

“Kunwar Pratap!!!”, she screamed. It felt that every second was precious.

Finally she found him. “Kya baat hai Ajabdeh?” He himself seemed to be in an excited state.

She didn’t know why but this made her even more uncomfortable.

“Woh.. pata nahi.. woh.. bas..” She said between her panting.

“Dekhiye Ajabdeh.. aapko jo bhi kehna hai na.. sheekr kahiye.. humne abhi abhi apne sumitr ko dekha hai,” He said pointing towards the hill. She felt a bad promotion sort of feeling when he talked about his friend. “Aur hum use iss baar khona nahi chahte… jaldi boliye”

“Woh Phool ne kaha tha ki woh kheme se bahar ghoomkar aa rahi hai” His expression changed as he heard it. “Kya?”

“Itni der ho chuki hai.. parantu unka koi ata-pata nahi..Hume bahut dar lag raha hai..Kunwar Pratap…”

“Par Phool kheme ke bahar gayi kyun?” He scolded her. “Humne aap dono ko kheme ke bheeter hi rehne ko kaha tha na..”

“Pata nahi.. Aur woh sunti bhi toh nahi kisi ki..” Her heart felt more restless.

“Achaa aap ab kheme ki bheeter hi jayiye.. Aur kheme mei hi rahiyega.. Hum dekhke aate hai..” He said trying to calm her.

She returned to the tent. She was relatively calm but something inside her said that something bad was going to happen. She really wished for everyone’s wellbeing. Kunwar Pratap will look for Phool. She trusted that as long as Phool had Kunwar Pratap, she could not be harmed, but her heart did not calm down with this logic.

“Aree! Kaha thi aap?” Laalbaiji’s voice broke her chain of thoughts. “Hume bahut chinta ho rahi thi aapki..”

She looked at Laalbaiji. Her eyes did say that she was genuinely worried for her. Strange.. just a few moments before when Ajabdeh asked her about Phool’s whereabouts, she did not look this worried.

“hume bhi bahut chinta ho rahi thi Phool ki.. par ab chinta nahi hai.. humne bhej diya hai

Kunwar Pratap ko unhe doondne keliye…”

She expected Laalbaiji to look relieved but instead she looked more worried.

“kya?.. Kunwar Pratap gaye hai Phool ko doondne..” Her voice sounded troubled.

Everything felt more and more bad. Even when Laalbaiji left the place in a hurry to help Kunwar Pratap, she felt that Laalbaiji was hiding something from her.

“He Kanhaji!! Phool aur Kunwar Pratap ka Raksha karna..” She closed her eyes.

And as though a signal from God, she felt some one call her from behind the hill. Her legs moved even before she had time to process anything. She ran and ran. “Phool!!” she shouted

as she ran. “Phool… Phool..”

As she reached near the top... She heard a familiar shout. Kunwar Pratap’s war cry.

Something terrible was going to happen. She ran faster.

She got confused as she reached the top of the hill. It was decorated beautifully. What was happening? She spotted Phool and Kunwar Pratap. There was someone else with them.

Someone of their age. She couldn’t see the face but clearly understood that he was not a friend. Phool was hiding behind Kunwar Pratap from him.

“Phool..” She called out as she neared them. Phool rushed towards her.

“Ajabdeh..” Phool cried as she hugged her best friend. She felt Phool’s whole body shiver with fear. Before she could understand anything, Kunwar Pratap and the stranger clashed their swords.

The fight between them was so fierce that it scared her. Both were trying to kill each other.

Kunwar Pratap felt entirely different from his other fights. She couldn’t exactly pin-point the reason as to why it felt that way, but, it seemed that, this time he was fighting not for his motherland but for himself. Who was that stranger? Because of the fight, she couldn’t see his face clearly. Whoever he was, he had an effect on Kunwar Pratap. A glimpse of his face was enough for her to understand that Kunwar Pratap was way too emotionally invested in this fight. There was a certain pain in his eyes which was not there when he was fighting others before. As she and Phool stood witness to that ruthless combat, Laalbaiji came near them.

“Laalbaiji?” She asked confused as Laalbaiji went near them. And before she knew it Laalbaiji became a hostage of that person.

“Pratap se kahiye ki ve apne hathiyaar phaik de..” The person said. Laalbaiji pleaded and Kunwar Pratap dropped his sword.

“Kya karein hum aapke saath? Maare? Ya Chod de? Gauharjaan?” She heard the guy’s teasing voice.

He slowly revealed that Laalbaiji was actually an assassin sent by him. Somehow this information did not shock her as much as she thought. This explained some of the things happened in Bijolia. But what she did not expect was the pain in her chest. Why was she feeling hurt? She and Laalbaiji were not even that close.

“Hum jaante the..” Kunwar Pratap said revealing his victorious smile. He explained that, this was in fact a trap laid by him, to lure his enemy out of their holes.

“Dariye mat.. yahan pe koi akela nahi hai.. Humari sena abhi kuch hi samay mei aathi hi hogi” He confidently declared.

“Hume Phool Chahiye..” she heard him order his assassin. The woman who called herself Gaujarjaan chased after them as they ran for their lives.

“Phool.. Hum aapko kuch hone nahi denge..” she consoled her friend while escaping. Phool’s hands were really cold. It was not good. She heard the sound of many horse hooves.. There might be many more of them now. How were they going to protect Phool? They stopped abruptly as they reached the end of the cliff.

“Ajabdeh.. Ab hum kya karein.. Yeh ghai?” Phool asked her.

Ajabdeh looked at her friend and then down the cliff. If they couldn’t see it until they have arrived here, it is possible that woman would also have not seen it. If they moved at the right time, maybe the surprise will give them some time to escape.

“Phool..Hum jaisa keh rahe hai.. Aap waisa kijiye..”

Phool tightened the hold on her hand as Ajabdeh explained the plan to her.

“Acha hua… “ The lady said as she approached them. They were scared. If everything didn’t go according to the plan, then… they didn’t even know what would happen to them. “Bahut acha hua ki aap dono ko yeh baat samaj aayi ki ab koi faida hai” Both of them turned left as she approached them. One slip.. one yell.. and Gauharjaan rolled towards her death.

“Laalbaiji.. aap humara haath pakadiye.. Hum aapko bacha sakte hai..” Ajabdeh caught her hand at the last moment. She did not expect that Laalbaiji to fall down.

“Hum aapse apni zindagi ki bheek mangne ke baad..” Gauharjaan struggled, “Hum shehanshah ko mooh nahi dikha pavoongi…”

Ajabdeh didn’t listen to her. She was determined to save her. It was not an easy task. She wasn’t strong enough to lift a human and Laalbaiji herself was not holding her. She held them more firmly.

Gauharjaan looked at the girl who was trying her best to save her. Why was she doing this?

That girl knew that she was an assassin, Then why was she risking her life to save hers? She did not want to be saved. Being saved by enemy was the worse than death. She would not be accepted by her kingdom. Jahanpanah would disown her. No.. she would have no purpose in life if her country disowns her.

She looked at the other princess, “Aapko toh woh haasil kar ke hi rahnge… Aapko itni aasaani se jaane nahi denge Shehanshah.. Rajkumari Phool Kanwar.. Meri baat yaad rakhiyega aap..”

She was going die for her kingdom. A true patriot death. The girl’s soft hands were slipping from her hand. She couldn’t save her. She was somewhat happy to meet the princess of Bijolia… A person who was ready to sacrifice everything for her motherland.

She saw Ajabdeh’s body slide downwards. This was bad.. At this rate, The little girl would end up dying trying to save her.

“Aap humara haath chodiye.. Hum zinda nahi rehna chahte.. Chodiye…”

Ajabdeh stubbornly held on even though her arms pained a lot. She saw a feeling of resignation in Laalbaiji’s eyes. She looked for a support hang on. She also had to find a way to keep herself from sliding.

“He Kanhaji.. Sahayata kijiye”

She started to slip. “Chodiye hamara haath… Hum apke dushman hai..humko bachane ke liye apni jaan ko jhokim daalne ki zaroorat nahi..”

But she did not leave. Ajabdeh saw the khanjar beside her. She released one of her hands and tried to pick up the Khanjar. The move made her slip more and she was at the edge of the cliff.

“Ajabdeh!!!” She heard Phool scream.

With all her might, she pushed the khanjar on to the ground. It then worked as a handle effectively stopping her from slipping. And with more strength she tried to pull Laalbaiji.. But her strength was still not enough. And when Laalbaiji’s hands were slipping from hers and she was going to lose all her hope, help came in the form of a man.

Rawat Sai Das Chundawat came here after receiving a message from Kunwar Pratap asking him to come discreetly with a pack of army. Kunwar Pratap was sure that he would meet hostile environment in his way to Chittor. He was worried if he would be late but Kunwar Pratap thought one step ahead of everyone. When he reached the place, Kunwar Pratap was already battling off Jalaluddin Mohammed with the support of Mandalgarh’s soldiers. He and his soldiers soon joined their prince. It was then the Mughals decided to retreat. Along with few Afghan soldiers they rode off to opposite direction. Kunwar Pratap tried to follow them.

“Baujiraaj!!” He screamed. He successfully caught Pratap before he got on the horse.

“Chodiye hume Rawatji.. Chodiye…” Struggled Pratap.

“Jaane dijiye Baujiraaj.. Jaane dijiye unhe..”

“Nahi Rawatji..”

“Nahin Baujiraaj.. Sambhaliye apne aapko.. ” he tried to make Pratap see some sense but it was to no avail. Kunwar Pratap was not listening to anything. He tried to break free from Rawatji’s hold. As he wriggled, they both heard the scream and looked at the direction it came from. Two girls were hanging from the cliff end.

“Ajabdeh!!” Kunwar Pratap shouted. Both of them ran to save those girls. Rawatji caught the small girl who was clinging to the handle of a Khanjar. Then Kunwar Pratap held her other hand and together, they pulled both of them out.

“Kyun?.. Akhir Kyun?” The woman shook the girl harshly as they were away from any immediate danger. Some soldiers came forward and pulled her away from the girl. The woman resisted. Rawatji held on his sword for a precaution.

“Hum par yeh meharbani kyu kiya aapne? Hume marne ke liye chod deti.. Kyun?” She screamed as the soldiers tried to pull her away. Rawatji looked at the dishevelled girl. She had a peaceful aura around her. Even when she was being screamed at, she was not affected by it.

“Hum koun hote hai aap par daya dikhane waale…” She said calmly looking straight into the woman’s eyes.

“Kisi bhi manushya ko matr maarne ke liye kaaran ki aavashktha hoti hai parantu use bachane ke liye keval maanavatha chahiye.. Kaaran nahi”

The woman stopped. She was transfixed on that spot. She stared at the girl incredulously. Rawatji ordered the soldiers to take her away and tie her up. He then looked at the brave girl. If he heard her name correct, then she was Rao Mamrath’s daughter. He was amazed at the bravery, maturity and collectiveness the girl showed at a very young age. He saw that Kunwar Pratap was staring at the girl. There was something in Kunwar Pratap’s eyes which he couldn’t understand. Before he could dwell on the subject anymore, the other girl fell unconscious.

“Phool!!!” She screamed as she rushed towards her friend.

All of them rushed toward Phool. Ajabdeh caught her and felt her forehead,

“Kunwar Pratap.. Inka shareer tap raha hai.. Kuch Kijiye.. Phool.. Hey Bhagwan…”

Rawatji soon suggested to go to village nearby the lake called Haripura. Kunwar Pratap agreed. And they all left.

Kunwar Pratap and Rawatji were on the front followed by Mewar’s soldiers followed by the palanquin which carried both the princesses followed by servants and at the last were Bheem and the soldiers from Mandalgarh who looked after the wounded soldiers and the prisoners.

As they reached the village, they saw that the village was decorated beautifully for the Gangaur Puja. The Village chieftain, Jaimal greeted them cordially to his village.

“Dhanya bhaag humare jo aap humare gaon padhare..” He said bowing his head.

“Jaimalji.. Saubhagya toh humara hai jo aap hume iss samay humari sahayata karne ke liye aaye” Kunwar Pratap then explained their situation. Jaimal was a loyal servant of Mewar and he was really a kind man. He immediately sent for the best Vaid in his village and allocated some huts for their rest.

Everyone were in the room when Vaidji was examining Phool. Ajabdeh was constantly rubbing her friend’s hands. The Vaidji saw that and smiled at her as if to assure her.

“Chinta ki koi baat nahi Baisa… Inki yeh jwar bas bhay ke kaaran hua hai… Hum thodi aushadhi leke ayenge.. Inke jwar ke liye aap tab tak unke mathe par sheetal patti dal dijiyega.. Inka swasthya kal tak theek ho jayega..”

Ajabdeh looked relived. The chieftain’s wife, Ganga invited them to stay in their village until the next day as it was Gangaur. Kunwar Pratap humbly accepted their invitation and decided to prolong their stay.

…

The fire was dancing. It was ridiculing him. Every aspect of that disgusting fire reminded him of the witch named Phool. Her bright eyes… her glowing skin… her scorching remarks…everything. He was not just rejected but she dared to choose that Rajput prince over him. She didn’t know yet.. she didn’t know whom she had wounded. She would pay for it. He would crush her.

“Jalal!!” Khan Baba shouted as he picked up the burning coal from the fire place.

“Yeh aap kya kar rahe hai.. ” he said as he tried to remove the red hot coal from the boy’s hand.

“Aapka hath jal jayega!!”

But Shehanshah did not listen to him. He crushed the coal with his bare hands without even a flinch. He was in a dangerous state of mind where physical pains couldn’t affect him anymore.

He was a cyclone.. Ready to destroy anything and everything on his way.

“Khan baba… Hum Phool Kanwar ko barbad karna chahte hai…”

“Par Jalal..”

“Woh Pratap Mewar aur Marwar ko ek karna chahta hai na… Hum bhi dekhte hai ki who yeh kaise munkin karega.. Phool ki laash ke saath?”