A Sneak Peak into the Life of a Queen: Raga FF, Ch 19: Pg 49, 19/01/16 - Page 20

Originally posted by: dhruvika1991

So, they are argikng poor adotya and swarna have to becone a communicating device...

Then ranaji explaination and gayatri's verdicts were nice hard to decide who is right or wrong... Waiting for next...

Update soon

Originally posted by: shailusri1983

This bit is not pure inspiration. I was actually inspired to include this bit of a queen starting a school for women after reading the history of Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur who started the Maharani Gayatri Devi School for Girls in the 1940s. So we actually had people and rulers who were much ahead of their times. Another interesting fact about Maharani Gayatri Devi is the fact that she contested for the parliament and won it by a huge majority.

Originally posted by: JazzyM

Read Chapter 13...

You are in full throttle...The school concept, Gayatri's willingness to sacrifice her jewels for the betterment of women in Amerkot, RNJ's reluctance to utilize Gayatri's personal funds, their nok jok, making Sona and Aditya the perfect accomplice...

Really superb...

Originally posted by: Krishna_Sourav

Superb part

loved it

loll poor Aditya n Swarna phas gaye hubby wifey ke beech mein

loved the fighting or say cute way but G came to know RNJ's inner guilt ..

but G help RNJ to see the other side

continue soon

Chapter Fourteen

The big grandfather's clock in Ranaji's library began ticking away. The royal Munshi looked from this side to the other and then in front of him at the account books in front of him.On one side was the Rajmata who looked so furious that she looked ready to award him a sentence in life imprisonment while on the other side was Prince Aditya Varma who looked ready to finish him off with his sword at the slightest provocation.

"Munshiji I believed you and is this the way you repay for it? When Rani Gayatri Devi told me about this, I was shocked. Where did all this money go? You are either going to answer properly or pay for this offence with your life" said Rajmata.

Prince Aditya was telling,"Why are we even talking with this traitor? Just give me nod and I will teach this man such a lesson that everybody will think twice before cheating king and kingdom."

One hour after such intense gruelling, the Munshi broke down and confessed that he had written wrong accounts and embezzled royal state funds on Kuwar Chachaji's orders and that whatever he had received in return for this treachery was a very small sum of money. Chachaji was summoned in person and presented with all the damning evidence against him. Having no other go, he fell at the Rajmata's feet asking her to spare him and promised to pay whatever money he had taken from the royal treasury.

Gayatri had finally convinced Ranaji much against his wishes to use her Street Dhan for setting up the school. The Bhumi Pujan Muhurath was scheduled for the same morning. Both she and Ranaji had to sit together for the puja. She went in to take her bath and when she came out, she found a big box full of gold coins. Her joy knew no bounds. Ranaji who came to enquire if she was ready for the puja was in for a pleasant surprise. In her excitement, she hugged him saying, "Thank you , Ranaji. You arranged for the funds because you couldn't see me give up my Stree Dhan."

Rajmata and Aditya who entered just then coughed surreptitiously, "Looks like we came at the wrong time, Aditya. We'll come later."

Then only it struck Ranaji that it was Rajmata who must have arranged for the funds. His eyes welled up with tears at his mother's gesture of care and affection. She always maintained a regal bearing and showed off as if she did not care about anything, his anger, his rudeness, his sarcasm. But he knew now that she cared for him in that soft and silent manner in which only a mother could care.

Ranaji asked in a hesitating manner, "Is it you, Maa?"

This time even the Rajmata's stern exterior showed a slight crack and she answered with a slight quiver in her voice, "To be honest, it's your Chachaji, Indroo. (She bit her lips and corrected herself) I mean...Ranaji."

Ranaji held her cheeks in his palms and pleaded, "Not this time, Maa. Call me Indroo as you always used to when I was small."

Rajmata could not control herself anymore and hugged her son, "My Indroo...my Raja baccha!"

Aditya explained how they had extracted a confession from the erring Munshi about the mismanagement of funds against Kunwar Chacha and how his Chachaji had coughed up the entire amount in order to save his skin. Rajmata said, "This is my gift to my daughter for the noble endeavor she has undertaken. This money belongs to our treasury and we still have a lot of money left in our coffers for our administrative expenses as well. Thank you for finding out about the embezzling of funds and telling it to me, Gayatri. If you had not originally done this, all this would not have been possible."

There were still many unanswered questions between mother and son but all that could wait another day. Gayatri stood in the background as she happily witnessed the reunion between Ranaji and Rajmata.

Ranaji and Gayatri were sitting together in the Bhumi Pujan while Rajmata was wiping her tears of joy at seeing them together like this while nobody else was observing. Chachaji, Ko-kila Chachi, and Badi Rani ma were fuming within while giving out a smiling front to the outside world. All their Kilas were coming down one by one. They had to do something immediately.

Ranaji and Gayatri were performing all the rituals with their full heart and soul together. How different was it from their marriage rituals where one person was living in a delusional world while the other person was mechanically doing everything! Both of them were equally united in this noble desire to help their praja. The Purohit was chanting the mantras and Gayatri's hand was in Ranaji's hand while the sacred water was being poured to the ground. Both their eyes locked with each other for a tiny fraction of a second before they looked away. Ranaji said within himself, "God, thank you for sending Gayatri in my life. I have always been unfair to you and have found fault with you for this marriage. But now I know that you were always right. Gayatri was your best gift to me and Amerkot. I will not try to fight my destiny anymore. I will wholeheartedly accept it." The whole praja of Amerkot raised up in jayjaykar of their king and queen.

That evening while Ranaji and Rani Gayatri were seated in the court, Mr. Wilkinson ushered before them a very important person, Captain Frazer, the new commanding officer of the British regiment stationed at Amerkot, "Presenting before you, Captain Frazer, the new commanding officer of the British regiment."

Captain Frazer was a twenty-five year old dare-devil British officer. There were many stories in the regiment about his adventurous spirit and also his escapades with the other sex. He took pleasure in narrating stories about his love conquests. He believed in winning all his battles be it in love or war. He pursued his prey until they succumbed either to his manly charm or his manly force. He could both be very sweet and gentlemanlike, and at the same time extremely cruel and manipulative if his desires were thwarted. He was very brash and lived on his impulses.

Frazer made a deep bow to Ranaji before he turned to pay his respects to Rani Gayatri. As his eyes fell on her half veiled face, a strong current of desire ran through him. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he ever beheld. As he continued starring uninterruptedly at the heavenly apparition which sat in front of him on the throne, Wilkinson nudged him before angrily whispering in his ears, "Frazer, behave yourself. Just remember where you are! She is not one of your lady friends. She is the Queen of Amerkot and Ranaji's wife. You do not know these Rajputs. They will tolerate anything but not the slightest disrespect to their women."

Frazer replied in a low voice audible only to his partner, "Wilkinson, what is there in a conquest if it is not too impossible. Frazer believes in making the impossible possible. So what if she is the Queen? Should people stop admiring such exceptional beauty? Ranaji should not have married such a beautiful lady if he had problems with people admiring her. It is really unfair that the kings have such beautiful wives."

Ranaji shifted uneasily in his seat and watched as Frazer dropped to his knee and kissed the pristine and flawless hand of Rani Gayatri as mark of respect and obedience before he remarked, "Gorgeous!" She quickly withdrew her hand as quickly as it was possible from Frazer's grasp without violating court decorum.

Ranaji was seething with anger at this show of uninhibited admiration for his Queen. How dare anybody look at his Queen with lust! Now that he began seeing Gayatri like that he could not but acknowledge that she was a paragon of beauty and perfection. She almost looked like a statue carved by the ancient masters with her picture perfect figure and flawless, sharp, finely chiseled features. Why hadn't he ever seen her with the same eyes before?

He was not insecure about anybody admiring her. But Frazer was crossing the fine line between admiration and obsession. His eyes told him that. He could see the same kind of craziness in Frazer's eyes for Gayatri that used to be in his eyes for Sulakshana till a short while back. He had come out of his obsession with Gayatri's help but he could sense Frazer falling a prey to it. His sixth sense told him that Frazer would go to any lengths for the sake of his obsession for Gayatri.

Ranaji promised to himself that he would protect Gayatri and her honour at any cost. He abruptly announced the court dismissed. Frazer watched on with the unwavering glance of a hunter viewing his prey as Gayatri's figure receded from view. There was a perfect silence after that. But this silence spoke louder than words. It was ominous!

PS: Please tell me if you like this track because I myself am not personally sure about this track. I started it to show the protective and possessive side of Ranaji but don't know if all that is coming out properly. I wouldn't mind cutting it short if it is not interesting to my readers.