EPILOGUEeveryone in the palace was gathered at the gates to welcome their shehenshah and his begum...one one side were the mughal daasis with flowers to be showered upon the couple and on the other the hindu daasis with aarti thaalis ...everyone was rejoicing the return of their ruler,to agra,to his palace and also his return from what could have been a fatal blow to the mughal sultanate ...everyone but 2 people...
shareffudin could not believe his luck...he was so close to attaining the title of the shehenshah...his spies had given him news that the shehenshah had very little chances of survival,he was badly injured...then what miracle brought him back from the dead...shareffudin could see all his dreams being shattered...he had been defeated by the hands of fate but he swore to not give up...he would do anything to become SHEHENSHAH-E-HIND,he did not get married to a widow,albeit the kings sister to always go around as the kings loyal servant...shareffudin was sure one day he would get a chance...he was just waiting for an opportunity.
maham anga was in an even worse state of mind...her sons killer had not only survived his injuries but was also being welcomed back a hero...her mind refused to acknowledge that the person she is thinking ill of is the SHEHENSHAH of hindustan...if he wont be welcomed in his own palace then who will...she had made up her mind to not go to welcome him,but only after resham had put some sense into her she agreed to do the needful...afterall she still needs to be in the shehenshah's good books if she has to take revenge for her sons murder...she will still be jalal's badi ammi for as long as it takes for her revenge to be completed...
all the begums and bandis were standing on the courtyard of the harem for one look of the shehenshah...salima along with rahim was also there to welcome the king as was ruqaiyya...petty squabbles for shehenshah's attention were a common thing there but ruqaiyya was confident that like everytime jalal would notice only her and would also grace her with his presence...
JODHA-JALAL and HAMIDA BANO entered the palace grounds along with the ministers and abdul and the campful of soldiers who had gone with jalal to amer...maham anga was the first one to greet jalal ...she sweetly asked him about his journey,paid her courtesies to HB nd JODHA...and offered jalal sweetened curd as a welcome back gesture...jalal ordered MM to taste the curd first...
jalal-humein maaf karna badi ammi par apne hi kaha tha ki yeh mughal sultanat ka usool hai...shehenshah ko koi bhi khane ki cheez nazar karne se pehle usse cakhna cahiye aur humein aapka jhootha khane main koi aapati nahi hai...
MM felt really humiliated ,never had jalal spoken to her like this,it was always her who was at the giving end and some unfortunate person mostly HB at the receiving...HB felt bad for MM,she took the crd from her hand and tasted it...
HB-jalal yeh aapke khane layak hai...
jalal-ammijaan yeh apne kya kiya...agar ismein kuch hota toh...
HB-MM par humein bharosa hai jalal.
jalal-woh toh humein bhi hai ammijaan magar unke bina jaane bhi ismein kuch milaya ja sakta hai,pehle bhi ho chuka hai,agar aapko kuch ho jata toh...
HB-apne bete ke liye hum apni jaan ki parvah nahi karte jalal...
jalal-ammijaan hum cahtein hain ki aaj aap humein yeh dahi khilayein...yeh aapka haq bhi hai aur hamari khushi bhi.
HB could not contain her tears...she had always wanted to be able to give love to her son,the love she could not shower on him when he was small...it seemed like jalal was giving her an opportunity to do this of his own free will...she could not fantom what brought about this change in jalal...then she looked in jodha's direction and saw her giving jalal a smile of admiration and knew that it could only be this daughter of hers who could have influenced her son so much...
proceding towards the harem jodha and jalal were greeted by a beautiful shower of flower petals and shagun ki aarti being done for them...jalal noticed the begums and bandis in the courtyard and gave a general courtesy adab to them...he noticed both ruqaiyya and salima and gave a special salam to both...rahim came running to greet him and jodha...he launched himself into jodhas arms and hugged her with all his might...
rahim-choti ammi aap kahan chali gayi thi...humein aapki kitni yaad aa rahi thi...hamare saath koi khelne wala nahi tha...ab toh aap nahi jayengi na...
jodha-nahi rahim ab hum aapko chod kar kahin nahi jayenge...aapke saath roz khelenge bhi...aur aapko accha sa halwa bhi banakar khilayenge...
jalal-kya baat hai rahim aap sirf apni choti ammi se milenge kya...hum bhi toh aaye hain...
rahim did his adam to jalal but kept on hugging jodha...salima finally came to take rahim from jodha but only after jodha had promised him that after dinner she would play with him for sometime and give him all the gifts she had got for him from amer...
ruqaiyya went back to her hojra and was waiting for jalal...her personal maid hoshiyaar was readying the chessboard along with ingredients for hukka for the shehenshah...
hoshiyar-begum sahiba humne sab tayar kardiya hai.
ruku-bahut khoob,ab bas shehenshah ke aane ka intezaar hai...aur har baar ki tarah woh hamare pass hi aayenge sabse pehle...
jodha was about to go to her hojra when jalal held her wrist and held her back...
jodha-yeh kya kar rahe hain aap
jalal-humne aapko jane ki izazat nahi di hai jodha begum.
jodha-shehenshah itni lambi yatra ke baad hum thak chuke hain,aap bhi thak gaye honge,hum aaram karna cahte hain...aap kya humein aaram bhi nahi karne denge...
jalal-hamari itni majal ki hum apni begum ko aaram karne se rokein...aaeye chaliye...
jodha-kahan...
jalal-aapke hojre main...
jodha-parantu aap toh...
jalal did not let er finish her sentence but took her hand and went towards her hojra...all the begums in the harem were astonished at their shehenshah's gesture...he had always gone to ruqaiyya,wheneever he used to come to agra, before anywhere else ...but today the way the shehenshah was making it a point to leave his 3rd begum personally to her chamber they all knew one thing...THE WINDS ARE CHANGING AND SO IS THEIR SHEHENSHAH...
jalal dropped jodha to her chamber ,made her sit on her bed,took her hands in his and said"HUM PEHLE NAHI BOL SAKE MAGAR AB BOLNA CAHTE HAIN,HUM BAHUT KHUSH HAIN KI AAP HAMARE PASS VAPAS AA GAYI JODHA...AAPKO HAIRANI HO RAHI HOGI KI HUM AAPSE YEH SAB KYA KEH RAHE HAIN,PATA NAHI HAMARE PASS DIL HAI BHI KI NAHI MAGAR JO BHI HAI WOH AAPSE KEHNA CAHTA HAI KI AAP HAMARE LIYE BESHKEEMTI HAIN JODHA...HUMNE AAPKO BAHUT SATAYA HAI MAGAR AB AAPKE SAATH APNI ZINDAGI NAYE SIRE SE SHURU KARNA CAHTE HAIN...KYA AAP HAMARA SAATH DENGI"
jodha-"AGAR AAPKA SAATH NAHI DENA HOTA TOH YAHAN VAPAS KABHI NA AATE,MAGAR HUM AAPSE KUCH KEHNA CAHTE HAIN,HAMARE LIYE EK PATI PATNI KA RISHTA TAB TAK PURA NAHI HOTA JAB TAK WOH DOST NA BAN SAKEIN,HUM JANTE HAIN KI BEGUM RUQAIYYA AAPKI SABSE ACCHI DOST HAIN,MAGAR HUM BHI PEHLE APKI DOST BANNA CAHTA HAIN,APKO SAMAJHNA CAHTE HAIN...EK PATNI BANNA AASAN HAI MAGAR EK DOST NAHI...KYA AAP HAMARE DOST BANENGE"
jalal-"JODHA PEHLE HUM SIRF EK SHEHENSHAH THEE,AAPKE SAATH NE HUMEIN JEENA SIKHAYA HAI...HUM AAPSE DOSTI ZAROOR KARENGE"
jalal the left her tent with a promise that she would take her dinner with him...on his way back he forgot to meet ruqaiyya and left to take rest in his chambers...
jala to himself-"RUQAIYYA BEGUM HAMARI SABSE ACCHI DOST HAIN MAGAR AAISA KYUN LAGTA HAI KI JODHA BEGUM AAP HAMARI DOST SE BHI ZAYADA HAIN HAMARE LIYE...APNI ZINDAGI KE ITNE SAAL SIRF RUQAIYYA KI DOSTI KE SAHARE GUZAREIN HAIN MAGAR AAJ LAGTA HAI KI AB HUMEIN SIRF DOSTI KI NAHI MOHABBAT KI ZAROORAT HAI...KYA HUM JO AAPKE LIYE MEHSOOS KARTEIN HAIN WOH MOHABBAT HAI...YEH TOH PATA LAGANA HI PADEGA KYUN AB APNI ZINDAGI KI KALPANA AAPKE BAGAIR HUM KAR BHI NAHI SAKTE"
MM was back in her room with a new vengence against jalal...how dare he insult me like this...i am not his mother who will take anything thrown at her...i know how to give as good as i get...jalal ne mere bete ko mujhse chhina hai na main usse uski sabse pyaari cheez chin lungi...aur jab woh toot jayega tab uski zindagi bhi...
shareffudin was back to his planning and plotting with his set of insiders at the court...his agenda was very clear...he wanted to be SHEHENSHAH-E-HIND,and for that he would go to any extend...
back in amer shagunibai was laughing away at what the destiny had planned for her dearest jodha and shenehshah...she knew that try as they might the evil forces could not harm Jalal bcoz jodha was now with him...her good karmas would act as a shield for her husband and both their love would blossom with the blessings of kali maa...she did feel bad for ruqaiyya ,but knew that ruqaiyya would eventually come around...afterall she was exactly what jalal thought she was ...his best friend...hamida bano was slowly and surely getting her son back,and jalal would get all the love that would completely heal the void present in him...fate would make him witness what a mothers love was truly like...
as for herself shagunibai was planning to sit back with plates full of her favourite eatries to witness the greatest love story of all times...one that fate had written in all possible colors of life...one that would change the face of history ,of culture ,of hindustan as we know it...
THE LOVE STORY OF JODHA-AKBAR
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