Chapter 1 Disclaimer Applies
Chapter 9
'Hawayein gun gunane lagi!' Shaguni Bai raised her staff into the air... A gentle breeze from the outside wafted into Devi Maa's mandir. It bounced off the gentle nooks and crevices it's momentum increasing steadily... It's echo creating a soothing hum. Its force as wild yet calming as an open wind, but with a message so powerful it would shape the future of mankind... 'Itihaas banchuki hain!' 'Ab yeh hawayein bhi jaan chuki hain... Ki Jodha aur Akbar ki mohabbat ki dastaan ab shuru hoga! Yeh hawayein pyaar ki sandesh la chuki hain! Jai Maa Kali!'
*Agra*
'My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again...I give you my life, for its all I have to give, because You gave your life for me'- Anonymous
Jodha sat inside the tomb... She should have felt scared, instead, a strange calm wafted over her... Is this how it feels to be at peace with death? Is this why a dying man smiles when he knows the end is near? Now that she was alone, it finally hit her that these were the last moments of her life... She was utterly alone, she realised here that no-one will ever see her face again... So why pretend? Her heart told her. Shehensha had assaulted you, publically humiliated you! He had vowed to imprison you under the namesake of marriage and crush your pride and he succeeded! He's won Jodha! You've lost! You are imprisoned, you are about to die! But that's not what's upsetting you is it? A lump formed in her throat... You are upset because Shehensha has won! He's not only violated your body but your mind as well! He's infected you to such an extent that even in your dying moments you see nothing but his eyes! What's wrong with me?' Jodha broke down then. With no one here to be brave for, to hold back her tears for, she sat in the middle of the tomb and accepted defeat.
As the realisation of Jalal's animalistic behaviour hit her... Her heart began to feel more and more heavy. It felt as if she wasn't the one sitting in the pyre... But the pyre was within her! With each insult, each retort and each bangle he had broken he had been laying the stone bricks of her tomb in her heart. The night after their Nikaah he had added the wood and torches and finally last night, the second he had grabbed the back of her neck... He had lit her pyre. She may die by choking in the next few minutes but that would be nothing compared to what she was feeling right now... Her heart was in flames. Why?! She cried out...
Jal Jal Ke Dhuan Ho Rahe Ham
Nas Nas Mein Nasha Bheega Hain Maann
Jismo Ki Dabi Aarzoo Hain
Mar Jaaye Teri Baahon Mein Ham
(Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina)
She made no effort anymore to hide her tears. No one could hear her. She had no strength left with which to pull herself together. She fell to her knees and wept brokenly on the floor. She wept for her brothers and Maan Singh who would die soon after, she wept for her sisters-in-law who would probably commit Johar on hearing about their husband's death, she wept for her sisters and Dadisa, she wept for her father and mother who always had to make the toughest decisions for their children, she wept for Ammijaan, Salima and Bakshi Bano who had become such an important part of her life. The torrents of tears increased when she thought of Ruqaiyya's loss... 'Hey Bhagwaan! Aap Ruqaiyya ko maa banne ki khushi dedo' she sent a silent prayer to God... 'Aur Moti aur Reva ka khayaal rakhna! Aur... ' Her heart literallly stopped at that point. She had been so busy weeping and praying for everyone in her life how would she forget to take his name?! Fresh tears began to flow then. 'How Kanha?! ' She cried... 'He's my husband... Pati hai vho mere! Hum uske barbadhi ke liye prathna nahin kar sakthe, lekin jo kuch bhi ho jaane ke baad hi hum uske bhale ke liye kaise prathna kar sakthe? Yeh kaisi duvidha hai Kanha?! Shehensha ne uska bachcha koya tha. Hum unse kaise nafrat kar sakthe hain? Paranthu woh humare saath jo kuch bhi karne ke baath... Hum uske liye achche kaise soch sakthe hain?' She was no longer angry... She was shattered beyond repair... Kis janam ka badla le raha tha mujhse?! I had only pointed a sword at him in Amer... Who wouldn't do such a thing if their enemy had snuck into their home! I was raised to hate him, but I've never tried to hurt him deliberately... So why did he do this to me? She thought... Her tears left their mark on the cold stone floor beneath her. She heard chanting outside... 'Allahu Akbar!' They were probably saying a prayer for her...
'... Because you are the inseperable part of me I wish I didn't need...' - Anonymous
*Meanwhile*
'The world judges me by the decisions I make, never did it have to see the options I had to choose from.'- Anonymous
'Jodha Nahin!' Jalal yelled... It was a cry of anguish that didn't just come from his throat, it came from somewhere deeper... His gut? No! His heart!!
He was off the floor in a second. He left a weeping Abdul and ran across the foyer like a madman... I'm coming Jodha! He thought... I won't let anything happen to you!
'Subhaana Rabbika Rabbil Izzathi Amma Yasifun.. Wa Salaamun Alal Muraslina Walhamdulillahi rabbil aalameen' - Muslim Dua
The Qazi had just completed a prayer for Jodha's soul and a resounding 'Aameen' followed through the crowd. The executioner brought the torch and Hamida Bano began to wail... He lit the first branches of wood... Soon the tiny embers began to catch until the entire entrance was set alight...
The smoke rose high into the air. Jalal ran knowing that if he was even a second late today, he would never be able to face himself again. In fact... Sultanate or no Sultanate... He had a half mind to kill himself right there after Jodha. 'Ya Allah! He prayed as his legs lifted him to Jodha... Aap ne hum par kabhi rehem nahin baksh di... Aaj... Apne liye naa sahi, Jodha ke liye hum par rehem kare!! All I want is to save her... I don't mind spending the rest of my life, my power, my wealth, my everything in making this up to her! Don't let such a heinous sin be committed by my hands!'
It felt for a second that perhaps, once again, fate wished to be cruel to the young emperor. As he raced through the entrance of the execution fort he heard the ending of the dua and mere seconds before he could see it, the burning smell of sweet dry wood taunted him mercilessly... This fuelled an extra shot of adrenaline into his blood and his chest seemed to be ravaged with panic...
The guards barely heard the soft tinkle of his chains rattling against his heaving chest when they announced his arrival into the fort... 'Baa adab! Baa mulahiza hoshiyar! Shehensha-e-hin...' Jalal didn't give them an opportunity to finish their long winded introduction as he flew past them. 'This has to stop!' He yelled... 'Jodha!!!'
To say that the crowd was surprised to see him would be an understatement... Never had the Shehensha ever created a scene like he did that day... Those who were fortunate enough to be there had understood at that point that they were witnessing the creation of history. Jalal looked weak, faint, but his muscles were clenched with a hidden untamed strength, and his eyes were wild. Despite all this... He had never looked more like an emperor than he did at that point. 'Shehensha' The crowd saluted him, but he took no interest in their petty courtesy, for all he could focus on was the burning door of the pyre that separated him from his Jodha. There was no war in his head at this point, no hesitation. The Shehensha was dead; all that was left was poor Jalal who perhaps had the most unfortunate fate in the kingdom. The sight of the flames rattled him with panic... Then he did the unthinkable... He ran straight for the pyre door.
'Shehensha!' The crowd panicked, the ministers did their best to try and hold him back.. 'Shehensha please understand!' The executioner beseeched him. The entire entrance has been ravaged by fire! The smoke would have probably reached Jodha Begum by now! I'm sorry Shehensha it's too late!' 'NO!!' Jalal was a man possessed. 'Please Shehensha you will burn if you enter!' The ministers tried will all their strength to hold back the suddenly suicidal emperor. He was relentless and he tried his best to fight them off...
The scene before her brought Ruqaiyya to her feet... No! She thought... My Jalal is not going to die for that w**re!'Shehensha?!' Ruqaiyya went up to him as the ministers and now even the Ameris were trying to calm him down. 'Shehensha calm down' Ruqaiyya tried to soothe him... Normally a woman acting so forward with her husband in front of the entire court was unheard of but apparently, all the rules were being broken today. Ruqaiyya placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down but Jalal would not let up. His panic for Jodha had caused him to lose all sense. 'No Ruqaiyya! I have to save her!' His struggle began anew as he tried to fight of practically all his commanders at one. 'Don't go in there! It's suicide Shehensha!'
Amidst all the chaos... Ruqaiyya in her desperation turned to Khwaja Shera. Once she got Khwaja Shera's attention she gestured quietly towards Jalal... I'm not letting him go in there... Ruqaiyya thought... Not for Jodha... Not for anyone!Khwaja Shera immediately understood and began chanting slowly under her breath. To anyone else it would look as if she were mumbling a prayer but only Ruqaiyya knew of the dark gods that she beseeched and pleaded to at that point.
Khwaja Shera had only intended to weaken Jalal enough for his ministers to overpower him in order for them to take the traumatised emperor away. Even though she could have bewitched him to change his mind at that point, she knew that after the scene he created, having him change his mind and walk away would definitely raise suspicion. She had to be subtle. She continued her chanting, her gaze fixed on the grieving Shehensha.
Jalal was determined to free himself from their vice-like grip when all of a sudden he felt zapped of energy. His strength began to leave him, his vision swam and his body swayed weakly. Ruqaiyya smirked in triumph. His ministers overpowered him...
Khwaja Shera was just starting to appreciate her handiwork... While across the kingdom near Amer... Shaguni Bai praised the Gods for the miracle that took place the very next second...
Jalal's heart was with Jodha in the pyre but for some reason, his body seemed to have given up on him... Ya Allah! He prayed silently... He was exhausted, defeated, but he could not give up on Jodha. Darkness settled over his eyes and his mind began to cloud over. When suddenly, the winds began to change direction. Khuda was on his side after all. The change of the winds brought the smell of the flames to his nose and something else too... Something miraculous... Jodha's scent... He heard the gentle tinkle of her anklets... Jodha!! Her name drifting through his conscious was enough to break through the darkness that had suddenly overpowered him, it gave life to his dead limbs and his dead heart began beating...
Without warning Jalal gave one final lunge, broke through the charm and was able to throw the ministers and Jodha's brothers back... The impact had his crown falling at his feet. He sprinted for the pyre door, stepping on his crown along the way... And followed his heart to his one true love...
The Harem wives who had up to that point been staring in shock gasped audibly... The tension and shock were palpable in the air while everyone prayed for the Shehensha's safety. Hamida saw his trampled crown on the floor and was suddenly filled with remorse...
*In the Devi Maa temple*
Shaguni Bai rejoiced. She smiled at Hamida Bano's regret. She doesn't understand... Shaguni Bai thought... The trampling of the crown usually signified the death and destruction of the Shehensha... But today it also signified the birth of Akbar The Great...
*Back at the Pyre in Agra*
Jodha heard the wailing outside. She could smell the flames before she could see it. It wafted like a musky fragrance across her nose, promising the sweet escape of death. It's all going to end... She thought calmly. My suffering is finally over... She was so mellow at the thought of dying. He breathing became laboured. Her lungs began to fill with smoke and her vision began to blur. They were right... She thought... I do feel sleepy... She was finally so at peace that she didn't even mind that Jalal's lost eyes flitted into her mind's eye as she sank blissfully into the darkness...
Jalal had reached the entrance... He had taken his shamsheer and had begun to slice away the burnt wood in order to get him through the entrance. He threw it outside as he made his way into the tomb. Jodha's sweet aura spurned him on. The fire surrounded him, licking away at his surroundings, taunting hum, mocking him. He took off his overcoat thinking that it would only slow him down. The wood began to collapse around him. It was too late to go back... Not that he intended to... He had already decided that if he was unsuccessful in getting Jodha out then he would die here as well... With her ... But not like her... He thought... She deserved a peaceful death in slumber... He would burn at the entrance and feel the flames eat away at his flesh... Then many be I can atone for my sins... He wiped a traitorous tear that misted his eye and kept moving.
'Jodha!!' Jalal yelled over and over again... But his voice could only echo in the crevices of the tomb before being drowned by the sound of the sparks being lit around him... I'm in hell... He thought... Surely I'm in hell...He was about to shriek in anguish and cry out in defeat when he saw her... Jodha... Like an oasis in the desert... Unconscious... She didn't look like she was about to die. It was as if she was in a peaceful slumber. Jalal didn't even think it was possible but as she lay there in the tomb, she looked more ethereal then she had in tent, the first night after their wedding. The night she had tried to plunge her dagger into me... He thought fondly... My fiery Rajput princess... He would have smiled at the irony had it not been for the dire situation they were in. She looked like an angel, bathed in light, she looked like his salvation. Then his expression changed. He began to remember every taunt, every insult, every barbed comment and his features twisted in agony. He walked to her limp form, sank to his knees and folded his hand in supplication. 'Hume muaaf kardijiye Jodha!' He wept brokenly. He held her wrist gently. The very same wrist that he had mercilessly cut her bangles into... But he felt no pulse...
No! He thought. He lifted her onto his lap and placed his lips onto hers. His blood surged at the feeling but he could not think of that right now... All he could think about was transferring some of his life into her... He hadn't realised that this was to be their first kiss... All he could think of was breathing air into her strained lungs. But nature itself had felt their union... Rejoiced in it... it was a strange irony that at that point, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees of the Agra forest outside while inside the fort pyre two hearts burned in anguish and love.
Jalal gave thanks to Allah when Jodha began breathing, her pulse was faint but she was alive... Ya Khuda! Tera lakh lakh shukr hai! He thought. He decided to carry Jodha out. His lips left hers reluctantly... I'm going to save you Jodha... Even if it's the last thing I ever do... He took off his top then and wrapped it around her to protect her from the flames. His lungs were starting to feel leaden as well and he knew he was breathing in too much smoke. He had to get them out of there before it was too late...
He picked her up, cradling her creamy flesh to his chest like the most precious treasure. She was as light as a feather in his arms. His heart began to beat firmly despite the weakness settling into his body... This is where you belong... His heart told him... You belong with her... In her arms... As much as the thought weighed on Jalal, he had to focus. He saw the entrance bathed in hellfire. He made sure Jodha was fully covered. The flames began to beat at his skin as he walked closer to the burning doors but he didn't care. He felt the flames singe him, lick at his arms, his chest, his bare abdomen, but he never let a single spark touch Jodha. He saw the light of day ahead and it erased all pain as relief began to settle into his muscles and his heart...
The crowd erupted with cheers and supplication to God the minute they saw their Shehensha carrying his Begum safe and sound out of the burning tomb... The beginning of their love story was truly an epic moment which none who were present would ever forget.
Jhanak
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