The first foot escaped the protective four walls of the footwear and set itself upon the first step. Chills ascended up the thigh as it contacted the cold floor, making its way up towards the heart, sparking and flaming awkward sensations. As the second foot respectfully followed, the awkwardness began to mean fear. By and by, the steps went by and a prolonged gaze began to be felt which in fact was non-existent. As the displacement increased,faces began to turn and the consciousness shrieked false realizations that they were turned to him. All in all for the Emperor of Hindustan the walk seemed endless and was metaphoric to a misadventure reinstated. And none would bother to acknowledge his bearing, neither out of reverence nor terror. Ah and why would they, he was here at the doorstep of the one above all. The creator of all beings, who was a father to the beast and the beings alike. Of fatherly feelings that never left room for differentiation. He was at his very same humble dwelling,just that the door he was knocking at happened to be a different one,situated elsewhere, and it all felt surreal. While he was thus, taken over by thoughts, that better half of his, reached her hands up towards the temple bell, as it reverberated in sweet melody. The chain was broken and a smile adorned his face as he looked towards her.
They stepped in together, he keenly observing every single one of her actions. The ambience was unknown, darkness shadowed his notions and she the guiding light, who would take him past the river of unusual experiences. Tracing the reflections of her eyes, his own entwined with the idol of the lord of the universe. Tall,dark and flute in hand there was that smile which never seemed to let go off his lips. And that was contagious as he grinned slightly as well. His hands began their journey upwards , subconsciously as ever,but as the eyes caught sight of hers,joining them together,erect,he did not expend a single moment in correcting his own. By the time, the two palms of his hands brushed against each other, her eyes had been closed as she faced the lord and he nodded as he self-consciously pulled the blinds of his too. She immersed herself in prayer, only letting the thoughts of the lord enter into her mind as he opened one of his eyes occasionally, just to make sure she hadn't left without him or eased her position. A long time passed before he began to take some serious interest into praying but alas,it was time to go by then as her hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Shall we, Shehanshah?" She shot a question into the ignorance of his brain and all he could do was to nod again in agreement.
She walked towards the other side of the little room which housed the idol and he came after her, only out of the fear of being left behind because clues had just called it quits with him, adopting an animosity of a typically peculiar kind. She encircled the room, placed her head at the back of where he calculated the idol was placed and they both came back to just where they had started from. She joined her hands and closed her eyes again, as the priest began to do the aarti' as they gracefully called it and he was left with no other alternative either. But as the priest began to chant, singing the glory of the lord, a certain peace began to creep in, in, deep into his heart. Whether the eyes were closed or open, all his eyes could see was her. She who dug up deep into his chest, forayed into the depths of the heart and flushed life into it, forced it to beat, thump faster and faster until it went crazy. And all it was filled with by then was love, just pure, true, eternal, endless, seamless, formless love for her, his Jodha Begum.All of whose was his and all of his was whose.
And then there was she to stir him again, out of the emotion which could go on exaggerating itself till the end of the world.
The priest came up to him with a little thal on which a burning lamp kind of thing was placed, he stood there like that a while as if he wanted the Shehanshah to do something while the shehanshah was greatly flabbergasted. Here again, Jodha begum came to his aid as she gave him the Prasad and also did what seemed like heating up her hands on the lamp and placing it above his forehead to Akbar. All of it done, she advanced her steps towards the temple gates again and he did what he had been doing till now,taking the cue and doing as such.
While comfort had gradually begun to set in, uneasiness was still prevalent on the horizon. So as the steps traversed, a conversation could just have been a safe respite.
"So Jodha Begum,what did you pray for,to the lord?" Thinking thus Jalal began "I mean.."
"We don't always pray For something do we?" Jodha cut that right there "Besides, Shehanshah, we shouldn't tell our prayers to others, they don't come true that way!" She answered slyly.
"Okaay!" The Shehanshah drawled.
But by now, a tinge of curiosity began to tease the heart of the Mallika-E-Hind.
"And? What about you? " She asked as anxious excitement gained commandment over her lips.
"Ermm, i think you said we shouldn't be telling our wishes,didn't you?" And now the teasing was on from Jalal's side making Jodha meticulously crush her lower lip between her teeth.
Ah and there lay Jalal's weak spot,he couldn't see his Jodha in a little odd temper as that.
"But.." He succumbed "You and i are very much the same, one soul in two bodies" He took on a rather romantic expression "And so i shall tell you that i asked for nothing but you!"
While Akbar's eyes desired to dive across a sail of red on her cheeks, perhaps it wasn't quite approved. For Jodha cupped her mouth with her hands and giggled.
"Shehanshah, i am right here! And i am all yours, until life runs in my veins! Then what makes you ask for me? Looks like one of your wishes just got wasted!"
"And,what makes you think i was talking about this life? Begum Sahiba, i asked the lord to bestow you upon me for every birth that i would ever take! To make you the queen of my heart for every life!"
And so the Shehanshah's desire finally saw the light of the day as shied away his beloved Jodha blushing profusely at his antic sweetness.
~
Fan Fictions
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