Chapter 48 retold by Karkuzhali..
The Chapter in a nutshell..
Scene I.
* The Shehzaadi is upset about the information Mahendar had given him about Akbarkhan..
* He summons Farooq Sahib, the Royal advisor to him..
* He asks him to investigate into the allegation against Akbarkhan..
Scene II.
* Farooq goes and meets Khalil.
* Instigates him against Akbarkhan.
* Khalil decides to take revenge on AMK and his Begum.
Scene III.
* In Parnagarh, Akbarkhan works out the blue print for the proposed building of the canals with the Muqannis..
* Azeez hurries towards Akbar and Ibrahim and coneys the bad news that Syeed was critically wounded and that the guard of the safe house was killed along with his other trusted men..
* AMK in the safe house..
* He sees his spy from the Capital returning with bad news..
Scene IV.
* Heera watches the sudden turmoil around her and feels helpless cursing herself for being the reason for the whole mess..
Scene V.
* Heera goes to Akbarkhan's chamber and finds him perturbed ..
* She gets to know from him the treacherous deed of Mahendar.
* She regrets for her inadvertent action that had caused such a situation and apologises for her guilt..
* He decides to play his cards wisely, and tells her that he will inform his Huzoor about Kunwar's covert deals with Khalil..
* He leaves her for the Capital with a heavy heart..
Karkuzhali writes the scenes..and interpolates the dialogues with the titles of the novels by the famous thriller writer, James Hadley Chase.. shown in BOLD letters.
Scene I. the Capital:
Participants: Shehzaade and the Advisor Farooq.
Farooq: Wa alaikum as-aalaam Huzoor
Shehzaade:Welcome back to the capital... so, how was your grand pilgrimage to Mecca?
Farooq: Just the way it is..Barely a day after my return from Mecca, I have been summoned to your personal chambers, at the crack of dawn... and on my arrival here, I notice even your personal guards have been dismissed... so, I'm forced to wonder what troubling incidents in my absence, could've stolen my Huzoor's peace! Why pick on me?
(The Mughal prince walked up to his private quarters and picked up a scroll from a small box sitting in a personal chest. Returning to the advisor, he handed the scroll over.)
Farooq: There is no title, no emblem, no seal... is this even genuine?
Shehzaade: Get a load of this!..THIS scroll is not the original... but the man who brought it to me claims that its contents are! Dictated by a dying man on his deathbed, no less...So, I'm not sure... The dead stay dumb..Well... the information I received... is that Akbar not only KNOWS about all of this... but that he seized every single scroll... had them burnt... bribed the common messengers... imprisoned her personal messengers in a safe-house at Aidabad... basically, buried everything underground, so nothing would come out in the open...It is..A Can of Worms..
Farooq: WHAT? No... no... no... this cannot be true...
Shehzaade: This is for real..
Farooq: Who brought you such bizarre information, my Huzoor?
Shehzaade: Just another sucker...A Hindu prince..
Farooq:Huzoor... You must be kidding..10 years we've known Akbar... nothing has ever mattered to him other than YOUR well-being! The loyalty that runs in his veins is deeper than the colour of blood...he wouldn't commit treason to protect a mere woman, would he?
Shehzaade: You can say that again..Of course, I understand I don't doubt my intelligence officer
But I would be a fool, if I didn't look into allegations brought in by a prince himself - HOWEVER absurd the allegations may sound! You never know with women!
Farooq: Which is why you want ME to investigate Akbar Mahmoud Khan?
Shehzaade: Yes... look into this scroll... AND into the events that happened at the safe-house at Aidabad...And..please ensure that even the walls of your private chamber don't hear your thoughts..You'll find him..I'll fix Him!
Farooq: Yes Huzoor..
( Leaves)
000000000
Scene II.. The Outskirts of Capital:
Participants: Farooq and Khalil.
(Having just returned from a journey of several thousand miles Farooq had decided to trek all the way here, because the matter was urgent not only because the Huzoor had ordered him to look into it, but because it was a matter of personal interest too.)
Khalil: Well well Farooq Sahib...Its Just a Matter of Time.. that you would have to meet me urgently, so soon after your return from Mecca... that you would trust no messenger to convey the contents of your message... and that you asked for me to come out here, to ensure we weren't watched... I take it that the news you have to share is very valuable indeed'
Farooq: You guess right... more valuable than any news you might've heard, since you joined our Huzoor's army, Khalil! You have yourself a deal!
Khalil: What sort of news?
Farooq: Figure it out for yourself..Temptation. Even the greatest of leaders have succumbed to this vice... our poor man, is but a mere commoner.. Ustaad Akbar Mahmoud Khan...
Khalil: WHAT do you mean?'
Farooq: Just the way it is..I hear the impeccable Ustaad has yielded to temptation like other simple mortals - understandably, a very compelling temptation to protect his Begum... so, I have been called to look into an alleged cover up that he's been involved in! It's true... if the allegations are not phony, it would mean he has been deceiving our Shehzaade... a betrayal of the highest order - seeing how, he is in fact, the Head of our Huzoor's Spies..
Khalil: 'DARN!..I cannot believe this... after all those condescending lectures he gives me, it turns out, that he's been the bigger betrayer throughout...finally... how long have I waited for this... finally... FINALLY!..The world in my pocket!
Farooq: Hush hush... remember... the crimes have not been proven yet...
Khalil: So, WHAT evidence do you have then?
Farooq: You have yourself a deal..Read this... and prepare to be shocked..The scroll is an imitation... but... its contents... its words... are supposed to be what were in the original messages..
Khalil: So...Harka Sahiba dared to write all this, did she then?
Farooq: This... and many messages similar to this..Thankfully... ONE of those messengers escaped and blurted out the truth.He had.. but a short time to live.... which is how, we now know of all this..
Khalil: To WHOM?
Farooq: To a Hindu prince that the message was originally meant for... I'm not sure... but, I think he belongs to the kingdom of Manswar...anyway, this Kunwar in turn, brought the news directly to the Shehzaade - in return for favours, of course...It is a mess... no doubt...Channel your anger appropriately... and this might work in your favour!
Khalil:Well... I INTEND to make it work in my favour! It IS a mess... but a good mess..'Lady.! Here's your wreath..!
Farooq: Beware, Khalil... you have a long list of crimes to your name already... don't make it so bad that you wouldn't find place in Jannat if you tried repenting for life! Figure it out for yourself!
Khalil: By the way, Farooq Sahib... what do YOU gain in seeing the Ustaad's downfall? As far as I can recall...you've always been quite vocal in your support for him...Why this Shock treatment?
Farooq: Yes I have been... when I believed he was a true loyalist to our Huzoor... a true loyalist to our dreams for an all-Islamic empire... but lately... he's become much too soft on the Hindus...and what do I hear on my return? That he's currently the Mansabdar of a Hindu community? Married to a Hindu Begum? I am an advisor to the Shehzaade... I have been an advisor to the Shehenshah too... my peers and I have had to try hard to undo these silly ideas of tolerance and unity that their forefathers believed in... we certainly do not need men like Akbar Mahmoud Khan ruining our efforts...makes sense? Not safe to be free..
Khalil: .Give me a few days' time... I will dig out evidence against Akbar Mahmoud Khan... dig right down to Hell, if needs be...Will Have a change of scene..
Farooq: And if you find nothing?
Khalil: Then... I will fabricate evidence, against him. But take it from me... this will be his end..I'll get you for this..
( Farooq goes.)
Scenes III, IV and V will continue in a separate post.
Edited by karkuzhali - 7 years ago
[Copied and Edited]KK.
673