Resting her head upon her makeshift pillow - a soft tuft of grass - her gazes nudged their gentle way through the fog to watch the purple skies. The ground was cold and the evening dew tickled a chill on the bare stretches of her back, but the scent of the valleys and the sight of lush beauty had left her spirits cocooned beside a warm hearth.How long had she been waiting for this. How long had she been yearning for it! 'Lord...' Her lungs drew in their deepest breaths, much like an infant discovering its first wonders of the air around. 'Home... thank you Ma Bhavani... thank you jiji...' emotions kissed her eyes wet as she expressed her gratitude to all those noble souls who'd brought her back here 'than...' she paused, as her mind approached the name at the top of that list, her fingers running a wilfully aimless path along the side of her neck. 'Thank you my...''Heera...'Here he was! As if he'd heard her mind's voice.Turning aside, she batted a few languid lashes at his silhouette 'Khan Sahib...''The sun's setting...' he skimmed the horizon 'mustn't we leave?'She bit the insides of her lip. 'Must we?'Akbar turned to her, noticing how the query had left a frisky dimple on her left cheek.'Why...' he crossed his arms loosely, the twinkle in his eye gleaming 'what do you propose?''I want to spend a little while longer here... with you... chatting away...'The lush valleys. The lovely weather. The luring form of his wife. And the playful nature of her whims. He'd have to be a fool to turn down such a suggestion. Or a saint. And he was neither.'But...' his brow rose into a mischievous frown, signalling at her shoulders 'Chatting? You are getting cold...''Oh' Baiting her out to hear the obvious, was he? 'Well then...' The twinkle in her eyes matched his as she opened her dainty fingers and stretched them out in his direction 'Come... lay here...on the grass... beside me... while I chat away' That way he wouldn't have to worry about the chill prickling her shoulders anymore, would he?
