Chapter: 9
A new path and starting of a new journey was awaiting both jalal and jodha. She was standing and staring at the moon soaking in its glow when a soldier came and announced "Mallika jaane ke saare intezaam ho gaye hai...aap tashreef laaye"
"Theek hai hum abhi aate hai" jodha replied with a heavy tone. She was confused about her state,what she wanted and what she landed in, phew...totally confusing! Gathering herself and with a deep breath she came out of the hut. A palki was placed few steps away at her feet, jalal was talking to his soldiers about the directions and was asking them to equip themselves with all the requirements as they were less likely to stop anywhere in between. "Aap sab tayyar ho jaye hum bas amer ke liye nikalne waale hai..." his eyes fell on jodha after he dispersed the army. Jodha looked at him from the corner of her eye...he stood there and kept on staring at her...he didn't even budge an inch from his place...jodha was casually stealing glances at him...she was walking towards her palki but her mind and heart were glued on him...as she desired to have a look at him again, she found him in the same situation, stuck in the same pose staring at her...she narrowed her brows but he was lost in her...it was appearing as a challenge to him now, he smiled and kept looking at her...jodha was now getting irritated, his continuous gaze on her was making her uncomfortable, he caught her expressions and understood that she is getting annoyed; he bowed his head slightly and coughed...jodha looked at him with a stern look and he smirked at her. She turned away in anger and he laughed a little and went to sit on his horse. The lady was standing and looking at the whole scenario with half of her face hidden under ghunghat...jodha saw her and stepped towards her, the lady got cautious and nervously joined hands in respect remembering their last encounter. Jodha came closer and too did pranaam "Pranaam" jodha elegantly said. "Pranaam Mallika" lady said feebly. "Hamara dhyaan rakhne ke liye aapka dhanyavaad, humei aapse uss tarah baat nhi karni chahiye thi, hum mallika zarur hai par kisi bhale dil ke vyakti ke saath aise bartaav karna..humei koi haq nahi hai..." jodha was about to say more but she stopped as the lady was not reacting, jodha smiled and handed a ring to her. The lady hesitantly took it and replied "Aapka bahut bahut dhanyavaad mallika...bhagwaan aap dono ka joda banaaye rakhe" she did pranaam to her. Jodha Yeh aashirwaad humei hamare vivaah par bhi praapt hua tha...uska kya parinaam nikla hum kaise bataaye inhe...kitni saaf dil ki hai yeh. She smiled at her and sat in the palki. Jalal and jodha with their soldiers started their journey towards amer.
10 pm
Moon was at its peak, the gleamy and shining night was ongoing. The voice of horses could be heard at that time, their every step was creating a certain beat TicToc along with the winds flowing in the atmosphere. For jodha and jalal this night was definitely not silent and gloomy, there were numerous instances when they exchanged looks and glances at each other...there were difference in the expressions but same emotions hidden in the heart. A Strange Excitement
Finally jalal spotted a dhaba, he signalled everyone to stop and said "Aap sab yaha thoda aaram farmaaye aur khaana khaale...kuch der baad hum wapas se safar chaalu karenge" Jalal and jodha got out of their respective horse and palki "Aayiye jodha begum" he said in a low tone with a smile hanging on his face. Jodha simply walked in the food place. They sat for the dinner, jalal ordered some vegetarian food. Jodha thought and smirked on him Inko aaj shaakahari khaane ki kya sujhi? Jalal "Hum hamesha ghosh nahi khaate jodha begum" he smiled and said looking into her eyes. Jodha surprised "Kya...humne kya kaha?"
Jalal "Nahi hume laga ki aapko aisa laga"
Jodha "Toh fir aapko jaanke dukh hoga ki humko kuch nahi laga" she said keeping a straight face.
Jalal "Par aapka har lafz hamare dil ko lag jaata hai jodha begum..." he responded and intensely gazed at her. Their food got served and so it broke their seconds of sweet and sour conversation.
12pm
Everybody took rest and now the journey was set to go forward...jalal and jodha had their food...while jodha was not in a mood to rest, she observed jalal throughout. After having food jalal went and talked to some soldiers about the situation of agra, tension was quite evident on his face. She also saw him rotating his neck which showed that he was indeed exerted. Humei pata hai hamare chakkar mein aapko aaj kitni mushkil ka saamna karna pad raha hai...jabse humne aapko dekha hai aapne ek pal ke liye bhi vishraam nahi kiya.
"Mallika palki tayyar hai" a soldier knocked her thoughts out of the place. Jodha nodded to him and stood up, she was walking all lost towards the palki when she felt her head spinning a bit, this sudden occurrence made her stop in her tracks. She blinked her eyes and touched her head...jalal was standing near to her... she didn't knew when her hands went on his shoulder for the support. He turned and saw her fainting...and her vision got blurred in few seconds. Last she saw jalal's worried expressions and his hand on her waist.
"Jodha begum aap theek toh hai?" jalal asked when jodha opened her eyes fully. She half sat on the wooden khaat and said "Jee shenshah hum theek hai" with a dull voice which made jalal not so sure about her health. "Jodha begum humei lagta hai aapko aaram ki zarurat hai...aap abhi bhi puri tarah se theek nahi hui hai" a concerned jalal replied. She stood up from the khaat and stubbornly replied "Nahi hum theek hai...chaliye" and she fumbled few steps. Jalal "Woh toh dikh raha hai humei ki aap kitni theek hai" and he shouted to his army "Aaj raat ka hamara rukne ka prabandh kiya jaaye!" and his army quickly started the preparations.
Within minutes kheme's were setup...jalal instructed few bandi's to take jodha to her khema. After settling themselves in their respective tent, jodha told the bandi's to go and rest.
Jodha "Aap sab jaiye aur vishram kariye humei agar koi bhi zarurat hogi to hum aapko bula lenge" she said it in one breath and they left the khema. Jodha saw them going out and soon they disappeared out of her sight. She let out a deep breath of relief and then got out of her bed...sleep was not coming to her as she had already rested alot. Slowly she peeped towards shenshah's tent...she could see no one outside, she was glad that finally he was taking rest.
One second! What if he is not? I should check, after all i cannot let my planning go in vain! She smirked to this thought of hers and made her way to his khema. She saw there were no soldiers outside, which was quite weird for her to imagine so she went inside...there was no jalal.
Jodha was searching inside but within seconds she got confirmed about his absence
"Shenshah kaha jaa sakte hai itni raatri ko? Unhe zara bhi fikar nahi hai kya khudki, aise bina bataaye kahin bhi chale gaye"
Her heart was sinking while thinking about the consequences jalal could be in...he was the shenshah-e-hind and problems and dangers are supposed to be the part and parcel of his life! But jodha was not ready to think any bad happening to him. "Hum jaayenge unhe dhundne..." and she turned to go but
Bump!!
"Aah" she squealed as she ran into someone! Jodha caressesed her head after being hit..and her eyes grew big when she saw it was jalal.
Jalal was watching jodha with a confused expression on his face...
What is she doing here??
Jodha "Aaap!! Kya samajhte hai aap khudko? Maana ki aap shenshah hai...par bhagwan nahi hai aap! Ishwar nahi hai jo aapko kuch hoga nahi" she shouted on him.
Jalal was not expecting this, he was just trying to guess what made her go mad.
"Jodha begum kya hua aapko? Aap aise yahan" and jalal looked at him with narrowed brows and his tone normal but curious.
Jodha "Hum toh yahan..." and she stopped while speaking as she realized her mistake.
Jalal "Aap yahan humei dhundne ayi thi?" he advanced his head towards her to observe her expressions closely.
Jodha "Hum..hum thodi na aapko dhundne aaye the...humei aur bhi kaam hai aapko dhundne ke alawa!" she retorted back trying to act normal.
Jalal "Acha...jaise?" and he took a step towards her.
Jodha took a step back and said "Jaise ki apne kaksh mein jaake vishraan karna!" and she rushed out of his khema.
"Are!" before jalal could say anything jodha was out of his sight. He laughed heartily on her cute antic and then went to bed...he was so exhausted that sleep took over him within seconds after laying down.
Here jodha was angrily pacing to and fro in her khema..."Ho kya gaya tha humei...kya kuch nikal gaya hamare muh se...upar se ve itne dusht hai..." she went and sat on the bed, she was showing all signs of a woman who gets caught after pretending that she doesn't care for her man, though she does! Jodha was no different...since her marriage it was a tough task for her to adjust herself in the mughal empire, the culture the food the people everything was new to her but inspite of facing many hardships she fulfilled her duties as a wife. Misunderstandings galored them at times but somehow she started trusting him. jodha let jalal become her shield, she was developing some new feelings in her heart for him when this unfortunate event took place. However she realized that it was even her fault to not disclose the truth before but whatever it was it did made her heart scared of any trusts and bonds. She won't be able to handle another heartbreak!
After giving her head so much of pains she decides to finally sleep.
Morning
Jodha and jalal both got ready to leave the place on time. Jodha saw jalal and whispered to herself "Vishraam karne ke baad shenshah kitne durust dikh rahe hai...hum khush hai humne sahi faisla liya yaha rukne ka" jalal saw her smiling and looking at him...he was literally shocked to see her expressions...he curiously looked at her and started walking towards her...jodha didn't realize when she was smiling at him, she had no control over her heart, a certain free flow of emotions was taking place where all the things doesn't even matter infront of her admiring him. She had no clue when he was standing close to her, his striking gaze piercing right through her eyes. They both were standing lost in each other, jodha's calm expressions and jalal's intense staring was melting the ice in her heart.
"Huzoor saari tayyari ho chuki hai" a soldier unknowingly intervened in their romance.
Jalal and jodha quickly came out of the trance and looked at the source.
Jalal "Theek hai" and indicated him to go. Jodha was embarassed of her own behaviour How could she let her guards drop? She shyly went away and sat in the palki.
Night
Tilak was done and jalal entered the amer palace with jodha grandly...mainavati and raja bharmal warmly greeted the shenshah.
"Aap dono ke aane ki humei jaise hi soochna mili hum sabko bahut khushi hui, kintu aap log toh savere pahuchne waale the" jodha interrupted "Ji bapusa woh zara shenshah thak gaye the isliye hum vishram karne ke liye ruk gaye" she said eyeing jalal. He saw her with a smirk Bhaaghin nahi ye toh chaalak lomdi hai! "Haan raja sahab...jodha begum sahi keh rahi hai...bahut khayal rakhti hai ye hamara.." he passed a smile towards him and then looked at jodha...she was fuming...he delivered her through his expressions Hum aapko jeetne nahi denge iss khel mein while jodha just faked a smile Dusht!
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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