Originally posted by: Vmanoh
C43 my viewpoint
Private meeting chamber
The Chapter started with Chachajaan's revelation of AMK's painful young life. I was doing a fast read here to find where the C42 portion ends & the newer part of the chapter starts. Even though we knew a lot more of AMK's past than Heera did still the impact for me the reader was no less traumatic than it was for Heera. With her we also felt the horror of AMK's ! 'Abandonment... abuse... blame... isolation...etc . When she finds out how through all this his innate goodness' came through & whom he turned out to be, her mind then reaches out & bonds with the '12 year old boy' AMK & resolves to wipe the slate clean of any past haunting & unhapiness of his young life. It was gut wrenching to read that saga.
Her nightmare/epiphany portion was presented to us so well that we too get sucked into those dark, deep caverns with them & come out of it as if it was some sort of a sinister roller coaster ride. Amongst other emotions while reading this portion is that you made us do a mental salam' to the Shehzaade for his part in lifting that boy out of misery & eventually molding him to become the CIO despite us knowing how the tables could/would likely turn out later.
Elsewhere... at a desolate marshland near Aidabad
The escape of the messenger thrown amidst of the happenings at the Parnagarh haveli now has shed us a clear light on why AMK had to take that decision to have them eliminated. At the time when AMK discussed it with Heera the full brunt of it could not be felt until I was reading the escaped messengers resolve to let the Kunwar know of AMK's actions & what repercussions this could have now for not just AMK & Heera but the whole of Parnagarh. 😲
The Stables / The hideout
The little tete-e-tete that goes on between AMK & Azeez brings to light how much strain & secrecy all their undercover work involves. The way you described the night with two men holed up in a dingy secret room makes it feel as if we are intruding on their hideout & also trying to dodge those scrolls being thrown at azeez.
The Mansabdar's chamber
Now we are back in the chamber where we were left at the end of the teaser. With AMK's apprehensive entry we also get prepared to see his agitation surface & hold our breath while Heera regains her composure & clears the air with a few almost defiant exchanges with honesty but with pride'. How well you portray her strong demeanor & convey her stance.
Then comes the critical stage' of this chapter where Heera is determined to let AMK know that she has learnt his torrid past & has accepted Ustaad'.
At this point of the chapter I was literally having a one sided conversation with Heera asking her not to agitate him, to be calm & back off from detaining him. After AMK listened to her events of the scroll mishap he very clearly stated & also shown her by putting on the riding scarf, gloves & dagger belt that he was determined to leave on his short mission with no further delay. But Heera goes on with resolve & ignores his now sober refusal to hear her out at this time. She does not only verbally but also physically tries to restrain him by holding his elbow . When I read the part where she starts with a shaky but clear voice Ustad Akbar... it hit home for me of her no return stage she is entering into. Then the rest of her confession starts & with every what MORE do you want to hear she strips away his well guarded horror & even asks him if he wants to hear more & ultimately submits herself with a simple but profound " Yes your Heera loves you like no other. If that was not enough what she says next gets me floored & clears the big why she chose to confess then & there.
The precious chain of confessions snapped under the strain, breaking down into droplets of tears 'I did not intend to upset you or delay you, Khan Sahib... I could have said all this on another day... but with both of us leading lives where we don't know what tomorrow holds, I did not want to leave these unsaid as you depart on another mission'
The bold part highlights their current predicament of having to live their life always on the edge. Next portion that gripped me was the blades coming off' for AMK & how it was both painful & euphoric for him to go through those moments. Kudos author sahiba for taking us through all these emotions & at the end you held out the pot of honey for us. With every step he took towards her & the accessories that he took off while doing so that honey pot was being lowered to our hands reach. To hear his confession out loud in just two ... well three words if you count her name was a pure bliss for us to read. It was not their first intimate moment but the way you laid it out to us we were glad we took your warning to make sure the update was read in solitude.
Lovely ending of the chapter with Heera's discovery of her effect over her sahib & with the awakening to the power of her womanhood. Where doubts, sadness & tears resided it gives us hope that it will now begin to be replaced with complete trust & happiness. Their new found untainted love for each other signals the union of their mind & soul where the body is only a means for it.
Thank you Lashy for this blissful journey to travel with the leads in their turmoils, trials, tribulations & triumps. We can be sure that more twists & turns are waiting for the leads & us to endure. Until that last drop of honey is done we will be buzzing around in a HBAS daze. Oh how I wish it was an akshaya patram !
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