HBAS Chat corner - Page 42

Originally posted by: binduprasad41

You think so...😔

Originally posted by: binduprasad41

"A sky full of stars.

And he was staring at her."

So many situations come to mind...😳

I selected this one...I know this is not going to match with yours...but still 😆

If our answers all matched it wouldn't make the answering so interesting, would it?

Mashallah! He'd been expecting to meet a disgruntled heiress, and here she was, flaunting the kind of elegance that would put a queen to shame. Were the expensive muslins and jewellery enhancing her beauty? Or was it her innate elegance beautifying those ornaments? Who knew? All he knew was that this was a welcome difference from the haggard young lady he'd met a day earlier! A difference so beautiful that he had to order his heart to stay still and his eyes to look away.

Awww ... this was after their first Ustaad versus Harka Sahiba confrontation, right?

Alright.. I'll put my answer too!

Once he'd offered her what little counsel he could from his own experiences, Akbar gazed up at the horizon ahead - where the blue of the sky met the green of his meadows 'I wonder why God gives, if he must take away?'

'Yes, I wonder too!' she gasped under her breath - at how his words sounded like he knew all her problems inside out.

Coming out of the haze, Akbar turned towards the lady beside him, gently recognising the forbidden direction that the conversation was heading towards.

No doubt, the young man had only started off, trying to be supportive. But gradually, he'd been sucked into saying things about himself he would never say otherwise. In fact, they were both being drawn into this vortex, unknowingly sharing their innermost secrets with the other.

Of course, her actions were justified - the Sahiba was lonely and sad, an innocent 16 year old, who had no idea of the horrid truth.

It was up to him to end this, before they got carried away yet again.

'Oh my God!' Silent screams for help tore through her lungs, sending her to the floor, limp on her knees. 'NO NO NO!!!!'

How was she supposed to rescue her people from the mess she'd brought upon them? What was she supposed to tell them? 'Maaa!' she buried herself inside her hands wishing the Earth would just swallow her 'I have no strength left...'

For the past 6 weeks, her life had been a bottomless pit of torment - waking up from one nightmare, only to face the next. When would these nightmares stop? 'When, Ma... when?'

A few barren beats passed before her hands slipped down from her face 'Why... of course...' her lips parted with a weak sigh 'nightmares stopped, if one stopped waking up altogether!'

Bleak thoughts began clouding her head. Her mind adrift, she ran her thumb around the ring finger - fishing for the poison ring 'What if...'

'What if...'

'Wait... what...'

The ring wasn't on her right hand. So, she checked her left hand.

But, it wasn't there either.

Nudged out of her dark stupor and grim thoughts into a different state of confusion altogether, she inspected her fingers again.

The poison ring was missing! 'What's going on?'

'WHAT!' her eyes immediately widened, as another doubt struck her. Quickly moving over, Heera reached the spot where she'd dropped her pocket knife earlier. The weapon wasn't there either - not where she'd dropped it, nor anywhere else on the floor!

'HE? He took them both?'

Well, who else could've done it? Only HE could've swiped them away, when she wasn't looking!

Shocked, almost mortified by what she'd just discovered, Heera stood up - reeling from a mix of very unpleasant feelings.

'But, why did he...' Did the man really think she would do something so drastic to herself after he'd left?

... ...

Drawing in a very deep breath, the young heiress slowly dusted the mud off her skirt, before ironing out its folds. 'No...' she sighed exasperatedly 'I would never act so immature... I'd never abandon my people... I might have lost my composure, but I haven't lost my mind yet!' Brushing flat her messy hair with her fingers, she kept her chin up and replaced the veil on her head - 'After all, the blood that ran in Durga Bai, runs in Harka Bai too... I might fall down but I never give up... even if it HAS been very tempting to do so of late'

With a silent prayer, Heera straightened the borla on her forehead and the chains around her neck, ready to step outside her tent. She'd made a couple of wrong choices, lost the Farmaan, and thus her rights over the lands of Parnagarh. She might have kept her folks in the dark about what happened at Aidabad and she would never be able to tell them about her real relationship with the 'Ustaad'.

Nevertheless, she loved the people like her own family.

'I risked their future, by bringing you into their lives Ustaad Sahib... I'll set it right...'

*** *** ****

The midmorning was crisp. The sun would soon reach its brightest -

Rays of light so dynamic that they managed to dissolve a few shades of darkness from the horrible night. And with few shades of darkness dissolved, lifted some of the fog that'd clouded both, her mind and her eyes.

Until, the silhouette of two known faces stepped onto her path, eclipsing that light.

'Salaam Sahiba...'

'Salaam Sahiba...'

After several moments, she acknowledged their greeting with a cursory nod. 'Salaam...'

After darting each other a short glance, Ibrahim decided to speak up 'Harka Sahiba... we have come to seek your opinion... when do you think we might be able to start?'

'Forgive me, Mirza Sahib... but I didn't quite catch the purpose of your question!'

'I... I meant... when do you think we might be able to make a move from these woods?'

A cynical smile softly curved her lips.

'Sahiba' Sayyid stepped forth - to try a more direct approach 'Khan Sahib has asked us to kindly enquire... if we could leave these forests by tomorrow?'

'WE?' asked Heera, amused by what she'd just heard 'Now... now... you're embarrassing me by asking for MY opinion... it was your 'noble' Sahib who went out of his way to save the day... for which, we are all grateful... how am I supposed to decide when he must leave? Honestly, I am not aware of his plans, or which direction he is headed for...'

She touched her chin, as though deep in thought. 'Anyhow... since you gentlemen have asked... I suggest that your Sahib leave right away... go wherever he needs to go... why wait for tomorrow? Of course, when my injured guards are fit to travel again... I'll leave with my people.'

'I see...' Sayyid and Ibrahim darted each other a puzzled frown, with the awkward meeting getting more awkward!

Of course, he could do little else but convey the response to Akbar and let the man himself deal with it.

'Now if you'll excuse me...' Heera ended the lull that'd gone on for longer than it must have 'we've just cremated a young soldier of ours... and were about to finish the last ritual... so...'

'Of course Sahiba...' Ibrahim and Sayyid offered her a quick adab 'Khuda Hafiz'

A short distance away, at the stream..

With one hand holding up the large green cotton towel securely tied around her chest, she caught Dhani's arm for support with the other, and slowly stepped in. As expected, the soil underwater was stony and slippery - laden with moss throughout. So, she dipped the edges of her toes at first, then her ankle, then her legs, till she slowly reached waist-deep water.

Then, the young lady turned around and watched, as two maids lit a small flame near the banks.

Into its burning embers was thrown the cotton dress that she'd worn the night before - clothes which soon went up in flames.

'I'll teach you a lesson... I'll make you suffer...'

Isn't that what Khalil had repeated on and on, as he'd pinned her down?

'I'll make you my slave girl!'

With the blaze of the flames imprinted upon her hazel pupils, she closed her eyelids and offered a prayer for young Gokul who'd sacrificed his life fighting that monster.

Once done, she held her breath and took a dip underwater - her long locks still afloat, gently tussling with the tides at the surface.

When Heera rose back to the surface and wiped the droplets off of her face, it was the signal that Dhani was waiting for.

From an array of brass bowls that an assistant held, the maid scooped up handfuls of fragrant pastes and applied them onto her mistress' dewy skin - oils to soothe, and herbs to cleanse.

Quarter hour later, when the pastes were washed off, the young lady should have felt refreshed.

Instead, she turned around to her maid, her glimpse solemn and heavy 'Can you please repeat the procedure?'

So, the routine was redone, all over again.

But, it was not before the end of the third round that she began feeling somewhat 'cleansed'. Sadly though, the exercise also made Heera realise how much more violated her sister must have felt, before she was gone!

'Jiji...' She whimpered - it brought back everything. Holding her breath, she dunked her face into the stream, recalling her sister's last words -

'Harka Bai... you have to stay back and take care of all this when I'm gone...'

Yes, that was exactly what was happening. She was left behind, alone, taking care of everything - while everyone else from her life was gone! Gone!

Her parents were gone. Jiji was gone. Joy was gone. Home was gone. Godparents were gone. Everyone was gone.

As the young lady recovered her balance, as her senses gradually regained clarity, and as she overheard the mumbling sounds and conversations around her - she realised that there was one tragedy she could NOT put behind her. At least not yet.

'I... I mean... if it were not for Khan Sahib...' murmured one maid, as she washed off the lather of herbs from her hair 'we would have been cremated today too, along with poor Gokul...'

'But I'm curious...' another young maid moved closer towards the group, reducing her pitch to a hush whisper 'Khan Sahib returned for the sake of our baisa, didn't he? Wh... what do you think could be the nature of their relationship...'

'Sh...'

'Shhh'

The next instant the discussions had died down, all eyes incidentally upon the heiress.

'Alright...' Heera scoffed softly, diffusing an otherwise uncomfortable lull 'I'm going to sit by the banks to let my hair dry... finish your routines and then join me there...' and just like that, she started making her way towards a shady flat rock at the streamside.

Spreading the wet locks across to let them air-dry, Heera reclined against the flat face of the rock and looked upwards at the sky. Her wet skin glistened under the long beams of sunlight that bounced off, the water droplets beginning to slide down, little by little. She lay that way for a while, soaking in the warmth of the noon.

The solitude was a welcome break - only ever interrupted when a light wind tickled her bare shoulders, or when her anklets made a gentle splash as her feet dangled sometimes above sometimes below the water level.

But, the solitude could not go on forever.

'Baisa...' came the call eventually, as expected

'Yes Dhani?'

'That girl... she didn't mean what she said...'

Heera sighed. 'I'm sure she didn't...'

'Baisa, I understand you might not want to talk to me about it... but, you can trust me... you can share your feelings with me, if you want' Dhani's voice was brimming with concern, as she caught her breath 'Khan Sahib has returned solely for your sake, hasn't he?'

Heera instantly sat up and turned around to face her maid.

As if putting up with the rest of the gossip wasn't bad enough, had Dhani also decided to get carried away with her own theories? 'What do you mean?'

The maid put the towel down, and took a while to weigh her words carefully 'I... I apologise for having hidden this from you for so long... I wasn't sure of what to say then... but I now know it's wrong to hide this from you any further... I...' lowering her lashes, she cleared her throat nervously 'I... I stumbled upon something at Aidabad, baisa... I... I saw you with Khan Sahib, in the meadows... you were spending time in his company... sharing a conversation... you both seemed close... trust me, I've said this to no one... not even to Gauri...' as she met eyes with her mistress again, her gazes was misty 'you're fond of him, aren't you baisa?'

'NO!' her defensive NO had come quicker than it should have, but Heera carried on 'Stop letting your thoughts wander so recklessly, Dhani... and I don't want you bringing this subject up, ever again...'

'Baisa... our people back home... they're simple... and orthodox... at first, they might not welcome a Mughal man at Parnagarh... but that's until they appreciate the fact that he is a good man...'

'Dhani...' her brows narrowed 'Did you NOT hear me? Or was I NOT clear enough?'

'I apologise baisa...'the maid hurriedly wiped her face 'shall I get you a fresh set of cotton clothes?'

'Not cotton... I'll wear silk today...' countered Heera - as though a reminder of who she really was to both herself, and to the people around her - all praise to the changing situation at the camp!

'Thank you... you may go now'

'Yes baisa...'

Poor Dhani. Neither were her intentions misplaced, nor were her questions. But she scampered off from the spot, assuming that she'd wronged her mistress.

Earlier that morning, after having dusted off the mud from her skirt, replaced the veil on her head and stepped out of the tent - she'd spent time pondering on the recent incidents. A good few hours, in fact. Till she could arrive at some logical conclusions of her own.

'Yes... maybe' she'd grudgingly admitted by the end of it.

Maybe this man who went by the title 'Ustaad' was not as evil as Khalil. Maybe he did not believe in murdering 'innocents' - or her folks would have been dead and buried by now.

And most probably he played no direct role in jiji's death. Aside from her gut instincts, she also recalled how Maharaj kakasa, who'd seen the faces of Khalil's murderous thugs didn't recognise a single face in Aidabad over two weeks.

So, perhaps it was true - Ustaad Sahib and Khalil were two rival groups with differing ethics.

However, 'Ustaad' not being evil, did not mean he was a good man either. He was just another greedy businessman who'd heartlessly betrayed her over and over, so he could use the valleys for personal gains.

And everyone in the Empire was aware of how THAT ruthless fanatical prince treated his Hindu subjects -

Wrecking temples. Obstructing non-Mughal customs and traditions. Imposing stricter punishments and heavier taxes upon Hindus. Waging endless wars for power, thus trampling upon the lives of the poor.

'No! Cannot let that happen... '

As it is, she'd lost the Farmaan. Lost her rights over the land - losses which she already couldn't come to terms with - not today, not ever!

Thus currently, all she had left, was her dear people. She wouldn't let them be taken away too.

Never!

So, she would do whatever she could to keep the dark shadows of Ustaad from falling upon their lives - for reasons both, selfish and selfless.

Obviously, it was because she wanted to protect them and their livelihoods. But, she also wanted to protect their love for her - and that would not be possible if the people found out the 'real' story. That was why Ustaad HAD to stay away.

Moreover, it was the only means to avoid this unwanted wedding. The only means to shut him out of her life and home. Why, the alternate possibility literally sent uncomfortable shudders through her core - imagine sharing her home with the very man who'd mentored her sister's murderer. Imagine sharing her LIFE with him! Sacrilegious!

'No! Cannot let that happen... '

Yes, he might be the Mansabdar of Parnagarh, but he could control the place by staying elsewhere too, couldn't he? Like many other Mansabdars did?

Which is why she'd sent that subtle message through Ibrahim and Sayyid, asking him to leave.

Hopefully, he got the 'message' and would've started making his way out from the camp by now - any man with an ounce of self-respect would.

On the way back..

'What about the other group...' she sighed, keeping her tone calm and indifferent 'have they left?'

'Leaving?' smiled one guard 'Oh no... no... baisa... they're probably resting...'

'Sleeping peacefully, I'd say!'

Her pace slowed down. 'Sleeping?'

'Yes baisa!'

'They've put up a few more tents...'

'Comfortably settled down...'

'What?' her brows knit into a startled frown - which she managed to hide in time, by pulling the border of her veil lower. 'Settled down?'

But the young lady was more than just a 'little' annoyed. 'Put up a few more tents?' So THAT was his answer to her message? 'Comfortably settled down?' So THAT was his sly way of letting her know he wasn't leaving?

Maybe then, her next message shouldn't be so 'subtle'.

Later that night..

Not that the young lady was the least bit interested in seeing him. But she was interested in receiving a response for her message! Did he even read it yet?

Anyhow, on the way back to her own tent, she'd stop by and find out.

Even later ... at midnight..

'Hmmm' The young man sniffed in the air, slowly and deeply. The scent of wet Earth 'Lovely'. Mixed with the fragrance of wild flowers 'Divine'.

Nevertheless, when he woke up, he welcomed this bizarre one-off occurrence - in fact, celebrated it with a delicious hot supper - and then strolled off to the stream for a midnight swim.

Now, after an invigorating bath, as he sat with his chest exposed to the naked flame of a campfire, waiting for his muscles to soak in the heat, waiting for his skin to absorb the medicinal oils, Akbar was a new man - with half the pain gone. Every so often, when a gust of wind would blow past, the hair on his body would stand on end, and his skin would twitch, complaining of the cold. But, he didn't mind the sweet torment of the chilly breeze that the dead of night brought with it.

Just like how he didn't mind the sweet torment that came from reading her spiteful message, by the soft fuzzy light of the campfire.

Respected Mansabdar of Parnagarh...

With a faint smirk, Akbar put the scroll down and pushed a few twigs of firewood in - the crackling flashes of light reflecting the brilliance of his sharp features.

She might have a hundred reasons to want him to leave, but his one reason to stay within Parnagarh outweighed it all! 'I'll undo your fears, one by one... first and foremost, I need to convince you that I'm not a greedy businessman out to destroy the place for money and power... quite the opposite, in fact!' Picking up a set of fresh cotton bandages, he wrapped them around the cuts on his palm. 'But how much ever I explain... you're never going to believe my words, when I say I'm only a simple man, are you? Anyway...we'll see what happens tomorrow...'

Next Day..

As she'd somehow come to guess, no reply came that morning either.

Nor that noon.

In fact, by evening she'd stopped caring for a response. She'd become much too busy supervising her maids as they reorganized and rearranged an array of trunks - the bustle transforming her tent into a cradle of chaos.

Suddenly, a soft tap on her left shoulder drew her attention away from the bustle.

'Baisa...' Dhani whispered, kneeling beside the Lady 'this message is for you... it's from Khan Sahib... one of his men handed it over to me...'

'Oh...' Heera slowly sat up, a gentle frown eclipsing the calmness gracing her features.She picked up her reading lens and waited for her maid to step aside before unfurling the scroll - not knowing what to expect.

Respected Sahiba,

I hope you have rested well. I received your message and read it with interest, though I must admit that I cannot agree with all the terms enlisted in it.

If you have time to spare, please visit my humble dwelling now, and we can discuss it formally.

Regards,

Akbar Mahmoud Khan.

Originally posted by: Sabdabhala

Posed with that fat book on an armchair, the Begum was oblivious to how attractively her fingers ran patterns along the side of her neck during spells of casual reading. At times, while trying to decode particularly-tougher phrases, she seemed to bite her lip till it changed its pink. Other times, her throat swallowed back a silvery sigh whenever the text got too tiresome.
And as if all those images of his lovely wife weren't tantalising enough - his eyes seemed to enjoy the thrill that came from thieving glances of someone, who could sense the 'theft' but not catch the thief red-handed.
Nevertheless, if he did not want the evening to be merely about 'thieving glances', he better focus on his work alone, for the next half hour or so.
So, after that intriguing pause - the effects of its intrigue fresh in the air - he returned to his paper as did she to hers.

Originally posted by: Sabdabhala

HERE IS ONE SCENE FROM NJAPA 😳
Caught up in the tenderness of the moment, the pair continued glancing at each other. Soundless. Entranced.
Unaware of the passing instants, she blissfully basked in the warmth of his stares - hypnotized by the power it held over her.
Unaware of the passing instants, he grew engrossed by her grace. Taking in the beauty of her now 'slightly amended' features. The beauty of a 'new' set of expressions on her face. And most importantly, the beauty of her nature - to strive to sustain a smile despite all those physical changes.
God! She was attractive - by virtue. He could sense it. Right then. Right there. He was developing a fresh crush on her! The boyfriend in him was thirsting to ditch-it-all and delve in with a bold move. To seize her waist. To dig his fingers into her back and tug her close. To avail some form of physical intimacy. However, he kept those fantasies under wraps, since the carer in him wasn't so sure about her physical or emotional state-of-mind yet.

❤️

Please do not disturb me. I am reading Lavanya's choice of romantic excerpts..

And then I read about fasting and became...

Having said that - truly.. yes... your first excerpt does fit the quote! 👏

Edited by lashy - 7 years ago