ishq-e-sultaana (akdha ss/ff)

synopsis

when he brought Amer's rose into his harem, she was meant to be a testament to his conquest.

when she agreed to marry him, it was with a vow—to never bow, never break, never be his in any way.

but fate?

fate has other plans.

and it begins with one night in a hammam... where the water is hot and the tension is hotter.

now their worlds are tangled. their bodies? bound.

their hearts? still denying what everyone else can already see

note: this story started with a divergence from a future chapter of the desert's rose and spiraled into its own emotionally charged AU because I lack self-control and the characters demanded chaos.

no, it doesn't follow canon.

no, it doesn't always make sense

yes, I chose to write this anyway

disclaimer

while IES uses the names of two individuals who existed at a point in history, the events of this story are purely fictional and should be treated as such—fiction. and honesty, if you are expecting historical accuracy in a fanfic on Wattpad, you have come to the wrong place 😅.

that being said, this story is not intended to offend anyone from any religious, ethnic or cultural background. I am not of South Asian ancestry, nor am I Muslim or Hindu, and I have taken measures to ensure cultural and religious sensitivities.

I also want to add that this story will not be the clean enemies-to-lovers arc shown in the serial. not every ETL is going to follow that linear path and I am going to add that Jodha and Jalal are not enemies in this story.

this story is written entirely in English, although the dialogue may contain certain words in Hindi, Urdu and occasionally, Farsi. I will ensure to provide translations in English for those who may not be fluent in the three (I am not fluent in any of the three, so be assured, I understand)

constructive feedback and opinions are always welcome. I love to read comments and opinions on each chapter read by my lovely readers and it brings me joy to see y'all's thoughts on certain passages that might have struck a chord in you 😄❤️.

notes and content warning

now, some parts of the plot won't make any sense and to be honest, I have made my peace with that. this is me telling y'all to not expect coherence from this short story because you're less likely gonna find it here 😭🙏🏾.

this started with me diverging from a future chapter in the desert's rose and my brain just had to create a plot from that divergence and here we are.

again, this is not a part of TDR and may not follow the events of the series. however, it does reference certain events in both the series and TDR. here, Jalal and Jodha are no longer enemies—they are still strangers to each other atp but long gone is that tension that marked their relationship. it's like this push-and-pull between them, that's their dynamic. more will come as the plot advances.

that being said, let's get into it.

content warnings:

this story is rated mature

don't read unless 17 and older and don't read if you are uncomfortable with suggestive themes

this is me spoiling this short story for y'all but, this story has the accidental pregnancy trope which I ironically hate, but yeah, that also happened

is it slow burn if they've consummated their union but are still in denial of their feelings? they are both idiots (affectionate) in love

contains moments of power imbalance, given the time settings. initially, it was tempting for me to get rid of it but I didn't find any sensible backstory and decided to keep the power imbalance. however, I believe this makes a lot of Jodha's actions (of resistance, if we might call it that) towards Jalal more significant.

let me just remind you that this will not follow the serial, nor will it be historically accurate as this was, again, a product of my mind going off a tangent but I hope you will love it nonetheless.

this fanfic was written with feminist lenses and themes in mind and there might be accompanying chapter notes

this story is also dark romance adjacent. Jalal might end up being a little too unhinged than his counterpart in TDR. Jodha is not the sanitized sanskari in the serial and she has her own crises of faith and identity. she has her desires, she owns them, no apologies. she's neither madonna nor whore. she's simply human

not a warning per se but Jalal in IES is not illiterate but he has severe dyslexia. this means he can read and write in this story but it will take him a lot of time and patience to read hence why he rarely reads.

not a warning (again), while IES is based on the characters in the serial, my face claim for them while drafting the stories did not really have the actors in mind. for one, Paridhi Sharma is fair-skinned while IES!Jodha is of a medium skin tone (think 90s Kajol, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Bipasha Basu etc). and while you are free to imagine whoever the heck you want to imagine (who am I to police your thoughts?), please keep in mind that there might be some descriptors in the narrative that may not align with what you have in mind for the characters here, especially Jodha.

again, not a warning but constructive feedback is greatly appreciated 😄💜. as you all may know, I am neither Hindu nor Muslim. I am not Indian either and I might get certain things wrong despite my research, so, if I get anything wrong, please do not hesitate to call me out. I am always open to correction.

that being said, thanks again for tuning in 🥰😄

for chapter index, click here

Update soon dear.

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sneak peek— of clarity and fog (💖🕌🛕)

Rest. Reprieve. Release.

Those words stood as luxury for a man who ruled an empire and plotted strategies in his war room and Diwan-e-Khaas. Along with those words was one more—privacy.

One would think that the Badshah Salamat, the Shehenshah-e-Hind, the man who ruled over the Mughal Sultanate, would be treated to that simple luxury, but looks could be deceiving to the eyes, a sage had once claimed.

Jalal would finally find an open window, after a day in the Diwan-e-Khaas with a heated discussion amongst his courtiers on how to resolve a growing rebellion in Punjab. He found his way into his hammam, this time without the company of his bandhis—just him, the steamy fog, the strong fragrances of frankincense and oud and his thoughts for company.

His bare back reclined against the cold tiles bordering the pool while the warm water provided a comforting contrast for his aching muscles.

Ya Khuda, he swore to himself as he shut his eyes tightly. He needed this, more than anything, but more than that—

His mind stopped.

There was someone in here, within this room, and he did not need to guess who it might be as the soft chime of payal rang the herald of their owner.

full release: 18.06.2025

chapter index

of clarity and fog (M) - page one

what have i done - page two

denial is a river (M) - page two

and time came to a stop - page four

going under - page five

promised i'm not alone - page six

Why do I feel like this scene is just his illusion.., it doesn't make sense to move from east to west like that suddenly 🤔🤔

the funny part is that this scene was actually supposed to be his lust-fueled illusion in TDR (especially pre-Benazir storyline). this is the part where my brain did the thing it always does and diverged into what IES will entail 😅😄