Hi!!😊
Without much time wasting, read and enjoy!!
Chapter one
June 2015,
Nandini is Jagat's fiance a very talkative girl around twenty-one or something; she and Meera were my eyes and ears and sometimes rarely my arms and legs too.
Meera's my cousin sister, a teenage girl who has a very unfortunate habit of getting in to fixes every time she visits India and right under Nana sahib's nose, she's lucky I guess that Maasi sahib's not around much or she would've certainly reconsidered her last will, finally Meera considers herself to be my PA and tries to help and ends up messing my already messed up schedule.
Nandini is much more helpful in that way, she is soon to be my cousin sister in law yet she's much more than a sister to me, someone who manually understands me a lot better than other people do around here. Singing is her passion and also her way of earning her life and she has a wonderful voice I must add. She's simple yet sophisticated and well mannered almost a princess. I can see why my cousin had brother chosen her from all those girls crazy after him. She's Nana sahib's personal favorite why I can't yet work out.
Three of us as Nana sahib calls us are the three musketeers of our unusual family, the royal family of Rajgadh.
Wait a moment, I haven't made the three yet, it includes me too, what should I say in my description? My hairs are shorter than they had been, my eyes a lot darker almost black or they say so, a lot skinnier, and a lot more rosy in the cheeks, as they say I'm not the same person I've always been, I've got to trust them at this as I've got no choice. I don't know whether I'm right or wrong, whether you know me or not, I am Manyata Kumari Singh, the crowned princess of Rajgadh.
I don't remember Rajgadh as I was a kid when I left there, since then I've been living here in Paris with my Maasi sahib and her loving family full of mischief makers.
But..
There's something they don't tell me, something associated with Rajgadh, something they're keeping in secret maybe because they think I'm too fragile for politics. A tiny accident can't be the measurement of your life now can it? It's true that I took a little long to recover and doctors still doesn't recommend me long flights, but I too can take care of my people can't I? Honestly I know the answer, only if I get rid of my daily dose of nightmares.
Those nightmares are filled with dark waters, pain and blood and obviously haunted by loads of noises and voices, no one knows their meaning, I even tried googling them yet no result. They just deprive me from my good night's beauty sleep that's all.
But now I'll wait no more, today's midnight I'll turn twenty-five! That's the age you get your responsibilities as a royal and become a yuvrani! I can't wait to become one, and see what's in store for me, and of cause to go back to Rajgadh!
Or god! So many things changing in one night! Can you believe it?
*
I'm twenty-five, I'm twenty-five, a voice was singing inside my head, so silly of me! A princess doesn't act like this I told my self yet what to do those stupid lips of mine twists in to a dreamy smile whenever I hear that silly voice sing.
"You look dreamy sis" Meera said giving me thumbs up,
"The prettiest Yuvrani ever" Nandini said bowing down, and Meera leapt off the bed,
"Yeah your highness you look just like a crystal doll"
Something cold slid through my throat, doll?
"Hey have you checked the time?" Nandini asked in a raised voice and Meera was gazing at me open mouthed,
"No" She said quickly, "Nana sahib must be coming"
"He should've let me come to Rajgadh" I said for the thousandth time in a disappointed voice. "I can't understand for what is he waiting?"
"For the right time" Nandini said, "Hey CM give me that hair pin please"
I laughed in side my head, CM that was Meera's pet name, as Jagat called her choti and her name was Meera and that strange attitude she possessed, Nandini had nicknamed her CM and Meera called Nandini, BS a short form of Bhabhi sahib. No one here called Meera choti anymore.
Meera dropped the pin and I went for her rescue as I picked that up there was a noise not so normal in our almost too noisy mansion.
Meera ran outside at once saying something like…Naanu" In the top of her voice.
The photographer was half mad and half insane, I heard Nandini mutter something very like a curse word under her breath as he changed our positions for the tenth time, and finally he captured the shot, the royal family of Rajgadh.
It was a tiresome task letting some half insane half mad person capture you in to the most royal way possible, when it was over I was almost dead. After that three hour torture I walked purposelessly in to the poach, Jagat had just returned and his driver was hearing the usual lecture about the time he had wasted on traffic and not wanting to disturb and prevent the driver from taking a golden lesson in his life I walked to the side garden looking at the wildest of all flowers.
"Hey" Nandini said in my ear after a moment, "Waiting for someone?"
"No" I said slowly "just thinking",
"Hmm, that's unusual, about what?"
"Do I know someone who calls me doll?"
She took a moment to answer, "Of cause"
"Who?"
"Nana sahib, he used to call you doll when you were little and kept calling you that until you almost finished collage"
"No one else?"
"Not anyone I know of, why? Do you remember someone calling you doll?"
"Hmm" I thought for a moment, "Not exactly, only a shadow of a shadow of a memory or I might've dreamed it up"
She clapped my shoulder, "You might've, and remember what the docs say? Never stress your mind to remember anything that you don't remember"
"Yeah you're right" I told her, and of cause this was no time to worry.
"After all it's my birthday"
"That's the spirit" Nandini told me.
"What's the time?" I asked her after a moment as I remembered something suddenly, "10.15 why?"
Without waiting to answer her I ran, ran from the fastest speed I could master, how could I forget, how could I forget why I was waiting for my birthday, how could I be so careless?
Again I was too late, there it was the single red rose laying innocently in my bed as though it was always there, as though it was waiting for me.
I picked it up with trembling fingers and felt the freshness in those fragile petals. Once again it was here and I failed to catch who put it there. Shame on my royalty! Taking it I stepped out of my room,
"Seema ji! Seema ji! SEEMA JI"
The woman appeared not with a puff of smoke but with equal speed as if she materialized out of thin air.
"When did this rose arrive?" I asked her pocking it almost into her nose; she looked out of breath probably by running and took a little while to answer,
"I..I don't know your highness"
I sighed,
"Who entered my room after I left it for the photo shoot?"
Again she failed to answer.
"I don't know your highness" She said in a weak voice,
"Alright" I said shutting my door, leaning against it I breathed deeper; once again I failed to discover the biggest secret of my life,
Every year on my birthday, someone leave me a single red rose, no gifts; no notes, no wishes for a long life nothing, just a fresh red rose. Why and who was the only thing I wanted to find out. Every year the rose seemed different and had different message for me, like I'm growing closer to the sender, like I'm getting to know that person yet I was unknown to his identity. And this was my birthday wish I want to see that person in front of me.
*
THE BEAUTIES OF RAJGADH HITS THE HEADLINES AGAIN
Underneath was a picture of the three girls Nandini and Meera on both sides of a gorgeous Manyata. All three of them dressed in white evening gowns and pearls and diamonds hugging each other and laughing, rosy checked and black haired with it was a tasty article about Princess Manyata's birthday party to which many press reporters wasn't invited.
The princess turned legally twenty-five years old last Tuesday and is now ready to be the twenty-first crowned princess of Rajgadh. She seemed to be quite enjoying her time away from her home town and her subjects. Her cousins of cause seemed to be so lost in the party that they were unavailable for comments.
How ever it's said that the princess will be arriving home recently for her coronation ceremony and the fortunate Rajgadh people will see our face of the year among them and hope they'll like this fairy on earth a little bit more that it's rumored they do.
Yuvrani Minakshi who had enough with her coffee threw the cup away which shattered on the floor, and in a few seconds the newspaper had the same fate.
"They call it the picture of the year, how pathetic" She said under her breath and dialed a number,
"Hi darling" She said in a seductive tone and linked her eyebrows together,
"No well I was thinking of something much more romantic sweetheart"
For a moment she listened and laughed coldly and said,
"well well well, be careful now or I might change my mind about awarding your good behavior and something that belongs to you might get hurt, or maybe get lost forever"
She cut the call and smiled a little bit more,
"Well, the fairy on earth you missed a lot going on here"
Someone knocked on her door,
"Come in" She said a lot more happily than she was a moment ago,
*
The swords flashed as beams of silver lights and the figures moved handling them like winds unearthed. It was harder to see any of their features only thing visible was that one swordsman wore white and the other black, that was the only thing you could see from this far.
The white was losing rapidly and the black was too fast and too cruel for it. After a moment the black turned swiftly and vanished before the white could see and reappeared cutting a red line across white's arm.
The man yelled in pain.
"Never ever lose focus" the black said in a cold voice,
"Alright I'm gone" The white raised his hands in surrender but for black the fight wasn't yet over,
He raised the sward one more time,
"Look buddy" The white raised his voice, "You won I lose that's it"
"I don't take it that easy" The black muttered,
At the moment someone clapped, it was a childish sound of too soft hands hitting against each other and s if frozen the black man stopped,
Out of the glass doors of their practicing area a little kid stood his nose pressed against the glass. He was a chubby boy all most three years of age, with rosy cheeks and curly dark brown hairs with large curious brown eyes. He laughed watching the two men fight and showing tiny flash white teeth and said something uncatchable,
The man in black had almost reached the glass walls and stretched out his hand to touch the boy when a pair of feminine hands picked the boy up,
"So how was the surprise?" Mini asked and the man in black removed his mask,
"Get you filthy hands off him" Said yuvraj Udayveer Singh,
"Oh why should I? He's my cute little son isn't he?"
"Minakshi you're provoking me"
"Am I?" Mini laughed and she called out, "Rita"
It was the woman who entered her room previously, "Take him" She gave the boy to Rita who walked him away, the boy seemed too unwilling to go even then he left after a while,
Uday watched him go saying nothing and then Mini spoke.
"Did you like my surprise?"
"I need my child back"
"Oh yes you will get him back, one the deal is over"
She ran one of her fingers along his cheek, "You look tired..And tempting"
"Get off me" He pushed her away,
"Mind your steps sweetheart" Mini whispered in his ear her hands gripping his shoulders, "Or you might lose something valuable, very very valuable"
"You're disgusting"
Mini laughed a little, "Oh come on Uday you say that twice a day, tell me something new, something like how much you love me"
"How about something like get out?
"I'm really sorry..I really don't want to see that child hurt, but what to do when he has such an arrogant father"
"You can't" Uday said in a low tone,
"Yeah I can't be emotional can I?" She said kissing his cheek, "No matter how tempting you are"
"Guards" A voice said behind them, It was an elegant young woman who stood there with an air of disapproval, her nose held high in the air,
"I want all the unwanted things.." she said looking at Mini, "Outside"
"Hi Unnati" Mini said in a gleeful tone,
"Oh hi Mini, didn't see you here as I wasn't hoping to see another..hmm..lady in my brother's arms so soon"
"See you later Uday" Mini said as her farewell, Uday felt like hugging Unnati for what she said and did, but thought better for it as Unnati looked so taken aback,
"How could you change so much dada?"
"Choti it's.."
Unnati smacked her forehead, "I really doubt sometimes that are you my dada or not" she walked to him and frowned in to his eyes, "Because you certainly aren't the person you used to be"
Saying that she left the room and Uday walking to the window looked down at the Mumbai below him,
It was the same room where Manyata came to see him years ago, nothing had changed much only the person who stood there. No longer a prince but the young king of Jaygar and a changed man from every way. Even sometimes the time itself couldn't recognize whether it was the same kind heart it had shattered many times now that it seemed a polished stone.
"Happy birthday doll" He muttered.
A man to the world who knew not the fear of losing and a man in his heart who had lost everything.
*
The night was sweet and charming; I couldn't make myself not to open the window. The rose was still there in my hands and I let the breeze tickle my cheeks with my own hairs.
There was something new about the night maybe it was the rose making me think so, like I was so close to the one who send me that, like we were thinking about each other at that moment. Closing my eyes I felt the touch of the rose, it was gentle and soothing and I whispered though knowing the one who should hear would obviously could not,
"Thanks"
There was that moment each year on my birthday when we talked to each other and our thoughts seemed to connect. Something like a forgotten bit of feeling invoked inside me, something like the feeling of ice on fire, something like the first drops of the rain on your face, something too beautiful and pure to describe, something oddly like love.
**
You reached the end,😊😊
So how was it like??😃
Tell me tell me tell me please..😳😳
Thanks for reading,😃😃
Cham
Udne Ki Aasha
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
