NOVEL~*Hiding behind a Stranger*~THREAD 53 - TEASER for 58

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

A perfect penultimate chapter 👏 With a perfect mix of emotions action wit closure and intrigue.👏

Chachajaan who had seen all shades of life now fearing the red... with his sole survival point of life, his son's life at stake. He must have been used to the perils that the Ustaad frequently undertook. But all that was when his son was at his fittest self. And he must have masked the trepidation with jolly banters. The uncertainties of the past month and rumours of the Ustaad's health seem to have bitten into the old man's mask and his sole prop are his prayers.

The men's loyalty and respect and love for their mentor is no less. Good that the Shehzade is out of earshot and the sly old fox is not there to fan his anger.

The lady in blue veil...AMK's mother? And what was her plan? Her manouvre to help AMK survive? Did she alert the Shahenshah and request him to the duel and pardon AMK's sentence. Now that makes me curious as to WHOM she ran away with. A nobleman, someone close to the emperor (or the Emperor himself?😉 )And she is close to the Shehzadi...she is seated in the stands close to her...she must be someone of consequence...🤔... Was she the one who placed Chota Zayaan in the dungeons? OR was she not that influential and Zayaan was her son from her second marriage?

Whatever AMK's mummyji is and is not if she has done or going to do something to save her son's life that she had once abandoned, she would atone for her sins and heal Akbar's hurt to a good extent.

Or she could be someone else altogether.

See Lashy Sahiba, how much curiosity you have generated even in the closing chapters. Kudos to your writing skills.👏

Heera's picture of worry and sorrow...very poignant.👍🏼 So was Azeez's surprise at the return of a 'Chota' as Ustaad's loyalist within his circles. Given Zayaan's attitude that is much like Azeez's, i can forsee a budding friendship.😊

There was a time when the Parnagarhis cheered Mahender and would have done anything to see him defeat a Mughal. But today, they cheered the Ustaad's victory. Goes on to show how much the Ustaad was considered their own. ⭐️

The duel and the roasting in next.😃

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

The duel

You remember the edit of the return of the Ustaad? And all our collective gasps and adoration. You hastily reminded us that it a was figurative edit. 😆 That should have told us that the entry per se was not going to be one to evoke gasps, but nevertheless the duel in itself was a seeti maar one.

The story has defied the regular hero-giri heroine-giri right from the start. Our hero is a recluse, who is focused on the ends rather than the style of the means. Principled disciplined but doesn't put it in the showcase and expect praises or appreciation. (Would have been a sore disappointment to JB) Rather he prefers to be unnoticed till he strikes the final blow.

So is Heera. Unusual for a heroine but for her breathtaking beauty. Can look deep into a person/issue inspite of limited vision. Very cautious willed and strong from within. Yet gentle and calm on the exterior. A young girl with the charms of youth and wisdom of the old.

This duel was no less in its being different. No chest thumping by the hero. No mass entry. No brandishing swords followed by lengthy speeches. He doesn't become He-man magically in two weeks. He gains enough strength to fight but hasto use it wisely for he has one more to go. So he uses strategy than heroism. Tires the swine out. Drains out his josh and makes him frustrated enough to lose his caution. Is tricked once but recovers and strikes back smartly. Plays his cards wisely and reveals his strength only as the duel progresses.

His manipulation wins back the Shehzade's interest.

Chanakya would have simply adored your leads Lashy.

You are a master at action sequences as you are with romance Sahiba. Surely we baisas feel that we have occupied an enclosure at the arena and that the duel took place 'aankhon saamne'. Right from the first clang our cheers were audible, even above the Parnagarhis and Manswaris. Weren't they? 😉

Moreover this chapter was rich in its choice of words and the imagery which made the arena and the duel more realistic.👏

Thankyou for giving the swine his due. 👍🏼

First the demons of guilt.

Fall from confidence.

Fall from pride.

Fall from honour and life.

A handsome life wasted. Like Durga's. But he wrought it upon himself. Unlike her. That is why she died in glory and he in disgrace. Intentions alone do not matter. Ends do not justify means always. And certainly not when it is underhand or backstabbing.

Lashy, i know Mahender was supposed to be lesser of the evils in the story. (Hence the guilt, conscience prick haunt and untimate relief as he breathed his last.)But my hatred for him surpassed the rest.😆

One can argue that AMK too played with Heera's trust to get at the farmaan. Had Heera died un expectantly in the course of his mission then AMK too stands in the same accused box. But it is what they did or would have done AFTER that that tells them apart. Akbar didnt use the 'love' card and go cosy with his mistress. And if Heera had a little sister AMK wouldn't have oggled at her in the garden as the next means to get at the farmaan. His consience would have torn him apart. It is here that the swine loses his respectability. His pride never allowed him to feel any true remorse. He only admitted Durga's loss as unfortunate. Of course his conscience did prick him. Hence her look alike for a wife and the haunting in his last days. And a ll this was only after he was driven to a desperate situation. Had he been hale and hearty in Manswar would he feel Durga haunt hin? He would have been too proud to care. He didnt have the humanism in him to feel sorry or make amends which AMK would have done.

His vanity, ego, lack of principles and inner strength, sense of assumed importance doubles his mistakes and ultimately led to his deserved end. Honestly, I didnt feel any sadness. Just a sense of 'it had to be so'. Had it been anything less it wouldhave been unfair.

Originally posted by: Sabdabhala

HOLA ALL

WHAT AN AMAZINGLY MIND BLOWING CHAPTER THIS WAS LASHY 😲😲

BUT BEFORE WRITING ANYTHING ELSE, I HAVE SOME SERIOUS ADVICE FOR YOU

WRITING ACTION (AND/OR THRILL) IS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST GENRES OF WRITING AND YOU HAVE ACED THE SCENE AND LEFT ALL YOU READERS IN AWE 😲 YOU SHOULD SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT WRITING PROFESSIONALLY. YOUR STORY WRITING IS PHENOMENAL, NO DOUBT, BUT YOU CAN SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT SCREENPLAY AND MOVIE SCRIPT WRITING...DO GIVE SOME THOUGHT

SO GETTING BACK TO THE CHAPTER...

I LOVED READING THROUGH ALL THE REVIEWS - VATHSY, JAMES, KRUTHIK AUNTY, SELVI...SUPERB 👏

SANDHYA YOUR DESCRIPTION OF THE DUEL AND YOUR ANALYSIS OF THE SWINE WERE FANTASTIC ⭐️ YOU HAVE DELVED DEEP AND PUT FORTH SUPERB POINTS 👏

AND I TOO AGREE WITH YOU IN TOTO - KUNWAR'S MISPLACED SENSE OF PRIDE WAS HIS ULTIMATE UNDOING, AND, AS LASHY CORRECTLY SAYS, WHAT A SAD WASTE OF A LIFE THERE ARE INNUMERABLE EXAMPLES IN HISTORY OF ROYALS WHO FACE A SIMILAR STATE...AND YET SOME OF THEM NEVER LEARN

THE LADY IN THE BLUE VEIL 😉 WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A W&W FROM LASHY SAHIBA 😉 😕 BESIDES WHICH, I HAVE LITTLE FAITH IN THESE WOMEN FROM THE EARLIER TEASER I COULD NOT MAKE OUT WHETHER SHEHZAADI WAS A FRIEND OR A FOE...AND LOOK AT THE HAVOC SHE WREAKED ON HEERA AND US ON APPEARING 😡 SANDHYA HAS GIVEN THIS SOME THOUGHT AND HER SCENARIOS ARE HILARIOUS 😆 SHE COULD INDEED BE SAHIB'S MOTHER, AND AS SANDHYA RIGHTLY SAYS, IF WHATEVER SHE HAS BEEN PLANNING BEARS FRUITION THEN SHE WOULD GET A CHANCE TO ATONE FOR HURTING HER SON, AND THE PERSON WHO LOVED HER IMMENSELY 😭 THERE COULD VERY WELL BE A SITUATION THAT THE NEXT DUEL GETS CANCELLED 😕 I AM EXCITED AT THIS DEVELOPMENT...

THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR WRITING, LASHY, IS THAT IT IS ALWAYS UNEXPECTED..I HAVE OF COURSE SAID IT A MILLION TIMES...😉 EVEN THOUGH I KNEW WELL ENOUGH THAT THERE WOULD BE DUEL IN THIS CHAPTER...I COULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED IT TO PLAY OUT THUS...YOUR MODUS OPERANDI IS JUST MIND BLOWING ⭐️ GRADUALLY UNFOLDING THE SCENES...THE LONG DESCRIPTION OF THE ARENA, WITH EACH COLOR EXPLAINED IN DETAIL...CHACHAJAAN'S GUT WRENCHING LAMENT...HIS DILEMMA ABOUT WITNESSING THE DUEL...HIS DECISION OF STAY AND WATCH 😭 SAHIB'S MEN...WORRIED ABOUT HIM AND DISGUSTED AT THE HUZOOR...

THE SHEHZAADE...GOSH...SO MANY THOUGHTS...👏 BUT OVERPOWERING ALL OF THEM, HIS STUBBORN REFUSAL TO LISTEN TO HIS HEART 😡

SHEHZAADI BANO...WORRIED ABOUT HER HUSBAND AND YET PROUD TO EVEN GIVE A SECOND THOUGHT TO HEERA'S SUGGESTION...BUT I GUESS THE POOR WOMEN DARE NOT...IF SHE VALUES HER POSITION

WHERE IS FS??? I SWEAR IF HE IS AIDING KHALIL IN SOME WAY OR JEOPARDISING SAHIB IS ANY WAY 😡 I AM GOING BACK IN HISTORY TO STRANGLE HIM WITH MY BARE HANDS...BUT BEING MORE ASTUTE THAN HUZOOR...COULD IT BE THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MADE A HASTY RUN...

HEERA...SUCH A SAD AND DEPLORABLE STATE...😭

THEN SUDDENLY THE LADY IN THE BLUE VEIL...DARE WE OR DAREN'T WE HOPE..

MAHENDER...WORRIED AND TRYING TO JUSTIFY THE MESS HE HAS GOTTEN HIMSELF INTO...

SUDDENLY WE MOVE TO THE ACTUAL DUEL...AN ABSOLUTE EDGE OF THE SEAT THRILL RIDE...EVEN THOUGH ITS PACE WAS SLOW AND ITS SETTING PLACID...

SWINE LIVED UPTO HIS NAME BY GETTING A POISON LACED KATAAR 😡 WONDER WHAT KHALIL WILL GET...

DURGA FINALLY GETTING AVENGED...I GUESS SHE CAN REST IN PEACE NOW...I WAS MORE ASTONISHED THAT MOHAN BANNA ECHOED THESE SENTIMENTS...SINCE THIS WAS NEVER OPENLY MENTIONED, I HAD KIND OF FORGOTTEN THAT SAHIBS MEN AND PARNAGARHIS MUST HAVE EXCHANGED SEVERAL DETAILS AND FILLED EACH OTHER IN...

CHACHAJAAN'S LOUD WHOOP OF JOY...

BUT ACCORDING TO ME THE MASTERSTROKE OF THIS CHAPTER WAS CHOTA ZAYAAN 😉 KUKU'S AZEEZ HAS A NEW REASON TO LIVE😉

WOW WOW WOW ⭐️ THANKS FOR THIS MAGICAL TREAT

P.S. I TOO FELT THAT THE RED LINES APPEARED TOO SOON...SO TELL US...IS C58 +EPILOGUE GOING TO BE THE FINAL COUNT OR WILL IT BE 59+EPILOGUE??

P.P.S I DID NOT THINK THE EDIT WAS FIGURATIVE AT ALL...A TAD MISLEADING, MAY BE...