CHAPTER 3
"Ajabde ki kundli?!"
"Haan Hansa. Ajabde ki kundli."
To say she was shocked was an understatement for Hansa. Her daughter, her Ajabde! Was she dreaming? Was she hallucinating? And if she wasn't, was Jaiwanta implying what she was thinking? Was the kundli needed for.....
"Jaiwanta. Kya aap Ajabde ki kundli iss liye le jaana chahti hai kyuki.."
"Kyuki hum unka aur Kunwar Pratap ka rishta karwaana chahte hain. Ranaji bhi iss samay Rao Ji se iss hi vishay mein baat kar rahe hain."
Jaiwanta looked at Hansa's face for a second. She was completely blank. Not a single, slight frown.
"Dekho Hansa. Hum jaante hain ki aapse itne varshon tak sampark na rakhke hum pehle hi bohot badi galati kar baithe hain. Aap Kunwar Pratap ko itne acche se jaanti bhi nahin hongi. Kintu hum Ajabde ki zimmedari lete hain Hansa. Hum unhein khush rakhenge-"
"Jaiwanta. Humein uss baat ki koi chinta nahin hain. Humara toh saubhagya hoga yadi Ajabde aapke ghar paanv bhi dhare to. Kintu aapke ghar ki Laxmi bannaa..Yeh naahi humne unke liye socha tha aur naahi unhone kabhi aisa socha hoga. Jaiwanta.... Kyun chahti hain aap Ajabde ka haath apne Ram jaise putra ke liye? Unhein to koi Rajkumari mi-"
"Hansa! Kya aap Ajabde ko jaanti nahin? Yadi humara putra Ram hai to kya Ajabde Seeta nahin? Saara Bijoliya kehta hai ki Ajabde, saakshaat Laxmi hain Bijoliya ke liye! Aap keval humein haan ya naa mein uttar dein Hansa. Nirnay aapka hain. Kintu hum praarthna karte hain ki aapka uttar Haan mein hi ho."
Saying so she left a conflicted mother alone to ponder upon her thoughts. What Jaiwanta had said was indeed true. Ajabde was, like the way Jaiwanta addressed her. Saakshaat Laxmi. Jaiwanta's words kept ringing in her head as a slight but genuine smile crept onto her face.
Humari haan hain Jaiwanta. Ekling Ji ka aneko dhanyawaad. Ajabde, aapka jeevan badalne jaa raha hai.
''KYA???''
''Ajabde...'' ''Baat suniye humari!-"
''Nahin Maa..!'' Unknowingly tears flooded down her doe shaped eyes. For the first time ever in her life, there was a storm brewing inside her which was so strong that if seen in her eyes, one could clearly identify it.
''Aap jaanti bhi hain, aap..kya..keh rahi..hain..?!'' She managed some, in between her sharp sobs.
Seeing her like this pained Hansa to the core. She could sense her daughter was feeling utterly overwhelmed with this sudden outburst of a news.
A NEWS. Why wasn't her mother understanding that it wasn't just a news. Not to her! What happens once she is married to him?
Not to forget. HIM!!
Of all people, was it important for HIM to be her would-be husband? She was sure till now her father would have been on cloud nine and totally acceptable about the alliance.
Did her say in HER marriage even matter? No! Not to her father. She knew he was anyways looking for prospective grooms for her.
''Ajabde, kripaya humari baat sun lijiye.''
Ajabde was numb. She could just hear her surroundings. Sense her surroundings. Why was life so cruel to her?
It was just yesterday that her father had yet again scolded her for showing her face to him and her mother and sister could only scrutinize him.
She was declared a murderer the day she was born and her infant brother died in her mother's womb. Was it her fault that he died? Was it her fault that she- a girl was strong compared to her brother- a boy?
Then she was deprived of literally every happiness which could do her good. Could anyone stay in a single room for three years straight? That too at the age of 4?
Hell, she was nine when she was shown to the world again! And what was the reason? Because she was a SHE?
Suddenly she was reminded. Her father. Totally acceptable of the alliance.
A sudden spark entered her teary, moist eyes and she straightened herself. Wiping her tears, she sobbed one last time and confidently spoke.
''Theek hai Maa. Humein iss vivaah se koi aapatti nahin hain. Hum jaante hain Daata ne ab tak Ranaji aur Maharanisa ko vachan de diya hoga humare sambandh ka. Unki aagya ka anaadar nahin karenge hum.''
Hansa was unable to understand her own daughter's turmoil. What was the reason to her denial to such a great alliance whom every girl of Rajputana would die to get! But then again..she was Ajabde. The one who feared happiness itself!
Hansa hated her husband for making her daughter the way she was today. Did he have ANY emotion named sympathy in his heart?
Arrey she was their daughter for God's sake!
''Ajabde. Aap jaanti hain-''
Ajabde slowly took a step back. The sound of her Payal was enough to stop Hansa mid-sentence.
She slowly started turning back and with each movement she gathered speed. Once her back had fully faced her mother she spoke.
''Humein aaj ke liye akela chhod dijiyega Maa. Humare liye keval itna kar dijiyega.''
Hansa stared at her daughter's retreatimg running figure and let out a deep, painful sigh. She couldn't see her daughter like that. Not now, not ever. Slowly and steadily, balancing her seven month old big belly bump she made way to meet her friend and tell her about the approval for the alliance.
At another part of the palace she made her way to the only place where she felt peace and could find solutions to any problems, be it anything.
Warm, hot tears flowing continuously from her eyes.
She was beautiful, indeed. Her complexion was not the typical beauty types. She was the lightest shade of the dusk ones.
Her lips were small, soft and fluff as a rose petal. Her doe eyes had the world in them. Utter sincerity and truthfulness reflected from them.
Her small nose had an even small nosering made out of silver cupping her right nostril. It was considered a bad omen for unmarried girls to wear gold back then. The first thread of gold a girl would wear was to be given by her mother-in-law in the Ganesh Sthapna function.
The maang tika she wore made her perfectly sculpted face look adorable, but what added to her beauty was something no one could think of. A bindi. Yes, a simple, small red bindi.
She was fifteen, not an adult but in the process of becoming one. And one could easily pick out that she was to become an extra-ordinary beauty one day!
Her Kamarbandh made the thin and sleek shape of her waist visible and it was carefully hidden by the pink semi-transparent odhni she was wearing.
Unknowingly she reached Kanhaji's mandir and stood at the staircase completely blank. That was when she heard someone address her with a name completely new and foreign to her.
''Bhabhisa..''
She slowly, like measuring the length her eyes could travel in one go, looked up at his face.
One could clearly see signs of puberty age in him. His face was devoid of any expression but she could decipher a certain respect in his eyes. Respect, for her.
"Aap..."
"Hum Kunwar Shakti hain. Kunwar Pratap ke-"
"Bhai. " "Hum jaante hain."
"Haan.. woh.. bhai. "
"Aap Ajabde bhabhisa hain na?"
"Uhh...haan..."
Her voice trailed off as she spoke. Partially because she had been crying just a minute ago, but mainly due to the sudden address she heard from her to-be brother-in-law. She didn't know why she was feeling so restless hearing it. It was as if she could sense the utterly heavy responsibilities which were to come.
''Khamma Ghani bhabhisa. Aapse milke bohot prasannata hui."
"Ghani Khamma.. uhh.."
Back in those days ladies weren't supposed to take any man's name. It symbolized the respect one could give to their superior. As if Kunwar Shakti could read her thoughts, he came to her rescue almost instantly.
"Jaise hum aapko bhabhisa bula rahe hain..... waise aap bhi humein devarsa bula sakti hain. Humein accha lagega."
Ajabde felt as if she couldn't breathe. A person she just met was giving her such care, such support, such a small gesture which she was kept away from all her life.
"Dh...dhan..ya...waad...devar...sa."
Her voice hitched. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
Somehow she brushed them away and gave a full, genuine smile to him. The lack of confidence in her voice just a moment ago now seemed to have been completely vanished!
She would keep the best relations with her in-laws, but she would make them with utmost sincerity and honesty. It was highly possibke that some of the family members were not like how they showed to others. She knew how politics worked, it could completely destroy a person, inside out!
Kunwar Shakti was......'amused' could be used to explain his state. He had seen a silhouette coming from a distance, sounds of sobbing coming from within her. As she came close, it did not even take him a second to understand that it was his brother's bride, herself!
He wanted to make her feel comfortable, comfortable enough for her to trust him and his family. He knew if the responsibility was given to his brother, he would have pushed his wife farther away from them.
He could see genuineness in her eyes. That each and every word she uttered, she meant it.
Suddenly realization hit him. His eyes widened. A smirk made way to his lips.
That was it! They were to meet, finally!
He looked back inside the complex of the temple and his eyes widened even further. He just couldn't control his excitement at that moment. His brother was making his way towards him.
He looked back at Ajabde. Her face was calm, and unlike a few moments ago, it was composed.
Haan! Yahi to chahte the hum. Ab milegi Ram-Siya ki jodi.
He was feeling giddy all of a sudden, not able to understand what was happening to him, why was HE so excited when the ones who were supposed to meet weren't even paying heed to their surroundings!
Bohot acche bhabhisa. Samay rehte apna chehra theek kar liya aapne. Warna dadabhai bhi aapko rote huye dekh lete.
Kunwar Pratap made way after seeking blessings from the God, to his brother who was...'standing' at the staircase.
If he was waiting for him to come, his face would have faced him right now and not his back. He wondered what was he doing there, all alone.
Obviously, Ajabde wasn't visible to him as she was standing on the ground and the staircase was seemingly long enough to hide her whole presence!
His hands intersected each other with some hibiscus flowers in his palms. He had offered some to the Lord, but he had always liked hibiscus and took some for his Ranima's Lord.
''Bhai Shakti...Chaliye, ho gaye humare darshan.''
He said as he walked towards Kunwar Shakti. But little did he know what his words and voice did to the person standing there, totally lost of her life.
Ajabde's eyes widened in shock to know that there was someone with Kunwar Shakti in there. As the voice addressed her Devarsa as 'Bhai Shakti', she knew it was him.
Her eyes widened some more as she realized that her soon to be husband was about to see her, way before the Mooh-Dikhayi Rasam, not to forget she looked like a mess right now, and all she was doing was stare confused at Kunwar Shakti!
She quickly regained her senses and was about to turn back but-
''Aap sun rahe hain Bhai Shakti-''
Alas!
He had already reached his destination.
Not only him, but even his eyes had reached their destination, as he didn't even spare a single look to his brother but was completely smitten by the adorable round eyes staring widely at him.
His eyes were fixated at the beauty standing just about a foot or two away from him. To say he was mesmerized would be an understatement for Kunwar Pratap. He was smitten. Held captive.
It was a completely knew feeling for Kunwar Pratap. His heart skipped a beat as he kept staring at her. He couldn't name this...this feeling he was having. He had never even had a look at any other girl other than the ladies of his family, and here he was staring at someone with full authority, as if it was just natural of him to be there, at that place.
Talking about Ajabde...
It was the same for her, but the intensity of the moment hit her much more than it did to Pratap. She was instantly attracted towards him. She could get lost in those heavenly Hazel-Brown eyes of his, and she wouldn't even work a leg to get out of the clutch.
Shakti kept smirking and after a while or so, was starting to get affected by the un-royal behaviour of his brother.
He swiftly cleared his throat, to bring the two...out of their 'trance' where they were transported to.
''Dadabhai...''
''Humein chalna chahiye.''
Suddenly they were brought out of each other's captivity. To feel embarrased and awkward was an understatement for the both of them!
Yeh kya ho gaya humein?? Buddhi bhrasht ho gayi thi humari. Aise kaun karta hai? Kunwar Pratap sambhaal ke! Innke saamne zara raub dikhaiye. Nahi to vivaah ke paschyaat hukum chalayengi!!
Hey Ekling Ji! Humne....humne....apne hone wale pati ko.....aise kaise dekh liya?! Apni bedhyataa mat dikhaiyega inhe Ajabde..! Nahi to vivaah ke paschyaat hukum chalayenge aapke upar!!
Kintu.......hukum chalane vaali dikhti to nahin..ye to kitni shaant dikh rahi hai..
Hey Ekling Ji! Phirse? Bhala apne pati ke baare mein koi aise sochta hai? Aur ye to Kunwar Pratap hain! Shoor-veer! Dayaalu! Ye to kathor ho hi nahin sakte!
''Ji Bhai Shakti. Chaliye.''
They slowly made their way to the inside of the palace, as Ajabde sat on the floor looking at the sun set peacefully and let out a sharp breath she had no idea she was holding!
Unknowingly both had such a strong hold on each other, they themselves couldn't decipher why it was as such.
Unknowingly they gave a part of themselves to each other and the both of them connected,
Heart-to-heart.
❤
A/N:Phew.....!!!
This was soooo long I almost had a heart attack writing it.
Hope you like it🤗
Chapter 4 3rd August.
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