✔️Tale as Old as Time (Kunwar Pratap/Ajabde [Praja])

23//~fight for her~

In another life,
I'll reach for her hand
and no one will wonder
if we're friends
or something more.

In another life,
I'll kiss her in the streets
to our favorite song
and no one will look at us
like we're doing
something wrong.

-Courtney Peppernell.

"Ajabdeeee! Kuwnar Pratap kab ayenge?" Heer asked clutching her stomach.

"Kisne kaha tha aapko utne saare mirchi ke pakode khane ko?" Kuwnar Shakti asked.

"Ajabde aap inse kaihiye. Hum atiyant pidha mein hain aur yeh hume tane mar rahe hain," she complained to me.

"Thik hi to keh rahe hain," I said.

"Aap dono dusht hain. Bus ab Kuwnar Pratap ko jaldi bulaiye hume vishram karna hain Chittor pohoch ke," Heer said.

"Bus aate hi honge," I said. That's when a dasi came running toward us.

"Lajwanti, aap chali kaha gayi thi? Kal raat se aap nahi dikhi hain hume," Heer said.

"Woh hume avarshak kariye tha," she said quickly pusshing off Heer. "Bhavjiraj ne abhi ke abhi Ajabde baisa ko uss uche wale pahad ki choti pe bulaiya hain,"

"Unhone to bola tha ki veh kuch samay mein laut jayenga taki prasthan kar sake," I said. It wasn't like Kunwar Pratap to call me like that anywhere. And last time that had happened it had been someone else.

"Unse kahiye ki veh turrant laute, hume vilambh ho raha hain," I added.

"Bhavjiraj ne kaha hain ki aap tark vitark nahi kar sakti," she added. I looked at her skeptically, even the others didn't know the exact rules of the bet.

"Ajab, aap ja ke mil aiye anyatha hum Chittor kab pohchenge," Heer said. "Ahhh!"

I looked at her, her health would only worsen if she stayed out in the scorching heat longer.

"Kunwar Shakti, aap Heer ko leke jaiye. Hum Kunwar Pratap ke saath pichhe pichhe aate hain," I said. He nodded and they began getting ready to leave.

"Ganga, aap either hi rookiyega en seniko ke saath. Hum shigra laut te hain," I said to Ganga. She nodded and I left for the mountain. He was so immature sometimes.

I reached the top and saw white pillars set up with pink and orange curtains. The ground was lined with rose petals. If I didn't know any better, it was almost romantic. Was this a joke or did Kunwar Pratap really not know any better?

"Aap kaha hain, shigra aiye hume kuch uchit nahin lag raha hain. Vichitrasa anubhav kar rahe hain," I called out. "Aur yeh aap humara door upyog kar rahe hain. Shurt ki saaza leval kal tak ki thi. Aap hum pe har din aapne adesh nahi thop sakte,"

"Shukriya, yahan ane ke liye shehzaadi Ajabde Kanwar," an unknown voice spoke behind me.

I turned around to see Kunwar Pratp's friend we had encountered on our way to Bijolia. He had this feeling about him that gave me creeps.

"Mashallah kya khoobsurati," he said looking at me.

"Aap vastav mein hain kaun aur yahan kar kya rahen hain?" I asked turning sideways. In this era, letting random men see your face was disrespectful.

"Hum voh hain jo raat din aapke sapne dekhte hain. Hum voh hain jiske samne saara mulk aapna sar jukai khada rehta hain," he said. "Hum voh hain jo chaiye to sari duniya ko aapna gulam bana sakta hain leikin aapke liye hum Agra se yahan tak agay kynuki jab se aap ko dekha hain shehzaadi, humare dil aur dimago mein, khaab aur khyalo mein bus aap hi hain!"