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

32//~apharan~

The very next day, our engagement date was decided. Torunmal's parents were extremely excited but ranima and Ranaji were not. The date was decided for tomorrow and while I hated the mere idea of it, they pressurized us to do it.

"Ajabde, mana kar dijiye," Heer whispered to me. "Ense, vivah karengi? Ense?"

"Heer, chup ho jaiye," I said. "Humare hone wale pati hain,"

At that moment, Torunmal smiled at me and I had to smile back to be polite. Kuwnar Pratap glared at him and got up. He stood in my way and began talking to Torunmal.

Phool and Heer started laughing.

"Yeh tottamal aapse saghai kya? Do kshan dekh bhi nahi payega," Heer said.

I got up and left the room to go to my own bedroom. A few minutes later, Kunwar Pratap allowed himself in eating peanuts.

"Hum antim baar pucch rahe hain," he said. "Aap mana karengi is vivah ke liye?"

"Dekhiye-" he cut me off.

"Haan, ya na?" he said.

"Nahi," I replied firmly.

"Thik hain, to hume aapka apharan karna hoga aur sagai ke murat ke paschat hi layenge aapko vapis," he said.

"Aap aisa kuch kar hi nahi sakte," I said.

"Krishnaji ne bhi Rookmani ka apharan kiya to hum kyun nahi kar sakte hain?"

"Rookmani ne khat likh kar nimantran bheja tha Kanhaji ko," I replied smugly and left him unable to come up with an answer. "Kyun? Ho gayi bolti band?"

"Hum jaante hain, balki sab jaante hain ki aap humare hi saath vivah karna chahti hain to hume kisi nimantran ya amantran ki avarshakta nahi hain," he said. "Aap to bus tayar ho jaiye apne apharan ke liye,"

"Iska upay to hum dhoondke rahenge," I said and walked out of there to find Ranima. Surely, Ranima would think that this was inappropriate and stop Kuwnar Pratap. I spotted her just down the hall with Ranaji. Even better, he was the one who had wanted me married off in the first place.

"Khama Gani Ranaji, Ranima," I said. "Hume aapse bohoth hi mahatvapurna vishay mein baat karni hain,"

"Kya hua?" Ranima asked.

"Humara apharan hone wala hain!" I exclaimed.

"Hey Eklingji, aapka apharan? Kaun dusht aisa karne wala hain?" Ranima asked.

"Dusht mat kahiye unhe, veh dusht nahi hain," I said autmatically.

"Koi aapka apharan karne wala hain aur hum usse dusht bhi na kahe? Kaun karen wala hain?" Ranima asked.

"Kuwnar Pratap!" I exclaimed.

"Oh," Ranima said. All of the worries left her face. I looked at Ranaji, he too had a jolly expression on. What was wrong with these 2?

"Aap dhyan rakhiyega," Ranaji said.

"Kya? Aap unhe kuch nahi kahenge?" I asked Ranaji and Ranima.

"Ab apharan to yodha hi karte hain," Ranima said.

"Krishnaji ne Rookmani ka kiya tha," Ranaji said. "Aur Mahan yodha, Prithviraj chauhan ne Sangyogita ka bhi to kiya tha,"

"Aur hum kaise rok sakte hain apne putra ko mahanta ki raha pe chalne se kaise rok sakte hain?" Ranima asked me rhetorically.

"Parantu Ranaji, aap hi ne to hume vachan mein bandha ta!" I said.

"Jaante hain jo kadachit humare jeevan ki sabse badi bhul hain." Ranaji said. "Hum mukt karte hain aapko uss vachan se. Kash humare haath na bandhe hote swayamvar ki goshna se. Parantu, humara saari shubkamnae aap hi ke saath hain,"

And then they walked away laughing. I went to Manjrima as well but she was little to no help. I knew better than to go to Dheerbaiji so I went to Veerbaiji.

"Hum to kehte hain karva hi liye apna apharan," she suggested smiling before leaving to go do her own tasks. Nobody in this huge palace was going to help me.

:~:~:~:

"Ahh!" I screamed.

"Kya hua?" Saubhagyavti asked rushing to my aid. I looked around. No Kunwar Pratap, I wasn't going to be kidnapped- yet.

"Ab-uh, hume na vishram karna hain to aap chali jaiye yaha se," I said.

"Parantu-"

"Chaliye!" I said leading her out and shutting the door. It was nearly night. I hurried to my room window and grabbed a huge dupatta. I secured it around the pillar and made sure it was secure and then using it I carefully lowered myself to the floor. I had a few more feet left when the dupatta gave away and I fell.

Just like the last time, the 6-foot drop never came. I looked up to see Kunwar Pratap holding me in his arms. A few moments later, the dupatta fell on top of us.

I was getting major deja vu. I stared into his eyes and the thought of being married to anyone else but him made my heart ache.

Finally, he put me down.

"Ab uh, aap kya kar rahe hain yaha?" I asked him before he could switch the topic to me.

"Humne aapko kya eetna dara diya ki aapne mahal se hi bhagne ki yojna banna di?" he asked. He sounded sincere and so I was inclined to believe him.

"Aisi koi baa-"

"Hum aapki ichha ke virush kuch nahi karenge, yah to aapko patta hain na?" he said.

I did know that but lately, I haven't had much time for self-reflection.

"Aap jaiye aur so jaiye nirbhig hoke. Hum aapka koi apharan nahi karne wale," he said.

He led me to my room and after dropping me off, he left. I hurried out of my room quietly and headed to the top of the palace. The place that Kunwar Pratap had shown me over a year ago.

I went to go sit by the stars desperately missing my mother.

"Ma tu hoti to mujhe ye koi doovidha hi na hoti," I said to the stars. My mom had to be listening from somewhere. I let the tears fall because at this moment, it wasn't important to hide them. I wish I could give in to my wishes and feel truly secure in my position.

:~:~:~:

"Kya veh sagai chhodke bhaag gaye?!" I exclaimed. I had fallen asleep under the stars and the moment I had woken u and went downstairs, a smug-faced Kuwnar Pratap greeted me and informed me that my to-be-husband had run away from his own engagement. I looked at Kunwar Pratap, he had definitely done something to scare him off.

"Aap hi ne kuch kiya hoga!" I said.

"Nahi nahi, humne kuch nahi kiya," he said.

"Hum aapko jaante hain," I said. "Aapne kuch na kuch to kiya hi hoga,"

"Kuch nahi bus sambhavta kaal humne thoda ghoor ke dekha tha pa-"

"Dekha! Hum jaante the ki aap hi ne kuch kiya hoga. Aap hi ke vajay se bhage hain veh," I said.

"Ajabde. Kya aap aise ladke se vivaah na kar pane ka shok mana rahi hain jo humare matra ghoorne bhar se bhag jaiye? Kaisi veerangana hain aap?" he said.

"Aap-" I was about to say something but then realized he was right. Torunmal was everything I didn't want in my husband and I was 100% glad he had run away but still, now I had no one to marry. Without another word, I stomped out of there and back to my room to sulk at my rotten luck.