Princess of the dawn

Chapter 70

"The river that flows in you also flows in me!" it echoed in her ears. "Kanha, hold your protective hand over him!" was her last thought. Then she fell asleep.

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After a forced ride of three days and nights, Jalal arrived with Abdul by a retinue of six trusted sipahee in Agra. Atgah Khan was already waiting for him.

"Salam aleikum, shahenshah! You have had a tremendous ride! Rest first!"

"Wa aleikum assalam, Atgah Khan! No, we got here as soon as we could! Tell us of the riots and let us advise what is to be done! Let none dare attack Agra!"

"Jo hukum, shahenshah!" Atgah Khan began to speak. He told of a group of villages thirty kos from Agra who were known for their robbery, manslaughter and boldness. They were in no way inferior to dacoits and kept extending their cruelty. Jalal listened thoughtfully.

"Are they acting on their own? Do we know anything about it?"

"No, nothing Jahanpanah!

"Let us go for the sake of hunting there and let us find out more about it. They must be put in their place once and for all!" he said grimly. "Let everything be prepared for a hunt. We will leave in the dawn. Abdul, tell the royal mahouts to be sure to take Dilsankar with them. And send us the builder Aziz Khan. Then get some rest. Atgah Khan, we'll retire to our chambers now! Khuda hafiz!"

In his chambers, he fell exhausted on his bed. The forced ride was taking its toll. Wearily, he rubbed his hands over his face.

"Shahenshah, ka iqbal buland ho! Aziz Khan requests permission to enter!" a guard announced.

"Let him in!" Jalal stood up."

"Jahanpanah, you have summoned us!" The elderly builder bowed low.

"Ji, Aziz Khan. We have an assignment for you! Fix up the chambers next to mine. Build a pedestal for a shrine in a suitable corner in the room facing the Yamuna and paint the walls with flowers and vines. The chambers are for our new begum, a royal blooded Rajput princess. Bear this in mind when choosing colours and patterns!"

His master builder raised his eyes briefly and looked at Jalal in disbelief. A Rajput princess? And he was to build a shrine in her chambers? A shrine in the fort of Agra?

"Do you get it? And one more thing! Start the work immediately. The harem will arrive in Agra in a few days. Everything must be ready by then! You may leave now!" Jalal dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"Daasi! Prepare a bath for us!"

"Everything is already prepared, Shahenshah!" the maid replied assiduously. Jalal made his way to his private shahi hamam. He stripped off his dusty sweaty clothes and let himself sink into the warm water. Maids began to rub turmeric on his skin and massage his tense shoulders. He closed his eyes and thought of the uprisings and the imminent departure. The insurgents had to be stopped. It would be an easy task to put them in their place once and for all. By the time he returned, the harem would surely have arrived in Agra and with it Jodha! Jodha.... His brow, furrowed with worry, smoothed.

"Takhliya!"

The maids scurried out. He was alone. He sighed deeply and submerged himself in the warm water. No sooner were they united than they were separated again! Why was fate so cruel? He wiped the water from his face. His hand began to tingle and the ring grew warm. Calm spread through him. There was so much he wanted to talk to her about! He wanted to know her interests and inclinations. He wanted to hear her sweet voice, her carefree laugh, he wanted to hold her in his arms. He thought of her tender, warm lips which had shyly united with his. Of her soft body that had nestled gently against him. Just the thought of it kindled a bright fire in him! He would make their suhaagraat special after his return! He would confess his feelings to her in the hope that she returned them! After their first encounter, he had legitimate hopes. Hot flames of passion began to blaze within him and he reached for a pitcher of cold water and poured it over his head. It hardly eased the fire that burned within him!