Love and Redemption

Chapter 16

Wearing a bright red colored skirt with a matching blouse embellished with regal gemstones, the authoritative queen of the prosperous kingdom of Vijaygarh, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore truly looked like a celestial maiden descended down on this Earth.

She came out of her royal palace to see the royal guards and a beautifully decorated palanquin for her.

Smirking at the sight of the golden palanquin, Aparajita simpered as she instructed her bodyguard, Avdhesh Singh Ranawat to get Shera, her black shiny horse.

The old king, Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore said, “Daughter, the queens go to the royal temple in palanquins this day”, as he signaled towards the palanquin that was ready with two royal servants to take the queen to the temple.

“Dear father, queens are also not expected to be the crowned ruler of Vijaygarh”, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore said with immense authority and pride. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she said, “I will go on my horse like the ruler is expected to reach the temple”.

Aparajita smirked as the royal guards hailed the shouts of joy for her longevity getting genuinely impressed by her decision. Being the ruler, she did not consider herself any less her male counterparts because she knew she was not meant to be a fragile princess who shall find her Prince Charming one day.

Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore was very well-aware of the fact that she was born to be the powerful queen and rule the hearts of her people rather than a tender girl who shall try to win the heart of her husband. Being the empress, she knew she was no less than any emperor and hence, she was capable of going to the temple for annual ritual on the horse like an emperor is expected to do.

Climbing on her horse, the young seventeen year old queen drove towards the temple. Clad in the heavy jewelry and a bright red dress, she looked regal as her horse galloped on the streets of the kingdom towards the hills of Shatakshigiri. The royal temple was located on the hilltop and the terrain was risky but the brave queen had confidence on herself and her capabilities. She knew she was not fragile to go to the temple in a palanquin because she was the brave queen of Vijaygarh who had responsibility of her people on her shoulders.

The natives of Vijaygarh welcomed their illustrious queen Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore enthusiastically by showering the rose petals on her. Aparajita’s father, the old king, Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore was indeed overwhelmed to see the popularity of her daughter amongst the people of Vijaygarh because never in his reign, had he received such a grand welcome on the annual festival. He knew his daughter was working efficiently for the people and he was proud of his upbringing.

He was delighted to see his motherland progressing in incredible way with construction of myriads of canals for the purpose of irrigation, roads for the safety during travel, roadside inns for travelers to stay at night, shelter homes for the poor and plentiful of other good things. The only void was the absence of his brother and his family. The old king missed his brother and his nephew a lot. He always wanted his brother to live peacefully in Vijaygarh but he failed to understand the differences between his daughter and his brother’s family.

Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore indeed, could never understand why his daughter Aparajita did not get along with his brother Ajeet Singh Rathore, his nephew Vikrant and his sister-in-law, Shyambhavi Devi. The old king new that his brother was staying in the tribal village of Pranathgarh in penance and he wanted his brother’s family to grace the annual festival in the ancestral temple however, he knew his daughter, the queen Aparajita Singh Rathore shall never allow their presence and hence, he did not even request his daughter to do that.

Amidst the crowd, Veerbhadra was lustfully admiring the beauty of seventeen year old Aparajita who walked gracefully along the passage towards the ancestral temple of the Rathore clan. Clad in the regal red attire, Aparajita was an impeccable combination of royalty, authority and innocence. The guileful prince of Shivgarh, Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput was indeed, drowned in the serene beauty of Aparajita who looked like a goddess herself.

This day Veerbhadra had indeed seen an innocent queen trying hard to break the stereotypes of the male dominant Kshatriyas. Being a Rajput, Veerbhadra knew how difficult it was for his goldfish to carry out the responsibility of a ruler without making a mistake unlike her male counterparts. Veerbhadra saw Aparajita’s anxiety to be perfect on all terms as a ruler masked under her emotionless face. Involuntarily, he smiled realizing the perseverance and determination of the innocent queen trying hard to impress everyone.

Being a man who respected women and promoted the ideas of women emancipation, Veerbhadra Singh Rajput was indeed inspired by the beautiful queen who could not afford making a mistake. He realized the irony that if she was a male and would take a wrong decision, the royal ministers would surely give another chance to improve but since, Aparajita was a female, he knew the royal ministers envied her and were waiting for her to commit a mistake.

As this thought crossed in the mind of the guileful prince, Veerbhadra found a devious plan to crumble the innocent Aparajita.

As much Veerbhadra tried to engross into the good virtues of the queen, he could not because he remembered the innocent girl who appeared a pure angel was actually a cold-hearted filthy murderer who had slit his grandfather’s body into two halves. As much as the prince of Shivgarh, Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput tried to forget, he could not overlook the fact that Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore killed his brave grandfather, the then king of Shivgarh, Maharaja Mahendra Singh Rajput.

Strengthening his resolve to take revenge, the shabbily dressed Veerbhadra carefully watched his opponent Aparajita Singh Rathore who sat down in front of the holy fire as the priest chanted holy mantras to invoke the Goddess Durga.

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