The golden dome of the royal palace of Vijaygarh was gleaming the radiant light of exquisite stones. The sparkling white pillars were beautifully decorated with exotic roses, orchids and carnations. The ostentatious palace was graced with the presence of wise ministers, brilliant teachers and other affluent people of the royal society.
Clad in a maroon skirt embellished with regal gemstones and weaved in fine silk, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore entered the flamboyantly decorated royal court and sat on the throne of Vijaygarh with an excited smile on her face. Her father, the old king, Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore had plans to make an announcement in the royal court.
The queen smiled warmly looking towards the prince of Shivgarh, Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput who winked at her. Clad in a royal blue, long sleeved tunic embroidered with brocade silk and embellished with exquisite gemstones, the prince was sitting on one of the upholstered royal chairs along with his parents, the old king Maharaja Jai Singh Rajput and the queen, Maharani Naina Devi. After six long months of the accident, the prince had fully recovered, adding to the joy of his parents and of course, the queen.
Among the ministers sat Uday Singh Chauhan with a broad grin on his face after all, the queen had promised him that she would announce his marriage with Nandini, his lady love, on this day. He was anxious about the reaction of the ministers and the royal priest but he had confidence that the queen would manage everything efficiently.
On a regal throne that was reserved for the royal family members, sat Nandini in her glory. Since last few days, she had lost her charm since her training sessions had finally come to an end and along with those sessions, the prospect of meeting Uday Singh Chauhan had also ended. With a forlorn smile, she stared at Uday who seemed to be lost in his own world.
In the crowd, stood Avinash Singh Shekhawat, the headman of Pranathgarh admiring his happy daughter. He was grateful to the queen of Vijaygarh for providing shelter to his widowed daughter and giving her a respectable life. Today he was invited in the royal palace and he was nervous about the sudden invitation.
Amidst all this pomp and show, the learned priest of the ancestral temple of Shatakshigiri, Acharya Paramanand Bhardwaj graced his presence and the queen stood up and bowed down in front of the priest out of respect. The priest took his seat on one of the designated royal thrones when one of the royal ministers, Dharmendra Singh announced the arrival of the old king, Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore.
Once the echoes of the shouts of joy had settled down, the old king, Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore stood up from his royal throne to make an important announcement. “Dear residents of Vijaygarh, today I am here to share a very important news with everyone. With Almighty’s grace, I and the king of Shivgarh, Maharaja Jai Singh Rajput have taken a significant decision for the benefit of both the kingdoms. With mutual consensus, I announce that the wedding ceremony of the queen of Vijaygarh, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore and the prince of Shivgarh, Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput, will be held on the full moon day of the coming month.”
On the one hand, the lavish walls of the palace echoed with the shouts of joy as the royal residents showered blessings for the blissful future of the couple while on the other hand, the wise ministers were worried about the future of Vijaygarh.
Under the leadership of the efficient queen, the prosperous kingdom of Vijaygarh had achieved unattainable heights. The treasure of the kingdom was filled with the revenues generated from trade and three victorious battles were fought in her reign.
Marriage of the queen meant that Vijaygarh would be handed from her capable hands to her husband’s as per the norms of patriarchal society. Under her short reign that seemed to come to an end, the royal ministers had realized Vijaygarh could never get a capable ruler as efficient as their young queen, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore.
Before any of the ministers could question about future of the throne, the prince of Shivgarh stood up to address the royal assembly. Humbly, he requested, “Honorable king, I have a request to make. I want the respected queen, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore to carry on with her duties as an efficient ruler of both Vijaygarh and Shivgarh after the wedding take place.”
When his father, Maharaja Jai Singh Rajput beamed in pride after all, his son was making a right choice upon being on the path of redemption, Veerbhadra took a deep breath, as he continued, “I, Veerbhadra Singh Rajput, want to shun my title of ‘Yuvraj’ and I want to be addressed by my name. I shall aid the virtuous queen with my valuable suggestions but I want her to be the sole leader of her people after all, she has proven all her capabilities.”
With tears in their eyes, his parents nodded supporting him in his decision while the lavish walls of the palace echoed with the shouts of joy. The wise ministers of Vijaygarh were elated with the decision taken by their future king. Everyone in the royal court was satisfied after all, the reigns of their kingdom remained in the capable hands of their queen, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore.
The old king, Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore stood up and patted on the shoulder of his future son-in-law appreciating his decision while Veerbhadra bent down to touch his feet to take his blessings.
With a shy smile on her face, the queen expressed her mirth as the little girl inside her was squealing in joy. She respected the decision of Veerbhadra and she was satisfied with her life. The marriage with Veerbhadra retained her title of the ruler of the vast kingdom of Vijaygarh that had prosperous provinces like, Shivgarh, Narendragarh, Rajgarh and many others.
Amidst everything, the queen glanced at Nandini as she announced, “Attention everyone. I want to thank you for your blessings. On this beautiful day I want to announce the wedding of Nandini Singh Rathore with Uday Singh Chauhan on the same day of my wedding ceremony.”
With shock written on everyone’s face in the royal court, the eerie silence crept inside the royal court. The queen had indeed, brought up the forbidden topic of the wedding between a royal widow and a soldier. All the eyes present inside the royal court gazed at Nandini and Uday.
When many minds were speculating the possibility of this sinister relationship and forming opinion about the character of the couple, the royal priest hollered, “This is a sin and I will not allow any such thing to happen", attracting attention of all the learned men inside the court.
Even before the queen could speak, the lavish walls of the royal court resonated with the cacophony of harbingers of patriarchal society who were opposing this decision. Uday and Nandini were anxious and afraid of the outrage as the royal ministers bashed the queen.
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Hi everyone
This is the second last chapter of this book. I am really overwhelmed on this journey that is finally coming to an end. 🥰
Last chapter is coming up in two hours. It will be followed by an Epilogue which I need to write. 😅
So, I am curious to know how would Nandini’s marriage happen owing to the fact that she is a widow and there are many restrictions regarding a widow remarriage. 🤔
Stay tuned, and please VOTE, COMMENT and SHARE YOUR VIEWS. Each and every comment means a lot. 💚
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Love you all
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