Love and Redemption

Chapter 82

Uday Singh Chauhan prayed for the well-being of his friend, the prince of Shivgarh Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput while he dragged the culprit fiercely. Throwing the timid tribal, Ajay who was shivering in fear, in the feet of the queen breaking her reverie, Uday spoke gently, “Your Highness, someone pushed you away after noticing this man who was trying to kill you while you were fighting the dual.”

“I am sorry, Your High.. Highness”, Ajay apologized stuttering in fear.
When Uday smacked his head and asked him to speak clearly, he took a deep breath and continued, “Our honorable Lord, Ajeet Singh Rathore had ordered me to do this. I am extremely sorry.” The tribal man was extremely frightened at his fate after getting caught red-handed.

“Avdhesh Singh Ranawat, take him to the dungeons alive”, the mighty queen roared in anger with expressionless tone leaving Uday baffled.

Reminiscing the hazel green eyes she had seen a while ago, Aparajita’s heart clenched at the mere thought of Veer getting hurt as she recognized the devastated Uday standing in front of her.

Keeping herself strong, she asked in a trembling voice, “Who was he, Uday?”
Uday trembled more looking at the unshed tears in the queen’s eyes whose voice had turned heavy. “On your right, honorable queen”, Uday mumbled as he wiped his tears.

As soon as Aparajita turned to look on her right, she zoned out at the mere thought of losing Veer. Despite she despised him for breaking her trust, she was ashamed to feel disgusted looking at him moments ago. She realized he was there to help her and perhaps, redeem his deeds. Her heart ached as guilt seeped in when she thought her friend had sacrificed his life for saving her.

“Veer”, she shrieked out loud attracting the attention of army generals as sudden realization dawned upon her.
She was horrified understanding that the prince of Shivgarh had taken a venomous spear upon himself to save her life. Pulling the lifeless body of Veerbhadra in her feminine arms.

Aparajita cried her heart out hugging her beloved in her arms. She was shattered looking at the pale body of her friend which was turning blue.
Hugging him tight, Aparajita gently pulled the venomous spear from his neck. Tearing a piece of cloth from her white warrior-dress, she carefully tied the tourniquet to stop the spread of deadly poison. Reminiscing her conversations with Veer in the forest, she cried heart out shrieking in agony and pain.

The soldiers of Vijaygarh were dumbstruck witnessing the disheveled state of their queen. Avdhesh Singh Ranawat rushed towards the tents of the royal physician to call him and treat the injured prince of Shivgarh. Uday was crying all the while witnessing the unfathomable love between the two royals who had definitely faced the wrath of their destiny.

Squatting just beside the queen, Uday Singh Chauhan gently touched the wrist of his friend trying to find his pulse. His heart ached at the thought of losing Veer, his childhood friend. The tears trickled down his face as the bitter-sweet memories of his childhood days spent with Veer flashed in front of the eyes of Uday. He was elated to find collapsing pulse of his friend.

Nervously, Uday pleaded, “Please take him to the physician”, joining his hands in front of the army while Avdhesh Singh Ranawat escorted the royal doctor.

“Your Highness”, the physician called the queen gently who was still hugging Veerbhadra in her arms oblivious to the fact that thousands of soldiers were witnessing her distressed state.

When the queen did not leave the prince, the royal physician grew impatient. Analyzing the bluish hue on the pale skin of the wounded prince, the royal doctor realized the time was ticking. He needed to act quickly in order to save the injured warrior.
“Your Highness, I need to save him”, the royal physician spoke again cautiously breaking the trance of the devastated queen.

The mighty queen of Vijaygarh, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore reluctantly pulled herself apart from the pale body of the prince. She was mortified to look myriads of soldiers surrounding her. She was terrified wondering what her people would be thinking of her after all, she was crying her heart out with a masculine body in her arms.

“Do anything but save him by all means”, the queen roared keeping an expressionless face while she walked away to her tents. She wanted to shriek and cry in pain of losing her loved ones. The dead bodies of her mother and her brother flashed in front of her eyes as soon as she slumped herself on the grounds of her tent.

“Why, God, why?” She bellowed with tears trickling down her face. Hiding her face in her palms, she cried her heart out. Closing her eyes, she meditated upon the illusion of Goddess Durga in the royal temple of Shatakshigiri with just one plea.

“God, please save him. I don’t want to lose him.” The seventeen year old queen kept chanting all the while. The prince of Shivgarh was someone with whom she shared the best memories of her life and her heart ached remembering his pale body struggling to survive.

She did not know till when she cried and drifted into sleep after a hectic battle wherein she was emotionally and physically drained. Tiredness and exhaustion took over and she slept for hours on the cold ground of her tents in the battlefield. She woke up hearing the voice of the commander-in-chief of the army of Vijaygarh, Avdhesh Singh Ranawat who was standing outside her tent and calling her.

Getting up she quickly splashed water on her face. Straightening her clothes, she commanded, “Come inside”.
Avdhesh Singh Ranawat, a middle-aged commander-in-chief had seen the sweet princess of Vijaygarh transforming into a powerful, emotionless queen. Though he never meddled with the personal matters of the Rathores, he found the queen’s conduct really inspiring.