The little girl inside Aparajita wailed as the mighty queen sneaked towards the hospital chambers in the prosperous palace of Vijaygarh where the royal physician resided. Her feet halted as she stood outside the chambers where the prince of Shivgarh, Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput was kept. She wondered what royal physician would think of the queen coming to see the prince.
Garnering immense courage, she walked inside only to see the royal physician tending the wounds of the prince who was sleeping lifelessly. As the old physician greeted the queen, she asked in a trembling yet, authoritative voice, “Any change?”
“No change in his health, your highness”, the physician replied as he left the chambers giving privacy to the queen with a sheepish smile on his face as he prayed for the well-being of the prince. Having seen the sorrows behind the authoritative persona of the queen since the death of her mother, the royal physician wished for the joy of the queen and the prince.
Aparajita walked towards the pale body of her friend, Veer who was lying lifelessly on the cot. Caressing his forehead, she lamented, “Why did you sacrificed your life for me?”
Aparajita sat beside Veer as she continued to blabber about her exhausting day pleading him to wake up soon but the prince, being in coma, was unaware of the pain she was suffering from. The neurotoxic venom had affected Veer in the most adverse way leaving him in a deep sleep.
Aparajita’s heart ached looking at his unconscious body as she missed his nonstop chatters and unwavering support to find the real culprits behind her mother’s death. Her heart swelled in pride as she realized the prince had stood by her side when she needed to be protected from the unethical plans of her cousin.
Gently caressing his forehead, she mumbled, “Get well soon, prince”, as tear drops slid from her chocolate brown orbs. Wiping the traitorous tears, she walked away from there helplessly.
The queen had confined herself in her bed chambers for the rest of the evening in an uncomfortable solitude. Her melancholic thoughts were broken when the royal maid asked her to have the dinner with her father in the royal dining area. Freshening herself, the queen headed to the dining chambers only to find her father waiting for her.
As she took her seat, the old king spoke, “I wanted to relish the dinner with both of my daughters”, and a smile crept on Aparajita’s lips as she felt elated at the thought of her father welcoming Nandini with open arms.
On the other hand, Nandini was sitting in the balcony admiring the mesmerizing hues of crepuscule sighing at the irony of her life when the royal maid asked her to join the king for dinner. Nandini was horrified at the mere thought of having her meals in the royal dining area as she realized she was a widow. Presence of a widow in any kind of gatherings was considered to be ominous and hence, widows were isolated in the community.
Nandini was overwhelmed at the kind gesture of the king so she decided to go to the royal dining area only to inform that she would prefer following the rituals of isolation because she knew, her joy shall bring wrath to the royal Rathores.
Her heart pained as she realized she was supposed to live like a living corpse according to the societal norms because her so-called husband, who had spent his nights in the brothel after snatching her happiness, was finally dead. Not that she was happy at the death of her husband, but she was not sad too. She felt guilty to have neutral feelings at the death of Vikrant who was cremated after dying in the war.
Clad in a white sari, Nandini walked followed the royal maid lost in her thoughts paying no attention to the royal guards who bowed down for her respect as she passed through the dimly lit corridors of the royal palace. Standing at the ornate doors of the royal dinning chambers, Nandini spoke meekly, “Uncle, with due respect, I think I should follow the rules.”
“Come here, child”, the old king welcomed Nandini while Aparajita gestured her to sit beside her.
“Nandini, you don’t need to follow any imprudent rules which shall kill you from inside”, the old king explained while Nandini nodded with an obliging smile.
“You are just like me, Nandini. I cannot see you living this colorless life." Aparajita said with a warming voice as she pointed at Nandini’s white dress subtly suggesting her to live her life freely as she wanted.
Nandini was delighted to be surrounded with optimistic people around her. With sudden confidence, she took a seat beside the queen while the royal maids served the dinner to the family. Voicing her thoughts, Nandini spoke her mind, “I am afraid people would not like my normal lifestyle after the death of my husband.”
Both the king and his daughter could fathom the pain of Nandini behind her small smile, but before they could interrupt her, Nandini expressed her fears, “I don’t want you to face the wrath of Rajputana society”, in a pleading tone.
Caressing her palm, Aparajita grieved guiltily, “I am sorry, Nandini. I am sorry to kill your husband. It pains to see your life ruined.”
“He deserved that”, Nandini grumbled with a stoic face.
“I want you to live your life without restrictions. Explore your interests and fulfill your desires. Attend the royal court if you want or enroll yourself for the higher studies. You need to move on, child.” The old king declared while Nandini looked at him wide-eyed. She wondered if everything was actually real.
“Nandini, do you remember you addressed yourself as mere ‘Nandini’ instead of associating yourself with Vikrant, when you wrote to me?” the old king questioned Nandini who had her eyes glued to the plate. Tears brimmed in her eyes, as she remembered the cruelties Vikrant inflicted on her poor soul.
“Uncle, he was too cruel”, Nandini hiccupped in her defense while Aparajita rubbed her back. Aparajita flinched remembering the incorrigible ways of living Vikrant had.
“Move on from him”, the old king ordered while Nandini looked at him shocked though her soul decided to assemble the broken pieces of her confidence. She did not know what destiny had in store for her but she decided to live her life all over again.
“I want to learn horse riding”, Nandini mumbled as the image of valiant Aparajita galloping on the horse flashed in front of her eyes.
“Uday Singh Chauhan will teach you”, Aparajita chimed in excitedly while a broad grin embellished Nandini’s face.
“I think Siddharth Pratap Singh is better for her”, the old king expressed his views as the idea of letting the naïve girl alone with someone from Shivgarh did not settle with him. He did not know much about Uday Singh Chauhan and he was concerned of the safety of Nandini.
“Father, he is good, trust me”, Aparajita assured her father mentally decided to have a talk with Uday Singh Chauhan.
Still, the old king was not satisfied.
Amidst his worries, he said, “I will personally ensure he is good before he trains her”, while Nandini was overwhelmed to see both the royals showering love and care upon her.
The dinner was followed with sweet conversation before the family headed to sleep giving an opportunity to Nandini to feel home. She felt the warmth of the family and she was glad that she was a part of them. She decided to shun her colorless lifestyle to honor the support her uncle and her sister-in-law was offering her.
♥️♥️♥️
Hi everyone
This story is totally a figment of my imagination. You might not support the idea of widow remarriage but I love happy endings!
I am excited to write further and end this story on a good note 😘
I will be back soon, till then,
Don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT AND SHARE THIS STORY WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
P.S Happy one year anniversary to this story 😉
Thank you for your unwavering support ♥️
Love you all
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Love and Redemption
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