Love and Redemption

Chapter 86

Under the scorching heat of the sun, the muscular body of Uday Singh Chauhan was glistening with the sweat beads which were sparkling like small pearls embellishing the ugly scars which he wore proudly. Having headed the Rajputana army of Shivgarh, the former commander-in-chief had a plethora of scars on his chest which were indeed, the epitome of his courage and sacrifices for his motherland.

Uday Singh Chauhan had gleefully accepted the position of trainer in the royal palace wherein he was expected to train the young soldiers and prepare them mentally, physically and emotionally for the war. He was amazed at the young people of Vijaygarh who were taught to put their people before them. He admired the sense of loyalty Rathores had for their motherland.

As soon as the training session headed, one of the royal guards told Uday, “Sir, Her Highness, the majestic queen has summoned you in the meeting chambers”.

Wiping his sweat, he followed the royal guard with a dreadful expression on his face. Having witnessed the frightful ceremony where the traitors, Ajeet Singh Rathore and Dushyant Pratap Singh were brutally beheaded in front of the crowd who cheered the shouts of joy for their powerful queen, Uday Singh Chauhan was afraid of the queen’s mighty aura.

On the other hand, clad in a peach colored subtle attire, the mighty queen of Vijaygarh was anxious after all, the king of Shivgarh, Maharaja Jai Singh Rajput was coming with his wife, Maharani Naina Devi to meet their unconscious son. With Veer in a traumatized state, Aparajita had no one to talk to. She was extremely nervous as she blamed herself for the current state of the prince, Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput.

Apart from this, the queen wanted to the real thoughts of Uday before she left her naïve sister-in-law under his guidance. Having experienced a pathetic side of attachment with the prince of Shivgarh, the queen had prejudices against all men of Shivgarh including Uday Singh Chauhan too who had gracefully carried the palanquin of Nandini to the palace.

Uday Singh Chauhan was amazed at the beauty of the meeting chambers. The golden walls of the spectacular chambers were beautified with classic paintings of the royal Rathores along with exotic jewels and gemstones. Uday admired the tale of opulence, Vijaygarh told at every part of the kingdom. He could not help but compare the royal palace of Vijaygarh with that Shivgarh only to realize that the palace of Shivgarh was definitely magnificent but it lacked the splendid taste of the Rathores.

Uday Singh Chauhan bowed in front of the queen greeting her out of respect dreading her stoic, expressionless face.

“Take your seat, Uday Singh Chauhan”, the queen spoke authoritatively startling him for once. He had not expected a warm interaction given that he was still an outsider.

As soon as Uday took his seat on one of the upholstered chairs of the lavish meeting chambers, the queen spoke, “The respected king and queen of Shivgarh are coming to meet Veer”.

With a coy smile, she corrected herself, “I mean the prince of Shivgarh”.

“Your Highness, they need to see their son who is unconscious”, Uday spoke calculatedly.

“Uday Singh Chauhan, before that, I need to know what you both were doing in the battleground?” the mighty queen thundered.

After much contemplations, Uday confessed, “The honorable lady, Nandini had sent me a letter intimating me that her husband was conspiring against you, Your Highness. I was bound to fulfill my promise to Nandini while the prince wanted to redeem his deeds.”

“Why did Nandini write to you, Uday Singh Chauhan?” the queen bombarded another question. The little girl inside the mighty queen was dancing in joy but the young queen had masked her expressions really well.

With his head bowed down, Uday answered the queen enable to meet her eyes, “Your Highness, when you blamed the Rajputana army for killing your mother, then the honorable prince had asked me to probe the matter. I had visited Pranathgarh to enquire the Rathores and there, I met honorable lady, Nandini. She was really upset with her life there. Our interaction led me to promise her to help her in case of any adversity. She later helped me and the prince to sustain in the forest.”

The mighty queen of Vijaygarh, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore could not help but admire the sincerity Uday’s voice had. However, she needed many answers. Though, she knew Veer was the right person to talk with, still, his unconscious state was not helping her. To quench her curiosity, the little girl inside the young queen asked, “Why did not you stop the prince to enter the battlefield? You were responsible for his safety, why did you jeopardized it?”

Uday wanted to laugh out loud but respecting the position of the queen, he bit the insides of his cheeks to prevent the smile gracing his lips. Taking a deep breath, he answered, “Your Highness, he is not a kid. He was ashamed of his deeds. He wanted to redeem them.”

“When you are aware of his shameful deeds, did not you stop him at that moment?” the queen countered glaring at him and it was his turn, to feel mortified.

In a low voice, with his head bowed down, Uday mumbled, “Your Highness, the honorable king of Shivgarh and I tried to stop him many times. I am ashamed that we could not prevent that mishap. I am really glad that you were vigilant enough to control everything beforehand. I am elated that the prince got the taste of his medicine. Thankfully, you punished him for his deeds.”

The queen was dumbstruck at the candor of Uday Singh Chauhan. She had not received her answers yet, but she also realized that only Veer could clear her doubts. However, with this conversation, she had realized that the man sitting before her was truly a gem bestowed with the traits of loyalty and selflessness.

She decided to end the discourse then and there. “I want you to be present in the meeting chambers, when I will be conducting the discussion with the respected king of Shivgarh”, ordered the powerful queen dismissing him.

“You will be teaching Nandini how to ride a horse”, the queen announced when Uday Singh Chauhan got up to leave the chambers. Noticing the sheepish smile on his face, the queen could not help but grin.

“Thank you, Your Highness”, Uday Singh Chauhan mumbled not meeting her eyes. He wanted to talk with Nandini and console her. When he had got this opportunity, he was over the moon.  Uday’s shyness and genuineness told the tale of his attraction towards Nandini which did not go unnoticed by the queen.

“Bring her back to life”, the queen wanted to add but she refrained to do so after all, she was suspicious if Uday Singh Chauhan was actually a good man or he was feigning to be one just like his prince, Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput.

“You wish is my command, Your Highness”, said Uday composing himself and took his leave after bowing his head in the honor of the queen whom he admired as an ideal leader.

“I will bring back all the colors in her life”, said Uday promising himself while he walked through the corridors of the palace as the image of a sad Nandini sitting beside the stream flashed in front of his eyes.

The queen, on the other hand, prayed Goddess Durga to bestow Nandini’s life with all the colors of joy and happiness. The mighty queen, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore could not see the tears in the eyes of her naïve sister-in-law who had turned a widow because of her.

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Hi everyone

I am back with the new chapter!

You may feel that the story is losing its essence but trust me, neither am I dragging it nor I am extending it out of no reason.😊

Trust me, I am myself trying to end it soon but unfortunately, I am badly stuck!☹

Anyway, I will be back soon, till then, enjoy the chapter and please shower your love on this story.💞

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