Princess of the dawn

Chapter 11

Day of the falconry

At sunrise a motley hunting party set out to falconry. Hunters, riders, drivers and palanquins with the ladies. Their goal was a small plain on the Yamuna river. At the edge of the forest, open tents were already waiting with refreshments and comfortable seating for the hunt participants. After the ladies had secured their places in the tents, the drivers swarmed out to startle birds and small game and drive them out of the forest. Raja Bharmal and his sons stayed in the background and refused the offered hawks. The hunters with their falcons positioned themselves in different places and waited for their prey. Jalal, Abdul and Ruqaya had positioned themselves near the forest and were waiting eagerly. Everyone had pulled a thick leather glove over their hand on which a magnificent falcon sat and carefully observed the surroundings. The hunting party had been instructed, to leave Jalal the first flight of the hunt to him. The drivers made big noise in the forest and startled birds and small game. When the first hare emerged from the forest, hunted, Jalal raised his arm and let his falcon fly. He spiraled up in the air and targeted the hare that was running for its life. After a brief pursuit, he pounced down, held the hare with its claws and killed it with a bite of its sharp beak in the neck. Jalal rode quickly to the falcon and gave him a piece of meat as a reward.

Jalal lifted the hare in the air. That was the signal for the other hunters to start hunting. Abdul and Ruqaya's falcons were also successful. The hunters pulled apart. No one noticed that Jalal rode to the edge of the forest. His eyes searched carefully between the trees. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a movement. A figure clad in simple brown robes with a masked face stood in the shade of the trees and raised his arm. Next to the figure was an inconspicuous horse. Grinning, Jalal put the hood on his hawks head and steered his horse into the forest.

"Aadab Rajkumari Jodha Bai" said Jalal with a smile.

"Pranaam shahenshah" replied Jodha with her head held high.
"So you've solved my riddle," she smiled.

He made the falcon climb a branch. Both sat on the soft moss.

"That wasn't difficult!"

"Achha?" Jodha replied.

"You have to come up with something better," Jalal retorted patronizingly.
"No riddle is too difficult for me".

"Then do you do that more often?"

"Yes, this is a nice pastime with Abdul and Ruqaya."

"Who is Ruqaya?"

"She is my friend and engaged to me". He made a face.

"You are already engaged"? Jodha asked incredulously.

"Yes, my father promised her father on his deathbed."

"Oh...!"

"Did it take you a long time to find out that it was a carrier pigeon?" Jalal asked.

"No, that was easy," said Jodha proudly with a smile.
"I just had to wait until I could read the message and write it back."

"How did you manage to escape from the camp?"

"Very simple," laughed Jodha
"My maid Moti got me the simple clothes. After my father and my brothers set out to hunt, there wasn't much going on at the horses and I snuck up, grabbed one and rode here," she said proudly.
"I just have to be careful that I get back before my father and brothers. Will nobody miss you?"

"No. In the hunt everyone is busy making prey. Nobody will notice that I'm not there."

To be continued...