CHAAR KADAM - An AmVeer Fanfiction

Fifty Six

Queens on the board

Summary : Yeh sach, yeh dhoke, yeh dard humse saha nahi jaata.

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If there was one memory of his father that Veer hated and wanted to forget, it was of him as a dying man.

Now in the light of recent events in his life he couldn't help but think of it as a premonition of sorts - a look into his own ultimate doom.

Until the first time Rana Mahendra Pratap Singh collapsed, none of them had an inkling of his deteriorating health.

But by the last week of his life, everyone had learned of the approaching doom.

The halls were hushed, heads bowed, smiles if any touched with a hint of pity. He is a young man, of no age to die - they discussed in hushed tones. Then they sorrowfully discussed of the young Rani, mother of two little boys - they talked of Rani Ma the king's mother, who would now be twice as alone as she was with her husband's passing.

Veer for all his five years understood very little of all that - instead all he had wanted, demanded - had been to be taken to his father - at once!

Mahendra had spread out his arms for his boy, allowed him to climb into his bed and tuck his smaller frame against him. It was over the top of his curly head, nestled on his chest that he spoke to Shravan Singh.

"My orders to you were different Shravan."

Veer looked at his father curiously. He sounded like an old man, his voice wheezy and his words far apart. Then he turned to look at Shravan who did not raise his head.

"Humein Daulathabadh nahi jaana," he tells his father. "Why are you sending me away? Ma sahab and Prem aren't going? Why me alone? Hum nahi jaayenge! Nahi jaayenge hum!"

Mahendra chuckled at the obstinate gleam of his eyes and raised a shaking hand to muse his hair.

"Aap jaayenge baba... Aadesh hai humara. As my son and heir you are supposed to obey."

"Nahi!" His eyes start to fill with tears. "Do you not love me anymore? Do you want to send me away? Humein patha tha, you all love Prem now! That's it! Nobody has time for me!"

Mahendra's hand presses on his head.

"Humare pyaar ka andaza bhi nahi hai aap ko."

"Aise pyaar ka hum karenge kya? Humein toh ehesaas hi nahi ho raha." Veer shrugged. "Humein door Matt bhejiye, baba sahab. Humein yaha rehena hai aap ke paas. Aap ke saat." He hugged his father tighter.

Beneath him he could feel the thump of his father's heart. Above him he could feel the heat of his arms wrapped around him. For a five year old boy, there was no place safer in the world. Then Mahendra spoke, slowly so that the boy could feel the weight of each word.