Eternal Love

Promises

Pratap was in the arena at dawn and he was surprised as the sun was high in the sky yet there was no sign of Kunwar Shakti in the arena. He was religiously there following his elder brother. Today was different. Kunwar Pratap was swinging his sword and thinking about what Ajabde had told him about Shakti the last night. He glanced across the garden to the Palace corridor and still no sign of his brother. He kept his sword and decided to go look for him. Through the corridor, he took a turn and stopped. Ajabde was at the cow shed feeding Laxmi. A smile appeared as he stopped to look if someone was spotting him from the roof or Jharokhas. Then he moved towards the cow shed.

" You know Laxmi, Ratan has become so responsible nowadays. It's like she is all grown up. Yesterday she told me to stop worrying about Maasa and Balwant because she will take care...." Ajabde stopped at his footsteps.
" Kunwarsaa? You need something?"
"No ... I... Came to see Sarang. " He stopped. " Where is Bhai Shakti?"
A smile broke on Ajabde's face.
" You won't believe it. At dawn, he was up with Ranima and Heer Baisa making garlands."
" What? My Bhai Shakti??" He looked at her face as if she wanted to say I told you!

" Dadabhai...." Kunwar Shakti came up behind him. "Am I interrupting?" He smiled.
" No! We were talking of you only. "Ajabde smiled.
" Where were you?" Kunwar Pratap sounded displeased. " I was waiting at the Arena..."
" Wohh...." Shakti looked away red.
" Are you hiding something?" Kunwar Pratap was straight with his question.
" No Dadabhai, why will I hide...."
" Follow me to the Arena then..."
" Ha...." As Kunwar Pratap moved away Shakti whispered to Ajabde.
" Bhabisa!"
" Ji?"
" Help me please!" Ajabde acted clueless.
" Heer... " He was embarrassed as Ajabde smiled amused. She nodded a yes as he smiled.
" Are you coming or not?" Kunwar Pratap's voice made him run as Ajabde went inside.

Kunwar Pratap noticed his brother's unmindfulness at the Arena. Ajabde is never wrong at reading people, maybe she is right. He smiled unmindfully.
" Baojiraj, smile as much as you can now! Once you are married, this smile won't come back!" Chakrapani's words made Shakti laugh.
" Look at me, She orders I follow!" He pointed at the bag full of clothes and jewellery Saubhagyawati had asked him to bring from her home.
"Ajabde is not like that! She doesn't order me!"
" Well not now... let the marr...."
" Kunwarsa Kunwar Shakti has been called by Maharanisa." A daasi declared as Kunwar Shakti almost ran with a smile. Pratap followed eagerly.

Jaivanta Bai was sitting with Sajja Bai and Ajabde discussing a list of things. Heer and Ratan were making garlands and Shakti was standing in all smiles, at Heer then at Ajabde.
"Kunwar Shakti, tomorrow Chakrapani and Bhagwati will accompany Ajabde and Heer Kanwar to the Eklingji temple at dawn, can you go with them?"
" Surely, Badima" He said eyeing Heer who smiled at him.
" Anything for Bhabisa."
Ajabde and Shakti shared a secret smile.
Pratap interrupted, " I can go too, you don't need to...."
Ajabde's glare stopped him. She indicated toward Heer. Sajjabai laughed.
" Yes Yes, take him also!"
"That will be good, you two pray together to Eklinji." Jaivanta Bai was happy.
Ajabde followed him out in the corridor.
" Why do you want to go?"
" Aree..."
" Kunwar Shakti was going na... You didn't need to..."
" He can go now also... Besides, I am going to the temple, you can not tell me not to go " She is already ordering like a wife!
" Kunwarsa, you ruined our plan."
" What Plan?" she bit her lips.
" Nothing Dadabhai."
Kunwar Shakti interrupted. Kunwar Pratap looked at his brother and then at Ajabde who were looking at each other both hoping the other would explain to Pratap.
" Wah... now you are a team!"
Kunwar Pratap was surely not amused as he walked off. Two f his closest people were keeping secrets now. He turned around to say " All of you be ready by dawn."

The next day two palanquins and a procession left Bijolia for the temple. Heer shared a palanquin with Ajabde who spotted her look at Shakti riding ahead and smiled.
" Rajkumari sa...."
" Please Bhabisa call me Heer."
" You like someone? As in with whom you can get married?"
" Me?" She looked a little surprised.
" No, No, am not easily impressed! Has to be someone brave and handsome to impress me. Has to be someone Dadabhai would approve!"
" Kunwar Shakti is a lot like him don't you think?" Ajabde's question made Heer look up and blush.
" Bhabisaa...." The Palanquins stopped as a Daasi informed them they had stopped at a garden near the temple to rest for a while before the Pujas.

Ajabde stepped out followed by Heer, and Kunwar Shakti looked at his Bhabisa who smiled and nodded.
With a smile, he said to Heer, " Rajkumarisa may I have the honour to show you around the garden?" Heer nodded as the duo left a smiling Ajabde behind. Pratap walked up to her.
" Heer Baisa likes him!" She gushed.
" You asked her?" He was shocked.
" Well. Not directly!"
They walked together into the garden.
"I want to talk of something."
" What's wrong?"She looked at his serious face!
" Woh... Whatever Chotima told you about marriage alliances and princesses..."
" How do you know about that?"
" Saubhagyabati Bhabisa heard it and told Chakrapani."
"Oh, you are worried about...."
He held her hand making her stop.
" I promise you Ajabde, no alliances, no women, I will always be yours."
" Kunwarsa, alliances are a necessary part of a Royal life, a part you can not deny."
" But Ajabde... I don't want to hurt you."
" Our responsibilities to our motherland come first!" Her words made him look into her eyes and beam with pride.
" Ajabde but..."
" Kunwar Pratap, you are thinking too much! Don't forget you are Mewar's son first...then my..." She stopped.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Garden, Heer Kanwar was offered a red flower by Shakti.
" I like yellow ones better." He brought her yellow wildflowers.
" White flowers are so useful, can be worn also...." He went looking for white ones as Heer giggled to herself.

" Your?" Kunwar Pratap had a teasing smile as a nervous Ajabde looked away.
" Am sorry."
" For what?"
" I was angry and I took your name."She looked at him scared.
" It's not the first time, is it? Last time you ran away... anyways..."
He stepped an inch closer holding her hands in his.
" You can call me Kunwar Pratap when we are alone."
" Ji? No... No..."
" Why Not? I would like it more than what people call me. You are my friend, my..." She looked up at him smiling as a sound interrupted their conversation.
" Panditji, you can't remember the simplest of things! You forgot the holy water."
" You order too much Bhago, why don't you take things yourself?"
Ajabde smiled at the newlyweds amused as Pratap looked at her and back at them and a worry crept in. This is my future!
" You said something?"
" No no, gather everyone, we will go to the temple." He left Ajabde wondering.

As they stepped into the temple, Kunwar Pratap and Ajabde looked at each other and smiled. They remembered their first meeting there... How destiny plays its game! Smiling, they lit a diya together and prayed for a happy future.

" Get the procession ready to go back to the Mahel!" He ordered. She looked at his face, he seemed to be preoccupied with thoughts she couldn't read. As eyes met, he smiled at her indicating her to get into her Palanquin for the journey.