NOOR

3. REVEAL

" He looks so handsome!" Jyoti squealed as she looked at the paintings of her oldest brother the day he got married, "what happened after that?"

Getting a hit from Jagdish, the other brothers, their wives and her parents laughed at the comment.

" He became the King Nanad saheba" Jyoti's oldest Bhabi pinched her cheeks and laughed.

" So people become dull after being promoted to King?" Jaswant joked and instantly ran away to hide behind his Bhabi from his brother.

" Ah you all speak as if you are never going to age" Jagdish was fed up.

" Don't speak about it please" Balwant and Bajrang groaned, " we are already dreading the day we get as old as you Bhai-sa"

" We are too" their wives interjected. " I mean these two are already acting like old men, we just hope they are half as much active as you are Raja-sa"

" Hey!" The twins were baffled at the betrayal by their wives.

" We can say the same Jiji" the wives of Hari and Gopal laughed, as they distributed sweets around the room to everyone.

" How can you children talk about ageing when your old father and mother are present in the same room?" Their father fake scolded everyone, as they all tidied themselves and settled down.

" Baba, what do you think of the Shahenshah? Is he good-looking?"

" Jyoti!" Her mother scolded, but the others just laughed at her question. Jaswant was having a hard time not to expose the truth, but the Shahenshah had made him promise to not let his sister know his real identity till the Sagai.

" No no, its a good question" Her father laughed, " I would say, he is far more handsome than any of your brothers"

" What!" all the brothers stood up at their places except Jagdish, who just nodded in agreement reluctantly.

" Is he that good looking?" Jyoti asked, her heart thumping at a faster rate than before.

" Always the best for you my pari" her father cooed her, as all the brothers groaned at the blatant display of favoritism.

" And if you want to look the best at the Sagai, go to sleep right now. Don't wander off to the gardens" Her mother scolded and almost pushed everyone out of the room.

The family was having one of the last reunions at the chamber of the Patriarch, everyone hiding the hint of sadness that covered their minds regarding Jyoti leaving them. Jyoti too was holding back tears, but she couldn't let them flow so easily. She was saving them for the Vidai, where she was sure she would create a flood along with her brothers who were equally the cry babies.

As she was walking through the corridor, she couldn't help but feel her heart still beating like crazy. She needed to calm down, and there was just one place where she knew the breeze would be just perfect.

As she left the garden, after the long talk with the man sharing the same name as the Shahenshah, she felt a bit guilty. She had been enjoying the conversation, a bit too much. As the man had said, it was a crime to do so, especially before the wedding. She had been known to break such flimsy rules, but she didn't realise that she would end up loving the conversation so much.

Her whole life, she had been given the liberty to roam around, make friends and play in the dirt with them. She had met numerous men, a few of whom were able to leave a positive impression on her, but never had she enjoyed their company like she did just a few minutes ago.

She longed for it. She wanted to meet the man soon, but the thoughts made her feel queasy. She didn't want to betray her Shahenshah, and thus made a mental note to never engage in long conversations with the man, as it could prove to be something different.