NOOR

4. SHOES

" What happened Rajkumari ji?" Adgah Saheb asked as he could see Jyoti standing astounded with her mouth opened, as Shahenshah introduced himself. 

Sensing that she was not coming out of the shock, Jaswant treaded near to her and nudged just enough to break her out.

" Huh? Oh... uh..." Jyoti fidgeted, suddenly not being able to match her gaze with the Shahenshah. Heat rose inside of her, and she knew that even through her dark complexion and heavy makeup, the faint blush would be visible. She adjusted her veil, and looked away from the thaali carrying the water to not look directly at the Shahenshah's reflection, and cleared her throat, " I was... just taken aback by his beauty"

The whole court fell silent for a hot minute. No one could register what the young princess just uttered. 

" Atlast someone praised my son for his looks" an older woman broke the silence, as laughter followed from the Mughals' side. On the other hand, Jyoti could see her mother's and father's glares through her veil. 

" Ammi jaan, a lot of people have complimented bhaijaan before, but this was surely the most surprising" a young girl, The Shahenshah's sister Bakshi Bano giggled. 

Everyone had their bit of fun and teasing, even the sister-in-laws of Jyoti, but slowly everyone started to realise that the Shahenshah hadn't said anything yet.

" Shahenshah, I apologise on behalf of my sister-" Jagdish wanted to act quick to resolve any misunderstanding, but found the Shahenshah raising his hand to signal him to not be sorry.

" Its nothing to worry about Raja Jagdish, I am very well accustomed to receiving compliments" The Shahenshah laughed, and asked to get along with the next rituals as everyone relaxed at their spot and did as asked.

Throughout the next hours of exchanging gifts and blessings, the Shahenshah kept trying to steal glances from Jyoti, who intentionally kept averting them. He knew he had made her flustered way more than required, and wondered if he would have to apologise first in order to speak with her freely again.

As he saw his mother go over towards her to bless her, the memories from his marriage to Jodha begum started to cloud his head.

She had burned the clothes given to her, as a rebellious act against the Mughal empire. And rightfully so, he had later wondered, but it still stinged him. The Rajputs were fierce, but he never understood the pride they carried within them. And after seeing Jyoti happily accept the gifts, bowing down to his Ammi Jaan to take her blessings, he felt it was even more futile. 'The wedding with Jodha Begum would have gone so much smoother, if she was a bit more complacent.... Just like Jyoti'

His mind wandered off, as he felt his heart getting calmer by the second.

He had heard his Bari Ammi, Maham Anga, speculate that he held a special place in his heart for Jodha, a feeling that may soon turn into love. He had himself been fighting his thoughts, wondering if what he felt towards Jodha begum was hatred or love.

But this time, there was no argument to play tricks on his brain. He wondered if living with Jodha begum had made him a wee bit softer towards his other Begums, as he realised how much more easier they were to stay close to. He had never been this comfortable around a Rajput princess, let alone being married to one. But he didn't regret the calmness that enveloped him.

---

The wedding was scheduled a bit later, as the duo stepped up to the mandap for the Hindu wedding.

The rituals that involved, Shahenshah was already well versed with them, even better than Jyoti.

" Rajkumari, please put your hand on Shahenshah's for this ritual" the pandit requested.

The Shahenshah remembered the same ritual from his previous wedding, how much he enjoyed making Jodha begum uncomfortable by clasping her hand tight. How the Pandit had to ask multiple times to even make Jodha agree to the procedures of the ritual.

But here Jyoti, his Noor, had put forth her hand on his in an instant, a smile visible on her face as their skin touched each other.

Her hand was softer than he had imagined, afterall Rajput women were known to be warriors themselves. The hands seemed un-blemished, which made Shahenshah wonder if his Noor was actually not well versed with the art of fighting.

The shlokas from the pandit's mouth seemed to fade away as the Shahenshah fell into his reverie of thoughts. For Jyoti however, the situation was a bit more complicated. She could hear all the vows that they were made to take before the pheras and during them, how she was creating bonds of truth and responsibility, towards the person she just a second ago was fearful of meeting again.

The shock hadn't worn off yet, of seeing the Shahenshah to turn out as the man she yearned to talk to again, but the hindu rituals couldn't be more complicated, and she didn't want to trip in any of the pheras. Her eyes were fixated on the Shahenshah's feet that walked in front of her, the gait as heavy and authorative as an emperor was supposed to. But the light embrace of his hand under hers during the yagna made her feel butterflies around the stomach.

The flowers showered over her and Shehensha brushed through her skin, making her giggle a bit. The pheras were over, and so were the other rituals. But Shehenshah halted once he came close to the podium.

" I wonder, where my shoes are" he humored, knowing well about the customs.

The sister-in-laws looked at each other, confused. Jyoti was the youngest child, and every woman on her side of the family was older than Shehenshah himself. They felt too old to carry out such a childish ritual, so who was behind them?

As Shehenshah looked towards the women, he saw a hint of confusion, which almost made him think that his shoes were really stolen. But just when he was about to leave Jyoti's hand to grab his sword and call out the thief, he felt a slight tug.

" I am sorry Shehenshah" Jyoti mumbled, " I thought you knew about the ritual"

Shehenshah looked back at the women, and all of them shook their head.

" But the Princesses don't seem to know where my shoes are" Shehenshah spoke, his mind not being able to comprehend the situation probably for the first time.

" They are too old to participate" she smiled, as she pulled up her skirt slightly to show just her feet to Shehenshah. "But I am not"

The whole family groaned, especially Jyoti 's parents and the priest, as they realised that she had completed the whole ritual wearing the shoes.

But the Shehenshah found it amusing, too amusing to handle. He laughed, along with his family that witnessed the scene, and clasped Jyoti's hand even closer to him. He had never been the type to be surprised of the antics of women, but here he was, enjoying every bit of his wife's actions.

His wife. He repeated in his mind, His Noor.