Her Love

Holy bond

Author's POV

Both of them were almost numb to everything that was happening. They were trying to accept this sudden change in their lives. Jaanki was pulled out of her trance with the panditji saying, "Kanyadaan kaun kar raha hai, rajkumari?" She stilled. Who would do that? She had no family, after all. She just stared at the panditji for a while before saying, "Koi nhi hai panditji. Aap toh jaante hai, maa aur papa nhi rahe." She was trying her best to hold back her tears. The situation of her marriage wasn't helping. She truly felt alone. Everyone just looked at her with what she felt was pity, and she hated it. "Anaathon ki shaadiyan kaise hoti hai, panditji? Unka toh koi nhi hota. Unka jaise hota hai mera bhi vaise hi hoga," she declared.

"Who will perform the kanyadaan, rajkumari?" "No one pandit ji. You are aware that Mom and Dad are no more." "How do orphans get married, panditji? They have no one. I'll get married the same way they do."

Raghav looked at her with sympathy. He knew what loneliness was. But feeling like an orphan? That never happened to him. He had his siblings. There was pin-drop silence. "Aap Mewar ki beti hai, Rajkumari. Aap anaath nhi hai. Yeh rajy aapka privaar hai. Gauri maa aur Shankar ji aapka kanyadaan karenge," the panditji said. Jaanki looked at the panditji taken aback. "Hum bhagwan aur Mewar ki aur se aapka kanyaadan karna chahte hai, Rajkumari, agar aapko aitraaz na ho toh," panditji's wife added.

"You are the daughter of Mewar, Rajkumari. You are not an orphan. This kingdom is your family. Gauri maa and Shankar ji will perform your kanyadaan." "We would like to perform your kanyaadan on behalf of god. That is, if you don't mind, rajkumari."

Jaanki nodded with an unknown emotion playing in her eyes. She didn't know what to think. She was happy she wouldn't be getting married as an orphan, but at the same time, she was missing her parents. They would've wanted to get her married, but they never got the chance. And now she was getting married in such haste. The wedding continued with the panditji and his wife doing Jaanki's kanyaadan on behalf of the kuldevi and the people of Mewar. Sakshi did the gathbandan and they took the pheras. It was time for Raghav to make her wear the mangalsutra. Aashi passed on the mangalsutra she had gotten with her after Raghav asked her to do so. It was the mangalsutra his mother had gotten made for his wedding. He always thought it was funny she did that when he was a kid. But who knew it would be useful today? He made her wear it and filler her hair partition with sindhoor. Jaanki looked at him with an unsaid emotion in her eyes. The reality finally dawned upon the both of them.

They were married. She was his wife, and he was her husband. "Bhai, it's 9:30. We have to get to the council meeting," Arjun reminded them. They didn't have time to think about marital life now. They had to deal with something more important. Both of them left for the council in the car after Raghav instructed the rest of them to leave for Madhavgarh. They both sat in the car as silence engulfed them. They were reflecting on the events that just happened. Ragav was numb. He wasn't prepared for this to happen today at all. He didn't regret it; he just felt defeated. He had to grow up very young. He didn't have a choice in anything. He wanted to make sure he did have a say in his marriage.

Of course, he married someone he chose and liked, but he was forced to do it before either of them were prepared. He looked to the side to find Jaanki lost in her thoughts. He could imagine what she felt, she too had been stipped of her right to choose. In the past month, they talked to each other, and he figured out how difficult her life had been. She, too, like him, had been forced to mature very early on in life. She had gone through so much alone but yet remained kind in her heart. He knew how difficult it was to retain your humanity after going through so much in life. He had done it after all.

Jaankijust couldn't believe the betrayal. She just wanted one thing to go accordingto her, and it didn't. She hated being forced to do anything, and she hated the fact that Raghav, too, had been forced. She knew he wouldn't resent her, but she still felt sad for the both of them. She observed that he, too, was lost and was staring ahead with a blank expression. Two of them were trying to make sense ofeverything and trying to accept their fate. A fate that they didn't know wouldbe the beginning of something beautiful.