Tangled Threads of Traditions

CHAPTER 16

If a year ago somebody would have told Aarohi that she would spend 16 hours of her day next to Maharaj Vikrant Dev Rai. She would have laughed because it would have been too funny for her . She ? a lowly girl , who was considered even worse than trash, working for Vikrant Dev Rai? Ha in dreams .
But ..but the fact was ,she was not laughing. As it was not a joke anymore. For the past couple of months Aarohi was spending 16 hours of her 24 hours next to Vikrant Dev Rai without a break . She believed now she knew his routine and preferences better then he himself did .
His day started at 3 :30 am which meant her's started a 3 :00 am . Which gave her 30 minutes to get ready and arrive at the king's chamber and prepare a glass of luke warm water and then wake the king up at 3 :30 am .
For the next hour she would stand like a statue next to him while he meditated and prayed. Then she cleaned his room and selected his clothes and prepared his bath and then came the most difficult part giving him a bath . The first time she heard him command " give me a bath " she though she misheard. Turned out she in fact did not misheard and now she has to give him bath daily
As she entered the bath chamber ,she found him emerged in the bath . She tentatively approached him .
"Mahar-raj, are you ready ? "
" Yes "
She soaked the cloth in water and slowly approached him from the front and knelt to the ground and even after 2 months of doing this her hands shook . She slowly touched his well defined chest covered with unruly hair and gently moved the cloth in a clock wise direction .
For the past 2 month she always felt weird in her stomach while giving him a bath . She wanted to ask Somebody what was happening to her , but she had nobody to ask . So , she kept it to herself, she just knew there was something wrong with her .
Like right now , she again felt that weird tingling feeling in her stomach. She knew she only felt them while she was near Maharaj. Maybe it had something to do with him ?
"aarohii..."
What if he was sick too and due to which she felt that way too .Maybe he didn't know he was sick , Maybe she should tell him ?
" aarohi.."
But what if she told him and he gets angry ? She was calling the king sick ? Yes yes he would definitely get angry .She shouldn't tell him.
"AAROHI "
She suddenly felt a jerk on her arm and snapped out of her thoughts.
" AAROHI "
" Jii...ii Maharaj " (yess..ss Maharaj)
" Toh meri awaj apko sunai de rhi h ? "
( " So I am audible to you ? ")
" ji Maharaj " ( yes Maharaj)
" TO meri awaz agar akpo sunai de rhi h , toh phir jabab kyu nhi de rhi Hai ap ? Ye apke bagavat karne k tarkia h ? Apne raja k khilaf ap bagawavat karna Chati h ? "
(" if I am audible to you then why are you not replying? Are you trying to rebel against your king ? ")
"Nhi Maharaj , meri Mansa bilkul aisi nhi thi . Mujhe maf Kar dijiye "
(" No Maharaj, this was not my intention at all . Please forgive me .")
"Apko is bat ki bhanak h ki apne pichle 7 dino me mujse 33 dafa mafi mangi h ? Isse mjhe ye ghat Hota h ki ap jan booch kar mere adasho k ulhangan kar rhi ho ."
(" Are you aware of the fact that in the last 7 days you have apolized to me 33 times . It seems to me that you are deliberately trying to defy my orders. "
"Nhi..nhi Maharaj . "
("No .. no Maharaj ")
" kya apke sabdkosh mai ji Maharaj aur nhi maharaj k alawe koi sabd nhi h ? mai thak chuka hu ek hi sabd bar bar sun kar " .

("does your vocabulary has only two words ? yes and No maharaj ? I am tired and irritated of listening to the same words again and again .")

"Nhi..iii  Maharaj "

("No.oo Maharaj ")

"phir ?"

("again"?)

Aarohi  was flustered and embarrassed. She had made soo many mistakes in front of him . She was generally not a clumsy person but in front of him she felt so flustered that she made so many mistake . He was the only person in front of whom nobody should make a mistake but she made all her mistake in front of him . She thought after making soo many mistakes she would be dead till now but by some miracle  she was still alive .

" Mujhe ,maf kariye ga maharaj" she muttered 

("forgive me , Maharaj " she muttered )

"34  ,ginti  jari h "

(34 , the counting is still on ")

"Jaiye mere vastr le kar aiye "

("go and bring me my clothes .")

Aarohi rushed and brought him his clothes and placed them of the table next to him and moved out . she knew what would happen next , he  would were the Dhoti (lower garment )and come out bare chested and then she would dress him up in all his garments and jewellery  .As she predicted he came out bare chested and again she got that weird tingling feeling in her stomach. She noticed a droplet of water that slowly rolled past his chest and got lower and lower and lower... She felt that weird feeling again .

she slowly stepped towards him with his Uttariya ( A scarf called the Uttariya was used to drape the top half of the body.) and draped it across his chest as he stood rigid as a statue .After that  she bought his bajuband and tied it across his biceps. They were huge , She wondered if he had one made for himself personally because normally the weren't made for biceps as large as his were .

Vikrant  was  having his breakfast and Aarohi was standing next to him waiting for his order . She knew more about his likes  and dislikes then she knew about her own . Like she knew right about now  he would demand a bowl of cur..

"Aahori , ek katori dahi laiye "

("Aarhi , bring me a bowl of curd " )

"ji maharaj " . She knew it .

" Aarohi , aj mere Sambalpur k Maharaja k sath ek baithek hai , ap mere sath chal rhi hai ."

("Aarohi , today I have a meeting with sambalpur's king , you are coming with me .")

 " Ji Maharaj " . 

She knew what that meant .... hours long journey with the king in a secluded palki (Palanquins).

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Dear Gentlest Reader , 

Please please forgive me . Maf karna muje .

Sorry for such a late update .

A question

Would you like this book to be a dark read or a light romance read ?