(A YEAR AND A HALF LATER)
In Rajputana, where sand danced with the wind, a year slipped by like grains falling through a European hourglass—fleeting off with pace.
In the delivery chamber of Rajputana Palace, anticipation filled the thin air. Shefali, draped in soft silks, lay surrounded by maidens, and the three revered midwives who served for years here.
The chamber was tensed with the heat of life and the fragrance of sandalwood. This time, Shefali felt different—an unshakable belief that joy would eventually find her in the throes of pain.
As the first strong contraction hit, her heart throbbed, rapid and urgent.
Shefali squeezed Aai's hand, knowing the gravity of this moment. Two years ago, they had lost a child, a boy whose cries never filled the halls with laughter. The ache of that loss was buried deep within, but today, hope swelled in her chest like a gentle tide.
Today she feared nothing because some part of her knew, that whatever the future holds, it cannot be as cursed as the last.
"Breathe, my queen,"
Urged the midwife.
Eshant paced in the outer corridor with sweat accessorizing his tensed forehead.
His present was interwoven with the specter of his past. A similar grief lingered like a persistent shadow.
Dev stayed in the palace with Bindiya unaware of the crucial happenings of the future that awaits.
Even as the pain crescendoed, Shefali felt determination swell within her. She would give Eshant the child he couldn't hold alive.
An heir to the throne who would one day reign with wisdom and grace; a ruler who would unite their kingdom with a powerful alliance, especially after an empty lineage besides Eshant's.
God forbid anything was to occur to him, Rajputana would burn down to ashes in the absence of the one who held the powers to put it all together.
But first, she needs to endure the immense pain rising within.
Hours stretched long, each second blending into the next as the cries within the chamber echoed in his ears.
Eshant leaned against the stone wall, whispering prayers to the tired walls. A king must be strong... he knew yet he felt his heart unraveling.
It felt like time had stopped ticking and nothing moved at all. He was turning impatient.
"Would walking inside unannounced be considered ruthless?"
He often considered.
The frantic rhythm of his heart quickened as the piercing wail of a child echoed.
His eyes were as if drawn to the wooden door that was like a partition between him and his.
It was like music, sweeter than any serenade he had ever heard. The sound spread through the air like a beacon, igniting cheers among the house members who waited in the corridor like him. Shefali had done it!
Then suddenly his heart stopped.
Is she okay?
His heart sank.
The chamber door flung open, revealing Bhavya, the royal messenger.
"Rana-sa, it's a girl"
She informed.
The cheers suddenly behind shook apart while he paced inside.
His legs stopped automatically when he observed the systematic breathing of Shefali's chest and the tiny baby Aai held in her arms, cradling gently.
With tears cascading down his cheeks, he fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the sheer weight of happiness.
That is when Eshant uttered the words that shook the very foundation of Rajputana forever.
"Go announce in the center of the village that we are blessed with a healthy heir"
Eshant was handed over the delicate baby wrapped in clean sheets.
The messenger stood there wordlessly for a while but then did as he was asked to.
Shefali's worries flew away after she heard his words.
The need for these words as if kept her awake until now.
While she felt her eyes closing back in a deep slumber, Shefali's heart rose with a purpose—this girl was not just a child; she was a promise.
She envisioned someone different from her yet so similar.
She would raise this daughter to be a fierce warrior, a learned shadow of what she could only dream herself to be, fortifying their legacy rather than diminishing it.
Everything turned blank as her lashes fell on her lids, asking for an intimate escape.
*
"An heir? A girl?"
The courtmen uttered as soon as the news reached their roofs.
"The king's lineage will wither with marriage"
They were all tensed of what their own fates would turn in the course of time.
A/N
I expect cheers🫂✨
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𝟏𝟓𝟐𝟗: 𝐀 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐣𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚| Indian Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 Ⅰ 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐀𝐉𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐈-𝐁𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 Shefali Roy had lost her parents in a pandemic when she was just one year old. That was the first time she was orphaned. The next time she was orphaned was when she was seventeen. The army of...
