Lekha (Completed)

Lekha 51

First time in my life I was actually feeling quite upset seeing a historical monument of this proportion, because first time in my life I understood how it felt when you see the journey's end filled with hopelessness.

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks making my vision all blurry. I saw both the Vir and Badal smiling at me thinking they were tears of joy in my eyes, which was ironic in itself as generally the first feeling a person gets when seeing another cry is that of the person's unhappiness. I didn't want to make the situation suspicious by bawling my eyes out although that was a great temptation, so returned their smiles with a small one of my own.

Dusk was still a couple of hours away as we raced towards the fort. My heart grew apprehensive and prayers a bit more forceful as we grew nearer. The first sentry at the gate looked at us with suspicion but after knowing the identities of Vir and Badal he was friendly enough to let us pass after asking about the wellbeing of the old man from Chand Baori. It seemed that the old man had been quite popular in his youth especially because of his generosities. We had to ask directions for Phool Kumari's place at the Ganesh Pol, as uninvited guests of the servants were not allowed free entry to the palace area irrespective of the close relationship they might have to the person.

It seemed that Phool Kumari did reside in one of the servant quarters of the palace and the guard was kind enough to send for her. I waited patiently along with the others a little distance away from the stairs at the entry.

I saw Phool Kumari exit with another guard from the doorway looking a bit confused.

"He said my niece Rano has come all alone to visit me. Where is she?" she asked the guard at the door with her back still turned towards us. He gestured for her to look behind.

I slowly crept forward with shaky steps feeling quite scared as I looked up at her standing on top of the staircase. She looked at me shocked and was silent for what felt like the darkest seconds of my life as I contemplated her next words.

"This is... Rano? Rano.... Ah!... Rano my bhanji (niece). Why are you alone child and where is your family?" she looked at me hesitantly.

"I will tell you all maasi sa... but I have no place to go right now. Vir sa and Badal sa here helped me in my journey here otherwise I might have lost my way." I pleaded with my eyes.

She looked at me for a moment as if trying to access the situation and then turned towards the guard and said "Rambharose ... this is my niece Rano and she seems to be in trouble. I am taking her inside to my quarters for the night. In the morning I will decide where she can be accommodated. These boys who have kindly helped her are to be fed and proper arrangements are to be made for their night stay. Ask Udho Singh to look after them"

She turned towards the boys and thanked them for bringing her niece safely to her. She I felt held quite a commanding position among the servants, to be ordering about and making decisions. My previous perception about her being a gentle motherly soul from the time she had talked continuously about her niece and smothered me with love suddenly took a U-turn. As for now I was simply grateful that whatever her thoughts might have been, she was astute enough to understand my predicament and had saved me from what could have turned out to be an awkward situation.

She held me by the hand and took me inside the palace gate as if afraid that I might make a run for it. She didn't even once look towards me as the wheels in her mind seemed to be churning vigorously trying to make head and tail of the situation in front of her.

We walked via a passage which apart from being ill illuminated was quite narrow. I had never been this way so assumed that she was leading me towards her quarters. I didn't dare utter a single word least the walls had ears. A quite different kind of problem now bothered me, now that I had successfully entered the palace even if it was the servant quarters section. What was I supposed to tell her about my sudden appearance that too unescorted? The moment we were in privacy she would ask and I had to be quite convincing, as she by now I knew was quite an astute woman and would catch my lie if I even blinked at the wrong time. I had to stay as close to the truth as possible keeping in mind that I might have to stay in her protection a bit longer then I had planned, because my last attempt to travel back was a failure.