Chapter 1: Meena Bazaar
Prince Shihab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram is the fourteen-year-old son of Emperor Jahangir, the grandson of Emperor Akbar the Great of the Mughal Empire.
The Mughal Empire was founded by his great-great-grandfather, Babur, which has its territorial extent ruled part of Afghanistan, Balochistan and most of the Indian subcontinent.
Prince Khurram is a very charming prince. Women sometimes easily flock with him –though some remain their distance to the Prince because of his temper –and even some of his servants wish to be one of his harems in the future. The Prince was not loved just because of the title he has but because of his intelligence and strength, also because of his beauty. At the very young age, Prince Khurram already shows his greatness, especially in the field of Architecture.
However, even if the Prince was loved, some people were cursing him to death; he was very different from his brothers and sisters. The Prince was cold to anyone he doesn't know but very warm to those he trusted –Abdul, is the best example, though sometimes he's been so hard on him. Some of his servants feared him, for he is, most of the time, cruel.
While in the Meena Bazaar, Prince Khurram was accompanied by a string of fawning servants and few selected militias, wearing the simplest clothes in order to hide their true identity. He was happily observing his people on the Bazaar, different merchants are calling for him, trying to sell him something.
"My Lord, aren't you going to buy something?" Abdul asks him and he immediately shook his head.
"Then why are we here?" Abdul asks him confusingly but the Prince did not bother himself to answer him.
No one from the Bazaar greeted the Prince, for they don't have the knowledge about his wellbeing. Also, only a few from the commoners were given the chance to see the prince. Luckily, it does not piss the Prince, he was actually pleased.
"What is he doing?" he asks Abdul, pointing to a disabled and full of dirt child near the fruit station.
"He's asking for alms, my Lord," Abdul answered him.
The Prince nodded and about to take a step towards the child when Abdul blocks his way.
He raised his brows and glared at Abdul, like telling him to stop blocking his way.
"Step aside," he commands impatiently.
His brows furrow when his servant did not even take a single step. He looks at the child once more and saw how people preventing themselves from nearing the child. He does not know how to react, but the sight pisses him more.
"Why are they not helping the child?" he asks.
The Prince was taught that their people were helpful but the scenario he's witnessing now tells the other side.
"Because he is untouchable," Abdul answered.
'Untouchable? The worthless people in our society?'
"Kill the child, then," he commanded.
Abdul blinks his eyes –shocked of what he heard.
"Are my words now just an air passing through your ears? I said kill the child!" the Prince growled.
"Y-yes, my Lord. You! Kill the child!" Abdul ordered one of the guards they brought.
The guard killed the child without touching it; he just stabbed the poor child using his long and sharp sword.
The death of the child did not even move some bystanders like the child really deserves to be killed.
The untouchables were outcaste from the society, and they were lower than any servants. They were also literally being untouched by the people of the society, even a single strand of their hair was not touched by the people. If someone touches them, it would be an issue; and people will start questioning you for touching the untouchable ones.
However, a lady with hawking silk and glass beads who witnessed the cruelty of the prince had cursed him to death through her thoughts.
"Kill every untouchable you'll see in this area," the Lady heard the order of the Prince and it was her trigger to take a step to the Prince to smash his face without thinking twice.
All the servants and guards of the Prince, even the Lady's accompanies bubbles their eyes due to shock.
"My Lady," her servant said almost a whisper.
The Prince's guards are now ready to attack the Lady but the Prince raised his left hand stopping them from harming the Lady.
"How dare you kill a helpless child?!" the Lady asked out of anger.
Even though she was angry, her beauty did not hide. From the way she speaks down to the dress she wore, the Prince could tell that the woman in front of him came from a wealthy family. Judging by her beauty, the Prince could tell that she is a talented and a well-educated lady.
"He's an untouchable," the Prince simply said.
Still scanning the beautiful face of the lady in front of him, he could not even get mad, even just a little.
Seems like our cruel little prince was smitten by this lovely young lady.
"Untouchables or not, no one shall be killed with no mercy. The child you killed almost crawled just to live yet you cut his hopes and dreams-"
"Untouchables have no future in this country," the Prince cut her from speaking.
The Lady threw him a death glare and mocked a laugh.
"People like you brings no future in this country," she said before turning her back to him.
"You woman! You dared to-"
"Abdul, enough, let her be," the Prince said calmly while looking to the fifteen-year-old lady who's now slowly vanishing on his sight.
"My Lord, she slapped you and according to the imperial law that is considered a crime! I will tell Empress Nur Jahan-"
"Dare to spell it out, I'll kill you myself," he threatened Abdul.
Abdul got paled and did nothing but to bob his head.
He –the Prince –then faced his accompanies and commanded;
"All of you hear me. Half of you will stay here and know everything about that Lady. The rest of you will accompany me back to the palace to talk to the Emperor and the Empress," the Prince said.
"You also want to punish the Lady, am I right, my Lord?" Abdul asked the Prince with a smiling face.
The Prince also smiles at him.
"Punish? No, I'll make her my wife, Abdul."
Abdul was caught off guard but then he awkwardly smiled and nodded to the Prince.
"Prepare yourselves, everyone, you'll be serving the Prince's Lady anytime soon," Abdul said.
Prince Khurram then smiled at the thought of him having the Lady as his wife.
To be continued...
Again, this story may be based in the true to life love story of Shah Jahan but most of the events written in this story were products of my imagination.
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Mumtaz Mahal
Historical Fiction@AquiraWP Lady Arjumand, later known as Mumtaz Mahal, is the sweet, religious and educated niece of Empress Nur Jahan. One day, she came to have a bad contact with Prince Khurram, the emperor's son which later known as Emperor Shah Jahan, who will...
