From destiny to fate

chapter 2

Naming ceremony of the first prince

The whole kingdom rejoiced at the birth of the  prince . Gold and silver coins were distributed among the poor people . Prisoners and slaves from war were pardoned and were given money to start their lives afresh .

Imperial palace was never alive as today ...streams of marigold and mogra flowers were decorated all around the palace .

Grand feast was organised outside the palace for commoners while the imperial kitches bustled with cooks preparing lavish dinner for royal family members , relatives and higher rank officals .

It was the happiest day for begum zubaida ever since she stepped inside the palace .

She was selected to be the emperor's wife at the age of 15 . The naive girl was happy beyond imagination as it was a good chance for her whole family ,as they could rise up to her success .

Fascinated by the gloss and glitter of the harem the young lady dreamed about the surreal life of being a king's woman .

But all her dreams shattered once she entered the palace .  Harem was not at all the same as it looked from the outside . There was nothing good about it . In reality it was a place where women were richly dressed but poorly regarded . Weak were humiliated while strong looked down on them . It was always like a battle inside the harem as Winning emperor's favouritism was the only way of survival in that cruel ugly place .

Her tiny heart broke into peices when she became a laughing stock for the harem ladies as she wasnt graced by the emperor even after few months of her wedding .

Therefore the young lady decided to vie for his majesty's favour by every means , afterall she was here to rule not to become a slave and since then she strived hard for the emperor's attention .

She used all tactics to get into emperor's eyes and the day finally came as she finally caught the mighty man's attention   .

Luck followed by ,and not so soon later she was favoured by badshah salamat ,unbeleivebly her visits to the emperor's royal chamber became frequent as the days passed ,so much that she became the talk of the palace .  Everyone beleived emperor was becoming more and more affectianate towards her than any other ,including the chief consort 'begum Nadira' .

And then came the biggest day of her life . Happiness touched the sky as she heard about her pregnancy  . Now the only thing she wished and desperately prayed for, was a son who can succeed the throne after his father  .

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"Im so happy ,im so happy today ", the proud mother chirped holding her son , the future of mughal empire . Her hard work paid off , the little prince  was the key to her success , the path to the position she dreamed of day and night .

Carefully placing the prince in a cradle she looked at her reflection in the mirror . Her face was beaming with happiness thinking about the crown that would soon grace her head when she heard her mother's voice  .

' You have gone mad ,zubaida !! u still won't listen to me , isn't it  ?? ', her mother who was watching her daughter from far butted in ' .

'Yes , i won't , now go and pls don't spoil my mood Ammijaan ', ignoring her mother's rants she started grooming herself for the grand ceremony of her son .

'Silly girl , why dont you undertand , you are not his only wife in the entire harem . Think about it , if his other begums give birth to son too, will there still be a chance for your son to sit on the throne ?? ' , the concerned mother reminded .