Love and Redemption

Chapter 61

The mighty queen of Vijaygarh Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore was sitting authoritatively on the majestic throne in the royal court of her kingdom when the messenger arrived from Rajgarh simpering joyously. Bowing in front of the queen, the messenger paid his regards and spoke, “Your highness! The demeanor of the royal family hinted that they are fallen in the trap”.

The royal ministers smirked while the queen nodded with a large smile on her face as she remembered the conversation that occurred few days ago in the royal court of Vijaygarh.

After the real culprits who were responsible for the inhumane murder of her mother, the then queen, Maharani Manjughosha Devi were found; the defence minister had come with the foolproof plan to attack the kingdom of Rajgarh and avenge for queen’s death but being a man of principles, Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore had objected the idea of waging the war against Rajgarh because the prosperous kingdom of Vijaygarh had the reputation of never attacking any royal kingdom. The royal army of Vijaygarh was renowned for its peacekeeping skills so the old king had requested to maintain the reputation of his kingdom.

As a result, Aparajita had come up with an idea of demanding outrageously hefty revenues from Rajgarh that would compel them to wage the war against her. Being a woman and ruler of her kingdom, she had understood the patriarchal mentality of the royal families and hence, she knew the royals of Rajgarh would take her demand as an opportunity to usurp her throne.

Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore smirked as she realized the royal army of Vijaygarh was completely prepared for the war. A hope to avenge justice for her mother emerged in the chocolate brown eyes of Aparajita as she comprehended the joyous smirk on the messenger.

The royal attendant read the contents of the letter,

Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore

The royals of Rajgarh always considered the Rathores of Vijaygarh as our family but your despicable demand for hefty revenues is an insult to the goodwill of both the kingdoms.

Rajgarh will not pay a single penny in the name of revenues. Not to forget Vijaygarh, being our allied kingdom is equally benefitted because of the ongoing trade.

Rajgarh is ready for an armed retaliation to get the taxes waived.

Regards
Maharaja Abhinandan Pratap Singh

With amusement in her eyes, the queen smirked and guffawed, “We are eagerly waiting for the armed retaliation”, as she took a deep breath.

The royal priest of Vijaygarh hailed the queen and responded, “Your highness! You must visit the ancestral temple at Shatakshigiri soon”.

Aparajita nodded in affirmation while all the ministers and dignitaries present in the royal court hailed the shouts of joy for the longevity of the queen with complete satisfaction and pride over the choice of Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore who had given Vijaygarh in safe hands.

Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore penned down the reply to the letter enthusiastically,

Maharaja Abhinandan Pratap Singh

The royal army of Vijaygarh will be waiting for your army at the battleground.

If Rajgarh wins, the taxes shall stand waived but if the victory is mine than you will hand your father, Maharaja Dushyant Pratap Singh to me.

Rest we can settle in the battleground itself.

Waiting to see your father soon.

Regards
Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore

The royal attendant stamped the letter with the signature stamp of Vijaygarh a while the mighty queen was enraged at mere name of her mother’s murderer. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she adjourned the proceedings of the royal court and headed towards the royal temple of Goddess Durga at Shatakshigiri hills with her bodyguard and commander-in-chief of the royal army, Avdhesh Singh Ranawat.

It was a custom of Vijaygarh for the ruler and commander-in-chief of the royal army to visit the ancestral temple of Vijaygarh before any war to take the blessings from the holy deity and pray for the victory of their kingdom. The battle of Vijaygarh with Rajgarh was Aparajita’s first battle after becoming the queen of Vijaygarh hence, she wanted to win it any cost to avenge her mother’s death. Her hands were aching to kill each one of the culprits.

Looking at the scorching heat of the sun, the queen wished to go to the temple in the royal chariot, the lavish vehicle that had soft-cushioned interiors and all possible luxuries but suddenly she remembered one of her commitments and hence, she walked over the stable of horses and patted on the back of her pet horse, Shera.

With disappointment in his eyes, Avdhesh Singh Ranawat sighed as he took another horse. He wanted to ride in the royal chariot but being a loyal servant, he chose to follow the suit of his queen.

After a long, tiring journey of one and half hour, the queen had ascended the steep hill of Shatakshigiri where the ancestral temple was located.

Entering the temple, the queen performed a small Yajna and prayed for the well-being of her kingdom, her people and her pride, the royal army of Vijaygarh.

Standing in front of the mesmerizing idol of the holy deity Goddess Durga, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore joined her hands and closed her eyes as she prayed, “Dear mother, my mother did not do anything wrong ever. She was a graceful lady to sacrifice her life for Vijaygarh. I am deeply saddened to know that she was brutally murdered on the order of my uncle, Ajeet Singh Rathore and Maharaja Dushyant Pratap Singh. Give me strength to avenge my mother’s death.”

The queen cracked open a coconut and slashed the tip of her right thumb with her sword and offered her blood to the deity following the royal custom of her ancestors while the royal priest prayed for her victory.

After worshipping Goddess Durga, the queen asked her bodyguard to leave her alone stating that she wanted to spend some time alone in the forest but the truth was she had received the letter from the prince of Shivgarh, Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput who was coming to meet her.

With a smile on her face, the queen left for the forest ensuring Avdhesh Singh Ranawat had followed her orders.

The commander-in-chief of the royal army of Vijaygarh smiled at the demand of the queen as he acknowledged the fact that the queen needed innate peace after the turn of events. Wishing the best for his queen, Avdhesh descended downhill and headed towards his home.

While riding towards the lush green forest of Vijaygarh, on the other hand, Aparajita realized that her equation with her friend, Veer had surely improved after the prince had offered to help her find the truth. She was excited to meet the prince after a long time.

❤❤❤

Hi everyone

Hopefully you are doing well!

Here, I am back with another new chapter 😍

I am really excited for the war and reaction of the royals of Rajgarh after this 😉😉😉😉😉

I know Aparajita was blunt but she wanted to keep things direct and simple. 😅😅😅

I will be back soon, till then, shower your love on this story with your valuable votes and lovely comments 😍😍😍😍😍😍

Don't forget to hit the 🌟 button.

Love you all
💜