Originally posted by: karkuzhali
After a long time...Jalal and Jodha agreed to enact the roles of the protagonists in
The Epilogue
'Oh Parnagarh!
It is the time to feast and drink... it is the time for celebration,
So, wave the flags, blow the conches and sound aloud the victory drum!
Let the air be brimming, O folks, with the essence of mirth and jubilation -
For, in our lands and in our homes, has the season of happiness finally come!'
As she recalled those celebratory lines, the expressions on her face could have inspired poetry.
On their return to the sweet soil of home, the celebrations and fanfare amidst the Ustaadis and Parnagarhis had shown neither barriers, nor boundaries - in true reflection of the kind of joy that was bursting in their hearts.
The sounds of drums and revelry, could be heard in the night air for days thereafter. And certain streets of Parnagarh had needed weeks of sweeping to wash off from their soil, the lengthy carpets of reds and blues - festive 'Gulal' powders that had been flung during those endless bouts of celebration.
And as she beheld the scenes below, leaning against the very same latticed ledge, of the very same corner window today, two years later; it seemed that sweet essence of mirth was still wafting across the air of the green valleys. 'Are you watching, jiji?'
Only, the drum beats today had taken the form of hoof-beats. The puffs of red and blue had become clouds of brown dust raised by Bahadur and its four-legged mates, trotting and clowning along the life-giving lengths of the canal. And that celebratory song was being sung now by Zayaan instead, rejoicing in a well-deserved victory that'd come at long last, against his best-mate Azeez, following a very fierce game of catch and throw.
'Oh Parnagarh!
It is the time to feast and drink... it is the time for celebration,
So, wave the flags, blow the conches and sound aloud the victory drum!
Let the air be brimming, O folks, with the essence of mirth and jubilation -
For, in our lands and in our homes, has the season of happiness finally come!
Zayaan has won! Zayaan has won! Zayaan has won!'
Watching her baisa's lashes slowly lower, Gauri kept still - waiting for the smile on the young lady's features to blossom to its fullest glory, before lifting her chin up to seize a quick glance of it. 'Bless you, my Heera' she beamed. 'By the way, Maharaj kakasa wants to know if you would like something else prepared... apart from the dishes that're already being organised for today's grand feast - a personal favourite, probably? Khan Sahib, Baig Sahib and Mirza Sahib have returned from their extensive business tour an hour ago... they've stopped at the village... but, they should be here anytime soon...'
Heera could sense a warm claret riding all the way up her neck, to her cheeks. 'Probably...' She nibbled her lips, holding back some of that grin 'a sweet? Ghevar?'
'Ghevar?' Gauri chuckled, patting the fresh shades on her Lady's cheek with affection 'I shall instruct Maharaj Kakasa to prepare it too.'
Sometime later..
'Khan Sahib... finally!'
The young lady glimpsed up from the ledge - a fresh burst of nervousness fluttering its wings in her chest. Flutters that grew more and more feverish as his steady gait approached the turn at the corridors that led to her bedchamber. The last instance that she'd experienced such feverish flutters was on the day she'd recognised her love for him, and then again on the day they were united as one. The last time she'd known such nervousness was on the day she became a bride.
Today, she was battling those flutters all over again.
'Heera...'
A brief pause later, Akbar walked up behind her. Nearly 5 weeks later he was at Parnagarh, to be with her - and she hadn't hastened down the corridors to greet him as always? Instead here she was, lingering by her window ledge, facing the valleys beyond. Why, she hadn't so much as turned to face him yet. What was the matter?
Clasping her by her shoulders, he gently turned her around, half-expecting to find her features waned from sickness or grief of some sort. Instead, her cheeks were flushed with a welcoming warmth that his fingers had never sensed earlier. And there was a haze misting those hazels that spoke of dreams he'd never seen before. Sheathing her features within his palm, his lips descended upon her forehead with the ardency of a lover that came from having spent days apart.
'My love' Placing her palms over his hands that were still cradling her face, she held his gazes with a long look. 'I hope the business deals... and your trip, were a success'
'Oh yes... yes!' He almost rushed through an answer for he could hear a sweet tremor in her voice. 'What are you wanting to tell me, Heera?'
A sudden silence cast its short sweet spell upon them...
Until she gently brought his hand away from her cheek.
'Khan Sahib' A tender sigh softened her tone as she guided his palm towards her waist, and placed it flat upon her belly.
'Wait...' The frowns on his brows slowly eased, as if wiped off by her thumb. He almost took a step back. 'What?'
'Yes...' she nodded.
His brow arched upwards. 'Is it what I think it is?'
'Yes...' she nodded again. 'The miracle of your love grows in me, Khan Sahib...' She had to pause as she said those words aloud, though she had been repeating it to herself many-a-time the past few days 'grows in me, in the form of a little life now'
As the significance of her words dawned upon him, disbelief froze his reaction for an instant. But that was soon swept by a wave of shudders within, his face awash with an unsurpassed joy.
'Ai Khuda...' he exclaimed, choking up on unfamiliar emotions as he kissed her forehead twice. 'Thank you... thank you for this!' The Heavens knew, they both had been yearning for such a news. The Lord had listened, choosing to bestow upon them this blessing too - the miracle of a union that came from crossing several hardships, the miracle of a child.
From where he stood, the world suddenly appeared more complete than it'd ever appeared before - he was going to have a family. HIS family!
Stretching his arms out, Akbar wrapped her up in a fervent hug, breaking into a contented laugh at the thought that it was not just his Begum, but his family, his entire world in his arms then.
'My entire world'
'My entire world' she nodded, wilfully locked in his embrace, in the prolonged solitude of rapture.
A few hours later...
That lilting early summer's noon, as Akbar was perusing through a few letters, while relaxing on the chaise under the canopied shade of the terrace by the water fountain, Heera took her spot beside him. Yes, she was well aware her husband had decided to use the hour of day to catch up on scrolls that'd arrived in his absence.
However, a few scrolls was all that her self-restraint could last through, when she decided to snuggle her face into the cushion of his lap.
A smile grazing past his lips, the young man put aside the letter he'd been reading.
'Tired?' His fingers began skirting through her hair.
'A little...' she lied, to steal him for herself, for a few moments.
But the few moments extended to a few more, and then some more, when she sensed a new touch of tenderness in his long strokes that were brushing her locks. So much so that it drew her eyelids down - subsequently lulling her into a stretch of sleep.
It was only when she sensed a shift in his legs, sometime later, that those eyelids finally awoke.
'My...' Heera gradually sat up, reclining against a bolster - realising from the shift in the shadows around her that she must've been sleeping for an hour at the least.
'Slept well?'
'Very well. Should have woken me up...' she suggested with a groggy grin - a futile suggestion, of course - seeing how he would not have disturbed her had she been lying there for even two hours or three.
'Oh?' She then noticed how the heap of scrolls that sat beside the Sahib had only grown larger, rather than smaller. 'A lot of letters have piled up in your absence, it seems... wait... speaking of which' she flinched, suddenly turning up to him 'Have you... have you heard of any news... from... have there been developments...'
'News?'
The halting manner with which that response came, gave away his answer soon enough. 'No' he sighed 'Bindiya was not one amongst the prisoners who were released this Eid either...' in that very same breath, he picked her palm up, caressing its velvet folds under his thumb. 'However, my messenger has been able to hand over your letter to her... your letter and even a shawl, this time... he said that she is well'
Watching his Begum's expressions continue to droop, Akbar decided to lean in and put an arm around her shoulder. 'Maybe she shall be released during the next Eid? Maybe this child shall bring Parnagarh this good news?'
Worked like a charm, it did - his word and his touch; hope lifting her expressions up once again.
'You think?' She uttered, fiddling with the taveez that sat at the base of his throat.
'I do, actually'
When her fingertips had had their fill of tinkering with the corners and the designs of his amulet, she looked up - increasingly aware of those unblinking stares that were studying her actions. 'I think my trivial pursuits have been keeping you from your work... you must be wanting to get back to it?'
'You think?' He uttered, miming her words.
'I do, actually' She mimed his.
Akbar tilted his head ever-so-slightly, till he managed to force the blush to show up that she'd been fighting to keep hidden. With a hearty chuckle, he then planted a deep kiss upon her lips, before eventually reverting to his work.
Reaching across, he was about to pick up the next letter that sat at the top of the pile, when his eyes caught sight of what appeared to be a familiar seal on a message at the bottom.
'One moment, Heera' Coming away from her, Akbar grabbed the scroll and broke open its seal.
'As I guessed...'
Beginning to read its contents, he gently stood up, breaking into a slow stride. 'I'll get back to you shortly'
'Sure, my love'
However; his stride that'd started off at an unhurried, unworrying gait, seemed to pick pace as he progressed through the paragraphs - till it finally led him away from the terrace, and into the main chamber.
Able to rein-in her concerns no further, Heera finally decided to follow him in. 'What's the matter, Khan Sahib?'
If it were merely an official issue, she would have let him be. But a single glance at him was enough to tell her that it was something worse. Far worse!
Leaning against a table, he stood with both hands grimly glued to the edges, his eyes staring at the empty spaces between the mahogany swirls in the table. Neverbefore, over the past couple of years, had the contents of a letter sent him so deeply into a spiral of thoughts. 'Is everything alright? What's in the letter?'
'Come here...' he gestured 'read it...'
'What? Really?'
'Do you need me to get you your lens?'
'No... I shall be fine...'
'Alright then' Dismissing the rest of the maids and the guards by the foyer with a quick snap, he handed the letter to her. 'Go on... read it'
A cold tingle of anxiety jumped across her fingertips as she picked up the letter. 'Who is it from?' Skipping all else, she rushed right to the signature of the sender at the bottom.
'Mahadev banna?'
It took another short nod from her Sahib, before Heera mustered the nerve to continue.
To,
Akbar Mahmoud Khan Sahib,
Dear friend,
I trust that this letter finds you, your household and the people of Parnagarh in unfailing prosperity, health and cheer. It has been a long while since I have written to you and for that I must apologise. However, the reason for my absence shall be explained, once you read along.
During the past year or so, there have been plenty of personal issues - sinister issues - that have kept me preoccupied, and thus away from business. One such, is the curious case that concerns my younger brother, Sehdev Rai.
Sehdev was a businessman quite like me, trading in silks. And as is notoriously known, the silk-trade is a profession littered with crookedness, corruption and crime. I had advised him several instances in the past to choose a different line of business. Yet, he would not heed my warning, for he saw great success in it. In the competition that ensued, he ended up making some very powerful rivals. And a fateful winter's morning, 4 months ago, his wife opened the door of his chamber to find him slumped at his desk, lifeless. The Kotwal took less than a day to proclaim the cause of death as suicide. But, anyone who was familiar with the man, would attest that it could not be further from the truth. I have spent most of my days since, roaming from city to city, knocking on many-a-people's door. Alas, no one would tell me much; and even if they did, it was of little worth.
After having turned to everyone I could and pursued every path I could pursue; with a heavy heart I now come to you, seeking your help in this sordid affair. As a legendary spy and the wisest warrior ever known - I hear there is no mystery, no problem that cannot be solved by you. I admit, I am aware of your circumstances and my intent is not to jeopardise your peaceful household. Which is why, all that I ask of you, is a few names - names of the perpetrators and a piece of irrefutable evidence that I can take to the capital, and present in court, to bring our enemies to justice. Needless to say, I shall compensate you for your troubles and award you handsomely, once you are able to crack this case.
I shall be eternally indebted to you, if you heed my plea and help me out with this.
Your trusted friend and associate,
Mahadev Rai
On setting the letter down, Heera needed a few breaths to compose herself first. 'Ma Bhavani! This is shocking... dreadful... what happened to Mahadev Banna's brother, and his family...'
'Yes, it is!' Grimaced Akbar. He hadn't been certain if it he must share with her such troubling news - especially in her condition. However, she had seen him fret. And knowing his wife, she would continue to suspect something, continue to worry herself till the matter was in the open. So, he supposed it was wiser to show her the contents of the letter. 'Dreadful indeed'
'What must we do...' she left that query at a tangled point of confusion, hoping that he would step in to untangle it.
But he didn't.
So, she pressed on. 'What reply will you give him, Khan Sahib?'
Heera waited.
Yet, he continued to be as he was - staring away at the mahogany table.
A short sigh later, she came up to him and held his shoulder with an added touch of empathy.
'I understand, you need a moment to gather your thoughts... I shall join you later'
However, just as she was about to leave, he grasped her palm, fastening it to his shoulder firmer that before.
'Are you aware of how long it has been, Heera?'
'What?'
'Are you aware of how long it's been since I gave up that life?'
'How long? Well...' She stuttered, more confused than before 'T... two years?'
'Two years and two months, to be precise'
He faced her. 'Mahadev Rai Sahib is a friend and I do want to help him. But, I am a businessman... settled in a peaceful life now... I shall soon be having a family...' his features basking in a soft rush of pride, he finally shook his head. 'So... to return to that dark world...'
Was there a question at the end of that sentence? Heera couldn't tell. While, his eyes were on her, a part of his gaze was elsewhere too.
She continued to hear him out quietly, as he made his steady way in the direction of the display sideboard.
'Two years and two months since I have cracked a real mystery, or foiled a sinister plan... two years and two months since I've confronted a real enemy head on...' he glanced at his dagger that sat on an ornate holder, upon the display.
'For two years, the only targets the tips of these blades have hit, are barks of trees and wooden boards...'
'Khan Sahib...' She studied the man as his steps and words came to a lasting halt in front of his cherished dagger. He was trying hard to fight it - but the temptation to relive the past was a strong one to overcome, wasn't it? No, she didn't come to that conclusion because his thumb had gingerly brushed the dagger's edge - a lethal edge that had been buried in that holder, along with the many stories and secrets of its master. Neither was it the fact that he had spared a quick glimpse at his reflection upon its steel surface - a reflection of a past life.
What truly caught her attention was the sudden frost in his glares, as though his mind had started racing through ten thoughts at once - edging its way into the case, recalling names and addresses, revisiting the puzzle and its possibilities.
'Intense' was the first thought that struck her mind when she saw it all. It was a sort of chilling intensity that she had last seen on him, two years-two months ago.
Gliding up to her husband, she picked up his empty hand and placed it on her belly. 'You are a family man now, Khan Sahib' she paused, before letting slip a mild smile - and then went on to wrap her other palm firmly around his hand that had been brushing his blade - till the couple were clutching his cherished weapon together.
'And you are a fighter too... so, why choose, when you are both?'
Maybe his soul had to hear it from her - for it was then that his glare revealed its fullest lustre, turning the black crystals of his eyes more intriguing than the depths of midnight. 'True'
She beheld that look in silence; a tingle rolling up her spine. It was the very first look that'd drawn her to him that fateful night at the canal - a look of intrigue gleaming in those black glares.
'My Khan Sahib!'
She was his everything. And it was for her sake, that he had wilfully sacrificed all else that was important to him. He'd had to build his business from scratch following their ordeal at the capital, scaling his way through the horse trade to the near top. And it was with his tireless efforts that they had been living a life of contentment here, wanting for nothing.
That said, despite the success and the peace - in the inmost corner of heart, there existed a spy, a soldier, who belonged in the field, didn't there? It was from that life that he derived a sense of thrill that nothing else could give him, wasn't it? Of course, he was far too pragmatic to ever admit it aloud. Why, he wouldn't even say so now. But Harka Bai didn't have to hear it aloud to sense this truth about her Sahib.
After all, in him was the spirit of an adventurer. A spirit that could be dimmed, not doused forever. And who possibly better to understand that, than her? For strangely enough, the intensifying lustre in his eyes, had begun quickening her pulse too.
Yes, she had been worried at the start, about his return to the murky world of crime. But a short spell of pondering had led her to believe that if this was a parallel path he wished to pursue, there could not be a better alternative. While the case was quite a challenge, it was nowhere as dangerous as being an assassin for the Mughal heir. Nor would he be crossing the streets of the capital in any way. Besides, unlike his previous assignments, what he would be doing hereafter, was for a good cause - using his expertise to help a friend seek justice.
So yes, the time had come for the Sahib to reclaim the dark woods, it seemed. To fill up his quiver, and whip out his riding scarf. To switch the dead lanterns of the hideout back on, and sharpen his skills. To help his helpless friend bring those murderers to justice from behind the shadows of nightfall. And his men who were former-warriors themselves, would only be too grateful to join him in this mission.
She let go of his palm, watching him unsheathe the dagger from its holder.
'What would such a man be called? One who investigates a crime, in private? Is there such a profession at all?' She blinked her lashes at the blade that he was checking out. 'If there is, I would consider it an intriguing profession, and a very noble one.'
'I don't know...' Shrugged Akbar, toying with the blade.
Three beats later, his lips slowly curled into a suave grin. 'How does the name - secret... or... a private investigator sound?'
'A private investigator? I do quite like the sound of it!' She came back with a suave grin of her own, quietly marvelling at how his fingers were tossing the precarious blade up an inch, and seizing it with precision.
Yes, the 'Ustaad' was back indeed!
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