Chapter 15

Chapter 15

          Jalal enter jodha’s chamber and see that she arrange some flowers with moti and reva on the floor, they look up when jalal enter then reva and moti get up in rush, jodha too get up.

“ pranaam shehenshah “ greet jodha

“ leave us “ said jalal to reva and moti and then both leave, jodha watching jalal and she can feel that he is angry but he hold himself together, jalal looking at jodha with angry.

“ is there anything you want to talk shehehshah ? “ ask jodha

“ yes jodha begum .  . I want to ask how on earth you dare to speak up in my court, you know if someone else do that I will kill you the moment I hear your voice “ said jalal and his sharp eyes looing at her like he want to cutting her into pieces.

“ I’m sorry shehenshah but I couldn’t let you punish that boy  . . why are you being cruel and rough to a little boy, and like I said rather that to punishhim it would be better to . . . . . .  . “

Jodha in shock when suddenly jalal move so fast, he grab by her cheeks then he push her on the wall soo hard that jodha feel her back is hurt “ how I treat my people is my bussines you are nobody here so keep that mind in your head, today I change my decision is not because of you but because I believe in atgah . . and next time you speak up in my court again I wont think twice to kill you “ warn jalal and jodha see the devil inside of him but instead scare of him jodha push him and release herself from him.

“ I know who I am shehenshah and I know my position here since you’ve been teling me about that again and again, but here the news for you I don’t care what you think bout me, you think and feel I’m nobody here it’s ok but remember this shehehshah that no matter where I am I will always speak up and against everything injustice “ reply jodha and she look at jalal with arrogant and confident.

“ aaahh you forget jodha begum that here in mughal sultanat my words are law and even mariam makani must obey my rule, this is not amer when you’ve made something wrong no one will punish you but here like I said  wont think twice to kill you “ warn jalal “ you should let that man who want to kill me do his job so you will live with happy and relax now “ he add

“ as much as I hate you but you are my pati now and as my pati I will protect you no matter what,even in my wildest dream I wont hope death for my pati . . . “ reply jodha

“ wow thank you jodha begum for doing your duty as my begum very seriously “ said jalal with sarcarm

“ you can mock all you want but I honor and respect my vow as your patni and even if I have to die to protect you I wil do that “ she said and jalal see determination and honesty in her eyes

“ aahh ok  . . so the next time someone want to kill me you ready to standing in front of me and become my shield ? “ ask jalal

Jodha looing at him with calm and relax “ yes shehenshah I wil do that . . . “ said jodha

But jalal laugh listening to her “ you must really hate your fate because you must marry someone like me . . .. you’ve challenge me through my soilders when they attacking mandir and so jodha begum I will make sure you are suffer here and so you know what is the consequences messing with shehenshah e hindustan “ reply jalal

“ I already accept my fate and I never regret my decision to marry you because I believe kahna planning something big for me “ jalal really hate her optimist and positive mind

“ you never think that kahna leave you since he let you marry me ? “ ask jalal

“ no  . just because we must goin through some event in our live that we don’t like then we think our God leave us . . . I will always believe in bhagwan and kahna  . . they will always be with me and bless me “ reply jodha

“ whatever you say jodha begum . . you only need to know that the next time you argue or challenge me in public amer must prepare to received their rajkumari dead body “ threat jalal and when he just about to leave jodha said something that stop him.

“ I’ve stop the punishment to prevent you doin a sin “ she said, jalal turn around and look confuse.

“ what you mean jodha begum ? “ he ask

“ that little boy . . the one who you are goin to punish is not the one who steal the money “ jalal look surprise and disbelief “ it’s his brother ahmad who steal the money “ she add and jalal remember that little kid, he is the one who kneel in front of jodha and beggin for his brother.

“ how do you know about this ? “ ask jalal

“ I’ve met him in market and he was cried back then, he told me everything that time but I didn’t know that his brother will punish like that and when I saw him I understand everything . . his brother confesed steal the money to protect him, heir mother are very sick and they need money to buy food for her “ jodha told him everything “ can I ask you something ? “ she ask

“ what you want to ask ? “ jalal thinking bout what jodha said to him and he will ask abdul and atgah to investigate this matter.

“ shehenshah do you ever meet your people ? I mean look how they live closely ? “ ask jodha, she is just one time go outside palace but she seen a lot.

Jalal think may be jodha aleady know bout the tax for hindu people when they want to enter and pray in mandir “ I don’t have too much time to go outside but my people can come to my court whenever they have problem “ said jalal “ I believe you want to talk about the tax for hindu people in mughal sultanat, you want protest about that tax jodha begum ? “ he ask

Jodha shaking her head “ like you said earlier I’m nobody so who am I to protest your rule ? that is the rule in mughal sultanat, every maharaja or shehenshah have their own rule and like you said too that I’m not from mughal sultanat but I’m from amer so there is no need for me to protest about that “ reply jodha and jalal hate how can she turn every his words against him

“ but since you are my begum you don’t need to pay the tax . . you have privileged “ said jalal

“ I just know bout that and I feel thank you bout that but I will keep pay tax everytime I enter mandir to pray “ reject jodha with polite

Jalal chuckled “ well that is not strange .  . but may I know why you want to decline your privileged about the tax ? “ ask jalal

“ because I’m hindu too just like other hindu people here and no matter what my position here every rule that apply for hindu people should apply for me too “ explain jodha

“ fine begum sahiba if that is what you want I will grand it “ reply jalal “ but now I have to go . . ruqaiya begum waiting for me in my chamber “ announce jalal and jodha call him before he go

“ I suggest you go out and see with your own eyes how your people live . . you are eat with gold plate while lot people in poverty “ said jodha, jalal just looking at her and without saying a words he leave, jodha pray to kahna to make jalal see the real condition of his people, and jodha will do just like he did in amer, she will help people in need, she will give free medication and she want teach kids like ahmad and his brother, jodha curious if there is an orphanage, she can ask selima bout that and with happy jodha then back arrange flower for her kahna statue.

Maham anga entering ruqaiya begum chamber and she is playing chest, ruqaiya look up when maham anga come.

“ adaab ruqaiya begum . . maid said you caliing me “ said maham anga

“ come maham anga . . sit .  . let’s play chest with me “ said ruqaiya then maham anga sit across her.

“ sure ruqaiya begum . . it’s always a pleasure to play chest with you . . you are very an amazing player and no one can beat you in this game not even shehenshah “ praise maham anga

Ruqaiya smile with happy “ well maham anga I’ve been play chest since I was little so of course I’m very good at it “ said ruqaiya with proud, the she start to move “ but beside I want to play chest with you I want to talk to you too “ she add

Maham anga look very interesting “ oooh . . what do you want to talk ruqaiya begum ? “  ask maham anga then she move her chest

“ hmmm I want to ask your opinion bout what happen in the court when jalal decide to go with jodha begum suggestion to forgive that boy . . why do you think jalal change his mind ? “ ask ruqaiya

Maham anga smile because she know that ruqaiya start to feel jealous to jodha begum and so maham anga will throw an oil to fire, she will make ruqaiya against jodha “ well ruqaiya begum I don’t know how to said this but I guess jalal start to like jodha begum “ ruqaiya look very shock and angry in the same time

“ why do you said that maham anga ? “ ask ruqaiya impatient

“ because I feel that way . . . for jodha begum jalal been broken many rules, first he let her keep her religion when they are marry, then he let her built mandir inside this palace and let her to do puja everytime she want and then the most shocking jalal let jodha speak to him that way in the court, you know how jalal wont spare anyone who talk to him at court but she let jodha did that and top of that he change his decision and following jodha decision, I’ve seen that jalal start to change and ironic that he even didn’t realize that “ maham anga and ruqaiya think what maham anga said is right.

“ you are right maham anga . . as much as I hate but I’ve got to admit that jalal start to change . . it’s because of jodha or there is another reason I don’t know but I wont let jalal change anymore and I need to make distance between jalal and jodha, if he start to feel attraction towards jodha he will start to pay attention to jodha and I really don’t like that idea “ said ruqaiya then she look at maham anga “ and maham anga I know that you don’t like jodha as much as I do and why don’t we joint force to get rid of jodha from jalal’s life “ suggest ruqaiya, she know that jalal always under maham anga influence even his mother mariam makani can’t make jalal do what she ask him to do but ruqaiya notice since the death of bairam khan jalal more like consult with atgah and ask his opinion in matter of sultanat among other things and she can guess that maham anga must be feel very jealous and will do anything to gain her power over jalal but ruqaiya wont let that happen because she want jalal only listen to her, jalal too really trust her but she know that maham anga are in the way and ruqaiya hope with this jodha problem she can hit two bird with one stone.

Maham anga give a happy fake smile “ of course ruqaiya begum we must working together to get rid of jodha begum from jalal’s wife because I can fee that jodha begum will create soo much problem here in harem and mughal sultanat “ she said

“ yes maham anga . . you are right “ said ruqaiya then both woman laugh with happy because both have hidden agenda to each other and not realise that the angel of amer will turn the table and make them taste what will happen if they messeing around with rajput woman especially with rajkumari jodha.

The next morning jalal finish his namaz and ready to practice his sword fighting, then he leave his chamber and go to his practice room, some maids and guards greet him and he just nod, he hold his sword and smile, he always feel excited and enthusiasm whenever he go to practice, it makes his mind in peace and he can think everything with relax, then jalal hears the sound of sword fighting and he curse because there people who practice in his practice room, with angry he rushing to the room only to stand in shock looking what happen in front of his eyes, he see jodha and man singh practice and they both really amazing, and what make jalal shock is that both close their eyes with a fabric but they can attack each other with quick and deadly, man singh who fight with amazing skill with adham khan even got hard time to fight with jodha, she is really fast and her attack very deadly, man singh try to defend himself from jodha’s attack, jalal can’t believe what he see right now, how can jodha and man singh fight with their eyes closed, and jalal remember when man sigh fight with adham and he throw sands on man singh face that time man singh keep fighting with eyes closed, jalal admire their skill and he really don’t understand how amer people can be soo good in sword fighting and archery, and specially he can’t believe that jodha can skill this good, she is in another level from his soldiers and jalal feel that is jodha is a guy she can  beat him very easy, and jalal definitely admire man singh in such young age have amazing skill and fearless, he will be jalal’s asset in the future and jalal very lucky to have him and bhagwan das in his sultanat and he will ask bhagwan das to start to train mughal soldier so they can as goo as amer soldiers, then jalal enter the room to see the practice closely, jodha can hear a foot steps and she wonder who is coming, she try to concentrate on man singh and that uninvited person, man singh keep attacking her with strength and fast but jodha attacking him too with fast, couple times she force man singh to move back and he try to hold on, jodha feel happy that man singh got lots improvement fighting with eyes being closed, jodha still remember how his half brother sujamal teach her this technique, at first she felt that she wont able to that but sujamal convince her that she can do this, this technique is needed especially when in fight our eyes got injures so if she mastered this technique she can fight with her eyes being closed,  jodha hears the step getting closer and when she guess that guy only few step behind her, suddenly jodha attacking man sigh with fast and strong until he fall on the ground thae she turn around and before jalal can think jodha running fast to him and put sword on his neck.

“ who are you ? why are sneaking around here ? “ ask jodha

“ why don’t see for your self “ answer jalal and jodha feel surprise because she recognize that voice, man singh take off the fabric that close his eyes and he look at jalal with happy, then he stand up and standing beside jodha, meanwhile jodha  take off the fabric that closed her eyes and she open her eyes slowly and her eyes stumb with his eyes and they are looking at each other and jodha feel something sting her heart, jalal too feel the same and he is wondering why he feel this way to her.