NOVEL~*Hiding behind a Stranger*~ THREAD 45 Chapter50

Posted: 5 years ago

Prologue 

Three Great Emperors had toiled hard to build the vast and flourishing legacy of the 'Mughal Empire', keeping relative peace by unifying its Mughals and Hindus. However; by mid 1600s, cracks began to appear in its solid foundations. Insecurities crept in through the gaps, widening the gulfs between the two religions once again.

With the old Emperor becoming too feeble to take charge and his jealous successors remaining preoccupied with expansion and power, the damage was never repaired. Not surprising then that new rebellions arose every day. Violence escalated, claiming many innocent lives.

Yet; in the midst of such turmoil and peril, there bloomed a beautiful story - much like a lone flower blossoming upon the steepest edges of a cliff - a story of love, of sacrifice and honour!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Forced to flee from her motherland, the one home she knew... forced to leave behind her people, for whom, she was their only hope...forced to grievously abandon the last rites of her loved one while the flames on the pyre were still ablaze...the orphaned heiress of 16 overcame grief and many shortcomings, as she embarked on a long dangerous path... setting out to seek help and support, for her people and her lands...

Till a chance stay with a complete stranger would change the course of those very plans forever!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Being the most shrewd, determined and unforgiving of the lot meant he was formidable... a force to be reckoned with... it also meant he could have owned it all - riches, power, women and fame... but, he fancied none of it...

As a recluse with simple tastes, the rich life held no real appeal... power didn't tempt him... women didn't interest him... his passion was work and his only family were a few loyal friends... he had decided that he wanted little else in life...

Till a chance visit from a complete stranger would change that decision forever!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Part 2 Individual links

Part 3 Individual links
Link to Chapter 37 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/4865965 
Link to Chapter 39 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/4897456  

Edited by lashy - 5 years ago
Posted: 5 years ago


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Posted: 5 years ago

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Takht-e-Sulaiman - Solomon's seat i.e. Emperor's throne (Urdu/Persian)
Shehzade - prince (Urdu/Persian)
Shehenshah - Emperor (Urdu/Persian)
Wazir-us-Sultanat - Chief minister (Urdu/Persian)
Farmaan - official decree/document (Urdu/Persian)
Maharaj/Maharani - King/Queen 
Maharaj - Chef/Cook
Kunwar - Prince (Generally used in Rajputana)
Baisa - Lady/Miss/Mrs/Madam (Marwari)
Banna - Mr/Sir (Marwari)
Sahib - Mr/Master/Sir (Urdu)
Sahiba - Ms/Mrs/Lady (Urdu)
Dams - copper coins
Vaid - Doctor/Healer
Ustad - Teacher/ Master of arts (Urdu)
Caravansarai - Caravan site
Kotwal - Town chief
Kos - old measurement system of distances, used in India
Tahar - battle axe (Urdu/Persian)
Khuda Hafiz - Farewell greeting which translates into 'May God be your protector' (Urdu/Persian)
Adab/Adaab - Words of Salute/respect (Urdu/Persian)
Taslim - A salute (Mughalian)
Hukum - Sir (Used commonly to address Rajput royalty)
Salaam - A form of greeting that translates to 'Hello/Hi' (Urdu/Persian)
Shubh Ratri - Good evening/Good night (Marwari)
Shubh havar - Good Morning (Marwari)
Padhar jo Sa - I shall leave now (Marwari)
Zergul - Calendula flower 
Chulho - Wood fire stove
Ganjifa - A card game, slightly similar to poker
Ahadi - Elite bodyguard, who've received specialist training
Muqannis - Specialist canal diggers/workers
Qanat - Canal
Masaka - Mosquito. (Masaka fever - Malaria)
Wali - Guardian
Nikah - Islamic wedding ceremony
Valeema - Islamic wedding reception
Saleem Shahis/Shahees - A special kind of shoe/jootis stylised during Jahangir's time
Chaupar/Chausar/Chaupara/Chausara - A dice game famous in India for centuries. Similar to Ludo

Bhagwaan ri kirpa bani rehve. Sab chokho hove. Jivta reijo sa. - Wish you all the best... may you be successful in everything you set out to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A laptop, a dictionary, some imagination and loads of dreams... Trying my hand at writing, once again... 

Great to be back on this platform... looking forward to regularly catching-up with my lovely old friends ... looking forward to making new ones too!

Thank you all for being here... and for your support... it means a lot... 🤗

If this made for a worthwhile read, please do leave me a comment/like when you can, as it really does helps the writer in me to keep going!

I have a FB page called Lashy Writes - please 'like' it if you are more regular on FB, as I post the teasers/update links there 😊

Posted: 5 years ago

Teaser for Chapter 51

'Having said that, I do understand why she did what she did. And for YOUR sake... I will ensure your Begum does not suffer a humiliating or a painful death... I give you my word... she was born a noblewoman - she will be treated like one till she lives' he stalled, waiting for the message to sink in 'and she will be treated like one during death too!'  

 

'DEA-TH!' 

The two syllables rang in his ears like a never-ending satanic verse, over and over - its sounds draining strength from every fibre of his body. 'Dea-th' Its two syllables implied the two darkest gates man had ever known; the doors of which, once shut, never reopened - be it for the young, the old, the good, the bad, the beautiful or ugly. 'Dea-th' Oh yes, he'd faced the skin-melting heat of those gates several times in his life. It was gruesome. But, never once could his core recall thumping from abject fear in the way that it was now. Because, today, as he squinted hard at the blaze of those molten gates, in his hand was nestled the palm of his young wife. His beloved young wife, who'd uttered not a word in complaint so far - but the quivering fingers that clutched on for life told the young man of her steadfast belief in him. A belief that her Sahib would somehow take them away from this ominous place.

'Ai Khuda!' He'd never let her down. He would NOT, if it was the last thing on Earth he did! Yet, there was no road behind them that'd allow them to flee from here. There were no paths to their left, nor right. He'd looked. He'd hunted. He'd scoured the place like a crazy man - for any means of escape. 

Alas!

His haunted eyes observed the features of his master. They were gleaming with a coat of satisfaction, as if the Shehzaade were proud of his kindness. After all, he had cleared some of their hurdles along their way - even promised to make his wife's last journey easy. Yet, what real respite was this, when the journey he was sending them on, was eventually meant to end in the burning infernos of hell? 

'Huzoor...'

 


'Akbar...' The tone of the prince slowly shifted, a natural callousness seeping within 'on the other hand, YOU have committed unforgivable crimes... betraying your master... lying, to hide it. You will face your punishment with no leniency whatsoever!' 


Edited by lashy - 5 years ago
Posted: 5 years ago
Story so far 
By Saraswathi aunty

Chapter 50..        
                                                            

The (Hi)story is narrated thus...

What an emotion packed chapter
Presented to us by the author
We hoped to see a change in their fate
After a long and tension-filled wait
The  couple facing the wrath of the prince
Whom the clever opportunists succeeded  to convince
Poisoning  his mind against the man who was like his brother
On whom his love   he had hitherto did smother

The charge sheet is on her for sending messages 
To the Rajput Kings with the motive to disparage
The actions of the Moghul army ,with a purport
While being in his custody, which he failed to report
The charges amounting to treachery
Since to the act  he has been an accessory
From the events that followed
He finds out the sources ,the fact he couldn't swallow

 
In the next few passages follows the narrative
Of the author donning the role of a detective
A treat to read ,assimilate and  speculate
As if we are on the spot witnessing all with au fait
Any  explanations by him couldn't  shake the Prince
Who is convinced by the allegations even without a wince
He orders him to be thrown into the dungeon
Our hearts go to the man who is so grief-stricken

She enters the Capital taken as a captive for trial
Summoned to the Private Hall of the Prince Royal
She faces the shock of her life when he is brought
His limbs chained and  totally distraught
The sight makes her heart  silently shriek
'I might also be the one to have caused him this , so to speak..'
The young couple want to  console each other
As they  face the ordeals one after the other

With tears filled in her eyes to the brim
She opens her heart out  and declares her love for him
" I stand here as a commoner with no ego
I plead with you, please let him go.."
But fate decides otherwise to stand against the couple
With the evil elements' efforts to cause them more trouble
He couldn't prove anything against the charges
But was given a night's time to think a reason for his discharge..

What a chapter the Author Sahiba has  penned!
A mixture of emotions, tact,  pathos, love and lot to commend
She has woven it with thirteen thousand words she says
But   her illustration above, thousand times her words, it essays
How the fate is going to change in one night
The future of the heiress and the knight
Is left in the hands of the author 
Hope she'd show positive signals in her next chapter...

Three cheers to the author..
Hip..hip.. Hurray!
                                                                                                                                                       Related image


Karkuzhali.
Edited by lashy - 5 years ago
Posted: 5 years ago
My dear B&Bs 🤗

We did it!!  Many Congratulations for our new home!! 🥳


Posted: 5 years ago
Originally posted by lashy


Now off to read 
Posted: 5 years ago
Originally posted by lashy



Dhat ! 🤗
Thank you so much for the update! 😳
Now please go to sleep...you are still online 😔
Take rest .😳


Congratulations everyone for new thread! 🤗
Thank you Lashy di !🤗
Posted: 5 years ago
❤️
We got an update
On it, boss. 

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