Princess of the dawn

Chapter 2 - Delhi

After days of travel they came to the outskirts of Delhi. Jodha looked curiously out of her palanquin. She wondered at the rotten smell. Shocked, she looked at a tower with walled-in heads.

"Bhagwant what's that?" disturbed she asked her brother, who is riding beside her palanquin.
"These are heads of the emperor's enemies from the battle of Panipat. He build the towers and had the heads walled in".

Jodha withdrew silently into her palanquin. Slowly they rode towards Din Panah, the fort of Dehli. Jodha had recovered of her shock and looked out of the palanquin again. Her gaze fell on a gibbet with a headless body that was slowly swinging back and forth. Birds had already begun their cruel work and hacked the body mercilessly.

Again she asked Bhagwant Das. It was the headless corpse of Hemu Vikramaditya, who proclaimed himself as Hindu emperor of North India after his took over from Dehli. He lost the battle of Panipat and his beheaded body had been hung as a deterrent in front of the fort. His severed head was sent to Kabul- Jodha shuddered in horror.

„What kind of person was this lad from an emperor who hung corpses in front of his fort and left them to the birds to eat, refused to give them a decent burial ceremony? What can we expect here?" she thought disgusted.
Her anticipation for the city and the court was clouded. Disturbed and thoughtfully she leaned back in her palanquin as they rode towards Humayuni Darwaza, the main gate of the fort.

Delhi – Din Panah

Jalal was bored to the core. The celebrations for the victory dragged on and every day more guests and petitioners came to congratulate him, vie for his favor to get a post at his court. Lush banquets, well-formed courtesans who provided entertainment with singing and dancing, musicians, endless conversations with ambassadors. He longed for his horse and elephants, for exercise in the great outdoors. The hyperactive adolescent could barely sit still yet.

More comers were announced. Jalal sat on his throne, annoyed. That meant even more messengers and endless exchanges of nothing. Suddenly he pricked up his ears. The name that was called out piqued his interest.

Flashback

One day ago. Jalal was hanging on an elephant. His bare feet dug deep into the back of his neck. He sat sweating on the animal to get it under his control. The charging elephant trampled everything in its way. As every day, numerous curious spectators came to see the 14-year-old emperor. Now they ran away screaming from the wild elephant. Except for a group of Rajputs. They didn't move. They stood proudly at their place. Preferring death to dishonour. Jalal was impressed. When he had calmed the elephant he asked his attendents who the group was. He was told it was Raja Bharmal of the Kachhawa Rajput clan. The same one who helped surrender Fort Narnaul.

Curious, he sat up and looked towards the newcomers. Raja Bharmal and his sons slowly approached him. Followed by a group of women. Probably his wives. His gaze fell on a slim figure who curiously let her eyes wander under her thin veil. As they approached, he saw that it must be a young girl. Was she the daughter of the Raja? Just as proud as Raja Bharmals men the day before, with her head held she looked around. Padmavati, who was walking next to her, nudged her in the side with her elbow. The girl quickly lowered her head only to lift him up again moments later and continued to observe her surroundings. A light breeze lifted her veil from her face for a brief moment. Jalal caught a short glimpse at her face. He had never seen such a pretty beautiful face before. He thought of Ruqaya, his wife with whom he had been engaged for 5 years. She was his cousin, daughter of his uncle Hindal. He just considered her his childhood friend.

„Whether the girl was just as boring as Ruqaya and only interested in jewelry and dresses"? he thought. With all the women he knew, were all about jewelry and clothes and how they looked. Ruqaya also annoyed him because she wanted to forbid him from seeing Abdul, his best friend, only to spend time with her.

Slowly the group came closer and the girl eyed him unabashedly under her fine veil. Their eyes met, sank into one another. Her indefinite, proud and his curious, interested gaze. He found her behavior refreshingly different. Nobody dared to look at him openly. Everyone looked down until they were allowed to speak to him. He couldn't define her expression. He admired the girl's courage and it aroused the desire in him to get to know her. Presents were handed over and Jalal hoped to get another glimpse of the girl's face.

The eye contact did not go unnoticed. Hamida Banu, Jalal's mother, noticed Jodha's curious looks and the interested gaze Jalal gave her. Also that Jodha undaunted returned his gaze. A smile appeared on her face.

"What's that, my son is interested in girls," she thought surprisingly. „Up to now he was always annoyed by girls, fled with Abdul from Ruqaya and only had his pets, hunting and martial arts in mind".

Maham Anga, the milk mother of Jalal, also noticed the gazes. She looked at Jalal in disbelief. Worry spread across her face. „Allah, keep me of these Rajputs" she thought. "Not only did they get invited here, now he also shows interest in a Rajput girl yet". Outwardly unimpressed, she watched what was happening before her eyes. In her inner, she was troubled.
A third pair of eyes attentive watched the scene with eagle eyes too. Bairam Khan, the ataliq of Jalal, appointed by Jalals father Humayun to prepare Jalal for the throne, pursued the young emperors interested gaze. Just like Maham Anga, he inwardly was alarmed.

The two young people were not aware of the attentive looks and continued busy to watch each other.

Precap
Do you want to challenge me?