Princess of the dawn

Chapter 13

Raja Bharmal's Camp

Upon her return to the camp, Jodha snuck into her tent, quickly changed her clothes and called for Moti. Half-packed chests stood in the room. Moti had apparently already started packing her things.

"Jodha, where have you been?" she looked at Jodha.
"Oh no, you didn't do that!? Say that you didn't do that!" she exclaimed in horror.

Jodha just laughed. "What?"

"You did!" She whispered resignedly.
"You snuck out to the hunt! How could you? That's what you needed the clothes for. I thought you just wanted to go to the horses secretly. At some point you will get yourself into big trouble and me with you because I helped you." The anger and remorse could be clearly heard in her voice.

"Oh Moti. Don't worry!" she laughed. "Nobody noticed that I was gone".

"How did you manage to get out of here unseen?"

"It was very easy. There was no one at the horses. I took an inconspicuous horse and with the simple clothes that you got for me, nobody recognized me. I rode away and hid in the woods near the hunting party. I waited there to see if Jalal had solved my riddle. He found me," she grinned.

"Jalal? Not Shahenshah? "Moti asked incredulously?

"Yes, Jalal!" Jodha blushed.

"Jodha, you're royal. He is the ruler! The etiquette". she said disapprovingly.

"So what? We talked so well. He told me about his childhood, about his father, his mother. And he loves pigeons like me" she enthused with a transfigured look.

Moti looked at her in shock and alarm. She had never seen Jodha like this before. She didn't know what to say.

"Moti, why don't you say anything?"

"I don't know what to say," she sighed truthfully.
"You meet secretly in the forest with a stranger who is also the new rulerr, and you talk to him as if you had known him for years. What can I say? This is absolutely against all the rules. How can you do that? When that comes into light! Your reputation is ruined. Don't you think about the consequences? Nobody will ever want to marry you. Your parents, Amer ... What a shame!"
Moti replied upset.

Jodha looked defiantly at Moti.

"Oh, always these rules and constraints. Girls are always disadvantaged. Should stay in the background, look nice and, best of all, keep their mouth shut. Men, on the other hand, are allowed to do anything!" She snorted in frustration and anger.

"Jodha what are you saying. You're talk yourself deeper and deeper into trouble yet! " said Moti indignantly.

"I was only talking to a boy of the same age who has feelings like you and me. He's a human like you and me. I had the feeling that he is very alone even though he is constantly surrounded by dozens of people. He has only one friend, Abdul. But he is the son of one of his milk mothers and only therefore allowed to be around him. He told me how everyone is vying for his favor and how it all annoys him. Everyone sees in him only the ruler and not him as a human. And everyone tries to gain the benevolence of his mentor and regent Bairam Khan through him. His mentor trains him to become a great warrior. I'm sorry for him. So far he has not experienced a lot of beautiful things in his life. He was very sad when I told him about my carefree life in Amer and my siblings."

Moti sat quietly and let Jodha's words sink in. The story made her sad, but set her alarm bells ringing when she looked at Jodha. Jodha was lying on her stomach on her bed. Elbows angled, her head propped on her hands, staring dreamily into the distance.

"He was so vulnerable. I had the feeling that I had known him forever. Somehow I feel connected to him."

"You are crazy Jodha! You met him once. And that in secret! How can you say something like that? "

"Because it's the truth, Moti," she replied bluntly.
"And tomorrow we're leaving and we probably won't see each other again," she said introverted. A veil fell over her warm brown eyes. She quickly closed them and turned on her side.

Moti was shocked.

"Luckily we're leaving tomorrow! Then you will have other thoughts when we are back in Amer."

"You are probably right, Moti".

Inside, Jodha was very sad about the departure and that she could no longer meet Jalal. But she wouldn't tell that anyone. Not even Moti. She said nothing more. Moti sighed. She knew when it was better to be silent and helped Jodha straighten her hair.

Din Panah - Maham Anga's chambers

"Salam Aleikum mother."

"Wa Alaikum salam my son. How was the hunt?" she puckered her lips in a fake smile.

Adham Khan grinned maliciously. He knew full well that his mother was not talking about the falconry.

"Successful, mother! Even if not everything went according to plan."

"How so?"

"I saw Jalal leave the hunting party and followed him. He rode to the nearby forest and there back and forth there like he's looking for something. Shortly afterwards he disappeared in the forest".

"He disappeared in the forest? What was he doing there?" Maham Anga was confused.

"He met someone!"

"What???? Who did he meet with?" Maham Anga's confusion grew.

"Unfortunately I couldn't see that. It was a figure in the simple brown robes of a servant. The face was masked with a cloth. Only the eyes could be seen. They seemed to know each other and talked for a long time. Unfortunately, I couldn't get close enough to hear what they were talking to each other. In the end, the figure gave him something. But I was too far away to see more."

"Who did he meet in the forest". Maham Anga couldn't figure it out. Her protégé slowly developed a life of his own. Her curiosity was piqued. But she had no idea how to question him and and how to find about the person's identity.

"Adham, you did well. Keep an eye on him."

"Mother, I ..."

"Don't argue, Adham. Just do what I say!" she said sharply.

Gritting his teeth, Adham left his mother's chamber and cursed Jalal for the umpteenth time.

To be continued...