Princess of the dawn

Chapter15

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Raja Bharmals Camp - The next morning

There was a lot of activity in the camp. The last tents were dismantled and loaded onto the waiting ox carts. The women waited to get into their palanquins. Jodha's brothers rode back and forth, making sure everything was loaded properly. Khanghar reported to Raja Bharmal that everything was in place and that they could leave. The long procession formed and the ladies climbed into their palanquins. The train began to move slowly. To Jodha's chagrin, she also has to travel in the palanquin. Sullen, she sat on the soft cushions and peered through the open curtains to catch a last glimpse of the fort. As they passed the Bara Darwaza, she saw a figure standing on the tower. She recognized the young ruler. He let his gaze wander attentively over the train of the Raja. She pushed the curtain aside, leaned a little out of the palanquin and looked up at him. Their eyes met. He raised his hand to his forehead in greeting. Jodha folded her hands in greeting. After one last look, she leaned against the upholstery and closed the curtains. She indulged her thoughts and thought about the ring again. Hidden in her palanquin, also travelled the cage with the pigeons. She didn't want anyone to know about it. She had secretly brought the cage into the palanquin, hidden under a scarf. After a long day, they reached the camp for the night. The tents were set up and Jodha was able to bring her pigeons into her tent unseen. After feeding the pigeons water and some grains, she went to the father's tent where the family met for dinner. After dinner she said goodbye quickly. In her tent she got a quill and paper and began to write. After she was done, she rolled up the small piece of paper tightly and wrapped a thin ribbon around it and knotted it tightly. She put everything in her quill case and went to bed. She quickly fell asleep.

After a dreamless night Jodha woke up early in the morning. She got up quickly and took the small roll out of her quill case. She lifted one of the pigeons out of the cage and gave it a few grains. The animal eagerly pecked it. Jodha stroked the soft plumage soothingly. Then she carefully tied the roll to one of the pigeon's legs. She looked furtively out of her tent. It was still quiet in the camp and no one was to be seen. Only a few servants ran around in a hurry to prepare the departure. With the pigeon hidden under her pallu, she left her tent and went out into the dawn. She loved the dawn. Slowly one could guess on the horizon that the sun would soon rise. The sky was already turning in tones of red and purple. The contours of the landscape slowly rose out of the gray-black of the fading night. The first birds sang their morning song. Jodha enjoyed the peaceful nature for a moment and took a deep breath. She took the pigeon out from under her pallu and gave it a few more grains. Once more she stroked over the white plumage and threw the pigeon into the air. She was tracking her flight to the northeast until she could no longer see the pigeon. Meanwhile, the sun slowly made its way and poured everything into a bright, warm light. Jodha folded her hands and began to sing:

„Sūryāya svāhā, sūryāya idam na mama, prajāpataye svāhā, prajāpataye idam na mama"

After another deep breath, she went back to her tent to get ready for the onward journey. The rest of the trip was uneventful. Sometimes Jodha was allowed to make part of the journey on Lathika. Grateful, she rode lively with her brothers and enjoyed the wind that blew around her nose.

Din Panah

Jalal was restless. It was late afternoon. A day had passed since the departure of Raja Bharmal. News of the broken army of Hemu's movement to Mewat had arrived in Delhi. Bairam Khan wanted to pursue them in order to smash them finally. It was a matter of time before they moved against Mewat. The lad was eagerly waiting for a message. Would it come? He paced restlessly back and forth in his room and then decided, to leave in a hurry. When he got to the pigeons, he looked around for the keepers.