The Mughal Princess (Completed)

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Aditya hopped down from his horse and walked towards the palace door. His mother stood there as usual with the aarti thal in her hand waiting for him.

"Rani Maa are you going to light up the capital every time I come ? I'm not lord Ram whose minor success' are to be celebrated so grandly." Aditya said walking towards her and bent down to touch her feet.

Mandira smiled at her son and raised her hand to caress his cheek.

"It's not me, it's your people. They love you very much."  She said. "Where is Dev ? And bhai." She asked referring to their prime minister and her brother Balram Shahtri.

Aditya had anticipated the question but not while he stood on the door to his home.

"Dev has gone to Udaipur with Prithvi and mamaji is in Agra." He said a truth and a lie.

After the futile search for Dev, Aditya headed to the chamber assigned to Balram Shahtri and had found him sitting there waiting to be put into the dungeons and Aditya did not fight as the Mughal did so. He was a traitor and every traitor deserved what he got.

"You shouldn't let Dev wander Adi, you know he .. he is going to cause trouble some day." Mandira said.

"Rani Maa Prithvi is going to keep hawks eye on him, you don't have to worry." He lied.

"If you say so." She let out a sigh. "Come let me welcome you in properly." She said picking up the plate with golden diya, kumkum and flowers.

"Rani maa." Aditya said holding her hand before she could begin. "There is something I have to tell you, someone you should meet before you.. you welcome us in."

"Us ?"

"I married The Mughal Princess." Aditya said. "Maheen, her name is Maheen."

"The Mughal Princess ?" Mandira whispered. "Why would you ! Why would you ?" She whisper yelled.
"Have I not told you to keep politics and personal life separate, we don't do marriages of convince in our bloodline Aditya, why did you." Mandira said, her voice laces with disappointment.

"Rani Maa it would just make both the kingdoms stronger." Aditya said lying yet again.

"You don't have to go any stronger Adi, you disappoint me." She said. "But now that you have got yourself a wife call her so I can welcome her as well."

Aditya nodded and signaled Mangal to ask Maheen to come out if the carriage.

Mandira meanwhile had sent some women back inside and instructed them bring out things she would need to welcome the new bride.

"What's her name ?" Mandira asked Aditya.

"Maheen." He said and felt a presence beside him.

He looked towards his left to see Maheen, her hair were open and fell down in ringlets past her shoulder ending before her waist. She wore a rust orange lehenga without any jewellery except her nuptial chair. Her parted hair had vermillion smeared across. Her dupatta across her chest on her right shoulder.

"Maheen." Mandira said looking at her. Maheen moved her eyes from the ground and met with eyes of the woman who looked kindly at her. She was aware of the man standing next to her and she did everything in her power to ignore his presence.

"This isn't how I had pictures welcoming my daughter in law, but I promise I'll pay you back with interest." Mandira said giving Maheen a small smile.

Mandira took the thali from her lady in waiting and smeared the red kumkum across Aditya's forehead and then placed a dot on Maheen's. She showered them with flowers and rice and then rotated the thali with the diya clockwise five time in front of them.