✔️Tale as Old as Time (Kunwar Pratap/Ajabde [Praja])

1//~back in time~

edited (31/12/22)

edited (21/12/23)

behind every strong person
is a story that gave them no choice

✧༺♥༻∞

"Yeh Ganga hain. Yeh aapke saath hi rahengi," Jaivantabaisa said. Ajabde nodded and smiled at her. Ganga seemed like a shy person and she was definitely a few years younger than Ajabde, probably around ten years old.

"Hum jaante hain yeh aapke liye bohoth hi kathin samay hain," Ranisa said in a kind tone.

Ajabde nodded in response.

Maharanisa didn't know how right she was. Ajabde was fourteen years old but she was only seven when she began training to travel back in time. She had been taught fencing, horse riding, the art of healing, and Vedas. Her mother had passed away earlier and her father was someone that one would refer to as a mad scientist.

He had provided for her throughout her entire life but never once had she eaten with him after her mother passed away. The only two things that they shared in common were the love of ancient history and their country.

This was the reason why Ajabde's father and his organization had prepared her to send her back in time from where it all started. The Mughals and the British still had India under their rule present day and it didn't seem like it would end anytime soon. So she was sent back in time to fix everything. She was supposed to stay close to Maharana Pratap and convince him to befriend Shivaji Maharaj instead of fighting. She had been prepared her entire life but now that she was here, she felt weird and out of place.

To Ajabde it was crazy that so far her plan was working out better than she had expected. She had climbed over the wall and entered Kunwar Pratap's room and told him the entire truth. He miraculously believed her and when she had told him that she was going to live with Manivatibai in the castle village, he had straight-up refused it.

Manivatibai and her martyred husband were Ajabde's great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents (yes, seven greats). During the trial run, she had already been explained the situation by another man who was in charge of making sure everything was for when Ajabde arrived to execute their plan.

Kunwar Pratap on the other hand insisted that she stay in the palace. He had come up with a cover for her and he told everyone she was the princess of Kastoorinagar whose brother he had met in Gurukul. The entire kingdom had been destroyed when the Mughals attacked so her brother sent her to Kunwar Pratap for help. It was a little far-fetched but people believed him as he upheld a good reputation.

"Aap ko koi bhi avarshakta ho to hume batane mein jijak na mut. Apni Ma saman samajyega hum," Ranisa added.

"Aap ne keh diya, yeh hi humare liye bohoth hain Maharanisa," Ajabde said giving her a small smile.