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

3//~friendship blooms~

how beautiful is it
to find someone
who asks for nothing
but your company?

✧༺♥༻∞

The next morning, Ganga woke me up extra early before sunrise. I hadn't really slept at all because I was too busy thinking about uh- stuff like trees and umm things.

So anyway, I changed into shower clothes. It was a very long white saree dropped similar to a nauvari saree but with a lot of fabric to spare. Then we walked down a forest, leading to a waterfall. The view was mesmerizing. In the scorching heat of the Rajasthani desserts, this place was like heaven.

A few other women were already there, I joined them and cleaned myself off. I didn't get out right away, I took my sweet time swimming around, splashing, and diving from the stones before I realized I needed to go now (it was nearing sunrise).

I partially dried my hair and walked back into Rani Mahal. I changed into a new outfit for the day. I could feel it in my bones, today was going to be a great day.

After drying off my hair completely, I went to the mandir and lit a lamp in front of my mother's deity.

:~:~:~:

I walked out of my room to find something to do when I bumped right into Kunwar Pratap.

"Kshama kijiye ga, humne dekha nahi aapko," I said.

"Ji voh hum aap hi ki pratiksha kar rahe the," Kunwar Pratap said. "Ra-Ranima ka adesh hain ki hum aapko mahal dikha de,"

I nodded. I had nothing else to do and if I was being completely honest, I was planning on going to find Kunwar Pratap anyways because who else was I supposed to spend time with? And we were friends so technically, I could spend time with him (as friends). And it was his palace so he would know the way around and he could show me coo-

"Chale?" he asked.

I shut off my wandering mind. It was an annoying habit of mine, I liked to think about everything and then overthink it until I hurt myself with my own thoughts.

I nodded and walked beside him until he led me to the horse stable.

"Aap humari pratiksha kijiye, hum apne ashvo ko bhojan khila kar aate hain," he said.

"Hum chal sakte hain? Hume ashva bohoth pasand hain," I said. Yes, I loved horses but I really wanted to see Chetak.

He nodded and led me inside.

"Yeh Sarang hain. Humara sabse pehla mitra," he said patting the beautiful black horse. The horse neighed loudly and Kunwar Pratap smiled.

"Aap bhi pryas kijiye," he said. I carefully patted the horse and he nuzzled up against my palm and neighed even more loudly.

"Lagta hain Sarang ko aap bohoth pasand aa chuki ho," he said. My smile widened.

"Yeh-" Kunwar Pratap took me to the next horse. The most beautiful white horse I had ever seen. I knew instantly who it was.

"Chetak," I said smiling, and gently brushed my hand over his fur.

"Aap ko kaise pata?" he asked me.

"Yadhi Kunwar Pratap se koi prasidh hain to veh keval Chetak hain," I said.

"Humari bhet bhi anokhi hi thi," he said. "Hum jab Meera Mata ko dhoond ne gaye the tab hume mile the yeh. Pehle hume bha gaye aur yeh nahi maan rahe the uske paschat hum chale gaye to Chittor tak humara pichha kiya. Kya kuch karke nahi dekhaya aur hume enhe apne saathi ke roop mein swikar na hi pada,"

I smiled at the story.

"Aapko gudsawari aati hain?" he asked me. His eyes shone of what he probably thought was a bright idea.

"Uh- ji nahi," I said. I tried keeping my face as straight as possible. Not only did I hate lying, but I also sucked at it and I was sure he'd see right through me but as part of my training, I had been taught to never showcase any of my skills. Nothing that could make me vulnerable or appealing should ever be showcased to anyone.

"Koi baat nahi, hum aapko sikha te hain," he said. "Aap aiye Sarang pe bethiye,"

I swallowed. All I had to do was pretend I couldn't- that couldn't be hard.

I reluctantly climbed onto Sarang but I could already feel it, something was going to happen. Sarang seemed way too excited.

"Shant mitra," Kunwar Pratap said. "Yeh abhi sikh rahi hain,"

"Haan to ab aap ko pehle lagam pakadna sikha na hoga," He instructed turning his attention toward me. He gave me the bridle and then began walking the horse around in a small circle.

"Ab aap dhere dhe-" before he could properly instruct me, Sarang decided this was the perfect time to run off. It was becoming harder with every second to pretend I didn't know how to ride a horse when Sarang was running so fast in an unknown direction. Finally, my reflexes took over and I pulled the bridle tightly to make the horse stop.

I turned him around and we carefully walked back to the stable where Kunwar Pratap was waiting.

I got off the horse and looked at Kunwar Pratap and then the horse. I swallowed, Kunwar Pratap looked really angry and Sarang looked pleased with himself.

"Aapki kitabo mein humare vishay mein itna kuch likha hain, yeh nahi likha ki hume sabse adhik grina kisse hain?" he asked me.

"Nai-"

"Jooth se," he replied and then crossed his arms to glare me down.

"Ab-um-matlab hum nahi bolna chahte the jooth," I said. "Kintu hume baba ne yahi kehke bheja tha ki kisi ko bhanak nahi lugni chaiye ki hume gudsavari aati hain,"

He continued to glare at me with narrowed eyes making me feel worse by the minute.

"Hum mang rahe hain na kshama," I said. "Nahi bolenge agge se jooth aapse parantu yadhi hum koi satya chhipa rahe ho to aap humse ghadi ghadi sawal nahi poochh sakte,"

"Thik hain." he agreed. I hadn't expected him to agree so fast.

"Vaise bhavishya mein sab kaise rehte hain?" he asked after a while as we started walking back.

"Bohoth alag," I said. "Sab bohoth alag kapde pehen te hain eisi liye to hume aise ghagre mein dikat hoti hain aur koi bel gadi ka upyog nahi karta, sab ke pass motor vali ghadi hain,"

"Motor?" he asked me.

"Ji umm. Kaise samjhaya. Ghadi apne aap chalti hain bus uss mein tel daalna padta hain," I explained. It was a horrible explanation but the best one I had.

"Aisa kaise ho sakta hain?" he asked utterly confused.

"Bhautik vigyan," I said.

"Aapko aata hain bhautik vigyan?" he asked me.

"Humara sabse priye vishay tha jab hum vidyalaay jate the," I said. Physics has always been very close to me, maybe because I was naturally really good at it. "Kintu etna bhi nahi ki motor gadi bana sakte," I added.

"Aur kya kya hota hain?" he asked.

We walked around absent-mindedly talking about both of our experiences. Kunwar Pratap was so very curious about some of the details because it was just bizarre to him how that could ever happen.

A/N: Wrote this in First Person POV so let me know how you guys like this over the last two and Ik this is such a filler chapter but stick with me it gets better. This is fluff plenty though <3