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

11//~brothers cross paths~

✯ you carry so much love in your heart,
give some to yourself <3 ✯

They arrived at the Bijolia Palace later that day. The palace was not grand or magnificent. It was pretty ordinary but it had a blissful serenity to it that Ajabde had rarely gotten to experience and Hansabaiji and Rao Mamrathiji welcomed them with open arms.

"Kunwar Shakti ko humne akhet ke bahane abhi bahar bheja hain, aap enhe milayega," Hansabaiji whispered to Ajabde as she did her aarti. "Sahi samay dekh ke,"

Ajabde looked at Kunwar Pratap and swallowed. She wasn't used to hiding things from him but this was necessary. She hoped would succeed.

That is when Heer Kanwar, princess of Amer came running out nearly knocking Ajabde over.

"Kitni pratiksha karvayi!!!" she exclaimed. "Mausiji ne jabse bataya hain tabse hum pratiksha kar rahe hain!"

"Ab aa gaye hain na," Ajabde replied smiling just as widely and hugging her back. They had both missed each other so much.

"Chaliye!" Heer said dragging Ajabde to her room before Ajabde could say anything. She hopped on the bed and Ajabde sat down beside her.

"Kunwar Shakti aur Kunwar Pratap dono yaha hain woh koi sayog nahi ho sakta," Heer said getting straight to the point.

"Sayog nahi hain. Dono bhaiyo ko mila na hain," Ajabde said also getting straight to the point. There was no point in trying to hide stuff from her best friend. "Saheta karengi aap humari?"

"Yeh bhi koi puchhne ki baat hain?" Heer replied "To. Bataiye, kaisi hain aap?"

"Badiya aur aap?" Ajabde asked her.

"Hum bhi," she replied and used that as her cue to rant. "Parantu mahal mein vaad vivaad se thak gaye hain hum. Voh ab humare dono bhai bade ho rahe hain aur pitaji ko yuvraj chunna hain. Dadabhai Sujamal har disha se yogya hain aur Dadabhai Bhagwan Das har disha se ayogya. Sujamal bhaisa ka adhikar hain singhasan par parantu Pitaji Bhagawan Das bhaisa ko bithana chahte hain kyun ki veh unke sagge putra hain aur phir Maan Singh bhi to bade ho rahe hain. Such mein, yeh sinhassan ka khel hume nahi bhata,"

"Galat hain yeh," Ajabde said. "Sinhassan kisika bhi janam sidh adhikar nahi ho sakta. Uske liye yogya hona padta hain,"

"Jaante hain par hum to adhik chhote hain dono se," she said. "Hum nahi kar sakte kuch aur humse baat baat par vivaad bhi sehen nahi hota,"

"Chhodo yeh saari baat. Bijolia mein samay vyatit karne mein anand ayega," Ajabde said trying to distract her distressed friend. She nodded and they discussed their plans for their stay.

:~:~:~:

OUTFIT:

"Ajabde!?" Kunwar Pratap called out while she was combing her wet hair.

"Ji?" She called back.

"Hum aa sakte hain andar?" he asked from the door.

"Haan, aiye," Ajabde said.

He walked into the room holding his hands behind his back. He looked nervous for some reason. Ajabde turned around to give him her full attention. He mindlessly stared at her hair, an action that confused Ajabde.

"Kya hua?" she asked him

"Ji-woh-woh kuch nahi," he said trying to dismiss the matter away as quickly as possible.

"Hume bus aapko kuch dena tha," he said.

Ajabde thought this was the best time to give him the gift. She pulled out her basket of things she hadn't had the chance to put away yet.

"Hum to bhul hi jaate," She said holding the mala out for him to take.