A walk in the clouds

Prolouge

Hey!!!!
. Reader welcome to my world
I have been wanting to write for a very long time
And this particular story I have run in my mind maybe a thousand times in different ways I finally just decided to pen it down
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it.
The characters are all fictional and even the places in Rajasthan are all fictional
Having been to Rajasthan many many times I have a feel of the different geography so I have taken little little from all the visits to the many cities n forts n monuments and temples and put them into this story in my own way. But you will still get a feel of this amazing place and it's even more amazing people.
Enjoy
N pls pls comment
Thank you

Om Ganeshai Namah

A Walk In The Clouds

Balavgarh fort.
High up in the mountains
1960 August
In the Udaibagh  gardens.

"Hukum ? .........Hukum!"
Slowly the voice pentrated my deep thoughts.
"Yes Gobind. " I turned and replied to the tall thin man standing to my right.
"What is it."
"Rani sa has requested that you join her in her sitting-room in an hours time."
"Please let her know I shall be there. Dhanyawaad Gobind"
So acknowledging he turned and left.
It was an unusually fine morning. Everything was so fresh , green and vibrant. A feast for the eyes. The weather had been cloudy for the past few days, bringing hope of rain, and finally it had rained yesterday. It had looked like it would rain today too but the sun was out in full force already. But then up here in the hills it rained much more than in the plains and the royal family preferred to retire for part of the summer and early monsoon here before going back to Kishangarh.
    Abhimanyu  and the children had returned to Kishangarh. He never stayed very long anyway because of work and the children had to go back for school. I would have gone back with them but this time Ranisa had not been keeping well so I had stayed back to give her company. I was actually enjoying the peace and quiet. Balavgarh was a beautiful quaint old fort. It had been built in the eleventh century by one of the King's ancestor as a sanctuary incase kishangarh fell in an attack. Raja sahib Abhimanyu's  grandfather had converted it into the summer residence some fifty years back. It was cool in the summers and heaven in the monsoon when it was surrounded by the clouds. The perfect retreat to beat the desert heat of Kishangarh  in the summers.
     Putting my cup and saucer down I got up to walk toward Ranisa's suite. Leaving the garden I climbed up a short flight of steps to reach the central courtyard, on the left was the formal wing, the drawing-room, the library and the dining-room, also six guest bedroom suites.Straight up were stairs leading to another smaller terrace garden. On the left was the residential wing. The bedrooms apartments, each a set of four room with a common sitting room.There were six of them. One for the bade-ranimaa, second for the badi Ranisa and third choti Ranisa, my mother-in -law, fourth for Abhimanyu's elder brother Yuvraj SuryaUday Singh, fifth was mine and the sixth and the last one was the Kumar Chatrasal's the youngest brother.
     I stopped in front of the third suite door and knocked. Kamal Ranisa'sa personal maid opened the door. Bowing respectfully she asked me to enter in.
"Ranisa is ready?"
"Yes, Hukum. She has been waiting for you."
     Entering in I crossed a small porch walked into the sitting room. Ranisa was sitting on a couch. She looked much better today. She was beautiful, so gracious and elegant at fifty-two. Although she was from the Kashmir valley, thirty-four years in Kishangarh  had changed her much.  One could mistake her for a Britisher, what with  her brown hair beautiful blue eyes and a pale white complexion, no one would say she was an Indian, till she spoke. Then she was a through and through Indian.
     Looking up she greeted me with a smile.
"Aadira!!! "
"Pranaam!! Ranisa." I bent to touch her feet with respect. "How are you feeling, today?"
"Much better, now thank you. Aadira, I know you have stayed back for me and thank you for that. I feel so much better here in the cool of the hill. Lady Margaret has been such good compaion.I don't know what I would do without her. Now I would like you to return to Kishangarh. Not now but after a week."
"But why Ranisa? Have I done something wrong?"
"No!!!Dear. Not at all. I want you to go to Kishangarh  and be with Abhimanyu. It will be your tenth wedding anniversary after all."
" Ranisa!! You remembered?"
"I never forgot. How could I forget the happiest moment of my son's life.Now go, I should like some rest."
      Turning I walked out of the room with lighter steps!! Yes! Much lighter steps I traced my steps back to my rooms.
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