Chapter 66

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With his head hung low in shame and hands tied behind his back, the old king of Rajgarh, Maharaja Dushyant Pratap Singh stood in front of the mighty queen of Vijaygarh, Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore in the royal court of Vijaygarh. The old man was continuously mumbling profanities at his son and cursing his fate but not even once, did he regret his deeds.

As demanded by the queen, her culprit was in front of her within twenty-four hours of the meeting with the king of Rajgarh, Maharaja Abhinandan Pratap Singh. The battle between the two kingdoms had subsided and the spectators witnessing the scene had shock written all over their faces.

Utterly aghast at the turn of the events, the righteous king of Rajgarh, Maharaja Abhinandan Pratap Singh took a deep breath as he spoke hesitatingly, “Maharani ji, I, the king of Rajgarh, present to you, your offender, Dushyant Pratap Singh, the monstrous murderer of the late queen Maharani Manjughosha Devi.”

As his father looked into his disillusioned eyes, Maharaja Abhinandan Pratap Singh broke down and his voice got hoarser. Keeping aside his emotions for his father, the continued, “Your offender is at the mercy of Vijaygarh and you can take any action against him as it pleases you”.

Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore, who was sitting at her royal throne was zoned out for a moment. All she could see was few soldiers stabbing her mother mercilessly. The helpless cries of her brave mother chimed into her ears as she remembered the courageous fight her mother had put up against the soldiers of Rajgarh to protect the palace of Vijaygarh and innocent people of the kingdom. The little girl inside the queen wanted to shriek at Maharaja Dushyant Pratap Singh for snatching her mother from her life. Masking her emotions and trying hard to control her tears, she huffed as she looked towards Maharaja Dushyant Pratap Singh with hatred-filled eyes.

The prince of Rajgarh, Yuvraj Aniket Pratap Singh gave the much needed support to his father preventing the king to breakdown in the royal assembly of wise ministers of both the kingdoms. He had been observing the queen for a while and he could realize she was indeed in a trance. He could feel the pain of a seventeen year old young girl who was preventing herself from smashing the head of his grandfather. He cursed his fate for once as he looked towards his grandfather who had no regret in his eyes. He wondered if the old man who stood in the center of the royal assembly was the same who taught him to never lay a hand on any woman.

Wishing the ordeal to end, the prince sighed as he spoke finally, “Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore, with due respect, I, Yuvraj Aniket Pratap Singh, apologize to you for deeds of my grandfather”, garnering the much-needed attention from the queen.

Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore realized the presence of people around her as the prince addressed her. Composing herself and masking her sorrowful emotions, she commanded, “Guards! Take the perpetrator to the dungeons. He will be beheaded in front of the crowd of Vijaygarh with his other accomplices soon, till then, make sure, he is alive to see his death”.

The queen’s heart melted looking at the king of Rajgarh who was ashamed of his father. She could understand the turmoil of the king who had upheld his ethics and Rajputana values before his family. Hence, Maharani Aparajita Singh answered the prince, “Yuvraj Aniket Pratap Singh, you don’t need to apologize for the deeds of your grandfather. His crime is unfortunate but you and your respected father, Maharaja Abhinandan Pratap Singh are indeed, the true epitome of Rajputs. I will be highly obliged to you for ensuring justice to my mother, the brave queen of Vijaygarh, Maharani Manjughosha Devi.”

As the royal ministers from both the kingdoms waited for the queen to talk about the fate of Rajgarh with baited breath, Yuvraj Aniket Pratap Singh grew anxious with the unbearable silence in the court.

The queen of Vijaygarh stood up in gratitude and announced, “Maharaja ji, I can understand it must be painful for you to see your father in this state but trust me, his crime was difficult for me to overlook.”

Taking a deep breath, the queen continued, “I will be forever thankful to you for your courageous decision of upholding the Rajput values. I apologize to have hurt you by any means. I am sorry to the families of the injured and martyred soldiers of Rajgarh. I request you to let Vijaygarh have the honor of being trading partners with Rajgarh like in the past”.

A ray of hope arose in the glistening eyes of the king who nodded in affirmation as the queen continued, “Rajgarh will not be required to pay the toll taxes.”

The king of Rajgarh, Maharaja Abhinandan Pratap Singh smiled as he replied, “Maharani, you are indeed, the best ruler Vijaygarh could have. I appreciate your request and I am overwhelmed for your support to Rajgarh. You are like a daughter to me and I invite you in my son’s wedding on the full moon day of the next month. I will be overjoyed to see you gracing the event.”

The prince of Rajgarh, Yuvraj Aniket Pratap Singh gave a genuine smile to the queen and everyone present in the royal assembly as the father-son duo left for their kingdom. Soon, the royal ministers of both the kingdoms dispersed leaving behind the commander-in-chief of the army of Vijaygarh, Avdhesh Singh Ranawat and the queen’s mentor, Siddharth Pratap Singh along with the queen’s father, Maharaja Vijay Singh Rathore who was beaming with pride.

“I am proud of you, Aparajita”, the old king said wiping the tears from his moistened eyes at which the queen just returned a small smile to her father. During the complete court proceedings, he missed the love of his life, his wife, Maharani Manjughosha Devi.

“Things are not over yet. Uncle Siddharth, please order all the merchants of Vijaygarh to ensure no kingdom trades with Pranathgarh.” Smirking with satisfaction on her face, the valiant queen of Vijaygarh spoke strategically as she went on explaining that it was indeed, necessary for them to crumble the finances of the enemy.

“When are we going to attack Pranathgarh?” asked Avdhesh Singh Ranawat impatiently.

“Let me attend a wedding peacefully after so long”, chirped the queen as she left the royal court leaving everyone baffled. The old king chuckled as he instructed his highly trusted royal men to follow the queen’s order as he realized the queen was planning to checkmate her enemy.

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