chapter 20 part- 1
The sun had almost disappeared beyond the Aravalli hills, painting the evening sky in hues of amber and crimson.
A cool breeze carried the scent of wet earth and marigolds as the royal caravan finally reached the borders of Amber.
"Amber! Amber aa gaya!"
The excited cries of the guards echoed across the massive sandstone walls.
The enormous gates, decorated with intricate carvings of lions and lotuses, slowly began to open.
The sound of the gigantic wooden doors echoed like thunder.
Standing atop the ramparts, hundreds of soldiers struck their spears against the stone floor in perfect rhythm.
Thak! Thak! Thak!
Their voices rose together.
"Maharaj Rudra Pratap Singh Shekhawat ki jai"
" Rajkumar Devendra Singh ki jai!"
" Rajkumar Harshvardhan Singh ki jai!"
" Rajkumari Noor priya ki jai!"
The entire fortress came alive.
Inside the palanquin, Ashnoor slowly lifted the curtain with trembling fingers.
Her hazel-green eyes widened.
The magnificent fort stood before her like something from a dream.
Golden sandstone walls stretched as far as her eyes could see.
Colorful pennants fluttered proudly in the evening breeze.
Every balcony was illuminated by rows of oil lamps.
The streets leading toward the palace had been decorated with fresh flowers and rangolis.
People had gathered on both sides of the road, showering petals upon the returning royal family from their balconies.
For a moment....
Ashnoor forgot to breathe.
"So... Amber looks like this in old times.."
She whispered unconsciously.
Riding beside her palanquin,
karandev heard the barely audible words.
Without turning his head, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"This is only the outer fort."
His calm voice reached her ears.
"The palace is still ahead."
Ashnoor looked at him with childlike amazement.
"...bhaisa it's so beautiful.
Dev finally glanced at her.
"You haven't seen the most beautiful part yet."
Before she could ask what he meant...
The procession began moving again.
As they entered the bustling streets of Amber, the citizens folded their hands respectfully.
Old women blessed the princes.
Merchants offered sweets and flowers.
The entire kingdom celebrated the return of its royal family.
Harshvardhan leaned slightly toward Karan with his signature mischievous grin.
"I missed this chaos."
Raghu chuckled softly.
"You say that for now."
"Give it two days."
Harsh sighed dramatically.
"i know,then i will look for excuses to escape the court."
Even karan Dev couldn't suppress the faint smile tugging at his lips.
The royal palace finally came into view.
Ashnoor instinctively leaned forward.
Unlike the fort's imposing exterior, the palace looked almost ethereal beneath the evening sky.
White marble balconies gleamed under thousands of flickering lamps.
Silken banners bearing the royal insignia danced gracefully in the wind.
Musicians stood at the entrance with traditional instruments already prepared.
Rows of palace attendants lined both sides of the grand staircase.
Everything...
looked as though the kingdom itself had been waiting for someone.
Ashnoor felt her heartbeat quicken.
She lowered the curtain slightly.
"What if..."
She murmured to herself.
"What if they don't accept me?"
The words were barely louder than a whisper.
But Dev heard them.
as he guided his horse closer to the palanquin.
His voice was steady.
"They have been waiting to bring you home."
He paused before adding quietly,
"You don't have to earn your place here, noori"
"And this has always been your home."
Ashnoor slowly looked up at him.
For the first time since the journey had begun...
The nervousness inside her heart eased.
A small smile bloomed on her lips.
Dev nodded once before riding ahead to make the final arrangements.
The moment the royal procession entered the palace courtyard...
The air echoed with the thunderous sound of drums.
Dhoom! Dhoom! Dhoom!
Conches were blown from every corner of the palace.
Rows of soldiers stood in perfect formation, their swords raised in salute.
From the balconies above, hundreds of palace attendants showered fresh rose and marigold petals over the returning royal family.
"Jai Mahadev!"
"Jai Amber!"
The cheers reverberated through the marble corridors.
At the top of the grand staircase stood the royal family.
Maharana Rudra Pratap Singh Shekhawat.
Beside him stood Maharani Chhavi Devi, her trembling hands tightly clasped together.
Behind them stood Rajmata Geetanjali Devi, leaning lightly on her carved sandalwood cane.
Though age had bent her body, nothing could hide the anticipation shining in her eyes.
Standing respectfully beside the Rajmata were Rudra's sister's children.
Twenty-year-old Gayatri, graceful and composed.
And seventeen-year-old Navin, who kept craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the returning procession.
The absence of Rudra's elder sister was noticeable.
She had been away on important affairs of the kingdom for several weeks and had not yet returned to Amber.
But tonight...
No one else mattered.
Every pair of eyes searched for only one person.
karanDev dismounted first then
Harshvardhan and Raghu followed.
with joint palm as they respectfully greeted before Maharana Rudra.
" Khamma Ghani Maharaj/ babu sa".
Without waiting for formalities...
Rudra's eyes shifted past them.
Toward the palanquin.
His heartbeat quickened.
The palace attendants slowly lifted its embroidered curtains.
For a heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then...
A delicate hand appeared.
Ashnoor carefully stepped onto the marble floor.
Silence.
Absolute silence engulfed the courtyard.
Even the drums stopped.
Ashnoor slowly raised her eyes.
Dozens...
No...
Hundreds of eyes were staring at her.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of her dupatta.
She had already faced many difficult situations before ....
Death itself.
Yet...
Standing before her own family...
made her knees feel weak.
Before she could gather the courage to move-
Maharani Chhavi gasped.
A trembling hand rose to cover her mouth.
Fresh tears blurred her vision.
"My..."
Her voice broke.
" Meri bacchi..."
("My daughter...")
Unable to stop herself any longer...
She ran.
Royal etiquette...
Protocol...
Everything was forgotten.
She rushed down the staircase.
"Priya..."
The moment she reached her, she cupped Ashnoor's face with shaking hands.
Her fingertips wandered across every feature.
The forehead.
The cheeks.
The chin.
As if assuring herself...
she wasn't dreaming.
"humaari bacchi...."
("My child...").
"humaari choti si Rajkumari sach me wapas aagyi".
("My little princess..,
You really came back...".)
Ashnoor's lips quivered.
"Ma...".
That single word shattered whatever strength Chhavi had been holding onto.
She pulled Ashnoor into her embrace.
Years of grief...
Loneliness...
Prayers...
All dissolved into uncontrollable tears.
Ashnoor clung to her mother just as tightly.
For the first time in years...
she knew what it felt like to be held by a mother's arms.
Maharaj Rudra can't see his wife and daughter like this and can't control himself holding them in his arms after clearing the moisture from his eyes.
Rajmata Geetanjali quietly wiped the corner of her eyes.
She whispered softly,
"Mahadev truly listened..."
Harshvardhan discreetly rubbed his eyes.
Karan looked away.
Even karandev lowered his gaze, hiding the moisture gathering in his own eyes.
After several moments...
Chhavi reluctantly pulled away.
She lovingly kissed Ashnoor's forehead again and again.
"humaari bacchi kitni badhi or Sundar hogyi hai"
("my child you've grown up and become so beautiful.")
Ashnoor laughed weakly through her tears.
" or aap abhi bhi humari tarah roti hai"
("And you still cry just like me.")
For a brief second...
Everyone laughed.
The heavy atmosphere eased.
Rajmata slowly stepped forward.
Ashnoor immediately bent to touch her grandmother's feet.
"Dadi sa.."
Before she could...
The old queen stopped her.
"No."
She gently lifted Ashnoor's face.
She kissed her forehead lovingly.
Her wrinkled hands gently rested upon Ashnoor's head.
" humaari Chand si bacchi.."
("My moon...")
" jab aap chali gyi thi, humne roj Mahadev se prathna ki aapko Humee wapas kar de vo".
("When you were gone..."
"I begged Mahadev every single day to return you to us.")
Her voice trembled.
"dekhiye unhone humaari sun li"
("He returned you .")
Gayatri could no longer control herself.
She walked forward smiling through tears.
"So..."
"You don't remember us?".
Ashnoor looked embarrassed for a moment
"No, I... I'm sorry..."
Gayatri laughed softly.
"Good."
"Now I don't have to introduce myself all over again."
She hugged Ashnoor warmly.
"Jiji... Aab hum aapko dur nhi Jane denge humse ."
(" Sister and from today...I'm not letting you escape me.")
Ashnoor giggled hearing her.
Navin scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
" Jiji sa Hum sirf saat saal ke the jab ...
(" Elder sister I was only seven when you...".)
He stopped himself.
"...when you disappeared."
He smiled sheepishly.
" Me Navin aapka sabse chota bhai"
("I'm Navin your youngest brother").
Ashnoor smiled warmly.
"It's good to see you..., you have grown up too"
The atmosphere had finally begun to settle.
Priests stepped forward carrying silver trays.
The traditional welcome ritual began.
Chhavi performed Karandev and Ashnoor's aarti with trembling hands.
A vermilion tilak was placed upon her and karandev 's forehead.
Ashnoor gently pushed the ceremonial kalash with her foot before stepping onto the white cloth spread across the marble floor.
Her crimson footprints slowly marked the entrance of the palace.
The palace attendants watched in silence.
Many quietly wiped away tears.
It felt less like welcoming a princess...
and more like welcoming fortune itself back into Amber.