chapter 20 part- 1 #2
As Ashnoor lifted her eyes toward the magnificent palace...
an unfamiliar sensation washed over her.
For reasons she couldn't explain...
it felt...
like she had walked these corridors before.
A fleeting image flashed across her mind.
A little girl laughing.
Someone chasing her through these very halls.
A woman's soft lullaby.
Then...
Pain exploded behind her eyes.
She staggered.
Karandev immediately stepped forward before anyone can notice.
"Gudiya?"("Princess?")
Ashnoor blinked.
The vision disappeared.
"...I'm alright."
She forced a small smile.
Few moments later
The royal dining hall glowed beneath hundreds of oil lamps suspended from intricately carved ceilings.
Their golden light reflected against polished marble pillars, bathing the hall in warmth.
A long table of sandalwood stood at the center, laden with silver platters filled with delicacies from every corner of Amber.
Normally...
Meals in the royal family were conducted with discipline and decorum.
Tonight...
No one cared about etiquette.
Tonight...
They had their daughter back.
Ashnoor hesitated at the entrance.
"So... many dishes."
She whispered almost to herself.
Harshvardhan chuckled.
" Bapu sa ka bas chale , to shahi rasoiya se pure rajya ka bhojan banvate aaj ".
("If Father had his way, the royal kitchen would've cooked the entire kingdom.")
Rudra cleared his throat.
" Humne to bs vhi banvane ,kaha jo hamari Beti ko pasand hai".
("I merely instructed them to prepare everything my daughter liked.")
Harsh raised an eyebrow dramatically.
" Oh!.. sabkuch ?, or humara kya?... Humara pasandida khana kaha hai?".
("Oh!... everything? ,then what about me... Where is my favourite food?)
"Bhaisa.. dekhiye yha kam se kam chalis prakar ke hai per hum dono ke liye ek bhi nhi hai..."
("Elder brother... look there are at least forty dishes but none for us ").
Rudra looked completely serious.
" So what?"
Everyone laughed.
Even the palace servants struggled to hide their smiles.
As everyone settled into their mini seats...
Ashnoor quietly looked around.
For the first time...
She wasn't eating in alone .
She wasn't constantly finding someone to eat with her and her elder brother.
She was surrounded by people who smiled every time she looked at them.
It felt...
Strange.
Yet comforting.
Before Ashnoor could even reach for a piece of Chapati .
A bowl of saffron coloured rice appeared before her.
She looked up.
Rudra.
"Eat."
Before she could answer-
Another bowl appeared appeared before her.
Chhavi.
"You've become too thin eat more".
Then...
Rajmata placed a sweet in front of her.
"First something sweet."
Harsh couldn't help himself.
"If this continues..."
"Noori won't need to walk back to her room."
"We'll have to roll her there."
Ashnoor burst into laughter.
"So mean."
Harsh grinned proudly.
"I'm just telling the truth ."
Karandev quietly watched the scene while serving her then himself.
He looked toward Ashnoor.
"You should eat slowly."
"The physician said your body is still recovering."
Harsh immediately groaned.
"There he goes....Our second mother."
Karandev calmly tore a piece of Chapati.
"Someone has to be responsible."
Harsh pointed dramatically toward Karan and says to gauri and navin
"See?"
"I told you ...he was born old."
Even Rajmata laugh at her silly grandson's comments .
Halfway through the meal...
Navin leaned forward curiously.
"Badi Jiji sa.."( Elder Sister..."?)
Ashnoor looked at him.
"Hm?"
"Were you always this quiet?"
Before she could answer...
Harshvardhan immediately replied,
"No."
"She used to talk enough for both of us."
Ashnoor frowned.
"I 'm not"
"Oh?"
Harsh folded his arms.
"Should I remind everyone who cried and don't know how many times tell everyone in the palace that a pigeon stole her laddoo ?"
Ashnoor's eyes widened.
"I did not!"
"You absolutely did."
"I was a kid!"
Everyone at the table laughed.
Ashnoor hid her face in embarrassment.
"You are impossible."
Harsh smiled.
"I know tell me something new , little mice."
The laughter slowly faded.
A gentle silence settled.
Harsh's smile softened.
"I missed annoying you."
Ashnoor looked at him for several moments before quietly replying,
"...I missed u too..okay"
Without warning...
Harsh reached across the chair and ruffled her hair.
"There."
"Now everything feels normal again."
Chhavi watched her children with tear-filled eyes.
Rudra gently squeezed her hand beneath the table.
"Everyone is here now..."
Chhavi nodded silently.
"Yes..."
"They finally are."
Much later...
After the meal ended...
Everyone reluctantly dispersed for the night.
Ashnoor slowly pushed open the doors of the chamber prepared for her.
She stopped.
The room was breathtaking.
Moonlight poured through carved jharokha's onto white marble floors.
Silken curtains danced gently in the evening breeze.
Fresh jasmine filled the air with its delicate fragrance.
In one corner rested a beautifully carved swing.
Near the bed stood shelves filled with books.
Paint brushes.
Tiny wooden toys from childhood.
Nothing looked newly arranged.
Everything looked...
Loved.
Shyama smiled softly.
"Rajkumari..."
"This room has waited for you."
Ashnoor slowly walked inside.
Her fingertips brushed over an old wooden rajasthani doll.
A strange ache stirred within her chest.
She couldn't explain why.
A few moments later...
She quietly stepped onto the grand balcony after taking a long bath.
The entire city of Amber stretched before her beneath a blanket of stars.
Thousands of tiny lamps flickered throughout the kingdom.
The cool night breeze played with the loose strands of her hair.
For the first time since returning...
She allowed herself to breathe.
"What a day..."
She whispered.
Everything had changed.
She had found her family.
A home.
A mother's embrace.
Brothers she never wanted to lose again.
Yet...
One face quietly surfaced in her thoughts.
Dark eyes.
A teasing smirk
A calm voice..
A tiny smile curved upon her lips.
She looked toward the endless horizon.
"I couldn't even thank you properly."
The breeze answered with silence.
Suddenly...
Her smile faded.
"The scroll!"
She gasped.
"I completely forgot."
Turning on her heels, she hurried inside.
Her belongings had already been neatly arranged by the palace attendants.
She searched one chest.
Then another.
Finally...
She found the cloth bundle.
Relief washed over her face.
"There you are."
Carefully unfolding the fabric, she took out the old mysterious scroll.
She sat cross-legged upon the bed.