The Mughal Princess (Completed)

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A few minutes into dawn the small caravan left the gates of Agra, no celebratory dhol, no shehnai nobody to shed a tear as the princess of the kingdom left her abode.

It was exactly how Maheen wanted it to be, sitting in a carriage drawn by four horses with Gehna she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding inside her chest.

"How long are you going to hold on to this behaviour ?" Gehna asked gaining Maheen's attention.
"It wasn't the right thing to do Mahi, leaving our home like that.. it wasn't a camp site Maheen it was our home." Gehna said with a sigh.

Maheen looked at her and then outside the window ignoring her words.

Gehna shook her head and settled back resting her head against the wodden frame of the carriage.

•••

The four days they spent on the road, Maheen spoke ten sentences in totality.

Aditya often came in to check on them twice a day but Maheen looked over him like he was made of air and dust.

She observed the terrain change, from the low aird ground of Agra they had come higher to a greener Awadh.
The air had become cooler.

The small caravan had stopped their last stop at the outskirts of Awadh, their new stop as informed to them would be the capital Ayodhya.

Maheen got down after Gehna from the carriage and followed her to where the small tent was pitched for them to have lunch.

"Gehna Baaji how long till we reach ?" Jhumri who had volunteered to come along with them asked.

"I don't know Jhumri, but we should reach by nightfall." Gehna replied washing her hand as jhumri poured water from the jug over them.

"I can't wait to see the golden city, they say that the palace is built with white marble on golden pillars studded with precious stones."

"You'll get to see it soon." Gehna said with a polite smile as she watched Maheen wash her hand uninterested in their conversation.

"Should I get the food ?" Jhumri asked and Gehna nodded at her.

Maheen and Gehna sat down as a boy around eleven got into the tent carrying a pitcher of water.

"Ram Ram Ji." He greeted the two with folded hands.

"Ram Ram." Gehna replied with a smile on her face looking at the boy with shining eyes.

"Is one if you the new Queen ?" He asked, his eyes sparking. "Maa said the king got all of a new queen, are you the new Queen ?" He asked looking at Gehna.

"No I'm not." She said getting up from the floor and walking towards the little boy. She took the pitcher from him and ruffled his hair. "Your Queen is the beautiful lady sitting behind us in the orange lehenga."

The boy peaked his head from behind Gehna to see Maheen.

"She .. she does not speak ?" He asked.

"I do." Maheen replied looking up from the ground at the young boy making him smile wider.

"What's your name ?" Maheen asked him.

"Sohan." The boy replied.

"Sohan tell your mother she is wrong. The king did not bring home a wife, he brought home a slave." Maheen said.

"Maheen." Gehna hissed.

"What is a slave ?" He asked confused.

"Nothing beta, go, go outside and play." Gehna said patting his cheek.