"Attention, Queen Ruqqayah is arriving."

Jodha was combing her hair when two guards came in unannounced and started the announcement. She got up and slapped one of them straight on his face.

"How dare you get in without my permission?"

At that moment, Ruqqayah strode in. The guards turned around and she gestured them to leave.

"Wait, the one whom I slapped."

The guard turned around, head down and stepped up. Ruqqayah asked him to leave again but Jodha asked him to stay. Torn between the two queens he felt helpless.

And at that moment, an eununch asked permission to enter.

"Greetings, Majesties! Queen Mother is arriving."

Hamida Banu arrived at the moment and seeing two queens both rising with rage, she felt bewildered. Meanwhile, the poor guard, who knew how just and kind the Queen Mother was approached her.

"Queen Mother, help me. I am a no one and I have no intend to get between two queens."

"Ram, it isn't your mistake." The guard was shocked that Queen Mother knew him by his name. "Jodha, Ruqqayah, meet me in my chambers in thirty minutes."

"Now please have a seat, queens." Queen Mother asked Jodha and Ruqqayah with equal respect.

"Queen Mother, with all due respect I would like t.."

Jodha wanted to say something but she couldn't complete as the announcement of Jalal's arrival startled her and she sat down all quietly.

"Ammijaan, you called for me?" Jalal asked Hamida Banu.

"Come Jalal, have a seat. I have something to discuss with you."

"Yeah..I..."

Jalal stopped speaking on noticing Jodha and Ruqqayah sitting in the corner of the room along the bedside.

"Greetings, Majesties, what a surprise.." Jalal completed saying and then noticed Jodha. She was shuffling in her place, all sweating and not making eye contact. Now that he noticed, he realised she hardly ever made eye contact with him.

"Greetings, Jalal." Ruqqayah said. Jodha looked down and whispered a small greeting with proper respect but did not look up at him. He recalled the last time they met, and Ruqqayah's behaviour.

"Jodha, is everything okay?" He asked but she refused to make eye contact and nodded.

"That is what I asked her. Apparently, she slapped a guard and according to royal rule queens are not to even come near other men, but I am sure she had her reason. Ruqqayah too was somehow involved, I guess." Hamida Banu replied to Jalal's question.

He looked at Ruqqayah, who was making direct eye contact with him.

He moved towards her and she smiled in triumph but then he turned to Jodha and lifted up her chin with his hand causing her veil to drop back, as she was forced to make eye contact with him.

"What happened?"

"Y..Your Majesty! I was changing my clothes...when the guards got in and no matter how much I asked them to leave, they wouldn't budge saying they had been commanded to do so by their Malika."

"No one is Malika here, love." He said as she looked up in his eyes and in those eyes, she could see a tangling smile.

She looked down but he held her chin up high. "Hold your chin up high, Malika." She didn't know what to make of it and Ruqqayah raged with anger.

"Jalal.." she shouted but he just held his finger high and she didn't speak further.

"Apologise!" He said looking at Jodha, and for a moment she thought he asked her to, but before she could do or speak anything, Ruqqayah stormed off.

"I am sorry, Your Majesty." Jodha said in a low tone and left too.

Later that night Jodha was tossing and turning in bed, all confused. She finally got up and went outside. She couldn't control herself and tears came down flowing uncontrollably. She sobbed and dropped down to her knees, but someone came to help her and assuming her to be kaakisaa she wrapped her arms around her and cried.

"Kaakisaa, I...I feel like an outsider here."

"But you shouldn't." Shocked at the source of the voice and the intensity with which it was spoken, she looked up and shrugged herself away from him.

"I am sorry, I didn't notice, Shehenshah."

"Come." He offered his hand and she said no but he took her hand in his and pulled her towards himself. She almost fell on him, saving herself from falling down.

"Careful, love!"

She didn't say anything but smiled. He cupped her face with his right hand, his thumb brushing away her tears and the next moment brushing slowly against her plump lips. She quivered with his touch. Although it hadn't been long since she knew him, but she had always felt a strange kind of affection towards him. Her heart was beating faster. He looked into her dark black eyes, while his left hand slowly circled around her waist. She didn't stop him as he pulled her closer and leaned his head towards her, their lips only meters away. He leaned further as his upper lip touched her lower one, and made her quiver. He held her firmly and she was totally leaning on him, such that if he would move his hands she would trip down.

He looked in her eyes as he leaned again and this time fully capturing her lips in his. Their mouths were into each other's, entwined with their respective tastes. She tasted floral while he tasted oceanic as his tongue swirled inside her mouth. She didn't know how to reciprocate so she simply allowed him full access.

He looked at her once again before she closed those beautiful eyes of her and fell on his chest, as if embracing him.