An attendee gave Jalal the sword and as he was picking it up, Vishnu approached them. His face was red, his gaze sending a death glare to Jalal as he reached them.

Jodha followed Jalal's gaze and looked at Vishnu behind her. The moment he looked at her, he calmed down. Then he raised his palm and touched her face through the mask as he slowly whispered, "How have you been, my love?" Jodha looked at him in disgust. Jalal's blood boiled and anger rose in him as he looked at the disgusting man touching his wife. He shrugged his hand away from Jodha before she could and stepped forward standing between Vishnu and her. Jodha had not truly forgiven him yet, but after yesterday her heart had started melting a little. She saw as Jalal looked at Vishnu with disgust and the latter looked at her husband with pure hatred.

"Do you have any idea what you have done and what I can do to you? How dare you touch her?" he barked on Vishnu's face. Vishnu was too stubborn and won't leave without a fight.

"Just because you are the Shehenshah, doesn't mean she is yours!" he said as loudly as his frightening heart allowed him to. He was stubborn but also scared of the man standing in front of him.

"Is he someone important to you?" Jalal asked Jodha and she quickly whispered no. He nodded and the next thing she knew, Vishnu was on the ground, his mouth bleeding and a few of his teeth broken. Jodha gasped as she grabbed Jalal's arm in shock.

"She is my wife, you see. So, if anyone else will dare even look in her direction I will kill them. If you want to remain alive, stay away from her." Saying this, he took Jodha's hand in his as he turned around to leave but Jodha removed her hand from his grip, coming to a sudden halt. Surprised, he looked at her. Her face was stern now, the smile of her eyes vanished as he looked at her in utter disbelief when she turned around and walked to Vishnu.

Kneeling down, she removed her mask and then gave her hand to Vishnu for support. "Are you okay?" she asked him politely. He nodded as she helped him get up.

Jalal stood there. He felt as though he was third-wheeling and the sight of that man with his wife made him nauseous. Why was Jodha doing this? He wanted to ask her but he couldn't as she helped Vishnu walk out of the fencing ground and then walked past him in the palace. He stood there for a long time. He couldn't remember much of last night but he knew something happened between them for she seemed happy. But today, when she supported Vishnu and didn't even bother explaining him, it was like the last strands of his patience were giving up now.

~

It was the Haldi ceremony today. Jodha took a bath after she left Vishnu in the guest chambers. She was sitting in her room, wearing a simple plain white lehenga. She would later change into a yellow one. The ceremony had already begun, but there was something inside her that was stopping her from going out, laughing and celebrating.

Did she do the right thing in defying him? Surely, she was angry at Vishnu for behaving like this but the way she treated Jalal and then took Vishnu's side, she felt she did something wrong. She did not like the way Jalal treated the guest and she just wanted to make sure he was alright. But she also did this to tease his ego, and she knew she touched a nerve somewhere in doing so. Her heart was beating fast, as she slowly combed her wet hair.

Jalal had been waiting with a little hope that Jodha would return to the fencing ground but she never did. He sat on the stairs as he brushed his hair back with his fingers. He was clearly upset. Jodha had not treated him in the best way. He knew he had wronged her, but she was disrespecting him in front of everyone now and it was getting difficult for him to sustain all this. He kept looking at the sky when an attendee arrived and started cleaning the place and putting the swords back in their place.

"Does anyone come at this time to practice fencing?" he asked her.

"No Badshah. Everyone is busy in the Haldi ceremony." That is when it struck him, she might have gone to the ceremony. He asked the attendee for one of the swords as he got up.

~

Her anklets could be heard by anyone as she was the only one who was walking in the corridor. She had waited for Jalal to come, but he never did.

Finally, after various calls were sent for, she decided to attend the ceremony, although she didn't change her lehenga. Her hair was down and she had put just a little kohl in her eyes. She wore no jewellery today. As she passed the fencing ground, she heard a few voices and stepped backwards as she saw a couple of attendees standing below. What were they doing here right now? Climbing down the stairs, she noticed that they were giggling and ogling over someone.

As her eyes followed their gaze, she saw Jalal practising. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw him practising half-naked. She couldn't react for a while and then her gaze shifted back to the attendees who were shamelessly staring at her husband and anger rose inside her. She wanted to slap them and throw them out of the palace. Clearing her throat to gather their attention, she stood there. But no one looked at her.

"Rajkumarisaa is so lucky!"

"Yes. I have heard Shehenshah treats her really well. But don't you think she is a little stubborn? I mean look at him, he is just a total package and then look at kunwarisaa."

"So, you mean I don't deserve him and you do?" Jodha whispered slowly and as the maids turned around, they shrieked. "Kun...kunwarisaa?" "We.... we did not mean that..."

"JUST GET OUT OF HERE!"

They ran as fast they could. Jodha spared them a last glance before looking over at her husband who was still practising, unaware of the effect he was having on women, and particularly her. She took small steps towards him, scared of what might happen. The aura around him made her nervous; she knew she was in the wrong this time. As she reached a considerable amount of distance, she spoke slowly, almost whispering, "Shehenshah!" He turned around as she called him. His eyes showed nothing. No guilt, no concern, no love, no anger. They were plain neutral eyes boring into her frightened ones.

"You should attend the ceremony now." She spoke slowly. He looked at her for a second before he turned around and started practising again. She stood there, as he ignored her ever so easily.

"Are you ignoring me now?"

He didn't say anything as he continued with his practice. She stood there, embarrassed as she turned around to leave but then stopped and turned around. He was still practising. She walked towards him as she took the sword from his hand and threw it away. He looked at her with furious eyes as he picked it up but she threw it again. Anger rose in him as he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.

She kept looking into his eyes, and as he took her beautiful face in, his anger was somewhat controlled.

"Stay away from me, right now." He warned her as he picked the sword but she tried to throw it again, only his grip was tighter this time, and the sword pierced through her hand, her blood spilling right through its steel frame. And this time, he dropped the sword himself as he took her hand in his.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he tried to stop the bleeding by placing his hand on hers.

She looked at him, concern etched on his face, as memories of last night flashed before her.

"Shehenshah, are you drunk?"

He looked at her briefly, before he leaned on her, his hand still resting on her hip, as he placed a soft kiss on her neck. Slowly brushing her hair away, he let his knuckles brush through her velvety skin earning another moan from her.

"I had to. To face you. I know you are ignoring me intentionally. And I know I have hurt you a lot, but I still need to mend things. I need to because I want to. I cannot live without you, Jodha. It kills me every day when I see you in pain, away from me. I feel as if I lost my Jodha, the only reason for my survival."

She simply looked at him as tears filled her eyes. "Please don't make this more difficult."

"Will you never forgive me? Will you leave me?" he asked and she didn't say anything. Taking a sharp breath, he turned around but she grabbed his hand. He pulled her closer without turning back as he placed her on the bed and hovered on top of her.

"Shehenshah...!" she whispered slowly as he kissed her. "Don't leave me, Jodha. I want you; I need you. I love you." She looked at him in surprise. What did he say? Did he say he love her? Did she hear it correct? Placing her hands on his face she made him look at her. "What did you just say?"

"I love you, Begum. I realised it the moment you left Agra. I am sorry for not being what you expected me to be; I am a terrible person and I don't deserve love, I know....this is why whatever I try, I always hurt the people I love." She looked at him taken aback by his confession and more so because he was opening up to her about his past. Gently patting his hair, she shifted a little, giving him space to sleep beside her. She stroked his hair till he fell asleep. Then, she covered him with the blanket and lay next to him, as she too slept.

The next morning when she woke up, she tried turning around, but couldn't. As her senses became active, she realised she was sleeping in his arms. She could feel his breath on her neck, his arms wrapped around her waist as they lay there. Jodha got up slowly as she came out of his grip. Sparing him one last glance, she stroked his hair lovingly and placed a soft kiss on his forehead before exiting the room.

"Shehenshah, do you remember last night?"

He looked up at her, his tousled hair, strands of which were falling on his face. He had a confused look. She studied his expression properly before taking her hand away from his and turning to leave, however, he caught her dupatta right at that moment, pulling her towards himself. As her back collided with his chest, he slowly moved her hair away as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I was drunk last night. I remember few things in parts but they don't make much sense." He whispered slowly. He could not afford to anger her more than she already was. She didn't say anything; simply put her hands on his. "What is the matter, Jodha?"

"I don't know. I am angry at you for what you have done and I don't want to forgive you....but after last night...something has changed."

"Did I do something bad? I am really sorry..." she turned around, her hands on his chest as she looked into his eyes. "You said.....that you..." she couldn't say it herself. As her confidence blew away, she looked down, not being able to meet his eyes. "Jodha..." he tugged a strand of her hair behind her ear and tilted her chin upwards such that her eyes locked into his.

"What did I say?" he asked slowly but she didn't have the courage to say it again. What if he didn't mean it? He had so many begums, why would he love her then? What was so special about her? She was just a simple princess from a land no one knew of as he said. Gathering all the courage left in her, she spoke slowly, "I am just a nobody from a land no one knows of, right Shehenshah?"

His heart clenched when she spoke what he had said when in his angry state. Nodding his head in a no, he spoke, "You are the single most important person in my life, Jodha. You are my Malika. If I don't have you, I don't want anything. You are from a land; people speak of with pride and love. You are the Empress of Hindustan and your worth is much more than mine. I am sorry for pressurising you for a child, for my lust for an heir has destroyed everything and anything I had." He broke down and tears sprang up in his eyes. Jodha had never before seen him cry and her heart pained at his condition. She kneeled down and cupped his face, slowly brushing away his tears.

"Look at me, Shehenshah." But he did not. "Jalal, look at me." And this time he did. "Let's be friends first."