Riding through the entire night never-ending desert, at last, they boarded at the state boundary of the Amer kingdom. As they reach their destination, the new rising Sun's first beam comes down to welcome . His bright, sharp orbs were shining like a precious diamond in the rumination of bright Sun with an eminent majestic aura. The sight was breathtaking; the faded orange glow was perfectly melting with the dark sapphire and lavender sky. The endless desert sand sparkled in the warmth of the soothing rays. Gradually the sunrise and began to plaster over the darkness with vivid golden shades. An impious grin curved Jalal's lips and his eyes flashed while observing the massive artistic wall of the fort and the tall, strong iron gate of the Amer entrance.

The Fifteenth Century was prepared to endorse the most significant event of the era. The moment Jalal's feet touched the Amer land, his lonely, isolated heart known to be cruel fluttered strangely and began to beat unevenly. It was like time still for the split of a second; A sudden change of feelings made King's heart restless.

While observing the exquisite fort and the flag of Amer savagely, the Mughal King dusted the sand from his Royal Rajvashi attire. He specified in a casual tone, "Abdul, Finally, we have touched our final destination with the first trace of sunshine. Let's find out what fate has written for us in the Amer." Destiny grinned at his casual mystifying statement.

Seeing a predator grin on Jalal's face, Abdul jested in an optimistic tone, "Maybe, Amer Princess, ."

Masking his keenness, the arrogant King spoke in a blank tone, "Abdul, what we heard was surely overstated. I am not here for Amer Princess; once I conquest Amer, the princess will willingly surrender to the Mughal King. We will find out how beautiful she is?"

While his sharp-razer eyes scrutinized the Amer entrance security process, Jalal inquired in a composed voice, resting on a bench outside the border, "Abdul, did you find any noteworthy particulars about Amer King Bharmal?"

"Shahenshah, King Bharmal was crowned because of his brother's untimely death. When King Purnamal died, his son Sujamal was too young to be crowned. But recently, King Bharmal announced his son Bhagwan das as a crown prince, and Sujamal will be his subordinate to Bhagwan Das, which created a rift between prince Sujamal and King Bharmal." Abdul informed.

"Is Prince Sujamal competent enough to be a king?" Jalal queried further.

"Yes, very well, Shahenshah. He is a fearless, brave, and skilled warrior." Abdul confidently responded.

Earshot of King Bharamal betrayed, the horrifying the dark memories of his uncle's betrayal after his father's death oozed out; his face stiffened; Jalal asked in a thick tone, "Hmmm... King Bharmal appeared to be unfair to his nephew. When are we going to send emissaries with proclamations?"

Before any war or attack, Mughal's spy troop typically visited the targeted kingdom and sent a decree to surrender their kingdom to the Mughal Empire. A dependable subordinate domain pays all taxes to the Mughal empire to protect the kingdom. Under Jalal's commend, the Mughal dynasty successfully conquered over seventy percent of Hindustan, but the Rajput clan was not an easy target. He heard a lot about the brave Rajput reign; none of the Rajput Rajvanshi accepted his decree to surrender.

Ever since he heard how Amer princess Jodha fought and defeated Mughal's well-trained five warriors all by herself, since then, he desired to kneel the Amer and the princess down at his feet. Thus, Out of many Rajput kingdoms, his first target was the Amer. Every time Jalal heard Amer and Jodha, he felt an indefinite connection, which made his heart restless, confused, and surprised. This mysterious feeling brought this heartless King to Amer.

"In two days, they will receive decree from the Mughal Empire," Abdul confirmed; after a pause, he hesitantly probed in an anxious voice, "Shahenshah, it is too dangerous to visit the kingdom just two of us.

His sharp-razer eyes lingered over Abdul, seeing his shadow's top most trusted warrior's petrified trepidation, a stern scowl creased his brow with disappointment. Jalal soon controlled his fury and responded in a poised manner, "Abdul, I can handle the entire Army single-handed; you have seen me on Warfield for years. If you are frightened, then leave; I don't want weaklings to accompany me."

Jalal's calm demeanor and words frozen Abdul for a moment; he replied with confidence, "Jalal, I have known you from my childhood, and you relish dangerous challenges, but your security is my prime concern. I am well aware of your unbeatable warrior skill; I have seen you at Warfield many times, you are indestructible. I do not doubt your skills. And just so you know, I am not weakling or petrified; I would proudly die fighting for your protection. The only reason I questioned because logically, it doesn't make sense; our Army is way more prominent and enormous than Amer. We can defeat Amer with only one-tenth of our Army within a day. If, by chance, you get captured, then we lose without any fight. Then Why are you taking such a grave risk?"

Jalal grinned, seeing his childhood pal's fiery retort at his word petrified. In a content tone, he responded, "Abdul, you do valid reason to question; I agree, I do love to take the risk, but remember I am not foolish. I am here personally because I want to rule on the entire Hindustan, and only this Rajput clan is an obstacle. Today, many Rajput Kings are coming to Amer to attend the Ghangor festival fair. I am here to measure their strength, culture, and skill before I pounce on them. When I heard Princess Jodha defeated my five-strong warriors single-handed, I decided to see this clan's bravery with my own eyes. I don't want to underestimate their strength, and if all of this Rajvanshi gathered and shook hands, then they could defeat me."

Abdul immediately regretted his inquiry. While looking down, he apologized, "Forgive me, Jalal, your bravery and long vision have taken the Mughal Dynasty to this height. I bow down to my Shahenshah."

To hide his identity, Jalal disguised himself as a Hindu prince and Abdul as his worker. Due to the festival and proper documentation, they were able to enter the kingdom without any hitch. The feel was different; coming out of the norm routine was not only exciting but an adventure. Half of his life spent on Warfield or in his court; this escapade was too rousing for this twenty-year-old King. The magic of the Amer was slowly seizing this callous King in his claws.

It was the time for the Ghangor festival; Ghangor was one of the Amer's biggest festivals. Many Rajput Rajvanshi Kings and Princes come to participate in this grand celebration from different states and villages at this festival. The entire neighboring looked colorful and lively; happiness was visible in the aura. Everyone seemed to be excited and were enjoying the celebration. The most exciting part of the fair was the many types of races and contests. There were big markets, games, camps, food stalls, music, drama, dance, fun activities for kids, and many more things.

As per their strategy, Jalal sent Abdul on a mission to collect the confidential financial information and a detailed Amer Palace map. As per the plan, Jalal was supposed to meet Abdul behind by the palace courtyard in three hours since there was a secret passage to get out of the fort without difficulty.

Meanwhile, he chose to attend the fair to see the state's culture, Market, and warriors' strength. At first glance, Jalal got impressed seeing well-organized arrangements and preparations. He strolled around to see the maturation of the Market & the richness of Amer. Even though the Market looked rich, but the condition of the street looked deprived. Many young children were begging for food and wearing torn and dusty clothes. The guards were rudely pulling them out from the fairground.

Then he strolled through contest camps to consider how potent are the fighters of Amer. He was stunned to see how disciplined and systematic these competitions were taking place. Every single attendee expressed love and esteem for their land before they entered; they crouched down to their ground. While fighting, all participants were following rules and respecting other fighters. Obviously, some were boasting and showing their arrogance after winning, but nothing out of usual. There were forty arcades of different competitions. People were expressing their various talents, artistry, and expertise in different areas. Even though these Rajput warriors looked like powerful fighters but they were using outdated weapons. Most of the warriors, even young, immature warriors, were aggressively attacking instead of defending themselves, which displayed this clan is fearless.

At last, after wandering for two hours, Jalal halted at the sword fight area; he definitely wanted to evaluate the Rajput sword techniques. There were eight grounds assigned for the sword contest, more than five hundred participants took part in the competition. Jalal devoted more than one hour to his preferred sword skill; he observed more than thirty warriors fighting bravely with discipline. Jalal was too tempted seeing the warriors fighting; his juvenile blood boiled to jump in the completion. The sword was not a weapon to him, but it was part of his body, part of his soul. The clashing sound of the blade was a rhythmic tune to his ears. It was difficult for him to watch and not participate.

While viewing one by one ground, he reached the last cornered ground. Two fighters were competing; One of the challengers wore a white outfit that looked very different from others; his face was covered up, little petite, delicate frame, curvy body, and rounded bosom. He looked oddly a warrior, but his skill fascinated him. This challenger's flexibility, moves, and quickness impressed him, which is the most significant in a sword fight, and his petite figure was helping him move faster than others. The way he ducked and crouched was remarkable, as if his body was made out of rubber and spring. He was in the top rank, winning; he defeated three soldiers one by one in no time. In the end, the announcer declared him as a winner in the round third. He casually asked the group before declaring a winner for group eight for the third round, "If anyone wants to challenge this brave fighter or he will move into the final round."

Jalal decided not to take part in any challenges since there was a chance for his identity to become exposed. He controlled his urge the first time, but then he announced a second time, looking at the audience, "So no one can defeat this brave soldier here?" Jalal couldn't hold himself longer, and Winning was everything to him, so he decided to take the risk.

In that decade, in the entire Hindustan, Jalal was one of the best sword fighters and undefeated against twenty soldiers single-handed. He was not only skilled but well trained and well-practiced. Years of his life spent on Warfield and his relentless sword killed thousands without a single hitch. He needed less than a minute to defeat the warrior.

Jalal haughtily declared, "I am ready to challenge this fighter, and I would enjoy displaying a real sword fight." He gazed at the opponent's doe-like big girly eyes and grimaced sarcastically.

Before anyone asked a question, Jalal jumped over the pole with confidence and entered the contest area; the opponent fighter slightly grinned, but as soon his eyes met with Jalal. The opponent warrior got stuck in his place as if some magical, celestial cosmic aura had seized him and hypnotized him.

Jalal felt weird how his opponent stared at him without a blink. Jalal warned the warrior, "Ready," His opponent realized right away with the first attempt that Jalal is not an ordinary fighter. The blade crashed with the cling sound; the opponent warrior used his rare Rajputi technique and shoved Jalal from his hand. Jalal got eager with his sly tactic. After back to back a few attacks from a gallant warrior, Jalal realized he is a talented warrior. Jalal praised inwardly, seeing his control of his body and coordination with the sword. He put all of his efforts into winning this competition. They fought for about ten minutes with different moves and tactics. Jalal was enthralled with the fighter's attacks and defense moves. Jalal fell twice, but he balanced too quickly. Jalal was only playing defense; he wanted to test the opponent's skills. He didn't want to defeat him too swiftly to hide his identity.

At last, he decided to attack and finish the fight. Swiftly he charged at the fighter with full power and strength. His opponent lost complete balance in one single stroke and fell on the ground facing down, but he was still holding his sword firmly. His covered face veil and turban came off and fell on the ground.

Jalal was about to attack again, but his sword was still in shock. What he saw couldn't believe his own eyes. A long silky beautiful hair rested on the ground, a woman in a combatant's outfit. He had never seen any women in sword fighting; this was a staggering surprise to him.

*************

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