Chapter: 31 part 1

The roar of the tiger woke up, Jalal from his raw sleep. It was still gloomy, dark, very early in the morning. The glimpses of the moon were still visible from the window.

A thought of his Badi Ammi slithered to his mind; a shiver ran through his entire body. The last night's horrifying deadly clash captured his peace; His mind was filled with emotional trepidation for Maham Anga. Depressing questions seized his harmony; how will she react to his beloved son Adham's death? How will he perceive in her eyes? How will he put into a word that he has slaughtered her son? His heart was pounding for Maham's forthcoming agony. This news would bring the ultimate pain to a mother. He wasn't guilted for killing Adham, but his fear was for Maham and her sorrow.

Jodha was in deep slumber, resting on his shoulders, hiding her face in his chest and her hands encircling his back tightly. She stirred in sleep, which brought him back from unbearable pain. He saw her calm and peaceful face; purple bruises were still visible on her cheeks. He enclosed his hand on her waist, pulled her closer with a shielding grip, and with a gentle touch, he kissed her on her forehead.

Jodha realized he was awake. With a grumpy tone, she murmured, "mm... Let me sleep."

Jalal smirked, seeing a sulky face; while kissing her cheek, he whispered, "Go to sleep, cranky Billi."

She whined in a peevish sound, "Don't tease me, go to sleep."

Jalal groused while grinning, "You have been holding me so rigidly I can't even breathe?"

Jalal murmured, "Even in sleep, she has so much attitude." he smirked and asked, teasingly whispered in her ears, "You holding me so tight I can't even breath. How will I sleep?"

Jodha realized she was squeezing him; she slowly opened eyes and saw him grinning wickedly, "So you aren't feeling sleepy?"

Jalal tucked strands of her hair behind her ear, causing her to flint back slightly. He crooned, "My wild cat has stolen my sleep."

Jodha jested while beholding in sharp eyes, "Hmm... So, you were accusing your Queen of stealing your sleep. So, what is my penalty Jill Elahi, Shahenshah E Hindustan, for keeping you away from your enchanting dreams."

His fingers ambled on her bottom lip with a gentle touch, "Punishment is too severe, my dear queen; for the span of your lifetime, you have to obey and please your king until his desire is filled every day and night."

"My King, your queen, has already surrendered long back; she just needs some guidance from a skilled, well-trained king, how to please and mollify his unstable desires." She countered while grinning.

He instantly responded, "Practice... Lots of Practice... proficiency comes from Practice, my dear Queen. Every day, twice in a day, and thrice in a night will make you proficient like me."

Jalal chuckled, seeing her mouth open with O's expression.

"So, let's start our second round of practice for tonight." He whispered in his ear, sensually.

"No... Not now... I am too tired." She whined while hiding herself in his chest.

Jalal gently lifted her chin toward him and spoke in a severe tone, "Jodha, I was teasing; I understand you have gone through a lot, but I need to talk to you."

With sudden excitement, Jodha swiftly sat on the bed with a big smile on her face and answered, "Oh... So, you want to listen to my never-ending chatters."

Jalal almost laughed, seeing her instant antic reaction. Just a minute ago, she was feeling so sleepy, and now she is full of excitement. He promptly replied, "My dear Queen, seems like you didn't listen properly... I said I want to talk."

Seeing him laughing please her to no end. She said to herself, 'I know Jalal what you are going through; I can read immense pain and worry in your eyes; I know why you cannot sleep.'

With a giggle, she answered playfully, "Yaa yaa... I heard that... But it means the same because you'll speak just one word while I'll speak ten sentences. Then you will just smile and say huhuhu... hmmm."

Jalal looked at her and smirked, "Okay then, you start first, Malika E Hindustan." Jalal rested lying down on the bed and his head on the pillow while enjoying Jodha's naughty side.

Jodha began in a regretting tone while beholding his gaze, "Shahenshah, first, I would like to apologize for my mistake."

Jalal, with a bemused expression, looked at her with a question mark on his face.

Jodha continued in a solemn voice, "Yesterday, I crossed my confines and blamed Badi Ammi without strong evidence. I shouldn't have pointed at her. Please forgive me, Shahenshah." While folding her hands, she apologized. Guilt was visible on her face.

In a rapid flash, he got up from the bed and cupped her face with affection. In a very sober tone, he replied, "Jodha, I am not at all upset with you for clearing your doubt; rather, I should apologize for getting angry at you for a reason. I shouldn't have shouted and reacted this quick; you only shared whatever doubt you had and wanted me to get cautious. You have fulfilled your duty, so don't apologize or feel guilt. Please do feel free to share anything with me anytime you want without any fear or hesitation." After a brief pause, he continued.

"Actually, it was my mistake I never mentioned to you what Badi Ammi means to me. Jodha, I worship her; she is more than my own mother to me. She stood by me when I needed love and care. I love her more than my own mother. When my Ammi Jaan was busy in her political work at my young age, Badi Ammi took care of me. Not once but twice, she has saved my life by risking her own life. She showered her motherly love for me more than her own son. That's why I reacted too bitterly to your doubts. Jodha... After God, it's only Badi Ammi whom I worship; but being a Shahenshah, I don't trust anyone, so don't worry, I'll also pay attention to your doubts. But my heart is not allowed to think that she is involved in any of the conspiracies in any manners."

After hearing his explanation, her eyes got filled with so much respect for him. Jalal again lay down, resting his head on her lap, and queried, "Queen Jodha, is there anything else you want to discuss?"

While caressing his hair, Jodha expressed with confidence, "Yes, Shahenshah, but first you say. Although I already know what you want to ask me.

With a curious gaze, he queried while teasing, "I never knew my Queen is a psychic. Prove it to your Shahenshah; what I was about to ask?"

Jodha, with an irritating tone, "Shahenshah, I am not psychic, but I can feel and read what's in your mind and heart very well. she pouted while rolling her eyes and continued, "Stop making fun of me; I know what you were doing; I am not going to talk to you." She sighed out loud, gave him an annoying look, and then turned her face to another side.

Jalal, with a mischievous smirk, "Oh No!!! It seemed like my wild cat got angry at me."

She rolled her eyes to show a little attitude, then moved her face away.

Jalal quietly sat on his knee, bending on the bed, and slowly encircled one of his hands on her waist and swiftly started tickling her with his other hand. She couldn't bear his tickle for long and started to giggle. She begged to stop again and again, "Stop it." he continued tickling her. Finally, she begged with a little louder tone, "Please stop it, Shahenshah."

While tickling, he responded, "I'll stop only on one condition. First, you say that you aren't angry with me."

Jodha laughed out loud until she could bear. Finally, she gave up, trying to stop his childish act. She agreed with him, "Yaa yaa... I am not annoyed with you... Now let me go."

He stopped tickling her and hugged her lovingly from the back. He encircled both his hands on her waist, rested his head on her shoulder, and gave her a quick soft kiss on her cheek with a winning smirk, "Okay, Please tell me, Jodha, What was about to ask you."

With an annoying tone, Jodha replied- "You want to ask me how I came to know about Adham's conspiracy."

Jalal, with a surprising expression- "Jodha, I am really impressed. You are genuinely a psychic. It is too scary to know that you can read what is going inside my heart and mind. So tell me now, how did you come to know about this conspiracy?

Jodha informed him about every detail.

Jalal spoke in a grave tone, "Malika E Hindustan, I very well know that you are fearless and brave, but you shouldn't have come there without any security and protection. I am thankful to you for saving my life, but I don't want you to risk your life for me at any cost. Your life is very precious to me; I cannot live without you even for a minute. If anything would have happened to you, then I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. I would have died alive."

Before he could complete his sentence, Jodha stopped him placing her finger on his lips, and stubbornly replied, "Shahenshah, never talk of dying again. How can you even think about killing yourself? I cannot sit and cry in my chamber when your life is in danger, I am a Rajput Rajvanshi woman, and it's my moral duty to save my husband's life and sacrifice my own when required. If anything like this happens again, then I would repeat the same thing."

Jalal's expression changed to furious; he took a deep breath in and out, then in a calm and collected voice, he scolded her, "Remember my command clearly Jodha, DO NOT PUT YOURSELF AT RISK in any circumstance. Trust my strength, I have gone to many wars, and I have survived fighting with fifty soldiers just by myself. I want you to be my strength, not weakness."

Jodha argued, disregarding his demand, "But Jalal, I don't agree with you."

Before she continued further, he put his right hand up to cut it off; With a heavy jerk, Jalal turned her towards him; in a ferocious, loud voice, he busted, "Stop being so adamant, Jodha. Don't you understand anything at once; I don't want you to do anything like that ever again. You are disrespecting me by thinking that I am weak. What do you think I cannot protect myself? Then listen carefully. I am not a weak person, and I have spent half of my life in the field of war, struggling between life and death. Let me remind you that your husband is not an ordinary man. I am the Jalaluddin Muhammad, the king of kings. I am capable of defeating the entire troop of the army single-handedly."

When he saw her fearful expressions on her face, seeing her scared, he paused and continued in a mellow tone, "Jodha... You are my strength, but at the same time, you are my weakness too, and the entire Hindustan knows that I can give away my life for you. That's why I don't want my rivals to use you as a weapon against me and harm you in any manner."

Seeing Jalal's bitterness, Jodha's eyes busted with tears. In a low tone, she spoke, "Please forgive me, Shahenshah. I got very scared when I came to know that your life is in danger. I looked for Atgah Sahib and Abdul but couldn't find them anywhere in the palace. This information was crucial and confidential; I didn't find any trustworthy person. It was a matter of your security and life; so, I left to meet you to convey this message. I love you, Jalal, so much that the fear of losing you frightened me, and I lost all my wits and was left alone from the palace without any security force and protection. I had no intentions to hurt you. His anger extremely hurt her. Her tears started flooding out.

Seeing her tears Jalal's anger melted within a second, and he realized again he yelled at her needlessly. He wiped her tears and cupped her face. Then in a very calm tone, he said, "Why are you so stubborn, Jodha? Please try to understand; you are my life, Jodha. I would have died last night if anything would have happened to you; I want to make you understand that I can protect myself."

Hearing his passionate confession, Jodha felt blessed. Her eyes sparkled with absolute contentment. She knew her actions had hurt his manly ego. Her warm hug gave his wounded heart a little peace.

She held his hands then, in a very tender and affectionate tone, she said, "I know well how much you love me, and I am also aware of your expert warrior skills. I saw how bravely you were fighting with the more than twenty rival armed soldiers single-handedly. I was thrilled and stunned seeing your sword fight. I had heard many times about your sword skills, but I had no evidence that you are such a wonderful, brave warrior. I was so thrilled seeing your quick moves, jumps, twists, turns, and different tactics that my mouth was left open with aww. The way you fought with so many soldiers single-handedly was so commendable, Shahenshah. I was so impressed that if you were with me at that moment, then I would have hugged you tight, and kis..." She paused at word kiss, and shyly lowered her eyes.

He was also stunned, seeing her so much exhilarated. Her flattering remarks and unwitting admiration of his bravery created more zeal inside him. Seeing the innocent glow and blush on her face, a hint of smirk crawled upon his face, and lustful desire was evident in his eyes. He whispered while sucking her earlobe, "And what, Jodha?"

She moaned at his touch; she felt too timid at her admission of desire to kiss him. Hearing desperation in his voice, she felt too shy to face him. She swiftly turned her face on the other side to hide her blush.

He moved her face towards him and gaped at her with profound love. He softly kissed her on her cheeks and whispered again, "So what else you would have done, Jodhaa?" He gently kissed her rosy pink lips. Even though his gentle, passionate touch was making her vulnerable, she managed to control herself. He could sense her effort to resist his seduction. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist him for long. He continued pushing her primal, sensual points to seduce her further. He glided his hands in her hair and pushed her down on the bed. Their bodies collided with passion again. Her creamy soft, lips and sweet fragrance were creating more fire inside him and making him wild again. But before he could go further, Jodha pushed him aside and said- "You again started."

Jalal shamelessly smirked while sleeping next to her, and with a dreamy grin, he confessed, "Jodha, It's not my fault. You are so sweet, spicy, salty, and sometimes bitter; altogether, you are my perfect dish; without you, my life is flavorless. When you are around me, I am not tamable."

Jodha replied teasingly - "Shahenshah, you are too flattery with your words."

Jalal wickedly grinned, hearing her statement.

They both were resting next to each other.

A few minutes later, Jalal said, "Jodha."

Jodha responded- "Hmmm..."

Jalal replied with contentment, "Jodha... When you are with me, I feel as if I am in heaven. The peace I find in your embrace is nowhere else in the world. I wish this moment freezes right here.

Jodha was amused by hearing such deep wordings from him. A hint of seraphic peace crawled upon her face. She turned towards him, and while caressing his cheeks, she uttered, "What's the matter! It seems like today you are in a quiet poetic mood."

Jalal smirked, and silence arose between the two love birds for some time. Both of them were lost in staring at each other. Jodha was slowly caressing his hair with her soft hands. After some time, Jalal broke the silence and said, "Say something."

She put her head on his chest and spoke, "Shahenshah... I was very upset with you on Karwa Chauth day, so I didn't mention it, but you made me so happy by keeping the fast of karwa Chauth for me. I have not seen any husband who fasted for their wives.

He simply replied, "And I'll fast every year for you, my love." Jodha felt overjoyed by his love.

Jalal again asked her, "Anything else, Jodha?"

Jodha uttered in a low voice, "Yes."

With a tease, he responded, "Tell me what else you want to say."

Jodha replied in her cheerful tone, "Shahenshah, I have touched your announcement in the court. Your decision has made you win my heart once again. I never imagined, not even in my dreams, that you would alter to such an extent. Earlier, you were such an arrogant, shameless, cruel, harsh, and coldblooded Shahenshah; but today, I am proud of you. In the past, I used to curse my fate for destined you, my husband; but today, I am delighted to be called your wife. The words are not enough to explain my happiness; I feel I have achieved everything in life. In a true sense, you have become the father of this empire.

Jalal, with squinted eyes, stated, "Oh! So, I was arrogant, shameless, cruel, harsh, and coldblooded Shahenshah."

Jodha enjoyed seeing his grumpy face; she swiftly got up from the bed and pulled his chubby cheeks, and with giggled, she jested, "Now you are not cruel, cold-blooded, but you are still shameless.

Her innocent, giggling face instantly seduced him. Her pure and divine eyes made him crazier. He enjoyed her sweet little banters too much. He pulled her close with a heavy jerk, and their bodies collided with the sound of 'thudded'. He held her close, encircling his hand around her waist, and said- "Junglee Billi, day by day, you are becoming naughtier.

He masked his grin and once again asked, "Do you want to say anything else?"

With a strong blush on her face, she cutely nodded her head in a Yes.

Jalal gave her a passionate look, and in a shallow tone, he said- "Hmmm... tell me." and murmured, "Her talks will never end."

Jodha lay down on his chest right near his heart and said- "I am deeply in love with you; you complete me."

Jalal hugged her tight in his embrace, hearing her innocent confession, and kissed on her forehead.

Then, making up a puppy face in annoyance, she said- "Shahenshah, In the palace, we can never talk peacefully like this. One of the other people is always there to disturb us. Here all your attention is towards me only. I desire to have this privacy foreve..." Before she could complete her sentence, someone knocked on the door of the cottage.

Knock on the door.

Don't forget to comment and vote :)