My spirits rose a bit after the delicious lunch and also, especially as I didn't meet that irritating, arrogant, and all sorts of names I could think of, man.

The excited talk about the night's function was also pepping up my spirits. Since the program was supposed to start before dusk, we immediately went to our rooms to get dressed. It was a time where everyone was going to put their best foot forward in order to impress all and sundry.

I took out a green color lehenga that Vasundhara had given me before and hoping my silver jewelry looked good with it.

"What...? Are you going to wear this old piece?" said Vasundhara rolling her eyes as she laid out one of her beautiful dresses and some gold jewelry on top of what I had selected.

Though I took the dress reluctantly knowing that I will be appraised by the other ladies since I had been acknowledged by Mahadevi sa as her niece but jewelry was a big no.

"Vasundhara I respect your feelings as you offer me so much more than I feel I deserve but I can't accept the gold jewelry. I have accepted the dress from you as your mother's respect and status is now linked with me too since she has declared me to be her niece to all. I have to keep her image up. I already have the silver jewelry that you had so generously shared with me, even without knowing me. But I will not wear something so expensive"

Vasundhara looked at me with a faint smile on her face and hugged me.

"Don't be silly sister. This is all nonsense, you talk about my generosity. I felt it in my heart that you were a good person so I offered it to you at that time. Now you are part of the family and so have equal right on all that belongs to me."

"Alright, "I said. "I will not talk all this nonsense from now onward but at least give me some time to adjust to all this newfound happiness and family. Even now I sometimes am in doubt whether it's reality or a dream."

I naturally couldn't share my fears with her that I might one day just vanish from their lives without rhyme or reason. I didn't want to take anything from all these generous people which might later make them consider me to be a thief. It didn't matter whether I would ever meet them again if I went back to my time, but I wanted them to have good memories of me.

She gave a silent nod of understanding towards me and her enthusiasm was back as she now focused on my makeup and hairdo. I couldn't help smile, with a blessing in my heart for such a beautiful soul. It took a lot to pull down Vasundhara's love for life.

I was surprised to see that the ladies had such extensive makeup items in this time period too. A maid had been sent by Mahadevi sa to help us dress and also create a nice hairdo using different kinds of hair ornaments.

Gayatri soon joined us looking amazing too. She wore a bright fuchsia lehenga (long skirt) with a bright yellow kurti (blouse till the waist). Her odhni (veil) was of lehariaya print (stripes in tie and dye) using both the colors in combinations. Vasundhara wore a blue and yellow combination while I had been given blue and fuchsia combination to wear. It looked great with my silver jewelry as per 2015 fashion but that somewhat dimmed in comparison to all the bling I was surrounded by.

I observed as we reached the Suhaag Mandir above the Ganesh Pol(entrance to the palace) that the ladies no matter which time frame they belonged to always had the desire to outshine each other.



The view from the window of Suhag Mandir



The view from the other side of the lattice windows(on top of the gates)



A closeup of the Ganesh Pol above the entrance to the palace (the central image is of Lord Ganesh , He is widely revered as the remover of obstacles )

The Suhag Mandir was the place where the ladies of the royal family used to gather to watch functions held in the Diwan-i-Am through latticed windows.



Nagadas

The nagadas (drums) began playing, as the crowd started gathering near the Diwan-i-aam. The air was filled with excitement as people started chanting "Raja Bharmal ki jai" (victory to the king Bharmal) as the king stepped out to acknowledge his subjects.

All around mashals(fire torches)had been lit up.



People holding mashals

The celebration seemed to be more for the 'benefits' being received by the bonding formed due to the marriage between the two kingdoms, as in general when the girl of the family leaves for another home it is a sad occasion for the people left behind. Moreover, it was also a way to keep the spirits of people high as I had heard whispers going around that some people were not happy with the union.

The marriage had been gone through with despite the princess being betrothed unofficially to the prince of another Rajput state right from childhood.

It had been a tough decision for the king to make as it alienated him from his neighbors and most of his powerful relatives, though in turn the kingdom was strengthened through this marriage by the powerful clan and their army. His relations and neighbors of the Rajput clans had threatened to destroy him for such an insult and also to outcast him if he went through with the marriage. Now I could understand why so much of secrecy and security was being maintained.

The celebration was also a show of power as the king had to ultimately show to the others that he was not to be put down by their threats.

I could sense the mixed reaction in the air, now that I was wary of the situation and the politics of the matter. The people who were unenlightened of the facts were rejoicing while the others though participating did not emit the same kind of happiness.

I was altogether a bit confused about how to feel, as this kind of politics would not affect me if I suddenly upped and returned to my time. Another fact which only I was aware of was that even if I was stuck in this time frame, this political angle would still not affect me as this marriage was going to establish peace in the region for a long long time.

I made up my mind to have my fun as no matter what happened I might not be able to see this kind of celebration ever again.

The celebration had similar kind of dances and songs being performed but with more exuberance. There were more dancers involved and double the amount of musicians.



Kalbeliya Dance done generally by the gypsies



Gair Dance

We did not get much space from where the queens, other princesses, and older women were seeing the performance below. So we with few other ladies got on other terraces to view the celebrations below. I would have liked to see all this from the front row seating with the commoners, but this was not the age where a girl from the palace could mingle so easily.

My eagerness to see everything with more clarity made me forget my surroundings and I dragged three stools from a nearby room and put them one over the other to elevate myself near the terrace wall. Vasundhara and Gayatri looked stunned at my antics but I gave them an apologetic naughty smile and turned to climb on top with them holding the stools. As I tried to peep over the terrace wall to see below, I felt eyes on me. I turned my head away from the dancers to the people standing near the king and all my enthusiasm died on the spot.

Rudra was staring at me with a deep frown on his face. Vikram and Udai bhaisa were there too, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves unlike the killjoy giving me angry looks. At first, I thought of defying him and maintain my position but then seeing the other girls stand properly near the wall maintaining a kind of decorum, I slid back to where the rest of them were watching the dancers from the latticed windows of the terrace wall.

I saw him shift his gaze back to the dancers as if he never saw me. I chose to ignore him as well though I was tempted many a times to look his way. Not that I wanted to see him but I wanted to observe what other royalties were doing, I told myself.

After the celebration, we again gathered in the dining hall, but I still didn't get to meet Mahadevi sa. She seemed quite busy. I was very much curious to know all about what had really happened at the wedding and not the diluted version as had been told to others. It was always enlightening to know 'the history' first hand rather than what we had researched or read in our school books. There was always a chance that things were portrayed in a different manner by the historians to suit the picture they want to show others and the facts were adjusted to suit the rulers.

I had to keep my curiosity satisfied knowing that the next morning I would be able to meet her by her own invitation.

The last thought though as I fell off to sleep was not of this but a little cuss word for the arrogant devil who was a big thorn on the side of my beautiful adventure.



Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please do comment and vote.