First time in my life I was actually feeling quite upset seeing a historical monument of this proportion, because first time in my life I understood how it felt when you see the journey's end filled with hopelessness.

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks making my vision all blurry. I saw both the Vir and Badal smiling at me thinking they were tears of joy in my eyes, which was ironic in itself as generally the first feeling a person gets when seeing another cry is that of the person's unhappiness. I didn't want to make the situation suspicious by bawling my eyes out although that was a great temptation, so returned their smiles with a small one of my own.

Dusk was still a couple of hours away as we raced towards the fort. My heart grew apprehensive and prayers a bit more forceful as we grew nearer. The first sentry at the gate looked at us with suspicion but after knowing the identities of Vir and Badal he was friendly enough to let us pass after asking about the wellbeing of the old man from Chand Baori. It seemed that the old man had been quite popular in his youth especially because of his generosities. We had to ask directions for Phool Kumari's place at the Ganesh Pol, as uninvited guests of the servants were not allowed free entry to the palace area irrespective of the close relationship they might have to the person.

It seemed that Phool Kumari did reside in one of the servant quarters of the palace and the guard was kind enough to send for her. I waited patiently along with the others a little distance away from the stairs at the entry.

I saw Phool Kumari exit with another guard from the doorway looking a bit confused.

"He said my niece Rano has come all alone to visit me. Where is she?" she asked the guard at the door with her back still turned towards us. He gestured for her to look behind.

I slowly crept forward with shaky steps feeling quite scared as I looked up at her standing on top of the staircase. She looked at me shocked and was silent for what felt like the darkest seconds of my life as I contemplated her next words.

"This is... Rano? Rano.... Ah!... Rano my bhanji (niece). Why are you alone child and where is your family?" she looked at me hesitantly.

"I will tell you all maasi sa... but I have no place to go right now. Vir sa and Badal sa here helped me in my journey here otherwise I might have lost my way." I pleaded with my eyes.

She looked at me for a moment as if trying to access the situation and then turned towards the guard and said "Rambharose ... this is my niece Rano and she seems to be in trouble. I am taking her inside to my quarters for the night. In the morning I will decide where she can be accommodated. These boys who have kindly helped her are to be fed and proper arrangements are to be made for their night stay. Ask Udho Singh to look after them"

She turned towards the boys and thanked them for bringing her niece safely to her. She I felt held quite a commanding position among the servants, to be ordering about and making decisions. My previous perception about her being a gentle motherly soul from the time she had talked continuously about her niece and smothered me with love suddenly took a U-turn. As for now I was simply grateful that whatever her thoughts might have been, she was astute enough to understand my predicament and had saved me from what could have turned out to be an awkward situation.

She held me by the hand and took me inside the palace gate as if afraid that I might make a run for it. She didn't even once look towards me as the wheels in her mind seemed to be churning vigorously trying to make head and tail of the situation in front of her.

We walked via a passage which apart from being ill illuminated was quite narrow. I had never been this way so assumed that she was leading me towards her quarters. I didn't dare utter a single word least the walls had ears. A quite different kind of problem now bothered me, now that I had successfully entered the palace even if it was the servant quarters section. What was I supposed to tell her about my sudden appearance that too unescorted? The moment we were in privacy she would ask and I had to be quite convincing, as she by now I knew was quite an astute woman and would catch my lie if I even blinked at the wrong time. I had to stay as close to the truth as possible keeping in mind that I might have to stay in her protection a bit longer then I had planned, because my last attempt to travel back was a failure.

I was taken aback as suddenly instead of her quarters the passage opened up to a terrace. She stood with her back towards me with her hands folded in front as she surveyed her surroundings. I was about to speak unable to bear the suspense of the situation and get my story over with, but I heard her speak first as she suddenly turned towards me.

"Now dear child, why are you actually here and that too impersonating as my niece? Do you know what could have been the consequence if your lie had been caught by any of those men? ... It seems I made a mistake in telling you about Rano. I somehow had a feeling ... How can my instincts go wrong? ... Tell me ... Lekha... that I was not wrong."

She seemed to be having an inner conflict with herself and when she did call me by my real name I felt her disappointment in me. It made me feel extremely guilty and the feeling of blurting out the truth to get it over and done with stuck in my throat, but then the brains took over the heart. I knew that I might be declared mad, hallucinating and if worse came to worse 'a witch'.

"You are not wrong kakisa... but I had to run away. They were making me marry Rudra sa" I tested the waters using the half-truth.

"Oh! Rudra sa. I thought I heard something in that context. News travels fast you know." The lines of worry seemed to vanish from her face all of a sudden and it was replaced by curiosity.

"Why did you run away dear... an orphan like you will not find a better groom then him in the whole of this country even if you had searched for years. Your maasi sa no matter how distant really loved you like her daughter and I myself had seen that love in her eyes. What do you think she must be going through at this moment? Plus didn't you think about their family name being dragged in the mud by your stupid actions. They are such well known people with great reputation and.... Now why are you crying you silly girl" She had worked up an anger by the time she finished her monologue making me feel like the most ungrateful worm crawling on this earth.

My head hung in shame with tears flowing down unabashedly.

"I...I... couldn't marry him kakisa" I hiccupped. She didn't utter a single word as she stared at me to finish my explanation. She was angry and I was getting no leeway out of this.

"There was another girl ... and... both of them love each other. I don't want to live with the burden of coming in between them... so I ran away so that they can get married. I could think of this place alone where I could find shelter as I don't know anyone one else" I finished off my side of the story with a deep shudder which comes as an after effect of when one had bawled her eyes out.

"You silly naïve girl... what will I do with you? You are completely mad. Why didn't you tell anyone? I think I have to send a message to them that you are here or they will be so worried about you. "She gave me a half smile and shook her head with what I would call disbelief at my stupidity.

"No ... Don't inform them. I don't want them to come and fetch me. I don't want to marry him" I cried feeling trapped.

"Look girl... control yourself. This silliness won't work. There is a way out for every situation and if people act irresponsible then the consequence might be... well ... Do you realize that you kind of broke their trust in you when you ran away"she said sternly.

Then seeing tears welling up again in my eyes, she kept her hand on my head and said in a motherly tone "Now don't you trouble your mind over it dear. Your kakisa is here... and no one can force you into anything, but informing them is equally important. Think of their reputation. I will not let them take you away till the time you are not happy with the circumstance. I promise. So are you happy now?" I nodded my head slowly.

I was feeling better about the fact that no one could force me to marry Rudra even if I was stuck here despite my attempts. A tiny voice in my mind although hinted about the emotional blackmail I could face if the family came here seeking me but for the moment I pushed it back.

After giving me a big motherly hug in reassurance, she slowly took me towards another set of stairs nearby. We soon reached her living quarters which though not too big ,was sufficient enough for two people. She had kept it very tidy and unlike the old man's place this had the feel of a well lived in place. She made me sit on the charpoy and went out to get food for me.

She soon returned with a lavish assortment of food in a covered plate followed by a lady who carried another charpoy with her. She didn't say anything to the other lady but gestured her to leave as soon as the charpoy was spread in the room.

"I don't want anyone to get curious about your arrival here. She is a trusted friend. I will decide what to tell others once I receive the reply from Thakur sa. You must remain inside here. No one comes here much and when you want something you just inform me."

I nodded my head as my full concentration was on the food as I felt famished.

"Tomorrow I will bring better ... this was all I could gather from the cook without acting suspicious" she smiled seeing me eating with such gusto.

I wanted to reach the room at the earliest but this ban on my movement was a big obstacle in my plan which I had not considered.

"Kakisa..." I hesitated. "I had hidden something in the room Vasundhara had stayed ... I mean I had thought of retrieving it before leaving but had forgotten all about it. I just want to take it back as a keepsake of my happy memories with them before somebody else finds it. Can I go and retrieve it after everyone was asleep? I mean only if you think it to be feasible ... otherwise..." I shrugged my shoulders showing that it wasn't a big deal.

"Oh! My dear girl... now I know I was not mistaken in you. You indeed love the family and miss them too. You are just a silly lost girl with too much pride in you. Of course I would take you there after everyone had settled in their rooms although you might be disappointed as all those rooms have been cleaned up after all the guests had departed. I myself had supervised the cleaning... I wonder if what you hid would still be there. I have the keys so don't worry." She seemed to find joy in my humble request.

After this the hours seemed to pass with a snail's speed, as I half mindedly answered all her questions. After hearing about my great adventure she went back to talk about her favorite subject 'Rano'. In between she also tried to find solution for my problems and what could be done to control the damage on my reputation. She had even come up with the idea of dacoits kidnapping me, making me realize that somewhere she had a naughty young heart too hidden deep below the one upholding all the responsibilities.

After what seemed like hours, the noise level from the surrounding areas seemed to have become negligible. Kakisa also seemed to be tired after all the excitement and yawned a couple of times.

"Kakisa ... you seem to be tired, so... if I could just borrow your keys and you give me a bit of directions then I could silently creep into the room and be out in no time. It will be too much for you, climbing all the stairs again and again. Also you have to wake up so early before dawn. You need to have proper rest."

My idea seemed to have been felt deeply by the tired old woman as she contemplated the stairs. She knew I was safe in the palace and I couldn't escape with the guards at each door. She slowly nodded her sleepy head and gave me both the keys and the directions to the room. I think the sleep had clouded her brains as she didn't question me too deeply.

"Be careful dear. Don't let anyone see you. I have given you the directions which we servants generally use and there aren't any guards at this time in between the passage. They just guard the entrance and the exit. If you still get caught just tell them you are Rano and are with me... rest I will handle" she advised letting out another big yawn. I deftly hid the bag I had brought with me in the folds of my skirt as leaving it behind would lead to loads of questions if someone were to look through its contents.

I had no difficulty in finding the corridor where the room was situated even though the place was dimly lit since it was past bedtime for everyone. I was flooded with nostalgic memories as I walked the familiar path.

I carefully opened the lock with the keys but left it hanging there, so that I didn't carry it with me in case I travelled back without a warning. The well-oiled door opened noiselessly and I saw the room through the dim light reflecting from outside. It was just the way we had left it, not that anything drastic might have happened in just a few days. With heart bursting with trepidations I moved towards the alcove which now seemed so empty and seemed to be beckoning me towards it. I heard footsteps in the corridor outside, pushing me to take swift action as I jumped in the alcove and closed my eyes.

"Lekha..." I heard a voice call out my name.

Before I could turn around the familiar ringingstarted in my head accompanied by the equally familiar feeling of suffocationand then blackness engulfed me.



Hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. As usual my request to all of you... Please do write to me about what you feel and take care. :)