Jyoti was sure that her luck's been changing sides too quickly, for just a minute ago she was wrapped in Jalal's arms, and was now surrounded by the begums of the harem. Their scrutinizing gaze on her was enough for her to know that soon she'll be hounded with questions and insults. But for some reason, they seemed to be biting their words back. Their gazes were fluttering between the ground and Jyoti, as if cursing out under their breaths.

" Umm, where is Begum Ruqaiya?" Jyoti broke the thick silence. 

" She's coming soon, she's with child afterall. She needs to watch her steps" one of the Begums replied.

" Yes, she's now on her way to become Mariam-uz-zamani, she can come and go whenever she wants and we'll have to wait however long it takes to meet her if ordered so" another added.

The slight jealousy laced in their words made Jyoti shrink a bit. If she stayed silent, it would mean she agreed with them. But if she spoke up, she would very well be ostracised by the other Begums. 

" Well its the starting of the pregnancy isn't it? It's better if she moves around normally for the pregnancy and delivery to go about smoothly" Jyoti spoke, wondering if her tone was subtle enough or not, " although it is true that no one can ever be too cautious when with child"

" You seem to know a lot about pregnancy Begum Jyoti" Ruqaiya's voice filled the chamber as the maids and Begum's shifted from their places to let her in. Jyoti turned to meet the eyes of the senior Begum, a bit of fear evident in her demeanor.

" Umm.. yes, I have seen a lot of pregancies and births Ruqaiya Begum... helped in a few too" 

" Wow, then maybe you could be my companion in these few months" Ruqaiya sat in her designated spot, followed by the other begums. " Not as my maid of course, that would be silly" she added humorously, as the other women chuckled while hiding their smiles, " but as someone I could share my thoughts and pass time with"

" Of course!" Jyoti answered too quickly, her enthusiasm shocking everyone around. She didn't pick up on the curt mockery, and stopped processing Ruqaiya's words after she had heard about being a companion to her. Afterall, that was what she wanted in the Harem, a good companion. Someone she could spend her time with, just how she had her brothers and sister-in-laws back home.

Too startled to keep digging into Jyoti's naïve personality, Ruqaiya started with the ceremony of celebrating her pregnancy with the Begums of the Harem. A festive feast was scheduled for tonight, and before that all the personal gifts, if there were any, were to be given to her. 

Each one of the begums presented her with their gifts, a few were gold jewelries for her, and a few were for the heir. Some had brought cushions and shawls, while the others presented with swords and little bow and arrows for the future heir to play with.

" What have you brought Jyoti Begum?" one of the begum's asked softly, the environment was slowly warming up to her.

She stood up and shuffled closer to Ruqaiya, pulling out a small wrapped gift. " I am sorry Begum Ruqaiya, but I didn't have much time to think of a suitable gift for you. So I made this with whatever resources I had during the journey"

Ruqaiya took and opened the gift to find a washcloth, embroidered with patterns resembling chess pieces, and a wooden baby rattle, with an inscription in urdu that said; " Mubaarak ho".

" Mubaarak ho?" Ruqaiya chuckled just a bit, " where did you find this Jyoti Begum?"

" Is there something wrong with the inscription?" Jyoti stiffened up.

" No, it's appropriate for the situation.. but its too vague, as if bought for a commoner" Ruqaiya put down the rattle and started scanning the washcloth, " This however seems like a personal gift" she smiled, " How did you come to know I like the game of chess Begum Jyoti? I am sure this is only the second time I am having a chance to talk to you"

" Ah.. during the trip to Agra-"

" Did Jalal inform you? I had asked him to not speak about me in front of other Begums, but I guess he must be too happy with the news of his heir" Ruqaiya stated while the other Begums nodded their heads in agreement.

Jyoti was stumped by the sudden interjection. It was something she had never experienced in any conversation. She had roamed around with her brother, stayed within the common masses for years but no where has a person answered their own question, presuming the truth that suited themselves. Was she supposed to rectify the senior Begum? Was she supposed to tell her that it was actually General Adham who had informed her about Ruqaiya Begum's likes and dislikes? 

" Shehanshah was truly elated to know that he's finally going to become a father Begum Ruqaiya, so much so that he left by himself on horse the day he got the news because the caravan would have costed him atleast a day or two more" Hoshiyar added, making Ruqaiya beam with pride. 

Jyoti felt trapped. She was someone who barely bit back her words, and rarely ever let people misunderstand her. But she wasn't sure whether rectifying Begum Ruqaiya in front of so many other people would be the correct step. Maybe if she were alone with her, she would have mentioned Adham Khan's name, in order to give him due credit because he was the one who had bought different threads and needles that helped Jyoti embroider the washcloth. 

" The threads-" Jyoti cut in between the laughter and gossips that had started, " were bought by Adham Khan on the way. He too gave me a few suggestions on how to decorate the washcloth" 

The room went silent that even Jyoti gulping in anticipation could be heard. Had she said something wrong afterall?

" Adham Khan? Maham Anga's son?" one of the Begum's questioned reflexly.

Jyoti nodded her head slightly, peering into Ruqaiya's eyes that had set onto hers in confusion.

" You're new to this Harem Begum Jyoti, so let me warn you" she said with her tone growing grave, " stay away from Adham Khan".

Jyoti tilted her head in confusion, but she didn't want to further question Ruqaiya's order. 

" Only ever discuss what you need to discuss with Shehenshah, and if not him then keep your thoughts to yourself. You cannot derogate the status of a Khaas Begum by frolicking around with other men, especially not with a man of Adham Khan's reputation" 

Jyoti's eyes fell to the ground, a burning sensation covering her face. She knew what Ruqaiya meant, but didn't mean for her actions to be taken that way. 

" I am sorry Ruqaiya Begum, but I didn't mean my actions to trouble Shahenshah or diminish the status of Khaas Begums in any way. During the trip after Shahenshah had left, only Adham Bhaijaan was there who could inform me about the Mughal rituals so I too didn't find any reason to not heed to his advice. And don't worry, my brother Jaswant was present during every exchange, and I have maintained the decorum and sanctity of my marriage to Shehenshah to the fullest"

The tension seemed to die down as Jyoti spoke up, and realisation hit her that the Begums were just testing her threshold. There was no need for such an interrogation to be taken about her whereabouts during the trip because this ceremony was about Ruqaiya Begum, and nothing should have taken the focus off of her. But she herself pushed Jyoti to speak up, to show what could be her possible trigger. 

" I understand" Ruqaiya stated and signalled for all the gifts to be taken away and kept safely.

The ceremony had come to an end. But there was still a bit of hesitation in Jyoti's mind; Jodha Begum hasn't yet turned up.

And as if reading her mind, Ruqaiya stopped Jyoti and asked, " Has Jodha Begum decided to not attend the ceremony?"

" No she-" Jyoti knew that Jodha and Shahenshah were called by his mother for a kind of ritual, and that Jalal has asked her to not notify Ruqaiya about it in case she got angry, " she has gone to meet her brothers I suppose. They have come to Agra for tonight's celebration"

" Hmm" Ruqaiya stood up, and actioned to give them both some privacy. " You shouldn't lie to the future Mariam-uz-zamani Begum Jyoti"

" Wh-what?" Jyoti was startled to say the least.

" Did you come to know about this ceremony through Adham Khan?" Ruqaiya said, "this personal ceremony wasn't supposed to take place. Rather, every gift I am supposed to receive is to be give during tonight's ceremony before all the honored guests so that we can take blessings and also filter our potentially harmful gifts like powders, trinkets etc. Jodha Begum had actually come to meet me in the morning, before any of the other Begums could, and gifted me a small spoon, and a letter which I am yet to read. We had a small disagreement on something and she left for a ritual with Jalal on request from Ammijaan,  but I realised none of the other Begums, who say they respect and love me had come to congratulate me. So I sent out the notice of a personal ceremony just to see what they could gather as a 'gift' for me in such a short time" she circled around Jyoti and sat in one of the cushioned chairs to get better support. " I didn't really expect a gift from you, afterall you have come in the Harem today only and that too without any royalties or maids. But you still gifted me something very personal, that the other Begums failed to deliver"

" I... don't understand what you're getting at Begum Ruqaiya" Jyoti truthfully stated, gaining a slight chuckle from the senior Begum.

" What I am saying is, I truly see your allegiance Begum Jyoti, and it isn't crooked like the others" she spoke with the softest tone, " I want us to be friends, despite our differences".

Jyoti's jaw slightly hanged at the earnest request from Ruqaiya, the cold Begum who didn't let anyone even peek through the walls she had created to secure her heart. 

" I know, Jalal has grown fond of you" Ruqaiya stated, " and even though I want to, I cannot fight for his affection now that I have a growing life inside of me. And my greatest competitor would be you, and I cannot win against you"

Jyoti's brows furrowed at the statement. This wasn't something that Ruqaiya Begum would ever say to a dead soul.

" so I want you to do me a favour, just one"

Jyoti left a tired sigh. This was still all a ploy, but hoped that atleast a sliver of truth did exist in the friendship that Ruqaiya begum requested for, " what is it Begum Ruqaiya?"

" I want you to stay away from Shahenshah till my womb carries the heir to the throne".

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Hello Readers!

So, it's been 4 months.

I have my reasons but again, the biggest reason was that I had COMPLETELY forgotten the actual plot but after I watched the episodes I realised that Jalal was really a dick in those first few episodes. So that made me want to drop this fanfic coz no way in hell am I writing a grumpy angry man as romantic interest to my fl ( I hate that pairing) but I know this book is kinda still being read way more than my Naruto fanfic so I decided to just sit with it again.

Also my laptop was fried the last two months and got repaired yesterday. Coz like hell I would write chapters on my mobile with my thick ass fingers.

VOTE & COMMENT!