The words still ringed in her ear, even as her husband lifted her up and spun her around.

He had gotten a child.

PHEW!

A wide smile adorned Jyoti's face, as she laughed along with Shehenshah's happiness and amusement to the news. He had become a father atlast, something he had been wishing for quite a while.

" Shehenshah I am so happy for you!" Jyoti exclaimed once Shehenshah came back to his senses and put her down. " In just a few months you'll have tiny souls called you Baapusa!"

Shehenshah was still breathing heavily and erratically, her mind trying to grasp the news. " And you will become their Chhoti ammi too" he smiled, caressing Jyoti.

Hearing his words, Jyoti's smile dropped a bit. She hadn't taken into account that she would be becoming an elder too.

" Begum..?" Shehenshah asked as he saw the sudden change in her mood. " Ah... I am sorry... But Begum Ruqaiya, she's... She's my first-"

" No no Shehenshah... I have no problems" Jyoti waved her hands in front of him, " I told you that day didn't I? I don't have any qualms with sharing a haram with all your other wives"

Shehenshah looked at her, still trying to understand what was going through her head whenever she would say such things. Didn't she feel jealous at all? Didn't she want him all by herself?

Even with the freedom she was bestowing upon him, he felt a bit dejected, that her love didn't quite contain the possessiveness that he did for her.

" I am such a hypocrite -" he chuckled as if to depreciate himself.

" Shehenshah?" It was now Jyoti who was confused at his words.

" It is me who possesses the haram and its women, but I feel sad that you are not possesive about me at all" Shehenshah stated his mind, probably for the first time. He didn't mind being truthful, but barely anyone knew what dwelled in his heart, until this moment.

Jyoti smiled, a slow blush creeping on her cheeks as she felt her husband's hand caressing her cheeks.

" I don't like to measure and compare the love someone has for me" she muttered, taking Shehenshah's hands into hers, " but it isn't true that I won't get jealous ever. Its just that, till now you've shown me enough love Shehenshah. And I also know the responsibilities you bear. I cannot bring myself to impose my naive wants and needs on someone like you"

Shehenshah's eyes softened, as he took the scroll back from Jyoti's hands and kissed the back of her palm, relishing the feeling of her soft skin against his lips.

" I was supposed to give you a wedding present...but it seems like its you who is surprising me every second we spend together"

Jyoti, who was already taken aback from the kiss in the middle of their camp, with dozens of eyes glued to their antics, had already turned beetroot red. Just as she felt her heartbeat rising to an unhealthy rhythm, a slight cough was heard from behind.

" Shehenshah, our caravan is ready" Adham and Jaswant were standing at a distance, trying not to show their embarrassment to the newly-weds.

" Ok, we'll go-"

" Shehenshah shouldn't you leave with your horse?"

The sudden question made the three men whip their heads at Jyoti, who stood there with innocence in her eyes.

" What do you mean Begum?"

" If you go with the caravan, it would still take three days wouldn't it? I am sure Ruqaiya Begum sent you this message so that you reach Agra faster. She needs you right now"

" But what about-"

" I am sure Jaswant and Adham Bhaijaan would take care of me... They are too scared of you to let anything happen to his Begum haha" Jyoti laughed, making Jaswant facepalm himself at her words.

" Did you just order Shehenshah, Begum Jyoti?" Adham asked, bewildered as well as a bit furious.

" Adham.." Shehenshah ordered him in his deathly low tone, threatening him to keep his words at bay. Even though Adham was Maham Anga's son, his power and status was way lower than her, which he often forgot. Shehenshah knew Adham was a nuisance sometimes, but his physical prowess was something he couldn't let go to waste.

Adham hung his head low and backed away, excusing himself from the other three to look at the preparations of the caravan.

" Begum... Are you sure?" Shehenshah asked. " I don't want you to be alone at a time like this. We have just been married, and-"

" Begum Ruqaiya wouldn't have sent this message if she didn't want you to be close to her. I don't think any woman would want to disclose about her pregnancy via a letter just because" Jyoti was somehow adamant on making Shehenshah leave for Agra soon.

Shehenshah looked over to Jaswant, as if asking for help. He didn't know what to expect from his wife at all, as she was a timid innocent girl sometimes and an adamant Princess the next.

Both the men shared an exasperated sigh and just nodded in agreement. Jyoti's words did make sense afterall. And Shehanshah knew his first wife well enough. She surely wanted to attract his attention towards herself somehow, now that there was going to be a second Hindu begum in the haram. But a baby!? That was the best surprise for him anyways. He didn't care if Ruqaiya had any ulterior motives because he would atlast be having his heir, that too with his childhood sweetheart.

" Then I should prepare for departure" Shehenshah stated solemnly, as Jyoti nodded, thus parting their ways from the camp.

---

"You sure are weird" Jaswant said as he pulled open the curtains of the palanquin, " but I didn't know you were stupid too"

Jaswant had given up on his horse just so he could walk alongside Jyoti's palki for a while; he knew something was going on in that head of hers.

" Aw thank you" Jyoti sneered in sarcasm before coming back to sewing up flowers that she found on the ground, into a small tiara.

" You do realise what is happening over there right? They are celebrating the news of their heir. When we reach there, all the celebrations will be over.... Your entry into their home would be looked over"

" That's exactly what I want" Jyoti smiled.

" Jyoti please" Jaswant pleaded, " you have always told me what's in your heart. Sometimes even in details more than necessary.. why are you acting this way right now. You've always wanted to be the star of any show, the light in everyone's life... You're his Noor for God's sakes..... He has never named his Begums, I have asked. He really loves you"

" I am waning... Bhaisa...." Jyoti sighed, and it ripped Jaswant's heart to pieces.

He stopped in his tracks for a second, looking at her palki passing him, but shook himself out of the trance.

Running up to her, he asked in desperation, " are you okay? Do you need something? Is it getting difficult to breathe?"

Jyoti finished the tiara in her hands and placed it gently on herself, " how do I look?" she asked, posing for her brother.

She didn't like to answer such questions that the people asked all the time, because they never changed. Her heartbeats, that were slower than a normal person, her blood that was diseased and lifeless, everything always worked against her. Her will had kept her alive all these years, but how many more?

She didn't want to repeat the same " I am fine", " I am okay", because everyone knew she wasn't. She knew from the age she could talk that she would meet the same fate as her late sister, and she had accepted it, wholeheartedly even. It was the other people who always seemed to care, and it irked her. But she understood their concern. After her death, it would be them who would go through pain and guilt. She would be free, but they would be confined in grief. So she tried to be soft every time, but a few times she just wanted to be silent.

" You look beautiful" Jaswant smiled, trying his best to not let his tears escape the boundaries of his eyes. " But don't avoid my questions Jyoti, tell me... Are you feeling alright?"

" Now? Yes. I am alright. But..." Jyoti took the tiara and placed it on Jaswant's head who also beckoned a bit towards her through the palki, " I always fear the future Bhaisa. I am happy that Shehenshah has gotten a child.... I won't have to carry that mantel anymore"

" He has three other wives Jyoti-"

" No... He only has one other wife. I have heard the maids" Jyoti cleared her throat before whispering, " his second wife, he married her to safeguard her. She was the wife of Bairam Khan, Shehenshah's mentor. And his third wife.... I mean, we all know how Rajkumari Jodha is. And I am sure, Shehenshah won't force himself on her"

Jaswant agreed, albeit in a bit shock that Jyoti had gathered such information in just a day. " What about the other women in the haram?"

" I wonder" Jyoti lied back on the palki's headrest, " I mean, at the end I don't really know what will happen when I reach Agra. I can only hope, that Shehenshah is too engrossed with Ruqaiya Begum and his child, but again not too busy to forget me in between"

She looked towards the opposite side of the palki, the sceneries were changing as the caravan was slowly coming out of Rajasthan's borders and entering Delhi. Soon they would reach Agra, and the climate will soften from the scorching heat.

" Say Bhaisa.... Am I asking too much from him?" Jyoti asked, making Jaswant uneasy.

" I don't think you're asking enough" he replied truthfully.

" From a Shehenshah, not a husband" she corrected her words which made Jaswant think harder.

" For a Shehenshah, this shouldn't even be a matter of debate. He took you as his wife, and its his duty to keep you happy. You aren't imposing yourself in any way Jyoti. If anything, you are letting him go too easily. You shouldn't do that. It will become a habit"

" It will be easier for him then...when I die-"

" You won't die" Jaswant stated, " not until I say"

Jyoti chuckled, and looked towards Jaswant who already had tears in his eyes, just like hers.

" I will live through you, won't that be enough?"

" I don't like sharing things....so no" Jaswant looked away, as if to wipe a tear without letting anyone see. " And I am your elder. You should obey me"

" By a few minutes" Jyoti chuckled. " Ok I will obey you for a few minutes"

The rest of the days and nights were spent in a tranquil silence, as the dread of Agra was palpable in the hearts of the twins. Even though roaming around and learning new things about different regions was how their childhood was spent, this was a completely different matter. To enter the household of Jalaluddin Mohammad, the man who had conquered lands by might and mind; the thought itself was enough to send shivers down the spine of any person.

But here they were, two 23 year olds standing in front of the Red Fort of Agra, one adorned in gold and silks as the bride of the household, while the other standing behind her, watching his twin stepping into probably the last phase of her life, that she had always desired.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Hello Readers!

I didn't want to update because I wanted to wait till 7th March (my birthday), but I just went through terrible health issues and today was like the first day I could even use my phone so, here is the chapter of celebration.