The sun rays of dawn enlightened the fort walls and coutyard.The soft glare providing warmth to the guards who stood around,a sign to the bandi who worked around the fort that the time for their mistresses to get up and ready came closer.

A young bandi,Khaazra exited one of the khwaab-gaah,head turning frantically as she made her way through the open corridors before catching the attention of one of the senior bandi,Mahanoor who made her way towards the agitated bandi.

"Khaazra,is there a problem?" Mahnoor questioned gently as the young bandi froze at being addressed,lowering her head.

"Jee,ahhh.....Bakshi bano is missing from her khwaab-gaah."

Mahnoor chuckled,causing Khaazra to look at her with wide eyes,as if she could not believe what she had just said had brought the elder woman joy.She almost jumped out of her skin when the elder woman put a hand on her shoulder,gently guiding Khazra to walk beside her.

"It seems like Bakshi bano's other bandi did not inform you of what take place every third morning." That would be the most understandable explanation as to why Khaazra seemed to be unaware of where her mistress was at the moment.

Khaazra recognized the way that Mahnoor led her through the corridors,it lead to the area where the guards trained every morning,afternoon and evening,"Is this not the way to the training field,Mahnoor appa?"

"Every third morning Bakshi bano leaves her khwaab-gaah after offering her Fajr salaah,she then comes to this training field."

They exited the door,where the sound of clashing swords as they came to a stand still on the steps.Khaazra looked around,her eyes taking in the guards who shot arrows at targets followed by the spear throwing and then her eyes settled on two figures clad in white,sword dueling one another.

She caught a glimpse of her mistress face as she turned to counter an attack,Khaazra turned to Mahnoor,"Mahnoor appa,is that Bakshi bano?"

Mahnoor smiled,nodding her head as her eyes kept track of every movemnet that Bakshi bano made,a glint of pride in her eyes,"Jee,that is Bakshi bano.This will be every third day morning,with Bakshi bano's training."

Khaazra's eyes tracked Bakshi bano in awe,as she moved gracefully and quickly,"This is so unusual for a royal lady to be training in warfare." Khaazra looked at Mahnoor who still had her eyes on Bakshi,curiosity had her blurting out the question that had eaten at her since she had joined the palace.A question she had been told by other bandi to ask one of the senior bandi as they would be the most apt to answer her question,"How is it that the niece of the Shahensha,daughter of his brother lives so far from her father?"

Everyone knew that Bakshi bano's father,Mukhtar Ahmed Khan and the previous Shahensha,Hassan happened to be brothers.They were not blood related though,Shahensha Hassen's father,Shadab-ullah had married Mukhtar Ahmed's mother,Qisra Begum when she had been widowed and left the mother of a child.Yet,Shahensha Hassen had even then treated Mukhtar Ahmed as his brother,granting him the leadership of a fort and surrounding areas.Mukhtar Ahmed had even been married off to one of the nieces of Shahensha Shadab-ullah,Gulbadan begum.

Mahnoor looked at Khaazra,gesturing for her to follow.They walked back into the fort,as Mahnoor begun to talk.

"Mukhtar Ahmed Saab,had been married to Gulbadan begum because Shahensha Hassen had arranged it for them.Mukhtar Ahmed saab and Gulbadan begum had a relationship of love and respect.Then when Shahensha Hassen won the war with Sher Adam Khan,instead of killing his whole family off,it was decided that his daughter,Masuma begum would be wed to Mukhtar Ahmed saab." Khaazra followed Mahnoor to Bakshi Bano's kheaab-gaah,"Let's start organising here,while I tell you the story."

"Jee,Mehnoor appa." Khaazra took to making the bed while Mehnoor took to removing wilted flowers from vases,"Then what happened,Mahnoor appa?"

"By the time,Mukhtar Ahmed saab married Masuma begum,he had been married to Gulbadan begum for about five years.By then,Mukhtar Ahmed saab and Gulbadan begum had been pressurised to have a baby,which unfortunately did not happen.Gulbadan begum had thus known that chances were that Masuma begum would give birth to Mukhtar Ahmed saab's children.A fact which she made peace with,did happen eventually.Masuma begum gave borth to a pair of twins,a girl,Hafeza Bano and boy,Hafeez Khan.Masuma begum had been firm that she already had two children,one to take his father's position when he got older or gain a position on his own and a daughter she could raise to be married to someone who would help the family rise to higher ranks.Just five years later,Masuma begum found out that she would be having another child.Mukhtar Ahmed saab thought that Masuma begum had made peace with having one more child and that the child would be fine.Months later,the noor of Mukhtar Ahmed saab's eyes were born,Bakshi Bano and all thought,everything was well." Mahnoor paused,taking a deep breath as she looked out the large window,into the courtyard where she could see Gulbadan begum feeding the birds.Her duppata laid on her shoulder,hair flaying in the slight wind and her eyes filled with the same ease,yet pain of being separated from her beloved shone brightly in her eyes.

"But Mukhtar Ahmed saab and the rest of the family could not have been any more wrong.When the baby was born,Masuma begum fed her but once she reached the age of weaning,Bakshi bano was handed off to Masuma begum's bandi to take care of.One day when Bakshi bano crying,refused to settle down,Gulbadan begum heard and went into the khwaab-gaah to see what was wrong.There she discovered from the bandi as she calmed Bakshi bano down that since the day she had been weaned off Masuma begum's milk,Masuma begum had not been there to check on the small child.Gulbadan begum may have not been given the position of chief wife after Masuma begum gave birth to Mukhtar Ahmed saab's children but she still held a special place in Mukhtar Ahmed saab's heart.She took the small baby who had finally settled down to the darbaar,which Mukhtar Ahmed saab held with his advisors,farmers,his wives,mother,aunts and the people of the village.She requested hazaari with Mukhtar Ahmed saab,which was granted and she entered the court with Bakshi bano and the bandi.Gulbadan begum told the bandi to explain what they had just told her before Mukhtar Ahmed saab.That day may have been the first day that anyone had seen Mukhtar Ahmed saab's anger shower on Masuma begum who had been called to the middle of the darbaar.Masuma begum admitted in front of Mukhtar Ahmed saab that she could not look after Hafeez Khan,Hafeeza bano and Bakshi bano.She had been finding it hard to find time for the baby when she had other children and duties of the hareem to look after.Mukhtar Ahmed saab took another look at Bakshi bano in Gulbadan begum's arms and made a decision immediately that Bakshi bano could be raised and cared for by Gulbadan begum,he terminated all of Masuma begum's rights over Bakshi bano and freed her from the responsibility of Bakshi bano.A shahi farmaan had then been issued to Masuma Begum on the matter."

Khaazra had frozen in one place,in shock of how a mother could just have her child removed from her care,from her eyes,"Did Masuma begum not protest Mukhtar Ahmed saab's decision?Did she not fight for her child?"

Mahnoor shook her head,as she pursed her lips as she thought back to that day in the darbaar,the anger and confusion that went through her at the fact that such a little baby had been denied the right to her mother bevause her mother could not look after her despite having an army of bandi to help her.

"Masuma begum did not fight,she agreed without a complaint and went back to her place in the darbaar behind the curtain.Gulbadan begum knew that Mukhtar Ahmed saab had given her what she had desired the most after him,a child to call her own,a child to call theirs.She thanked him before leaving the darbaar to take care of Bakshi bano,who she treated like an extension of herself.She would feed Bakshi bano herself,lull her to sleep at night,making sure that myself and Gulzaar were there to take of Bakshi bano when she would be in the darbaar.Then also,she would try her best to leave early.She celebrated by gifting all the bandi new clothes when Bakshi bano took her first step.She freed several bandi when Bakshi bano spoke her first word.When Bakshi bano started school when she turned six,Gulbadan begum distributed food at the masjid and new jewellery to those in the palace."

Khazaar smiled as she begun to prepare Bakshi bano's clothing for the day,"The way that Gulbadan begum and Bakshi bano treat one another you would never say that their relationship is not one if blood." She stopped as she turned from closing the chest of clothes,confused as she looked at Mahnoor who had begun to dust the floor,"If everything had been okay at the Hajjat Fort,then why do Gulbadan begum and Bakshi bano live here?"

Mahmoor looked up from the floor,her smile fading as she thought of the horrible day that lead to them living in this fort,with Gulbadan begum's brother,Mukhtar Jahangir Alla who had leadership of the fort and surrounding areas.

"When Bakshi bano started school,she became exposed to Hafeez Khan and Hafeeza Bano.Her siblings,but to her she knew them both from a distance as Gulbadan begum had always kept her protected.On one hand you had Hafeez Khan,who doted on Bakshi bano from the day he came into contact with her from their first day together.He treated her as any other brother would treat their sister,he gave her sweet dishes and fixed her clothes.Bakshi bano also became close to him during that time,returning his affections as a sister would,but then on the other side you had Hafeeza bano.Maybe seeing her brother who had always only given her attention and affection,along with seeing Mukhtar Ahmed saab now openly show affection to Bakshi bano,made her resent Bakshi bano.No one knows the truth but when this incident took place there were rumors that Hafeeza bano had been behind it."

"What incident,Mahnoor appa?"

Mahnoor stood up,once again gazing out the window where she saw Bakshi bano hug Gulbadan begum and the two sat down on the bench outside,talking and laughing together.

"One day,when Hafeez Khan and Bakshi bano were playing in the courtyard,Hafeeza bano joined them.When they got close to the water Hafeez Khan turned his back for a second,but then he heard a splash and turned around to see Bakshi bano in the water,her hands just visible as she tried to come above the water.He immediately called for the attention of the urdubegis and khawajasara who rushed to pull Bakshi bano out of the water.They managed to pull her out and transfer her to Gulbadan begum's khwaab-gaah where Hakim-sahiba had been called to and they managed to treat her.The incident filled Gulbadan begum with a fear,especially when Hafeez Khan confessed to Mukhtar Ahmed saab and Gulbadan begum in private that he had seen Hafeeza bano close to the point from where Bakshi would have fallen into the water,that perhaps Hafeeza bano had been the one to push her into the water.Mukhtar Ahmed saab had been furious and wanted to punish Hafeeza bano,but Gulbadan bano knew the extent Masuma begum could go to in order to save Hafeeza bano,so she suggested that Mukhtar Ahmed saab spend the night with her and he allow her time till the morning to take a decision,at the darbaar.When the darbaar had been settled,Gulbadan begum requested to present herself in court and she was granted the request.When she had been allowed to be presented to court,she held a shahi farmaan which had been granted to Gulbadan begum and her brother,who had until then been an advisor to Mukhtar Ahmed saab in the darbaar.The farmaan had been granted to them by Sultan Hassen,when Gulbadan begum's father had passed away.She requested that Mukhtar Ahmed saab allow her and Mukhtar Jahangir saab to finally follow the shahi farmaan,to come to this fort and start their leadership.Mukhtar Ahmed saab understood that by doing this,Gulbadan begum would be opening a way to protect Bakshi bano,so with a stone on his heart he agreed to send his precious wife and daughter away from him." Mahnoor replaced the flowers in the jar that had been brought in by another bandi,who had returned with Bakshi bano and would now be preparing the hammam,"That is how Gulbadan begum and Baksho bano came to live here."

Khaazra nodded her head as she picked up the tray with clothing to dry Bakshi bano in it,as she prepared to take it to the hammam,"That's so sad,but I'm glad that Bakshi bano had someone to step in and take care of her.Her ammi jaan."

Mahnoor nodded her head as she got down with the flowers,making the last one presentable before turning to face the window where Gulbadan begum and Bakshi bano had gotten up to walk towards the khwaab-gaah.

"Gulbadan begum is just one pillar for Bakshi bano,Allah willingly,one day someone else will come along who will make all her pain and troubles seem small in comparison."

All the bandi who heard chorused 'ameen',which unbeknownst to them got carried away,like a leaf being carried by the wind.Not to any place on the land but beyond the seven skies to the Throne of Allah where the prayer of one would never be refused.It may have not been to happen the same day but the upcoming months would make way for that very prayer to bare fruits.

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As salaam mu alaykum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatu.
Hello.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter...

After long I've written a chapter without stopping so In Sha Allah here's hoping this is a good sign 🙈

Please stay tuned for the next chapter which will be up as soon as I write it 😁.

Take care of yourself.

Fi amanilah.