Chapter 1
Narrative 4
Tej Singh reached Vijaygarh after departing from Virendra Singh and started trying to meet Chandrakanta, but found no way because the guards were guarding vigilantly. So, he started thinking about what to do? The night is moonlight; if it's a moonless night, then he would have been climbed over the palace with a rope.
Finally, Tej Singh went into solitude and there, he disguised his face like a mace bearer and reached the porch of the palace. He saw many mace bearers/gatekeepers and pawns sitting guarding there. He said to a mace bearer - "Man, I am also the servant of His Majesty. Today, for four months, his majesty has kept me servant under him, now it was recess time, I just walked to this side while enjoying the moonlight night. Seeing you guys smoking tobacco, I thought to blow some too. To opium eaters tobacco smells like a fragrance, you must also know."
"Yes, yes, come and sit, drink tobacco." Saying this, gatemen and the pawns put the hookah in front of Tej Singh.
Tej Singh said - "I am a Hindu, I cannot drink hookah, but yes, I will drink it by hand." Saying this, he removed the bowl (head of the hookah containing the coal and tobacco) and started drinking.
He has not inhaled tobacco just twice that already started coughing; he coughed so much that he even spilled some water out of his mouth and then said - "Brother, you guys drink strange bitter tobacco? I always drink royal tobacco. I have become friends with the hookah preparer of the King. He regularly gives me some out of the tobacco drunk by his majesty; now it has become such a habit that no tobacco other than that tobacco tastes good."
Saying this, Tej Singh, who is disguised as a gateman, took out a tobacco pipe from his wallet and said - "You guys also drink and see what kind of tobacco it is."
Well, would sentinels have ever drunk tobacco that is for the King to drink? Quickly he spread his hands and said - "Bring it brother, because of you we also get a chance to drink royal tobacco. You are very fortunate to live with the King; you must be having a lot of fun." He took tobacco from the hand of fake mace bearer (Tej Singh) and brought it in front of Tej Singh after preparing and setting it up. Tej Singh said - "You light it, then I will also take it."
Now the hookah started gurgling and also, gossip started flying.
Within a short time heads of all sentinels and pawns began to spin, this much that all them started bending forward and fell flat on face, fainted.
What's the worry now, Tej Singh easily entered inside the gate and sneaked off in the garden. He saw a maid coming from the front with the light in her hand. Tej Singh quickly put the lasso in her throat and gave such a blow that she could not even make a sound and fell on the ground. Immediately he gets her sniffed knockout powder and when she fainted, picked her up and took her in a corner. Removing the items from the wallet, he took out a candle and lit it and kept the mirror in front of himself, and made similar appearance to her, after that leaving her there, he went towards the palace wearing her clothes and reached the place where Chandrakanta, Chapla, and Champa were talking with ten or five (some) maids/girls. Tej Singh, who was in disguise of a maid, also sat down on one side.
Looking at Tej Singh, Chapla said - "Why Ketaki, did you already do the work for which I sent you that you have come quietly and sat down?
Hearing Chapla's question Tej Singh realized that the maid whom he has fainted and with whose appearance he has come there, her name is Ketaki.
Fake Ketaki - "Yes, I had gone to do work, but after seeing a new spectacle on the way, I have returned to tell you something."
Chapla - "Oh like that. Okay, tell, what did you see?
Fake Ketaki - "Make all leave, only then I will tell in front of you and the princess."
All the girls were told to go, and only Chandrakanta, Chapla, and Champa remained. Now Ketaki laughed and said - "Give me some reward, only then I will tell the good news."
Chandrakanta thought that perhaps she had brought some news of Virendra Singh, but then also thought that I have never even taken Virendra Singh's name in front of her till date, then what is the matter? What good news is this for which she asks for a reward in advance? Finally, Chandrakanta said to Ketaki - "Okay, okay, I will give the reward, first tell, what good news you have brought?"
Ketaki said - "If you reward me first, then I say; otherwise I leave." She stood up, saying this.
Looking these tantrums of Ketaki, Chapla could not stop herself, and she blurted - "Why O Ketaki, what has happened to you today that you are talking so much. Should I kick you!"
Ketaki replied - "Am I weaker than you that you will kick me, and I will leave you."
Now Chapla could not restrain herself anymore and ran to catch Ketaki's ponytail; even the two got into a scuffle. Coincidently, Chapla's hand fell on the fake Ketaki's chest, seeing flat there, she got nervous and quickly broke away.
Fake Ketaki - (laughing) Why, why did you run away? Let's fight.
Chapla took out the dagger from her waist and said - "O Aiyyar, tell me the truth, who are you, or else I will kill you right now."
Fake Ketaki did not give any answer to Chapla on this and took out Virendra Singh's letter and put it in front. Chapla's eye also fell on this letter and began to look closely. Seeing the handwriting of Virendra Singh, she understood that he is Tej Singh because Virendra Singh will never send a message through anyone except Tej Singh. After understanding the whole situation, Chapla blushed and lowered her head, she remained silent but started praising Tej Singh's sleight and cunning in heart, but the truth is that Tej Singh's love had made a place in her heart.
Chandrakanta read Virendra Singh's letter with great love and then started talking to Tej Singh -
Chandrakanta - 'Tej Singh, is his mood good?"
Tej Singh - "How will the mood be good? Eating and drinking has stopped, eyes have swelled up because of crying, day and night only your thought is in mind, what relief to him without meeting you? I have explained a thousand times, but who listens. Now recently I went with your letter; today I had to come here again after seeing his condition. He said that he would come himself, somehow managed to stop him from coming here and said that let me only go today when I go and settle there, I will take you so that there won't be any problem."
Chandrakanta - "Regrets. You did not bring him with you, at least I would have seen him? Look, Krur Singh's both Aiyyars have created so much mess here that nothing can be said. How much I stop and explain to my father that Krur Singh's Aiyyars are my enemies, but his majesty does not listen to anything, because Krur Singh has done some magic on him. By exaggerating about my meeting with the prince, don't know what he has explained to his majesty that his majesty considers him King of truths, he always fills the ears of his majesty. Now father does not listen to me, but today I have got chance to say a lot because today my beloved friend Chapla has arrested Nazim in this backyard garden, tomorrow I will take him in front of his majesty and then I will say that you look at the truth of your Krur Singh, if he was given the duty to guard me, then who allowed going inside the garden?"
Saying this, Chandrakanta told Tej Singh whole story about the arrest of Nazim and his imprisonment in the basement of the garden.
Tej Singh was surprised to hear the cleverness of Chapla and began to admire her in the heart, but after thinking something, he said - "Chapla did a lot of tricking but got cheated."
Hearing this, Chapla was astonished. Oh god. When did I get cheated? But she did not get it. She couldn't resist anymore, asked Tej Singh - "Quickly tell me, how did I got cheated?"
Tej Singh said - "Did you not know that if Nazim was in the garden, Ahmed must have also come? Then why did you leave Nazim in the garden? If you had arrested him, you should have brought him to the palace and imprisoned him there or sent him to the King at the same time, now Ahmed must have freed Nazim."
Hearing this much, Chapla was horrified and very embarrassingly said - "True, a huge mistake, nobody thought about that."
Tej Singh - "Why would anyone else care? You are clever; you are called Aiyyara, should you think about that or others ...? Well, go and see if he is there or not?"
Chapla ran towards the garden. After going near the basement, she saw that the door was open. What then? She got convinced that Ahmed has rescued Nazim. When she went inside the cellar, saw it empty. Regretting her stupidity, she returned and said - "What should I say, Ahmed has indeed rescued Nazim."
Now Tej Singh started teasing - "You used to show off you Aiyyari skills, used to say we are clever, we are smart, we are this, we are that. Just a mere Aiyyar can beset you."
Chapla got annoyed and said irritatingly - "My name is not Chapla if I did not arrest both of them this time and gave them countless beating in this room."
Tej Singh said - "Just saw enough of your smartness, now see how I arrest and imprison each one in my city."
After this, Tej Singh told the whole situation of his arrival to Chandrakanta and Chapla and also told - "At such and such place, I have put Ketaki unconscious, you must go and bring her. I will not give her clothes because I have to go out with this appearance. See, except you three do not let anyone else know about this and otherwise everything will go wrong."
Chandrakanta insisted to Tej Singh - "You must come here on every second or third day, your arrival bring me courage."
"Very well, I will do the same." Saying this, Tej Singh prepared to leave.
On seeing him going, Chandrakanta said while crying - "What you say, Tej Singh, is meeting with the prince, not in my fate?" As soon as she said this, she broke down in tears. Tej Singh persuaded her a lot and said, look, all this is being done only for the reason that you will be able to meet him forever if you will also lose your composure, then how will it work? He calmed Chandrakanta down after a lot of persuasions, then left from there and came to the door in Ketaki's appearance. He saw that two or four pawns have come to their senses, the rest are still unconscious, some are lying upside down, some have woken, but then they keep bending forward.
The fake Ketaki scolded gatemen - "You guard or sniff the ground? Why do you eat so much opium that your eyes do not open, and sleep like betting with the dead? Just wait, how do I make you regret by telling the great queen."
The gatekeepers who had come to consciousness was appalled after listening to Ketaki and began to flatter her - "Look Ketaki, sorry, today an unworthy royal mace bearer came and duped us into drinking such poisonous tobacco that this condition happened to us. That rascal wanted to kill us, Allah saved us as he had left no stone unturned to kill us. See, it did not use to happen every day; today we got cheated. We plead you, now, if you ever look us like this, punish however you want."
Fake Ketaki said - "Okay, I will ignore today but beware if it ever happened again." Tej Singh exited saying this.
Due to fear, no one even asked where she was going.
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See you next friday! Stay Tuned! Enjoy!
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