The screams coming out of the palace were turned into laughter, the Maratha's had managed to slain every nizam holding a sword against them and had captured the rest who had begged for mercy.

A Maharashtrian feast was cooking in the kitchen of the Nizam as both the Nizami and Maratha soldiers worked together to clean up the carnage, bodies were being segregated for cremation and burial and blood was being wiped off the limestone marbles.

"We won." Malhar said as he took a sip of the amber liquid in his glass.

"We did." Jai said with a smile. "But how long are we going to stay here ? How long are we going to manage to keep a hold on Hyderabad?"

"Write a letter to Javed Mirza, ask him to take the crown and pledge his alliance to the Maratha kingdom, we'll appoint a few Maratha officials in his court and let him rule his land." Malhar concluded.

"What if he overthrows us ?" Jai asked.

"Well he very well could but you'll be overlooking his rule for a few months and if the word is true, Javed Mirza is a man of his word."

"Let's hope he agrees to this peacefully." Jai said and Malhar nodded.

"Raje." A man bowed as he entered the room.

"Yes Sampat Rao ?" Malhar asked his finance and treasury minister.

"We have the widows of the late nizam here to pay respect to you and the women of his harem."

"I should be paying my respect and condolences to them Rao sahab." Malhar said disapprovingly. "Well now that you have brought them here please get them inside respectful."

A woman wearing a saree walked in followed by another in a niqab and then a group of women who were not of the royal linage.

"My condolences to you on your loss." Malhar said getting up from the iron chair he sat on.

"Qatil qatal ki muafi kab se mangne lagey." The woman in the niqab said. (Since when have murderers started apologising)

"I understand your resentment towards me, but -."

"We didn't love him." The woman in the saree said. "But he was our husband so forgive us if we sound bitter."

"What do we do with these woman Raje ?" Sampat Rao asked.

"Is this how you speak about the woman in our kingdom as well Sampat Rao ?" Jai asked his voice raising octaves as he got up from his seat.

"No sir."

"Then you better start treating all women alike, with nothing but respect." Jai concluded.

"Yes sir." He said his head bowed.

"Billo Begum and I would like to return to our own kingdoms with our maids." The queen clad in the saree said.

"The arrangements shall be made." Malhar replied.

"As for the rest of the women in the harem, this is their home and they wish to stay here." Billo Begum added.

"Alright. They may." Malhar said looking at the women.

"Ijazat. Phir kabhi mulakat na ho aisi dua hai." Billo said and turned around leaving followed by Parineeti and the rest of the women. (We'll take your leave, hope to never see you again)

Malhar stared at their retreating figures, guilt gnawing his heart, the aftermath of war was the most difficult part of it.

"Don't fret or dwell. This is what we had come for and this is what happens when wars are fought Malhar." Jai said placing a hand over his shoulder.

"Yes." He said with a sigh.

"A few rooms have been prepared for us to use, you go rest for a bit, I'll look around at the soldiers and come see you there." Jai said and Malhar nodded.

Malhar made his way through the limestone corridors guided by the palace server.

"This room was made up for you sir." The man said with his head bowed.

"Thank you." Malhar replied.

"Do you need something ? I can get it for you." The old man asked.

"No, no I'm good." Malhar replied. "Tell me, was the nizam a good king ?" Malhar asked the man who stood with his head bowed.

"I cannot say, I am a poor man who fends for the day, the kings policies never affect someone of my status, we are the rats of the kingdom sir, we live on crumbs left by others." He said. "Forgive me if I've crossed the line."

"No it's alright." Malhar replied. He had got his answer. "You may go back home to your family."

"Thank you sir." The man bowed and left.

Malhar looked around the room. It looked lavish, silken bed sheets and golden chandelier, paintings hung on the wall and the expensive tapestry made the room look richer, they did spend a lot of treasury on their comfort.

There was a knock on the door and a man entered.
"Raje should we send your food to the room ?" The man asked.

"Yes but after Jai comes, we'll have dinner together." He said and the man left.

Malhar walked towards the back of the room, pushing the think curtains aside he entered the bathroom which had a huge pool for a bath.
He got rid of the kurta he wore and cup water in his hand splashing it on his face.

Malhar picked up a piece of cloth and patted his face and then dipped it in water bringing the cloth to the bedroom.

He perched on the edge of the bed facing the door and pulled his sword out of its sheath.

He had cleaned the blood off his sword on the uniforms of dead bodies as he moved but he had to completely remove the blood to prevent it from rusting.

He placed a spare cloth on his lap and placed his sword on top and began to wipe the blood off with the wet rag.

A gentle rap on the door drew Malhar's attention away from his task, and as he looked up, he found himself spellbound by the sight before him. Standing in the doorway was a woman of breathtaking beauty, with doe-like eyes that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe, and cascading black hair framing her delicate features. Her fair complexion glowed in the dim light, accentuating the sharpness of her graceful contours. Malhar felt as though the air had been knocked out of his lungs as he beheld her, unable to tear his gaze away from her mesmerizing presence.

"Raje we found this woman. She was trying to run away with this jewellery. She said she is a Princess so Sampat Rao asked me to bring her to you."

Words went on his deaf ears as he looked at the woman in front of him, his eyes travelled from her eyes which were laced with bushes tears to her flushed cheeks, down to her perfectly plump pink lips to the rise and fall of her chest mounds.

"Raje ? Raje !" The voice acted like a string pulling him from a place he had never found himself before, dreaming about a woman who stood in front of him.

"Yes yes, sorry what did you say ?"

"This woman was found right outside the kingdom walls with a box full of precious jewellery, when caught by the patrol guards she claims to be a Princess."

"Princes ?" Malhar repeated his eyes fixated on the woman.

"What .. what is your name ?" Malhar asked, stuttering for a reason unknown to him.

The woman looked up for a brief second and met his eyes and he could wear she had sucked his soul within those seconds.

"You name." The soldier repeated Malhar's words prodding the woman.

"I'm Ja..Jahnvi Ra.. Jahnvi Razdan, the pri-."

"The Kings Keep."

AN : sooooo ... hehe
They finally meet.
Lmk what you think
Lots of love
xoxo