Meera had left Agra the next day an hour before the sun had come out.
She hadn't left a goodbye note for Ammi jaan or Abhishek or Avantika, she wanted no tied back to Agra.

Hania and Jamila had at once told her that they would leave the place with her, Meera had refused their company. She wasn't cruel to uproot their lives back in Agra for her own selfishness.

"I'm an orphan Malika, you are the only family I have." Hania had said, "you can't separate me from yourself."

Jamila too had been persistent to come along with the two however Meera refused and told her she would write to her and whenever Jamila missed Meera too much she could always visit Meera.

Hania and Meera had traveled for 18 long days and reached the kingdom of Bundelkhand. Her brother was her last hope.

"Your kingdom is pretty Malika." Hania said looking around in awe.

"It is." Meera said with a small smile.
"Do you remember when you  first met me?"

"I do, how could I ever forget Malika."

"When was it ?"

"I had brought you food in the tents a few kilometres from here somewhere." Hania said and smiled at the memory. "I was so glad that i had been chosen to serve you, they said you were so beautiful, just like the petals of rose, delicate."

"Do you remember what you called me first ?"

"Rajkumari Sahiba ?"

"Yes, I'm no longer your queen Hania, you don't have to-."

"So should i call you Rajkumari Meera again ?"

"Well you can but I'd prefer Meera."

"Okay then lets settle for Meera baaji ." Hania said with a wide smile and Meera laughed.

Their carriage had entered the east gate of the palace, where the royal family lived.
Meera was happy to be home but her heart beat went erratic, she knew her brothers would fight for her,  but would her father accept her again ? Would he believe her ?

The doors of the carriage were opened and small makeshift stairs were place to help her get down. Hania quickly scrambled off the carriage and extended her hand for Meera to take and ascend down.

Meera took Hania's help and got down slowly.
As she steadied herself on ground she looked up to see so many familiar faces.

Her brothers, her sister-in-law, her companions back at home, their prime minister, the all had assembled to welcome their daughter home.

"Samar Bhaisa." Meera rushed to her brother and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"How are you my doll ?" He said in a hoarse voice trying to control his emotions.

"Better now that I'm home." She said holding on to him like her life depended on it.

"Good." He  kissed her head.

"Bhaisa will you not give me a chance to meet Meera didi, she is my sister as well." Aaryan complained making Samar and Meera laugh a little.

"Of course you can meet me. Look at you, you have grown up do much." She said holding him by his arm.

"Of course I've been training hard since you have gone." He said wrapping his muscular arms around Meera's petite frame, his eyes reflected pain. Aaryan had blamed himself for his sister been taken away by the Mughal king just like Samar had.

They loved their sister dearly and blamed themselves for Meera's misery.

"That's right Mrunal, your father and your uncle, they won't let you phupho meet you." Cooed Anamika bouncing the little bundle in her hand.

Meera looked at Anamika and hugged briefly before looking down at her niece who was about eight months old now.

"I'm sorry meri jaan I couldn't come to you sooner." Meera cooed taking her niece into her arms. "You do look a lot like me." She said bouncing her up and down in her arms and laughed.

"She looks exactly like you." Aaryan said.

"How would you know, you weren't even born." Meera said laughing.

"Ugh that's what I've been hearing since Mrunal's birth, Samar Bhaisa won't shut up about it and baba keeps calling her choti Meera." Aaryan said rolling his eyes.
"I'm kind of jealous, now since she is the youngest everyone pays all her attention to her." He said folding his hands across his chest.

"She is just six months old and you are a 21 year old lazy ass." Samar said rolling his eyes. "Compete with someone your own age."

Hania's loud snicker made Aaryan snap his eyes from his brother yo her giving her a long glare, making Hania squirmer uncomfortably.

"Yeh whatever." He said looking at Hania with narrowed eyes, who tried to hide behind Meera.

Meera greeted everyone who had assembled to welcome her, the palace was in a festive mood as the life of their house had come home.

"Bhaisa where is baba ?" Meera asked, she wanted to see her old man, even though she hated her father for doing what he did to Haider's family, she could never hate the man who had loved her and pampered her, who hid her behind himself when her step mother would come chasing to scold her, who pretend to fall down when she fell down and cried, who ate her burnt food when she experimented with cooking, she could never hate that man.

"Come with me." Samar said and led her through the familiar path towards her fathers chamber.

He pushed the door open and walked inside, Meera followed him hesitant.
Meera's eyes first landed on Rani Divyanshi, she looked the same as she had the day Meera was sent from the palace to free her father.

"Rani maa." Meera said and walked towards the woman draped in the finest silk. She bent down to take her blessing but Divyanshi walked past her.

"I know you hated my mother." Meera said standing upright again and making Divyanshi's retreating figure stop. "I know how you felt when your husband wasn't just your own, I know it, and I am sorry that my mother, the other woman made you share the man you loved." She said walking towards Divyanshi and and standing across from her.
"But Rani Maa I'm not sorry for being born, I'm not sorry for being alive, for being a part of your husband, I'm not sorry for that." Meera said looking her straight in the eye.

Divyanshi looked at Meera, this was the first time Meera had ever spoken to her in such a confident tone, it was the first time Meera had taken a stand for herself. Divyanshi looked at the woman whose existence she loathed, who was a constant reminder of her failed marriage. She looked at her one last time before she left the chamber.

"Meera come in here." Samar's voice pulled her from her train of thoughts.

Meera walked towards her fathers bedroom, and there she saw him, her father, the once mighty Vikram Singh withered down, he was covered by the duvet waist down.

"Meera ?" He said his voice cracking.
"Oh my daughter." He said extending his left arm forward.

Meera walked towards him and stood by his bedside.

"How are you ?" She asked, her voice cold and distant.

"Paralytic, counting days till I die." He said with a humourless laugh.
"I'm sorry my baby, I'm so sorry." He said as a tear rolled down his face.

"I forgive you for what you did to me, for your choice of words directed towards my mother, however I won't forgive you for what you did to Haider's family, for what you did to an eleven year old, I won't -."

"I'm sorry Meera, I'm sorry." He sobbed. "I know I've sinned, I was a beast, a monster for..for doing what i did and god is punishing me today for my sin." He cried.

"Pray father that he makes you repay for everything here on this earth before he takes your life away, pray that you find a patch of land in his kingdom." Meera said looking at her father with pity.

She turned about and left.

Meera's life had come back to the point from where everything had started. However this time around she wasn't the same meek girl who couldn't fight for herself, that old her had been dead and buried in Agra.
Meera wasn't alone this time around, she had her family, her brothers, her sister in law, her niece, her friend Hania and most importantly she had her child with her, she had a reason to live with him, she had someone who was just hers, who would love her unconditionally.

"I've started unpacking." Hania said and sat on the bed.

Meera nodded, sat on the diwan near her window pane which looked out with the picturesque image of her kingdom.
Her life had taken a full circle and she was back home.

The End.

AN: thank you guys for being a part of this journey. You have been such great reads and a constant support, I'll really miss you guys. Not all stories have happy ending and we must sometimes accept it, but as shahruk said in one of his movie, lekin agar ending me sab kuch theek na ho toh voh end nahi hai dosto, picture abhi baki hai mere dost. Okay so i was just kidding, how would this story end without giving you an update about Haider's life , I hate him at times, this love hate is driving me crazy. I'll be uploading the first three chapters of my new book  soon, so please please do go check it out.

I love you guys
xoxo