Meera woke up with a thudding headache, rays of light were falling on her eyes and her head felt like it would explode. Mera groaned with pain and she could hear shuffling but didn't dare to open her eyes.

She tried to sit up on the soft surface she presumed was her bed, and a hand quickly came to assist her, she recoiled at the touch.

"Meera kya ho gaya hai ?" (Meera what happened ?)

"Kanika." A confused groggy Meera asked.

"Let me help you." Kanika said and helped Meera sit against the head rest of the bed.
"Kya ho Gaya hai Meera, kal raat -."

"Oh my god!" Meera cried and her eyes shot open, and pain shot through her head like current, she clutches her head and groaned in pain.

"Meera? I was so scared, after an hour of waiting outside that tent yesterday, when I entered you were sitting alone, not talking not blinking, it felt like you weren't breathing and then you fainted. I  was so scared, I called the guards but nobody dared to touch you or help me, then the Mughal chief came in and helped me by carrying you to the tent. Meera I -."

"I married him."

"What."

"He made me." Meera whispered, a lone tear slipped out of her eye but her face was expressionless.

"Meera what are you saying ? Please! You are scaring me right now."

"He made me do it, he made me marry him."

"Who ?"

"Haider Ali Khan." She said and looked at her friend, her eyes were red, she was holding back tears and anger, anger against the man who was now her husband.

"Meera are you -."

"Salam Rajkumari." Hania entered the tent interrupting Kanika.
"The King has asked for your presence in the main tent, you father is waiting for you as well."

"Leave ." Meera said in a rough tone taking Hania by surprise, how did the sweet princess sound so bitter overnight she wondered.

"Kanika please get my clothes ready." Meera said in a calm tone and moved towards her bath.

Meera slipped into a completely white lehnga and pulled the dupatta down covering her face, she then walked towards the main tent along with Kanika hot on her heals.

Kanika was worried for her best friend, she had never seen Meera so broken not when Meera had lost her favourite horse, not when Rani maa insulted her in public, not even when the prince of Amer Shivang Pratap Chauhan had left her days before their marriage.

Kanika followed her friend into the main tent and pulled her dupatta too to cover her face, back at home they never followed such rituals of covering the face or head, but here among foreign men, they felt safer doing so.

She remembered the tent from yesterday but taking in the entire tent today it felt huge and so royal.
The interior was ruby red, a huge chandelier hung above and the whole space reflected  its light. It was beautiful. Her thought were broken by the guard announcing their presence.

She looked up and saw a couple of men bent upon a table looking at parchments.

"Oh you are early !" One of the man around the table said, she recognised the voice from yesterday. She looked up from her veil to look at the all mighty Sultan Haider Ali Khan.

He was a sight for sore eyes, dusky skin tone, tall, broad shoulders, his eyes were a different shade of green with specs of brown, a sharp nose and a chiseled jaw.
Kanika did not notice that he has covered the distance and stood a couple of steps away from her, right in front of Meera.

"I'm glad you came or it would have been sad to not say your goodbye to your father." He said with a smirk, Kanika saw Meera fisting her hand.

"Takliya." (Everyone dismiss) He said and all the men in the room except the Chief left.

"Where is my father ?" Meera asked.

"On his way I'm sure. So I heard you had a bit of an incidence yesterday, I'm sure the joy of marriage did make you a little light headed." He smiled at her evilly. "Oh did you tell you friend about our marriage? I'm sorry we didn't invite you in." Haider said mockingly looking at Kanika.

"Enough." Meera roared. "I didn't marry you, you forced me, you threatened me, I don't believe in your nikkah anyway, it's not how we get married." Meera spat bitterly.

"You agree or you don't, I don't really care as long as I get what I want. Enjoy your last moments with your father, you shall never see him again." He said bitterly.

"What do you mean ?"

"What I mean Malika-e-Hindustan is that we are leaving for Agra tomorrow and you will never return to Bundelkhand."

"You can't do this to me, I will not go anywhere with you, I will not." Meera shrieked.

"Have you forgotten my power Meera, of what I can do with a flick of my finger, don't test me I won't hesitate." He said, a muscle in his jaw twitched.

"You will never be my husband, I hate you and I will hate you till my last breath Haider Khan, I don't consider this nikkah of any importance, I don't." She said in a cracked voice.

"I've said it once I'll say it again, I don't care." He smiled at her. "Oh look who is here." Haider looked behind Meera's shoulder and smiled wickedly.

Meera turned around to see her father, he looked like he had ages a couple of years in the past 5 days.

"Meera ?" Vikram Singh whispered in shock.

"Baba sa." (Father) Meera ran towards her father, cried and hugged her father.

"What are you doing here my darling ?" Rana Vikram Singh asked his daughter.

Meera lifted her veil from her face and placed the dupatta on her head.

"I've come to take you home baba sa."

"What do you mean Meera ?" Her father asked her, as happy he was to see his only daughter here, he knew the price he paid for his freedom was huge.

"Meera." Haider's voice made her cower in fear. He stood right behind her, she could feel his presence.

Her father looked at her confusingly, clueless.

"The written agreement between our two kingdoms has been signed by your daughter here, you copy is with your grain minister you can take a look as you head back home." Haider addressed the King with a sinister smile. 

"I don't understand, Meera why are you here ? One of your brother should be here and why is just a grain minister accompanying you."

"Rani maa sent Abhishek Bhaisa with me to-."

"What are you doing here Meera." Her father asked clearly not happy seeing his daughter in the middle of the war zone in between the Mughals.
"Kanika take Meera to her resting tent and prepare her dolhi (palanquin) to leave immediately." The Rajput king ordered.

"Wait Ms Kanika, there is no haste. Your Highness I guess Meera won't be telling you so I will have to do it on her behalf. Meera won't be going back with you to Bundelkhand, she is coming to Agra with me."

"What kind of a sick joke is this ?" Vikram Singh seethed in anger.

"Joke?" Haider laughed humourlessly.
"It isn't a joke. Why would I joke ? And isn't it obvious that she will be staying with me after marriage."

"What do you mean ?" The king roared.

"Your daughter and I have married, we are sorry we couldn't invite you it happened so-."

"Is this true Meera, is it true what this man is saying here ?" Vikram Singh asked his daughter.

"Baba sa I.. I am sorry." Meera cried.

"How ? How could you do this Meera ? How could you ? So this wasn't an attack on my kingdom huh ? This was you and this man, you both plotted this, this war so that you could marry him. Divyanshi was right about you all along, she was. Your blood is dirty I'm sure of it now." He spat in anger, but his words had broken Meera, he had accused her of things she could never in her wildest dream think of doing, he had called her blood dirty, he had called her mother dirty, the wife he loved was dirty today.

"Baba sa please." Meera was cut in with a loud thunderous noise, pain came in later, she stumbled at the impact but a pair of hand steadied her, she was in the arms of the man she hated, the man she wished death upon, Haider Ali Khan.