The Favourite

Summary: I will never leave you papa. You can shoot any princes who survive crocodiles and wolves.
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Years and effort had erased the stains of certain shadows from Shrighar. It glowed in new found joys and cherished memories.
"Rana Sahab," several addresses, greetings and bows were brushed off with a quick smile, a clap on a shoulder or a handshake as Veer hurries across the lamp lit lawn, already bursting with people.
"Rana sahab"
"Rana sahab."
"Diwali ki shubkaamnaye."
"Happy diwali."
"Happy diwali."
"Rana sahab."
The skies burst into gold and silver stars above them, creating momentary illusion of raining their dazzling dust upon them. The grandeur and beauty plunges them into an awed silence for a moment or two as Veer slips away from the crowd of his well wishes. He is instead out searching for his little girl.
Each pathway and lawn is lamp lit, making it difficult for shadows to linger. The river edging Rani Mehel is cast in gold as well, reflecting the brandished glow of the structure proudly standing on its banks.
Instinctively Veer knows this is where he would find his second born, the youngest, and also - when he would allow in some deepest corner of his heart to confess almost guiltily - his personal favorite - Sia.
Indra and Sia were both his heart and soul, but of course as Amrit would sometimes rightly say, parents were human too after all. It was natural that one would feel inclined to - almost unconsciously find themselves more alinged with one child. For Amrit that child was Indra, her precious boy who may look a little replica of his father but had the calm collected intellect and empathy and the heart of his mother.
Sia on the other hand, had arrived with her father's heart tightly clasped in her fist. Having a devoted brother who was only two and half years older did not help the matters at all. With mischievous eyes and her mother's dazzling smile - even at her precious age of four and half, Sia - or Gudiya Rani as she was lovingly called by family and people alike - was already the most powerful lady in Shrighar, having direct authority over its ruling Rana sahab and its future heir.
While Veer regretted none of that, Sia's significance in their lives sometimes worried him. There was no denying that she was a precious child, an irreplaceable part in their lives. Such information in hands of nefarious people would often lead to disaster.
Despite years and joys, Veer is still plagued by the monsters of his past and it would only take a couple of hours without seeing his precious children for his demons to resurrect themselves.
The river looked calm. The boat they used for crossing tathered and rising and falling aimlessly with the ripples. Veer let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. At least she's not out in the water on her own, like the two brats had once tried to - during the previous summer.
Swallowing thickly, he calls out.
"Gudiya?"
Apart from the wind and river there were no replies.
"Guddi? Sia? Sia!"
There were some sniffling, and inadvertently Veer looked up. He wouldn't for the life of him, have expected to go searching for his toddler on tree tops.
"Gudiya - are you up there?"
More sniffling and he heard the rustle of skirts and a tinkling that could have been bangles. Stepping around as he approached closer Veer could see her sloched form on one of the lower branches, curled and staring down at him with those wide eyes.
"Papa?"
"Sia! How on earth did you get up there?"
"Climbed." She sniffs. "Bhai taught me how."
Of course he did! Veer makes a mental note to investigate what other knowledge Indra had imparted to his toddler sister and Sia continues. "But didn't say how to get down."
Despite his initial fright Veer chortles.
"Sounds like your Bhai, alright. Why don't you jump down now so papa could catch?"
Sia shakes her head.
"No? Why not?"
"What if you miss - papa?" She asks seriously. "Hum ghir jaayenge."
"Hum ghirne nahi denge."
Somewhere, more fireworks were bursting in the night and Veer shakes off a memory from years before.
"Chalo get down now. You are going to miss all the fireworks other wise."
Sia shakes her head again, chewing on her lower lip.
"Can't we stay here - papa? Just us? You and me?" Her voice is rather small.
"Did you fight with Bhai again? Gudiya are you hiding?"
"Can we? Boliye na?"
"But Ma will be sad then," Veer says speculatively. "She will miss us so much wouldn't she? Are you okay with that?"
Sia's lip begins to tremble and she blinks furiously. Veer leans against the tree, looking at her.
"But she's with her family na?" Sia says slowly. "Woh joh aaye the kal - Uday mamaji aur woh sab."
It was indeed true that after a long time Amrit had her side of the family over for Diwali. This was Sia's first time seeing her mother's brother and her cousins Kabir, Subh and Sameera.
"Papa-?" She speaks again after a pause, sniffling. "Do you think Ma misses her family when they are not here?"
Veer isn't certain where this conversation was going. But he feels that he was getting closer to the real reason of Sia's sudden withdrawal from the celebrations. He chooses his words carefully.
"I'm sure she does. But she has all of us here - and we do love her - don't we?"
"Do you think they miss her too? When she's with us? Her family?"
"Yes. I think so."
"Papa would you miss me if a prince takes me away someday?"
Veer chokes, flabbergasted. He had not seen that coming. But Sia was looking at him expectantly, there was real distress in her eyes.
"Ma was saying they met after many, many years! She even cried a bit. Papa - I don't think I can stay that many years away from you and Ma and Bhai!"
I'd probably commit a murder or two before that, Veer thinks to himself. But he tries to smile at Sia, hoping to smooth her worry. He lifts his arms and holds them up in silent invitation for Sia to slip into them and out of her perch on the branch. She does, after a moment's consideration. Veer holds her close, and she snuggles against him - smelling of vanilla and baby soap that he often associated with her.
"Why did you bring her so far away from her family?" Sia's voice is muffled against him now. "You shouldn't have."
"I didn't bring her," Veer finds himself telling her. "We came here together. Your ma and I, because we love each other."
Sia clings to him tighter.
"I'm never leaving you then!"
Veer drops a kiss on her baby hair, wondering if he'd ever be able to let her go, himself.
"Of course. Gudiya, papa ke paas rahengi."
"You should tell Gita that," she says after a moment. "She is a bad liar. She said every girl has to go to their prince's palace one day. But I told her - I told her papa - I told her that hum toh Rana sahab ki beti hai. Hum kiyun kissi rajkumar ke ghar jaaye? Sahi kiya na humne?"
"Bilkul sahi kiya!" Veer agrees softly, rocking her in his arms gently. Sia beams at him and he peers down at her. "But then why are you hiding here?"
"Because Madhu is bad too! After I told Gita off she said - she said to me - all this isn't really mine. It's bhai's as he is the -" she scrunches her little face, trying to recall the word. "Vaaris? What is a vaaris? But anyway, she said my real place would be with my prince and I will have to go."
Veer frowns when Sia looks away. While Gita's words would have been harmless, he couldn't say the same thing about this Madhu's. He would soon be having a word with Amrit about her ladies. Not particularly a conversation either of them would enjoy.
Both of them were too protective of their children and Veer was certain he would only have to shield whoever this Madhu girl was when his queen learns what sort of ideas she's been implanting in her daughter's head.
"You won't let him take me away will you - this prince?"
"Of course not!" Veer promises, breaking away from his thoughts he begins to rock her anew as he sets off back towards the main residence.
"Aane toh do iss rajkumar ko," he tells, enjoying the wicked gleam in his daughter's eyes that matched his own uncannily.
We will build a deep lake around our mehel, and -"
"Put crocodiles!" Sia supplies. "Those man eating ones from Egypt."
"Uh - how did you - of course Bhai told you. Yes, we'll put those."
"And put a pack of wolves to prowl the grounds -"
Veer pretends to be astonished.
"Wouldn't they eat our staff?"
"Arre nahi! We will train them not to. They will only eat foreign princes."
"That's brilliant!"
Sia beams at her father and Veer hugs her close.
"I will never leave you papa. You can shoot any princes who survive crocodiles and wolves."
"Yeh kya baatein ho rahi?"
Amrit, a vision in pale green and pearls, walks to them with her arms held out to take Sia. Indra trails after her, looking curious and muddied. His nice clothes crumpled and a smak of dirt on his cheek.
Amrit shakes her head catching the line of his sight.
"Don't ask," she mouths as Sia goes to her mother.
"Nothing," Veer tells her innocently. "Just some father daughter bonding over murder plans for future suitors."
"Kahaan gayi thi?" Amrit kisses Sia soundly on both cheeks, cupping her face. "Ma kitni Darr gayi thi pata hai?" Only then she registers what her husband had said. "Bonding over what?" She frowns at her too innocent looking husband over her toddler's shoulder.
Veer shrugs.
"Your little god of thunder has been reading to her about Egyptian crocodiles. We just discussed their many uses."
"Like what?" Amrit arches a brow.
"Papa is going to bring some here!" Sia pipes.
Indra claps his hands together, unable to contain his excitement.
"Really papa?"
Veer crouches down to pick up his first born. While Indra was increasingly reluctant to being careered by others like a baby now that he is a big boy, he still liked to be held by his father in this way, making it possible for him to stare over the heads of others. Especially when their mother was holding Sia, it reminded him that, he was still very much cherished too.
"Yes," Veer told him. "I'm going to bring two - we will name them Indra and Sia, and unleash them into the river."
"Very nice," Amrit grimaced. "Two on the ground and two in the water, may lord bless your people Rana sahab."
Shaking her head while their two children were excitedly discussing pets of the man eating variety Amrit made her way back inside, knowing the conversation was far from done.
But, as their many conversations were, much they said with a shared glance. Shrighar was teeming with people and it was not the time or place for a heart to heart.
It was only much later, when the celebrations had ceased, guests departed and children put off to their dreams that Veer and Amrit found themselves revisiting the topic. As he had predicted Amrit was incensed.
"I did not know Madhu had such an untamed tongue. No. Veer. I will not tolerate people trying to create differences between my children. No matter how thoughtless their words had been.
"Sia and Indra will never be raised to think of each other as competitors. No. They will always be each other's biggest support. No matter what. Sia will never think her brother is more entitled, or superior or -"
Gently, Veer took her hand and rubbed his thumb in soothing circles over the back of her palm. Amrit sighed, breaking off her tirade.
"My daughter will not envy my son."
"Of course. She's your daughter. And he's your son. Your children have nothing but love for everyone. Hush now. Calm down."
"How dare she-!"
"Yes, it was the wrong way to put it."
"How can you be so calm?"
"Because uncharacteristically, you are not," he looked up at her, smiled and nudged their joined hands gently so that she'd sit beside him. Amrit exhaled deeply and her other arm snaked around his neck, she sat on his lap instead, perching her head on his shoulder.
Veer says nothing for a moment and continues to rub her hand in circular motions.
"I hate it when they try to pit Sia and Indra against each other," she says after a moment.
"But they will," Veer says softly. Amrit pulls back and looks at him, he strokes her cheek.
"Indra is the crown prince, while Sia is just the spare." Amrit opens her mouth to argue but Veer shakes his head. "To them, they will never be equals. It was just a thoughtless comment today, but it will continue to haunt them forever. This world doesn't look at them with the same eye - biwi sahab."
"Toh kya hum bass -"
"Nahi. Jab duniya aap ki nazariya na samjhe toh nazariya nahi badalni chahiye, duniya ko badalne par majboor karna chahye."
"Kaise?"
"We see no difference between our son and our daughter, do we?"
"Of course not."
"Then, there should be no difference between them in reality too. I've been thinking of it for a while, and I've just realized there could be no better time than now.
"Shrighar has its prince and heir, who will rule it all someday. Its only right for Daulatabadh to have its own little successor too. It's princess."
"Are you thinking of separating the two?"
"They've only been aligned kingdoms some centuries back, brought together by marriage ties. And no, I'm not proposing a partition of estates. I'm just proposing Sia to have her own seat in Daulatabadh. Her own palace - her own estate. There she will be the supreme authority, the lady of the house. Not because her father is a king or her brother is. But because she is capable on her own right. So that no one can say this isn't her real home, that she needs to find herself some prince to validate her own power.
"Our Sia will be a queen of her own right. Of her own might."
"With Egyptian crocodiles," Amrit supplies with a little laugh. "God help the man who ever dares to steal her heart. Not just the wrath of two Pratap Singhs, but Egyptian crocodiles too!"
She shakes with laughter, feeling her husband's arms tighten around her.
"Wouldn't you support me on this Biwi sahab?"
"When have I not?" She asks him, her eyes full of mirth. "But I reserve my judgement on Egyptian crocodiles."
"I see," Veer narrows his eyes playfully. "So you are on my damad's side are you?"
"Well," Amrit pretends to consider. "We in laws have to stick together against the Pratap Singh brand. Bade sitamgar hote hai yeh rajwade log."
"Achcha ji?"
"Haan ji," Amrit nudges her nose with his, drawing close enough for his breath to mingle with hers. It surprises her always, that so many years into marriage he could still set her pulse racing with a flutter of his exhale. "Aur waise bhi, aap ko toh aadat hai, haar ne ka."
"Aap se haar ne ka," Veer corrects her in a whisper that melts away between them. "I still have three votes in favor of Egyptian crocodiles."
They share a breath and a laugh that seeps into it and the world settles back into its happy bubble.
"But I have the veto power."
**

A delayed new year offering. And with this our Chaar Kadam has officially reached its destination. Since this one is too close to my heart, you might probably have a few - say - spinning off snippets - covering their lives in the years in between and beyond. We might even meet grown up Indra and Sia too! But that's a story for another day and another place.
As for Chaar Kadam, it would not have been possible without each one of you, without the amazing support and our good rapport here, sp a big hug.
I hope we meet again on pages of other stories.
Have a wonderful time, 2024 and beyond!
Cheers!