No excuses guys ... just a simple SORRY for keeping all of you waiting for so long. :)

The village was another obstacle where stealth was absolutely necessary and I could not let even a small negligence become the reason behind the failure of my mission. If someone even hinted at a woman riding through the village at the middle of the night, the news would spread like wild fire throughout and some might even put two and two together. It would make people at the haveli who had trusted me loose face in public. I decided to skirt the village at a distance and then follow the road which I knew lead to my destination.

It was a bit tough skirting the village at night as I had been there only twice and that too had been preoccupied with other things both the times. It seemed to take me double the amount of time a local person would have taken. Walking on foot keeping myself in Pari's shadow as I lead her slowly through the uneven narrow path between the fields was definitely worth the trouble. I had to be careful not to enter anyone's field especially where the machan (a platform) had been erected. It could have easily been occupied by the villagers guarding their fields which were yet to be harvested from the thieves and nilgai (antelope).

A machan

Nilgai

I exhaled a big sigh of relief as I finally crossed my first hurdle. Although I stood by the road ready to begin my journey towards the Amber Fort, I just couldn't stop myself from looking back once towards the haveli. A voice deep inside my heart which I had crushed under the heavy burden of being a good samaritan cried softly for someone to take me back and make things right.

I had to once again force myself to move forward as I climbed back on the horse. I closed my eyes to control the intolerable pain that shot through my heart as I jerked at the reins clenched in my hands asking Pari to move forward as I myself couldn't.

Soon I had Pari galloping on the road to save time and reach Chand Baori which I remembered had a good place to rest for both of us for the night. The most important thing it provided was water, considering the desert terrains I had to cross after that. I had stolen a kupi (leather bottle) hanging in the stable as an afterthought but it had only a little left over water and I had had no time to refill it.

Kupi (bottles made from camel leather)

I clung on to the thirst not daring to take even a small sip from the bottle in case I was tempted to finish it and was unable to find more. The cool night air helped but the riding was a strenuous job. After what seemed like hours as I had no sense of time without a watch, I saw the outline of a huge fort kind of structure. I guessed it was Chand Baori or at least somewhere we could take shelter.

This called for a celebration as I whooped with joy startling Pari and then after regaining control took a celebratory swig of the most precious thing in the world 'water'.

As we drew closer I was relieved to see that it indeed was Chand Baori. The next hurdle that had to be faced was in the form of the night guards, I wondered how I would attain entry. I felt too tired and sleepy for any kind of confrontation. It was I knew an uncommon sight to see a girl travelling in the middle of the night on a horse all alone.

I got down from the horse and approached the main gate on foot holding the reins of Pari as a show of harmless intentions. I was halted immediately by a voice from behind.

"Halt. Who goes there? Name yourself and slowly turn around."

I bowed my head and turned towards the guard with a big show of humility as I had observed the servants do.

"Khamma Ghani sa (a greeting)... I need your help 'sarkar' (Sir). If you can kindly provide us with shelter for the night? My name is Rano and this is my horse. We were a group of nomad travellers 'sarkar' but some people attacked our caravan this evening and I somehow managed to escape. I am on my way to Amber fort where my aunt works, to seek her help. She is the only living relative of mine. I will wait out there till I get news of what happened to my family" I lied with my head bowed deep. I wanted to look as authentic as possible.

The best thing about my story this time was that there indeed was a Rano whose aunt worked in the palace. As luck would have it, I had been looked after by Rano's aunt Phool Kumari during my stay at the palace. I had never met Rano but her aunt had talked quite fondly about her niece. Being a receptive listener I had entered her good books and moreover her kind heart had in a way adopted me as soon as she learnt that I was an orphan. I was taking a big risk here, as the aunt could disown me as her niece the moment she saw me but I was betting on her generous heart and her quick thinking to help me out.

"But there has been no news of any attacks in the nearby areas by the dacoits since two years ... the last time ... but Ghora Singh and his gang had been hanged "said the guard deeply contemplating.

"Sarkar... "My voice trembled on its own as I saw my pathetic story having no effect on the man and I was on verge of losing my only hope of shelter.

He looked at me again bringing his lantern closer to my face. I was surprised by his appearance as he seemed like a kind old man in his sixties, while his authoritative voice had made him sound much younger.

"Girls should not be roaming around alone in the night... you can become prey to any wild animal" he said now in a softened but admonishing voice. I was glad that he didn't bring up the family and didn't inquire for more information about the incident.

"I will just lie in any corner sarkar and go away in the morning. Just wanted some water for me and my horse... sarkar" I said trying to appear inconspicuous.

"Don't worry dear... What was your name again?" he asked as he lead me inside through a side door.

"Rano... sarkar"

"Rano... betiya (daughter). You go into that room on the right. It is my room. You will find water in a surai (water jug). Take rest in the charpoy (cot) while I will provide hay and water to your horse here. I will sleep on the terrace where it is quite cool. What is her name?" His room was just near the entrance confirming my guess that he was a guard here.

I didn't want to give out Pari's name to the man but it would lead to unnecessary complications if she didn't respond to him if he called. I was sure that till the time anyone thought about looking for me I would have reached my destination.

"Pari .. sarkar"

"You go in betiya. I will bring Pari to you in the morning and then we could plan out arrangements for your safe travel. Lock the door from inside" he suggested.

I didn't want to plan anything with anyone but then again was stuck between the devil and the deep sea. I couldn't travel without water or rest at night but also didn't want to get involved in too deep an inquiry.

I entered the room which was dimly lit with a small lamp kept in the alcove. Few clothes and what seemed like a cloth bag hung from the pegs on the wall. A small surai and a copper glass stood on a nearby stool but nothing in the room suggested that it was used much. I deciphered that the room was just used temporarily by the guards whose duties kept changing in some kind of routine. The charpoy covered in a woven durrie and a thin cotton sheet though not as comfortable as the bed in the haveli was enough for my weary bones to rest upon.

The morning came too soon for my tired eyes but the sound of movement in the rooms nearby woke my alert brain which kept expecting some kind of misfortune to befall on me.

"You have woken up betiya.... You must be worried about your family... I have arranged for two soldiers to escort you safely to your aunt. Don't worry they are quite good boys... have known them since they were little" said the old man as he entered the room which I had unlocked to take a small peek outside.

I went completely still on hearing that I was to be escorted by soldiers. I wondered if they knew Rudra or were they at the palace during my stay. For one second I even wondered if he was suspicious about my story and was sending the soldiers to arrest me or at least keep an eye on me.

"So they have been stationed here for long ..?" I asked hesitatingly.

"Don't worry betiya they know the way to Amber Fort ... they visited the place last year when there was a mela (fair)" laughed the old man misunderstanding my apprehension. I smiled widely with relief.

I felt quite refreshed after a bath and a simple but fulfilling breakfast of jowar roti and pickles accompanied by a huge glass of chaach (buttermilk). This time around I didn't have the privilege of enjoying the coolness of the steep well as time was of essence and also I didn't want to meet too many people.

I was introduced to my two escorts who surprisingly were young boys in their mid-twenties. Vir Singh and Badal Singh reminded me of the pair Vikram and Udai bhaisa made. Their jovial nature was a sharp reminder of the loving family I was running away from and I felt moisture gathering in my eyes.

"You missing your family betiya" asked the old man from beside me. I simply nodded at that as my throat felt too choked.

"Come on boys make a move. You have to deliver betiya to the fort before night falls. Mind you ... I should not hear a single complain about both of you from her next time I meet her" he said putting his comforting palm on my head. "While returning back do take note if you hear something of her family and just take a detour to Bhangarh to meet thakur sa. He might also be able to help. Settle her in her aunt's house first and then only both of you are to move from there... Boys now days have no sense of responsibility"

My heart skipped a beat on hearing the name of the place as Bhangarh was the place I was fleeing from. I prayed that I had accomplished what I had set out to do before these boys reached there.

After I had been handed over a bag full of all the food the old man could have gathered I supposed, we set out on our journey. The travelling time seemed to be far less, as apart from swift horses I had good company.

My heart went into another emotional turmoil as we approached the grove from where Rudra had plucked the berries. The boys thankfully didn't stop to pluck them but couldn't help showing off their skills in front of me as they plucked a few berries from atop their horses without reducing their speed. I was handed over the berries to reminisce and indulge in a bit of self-pity as I ate the fruits.

The dharamshala was reached sooner than I had expected. I quickly pulled down my veil to cover my face in case the caretaker recognized me from before. The boys didn't seem to find it odd as they were used to women in veils bigger than mine while travelling. They feed the horses and refilled our water supply, while I was made to sit under a shady banyan tree to rest, where we later had a small meal from the bundle provided by the old man. We weren't offered the 'luxury' of the rooms like before as we were just the common travelers in the eyes of the care taker.

After lunch we immediately left wanting to reach Amber before dusk fell. My heart beat had increased with just the thoughts of finally being able to reach my destination.

I couldn't understand whether to be happy for finally being near to my goal without any major obstruction or be disheartened that nobody cared enough to come find me. I tried consoling my heart by creating imaginary scenes in my mind as how things might have happened in such a short time in the haveli and especially keeping in mind the thought that they would have discovered my absence only in the morning. Nobody could have guessed where I might have headed to. They must have searched the whole haveli for me and then some stable boy must have noted the absence of Pari. He might have also delayed reporting it, thinking that someone must have taken her out for a morning ride. I kept having a conversation with myself. It kind of soothed the hurt in my heart which was caused by the feeling of neglect.

"Rano... Rano..."I heard one of the boys shouting. I suddenly remembered that it was the name I had given to them. They were calling me. I looked at them in query and saw them excitedly pointing at something far off.

As I looked at the place they were pointing towards my eyes filled with tears. My fairy tale was about to come to its end.

Thanks for the patience guys. Don't forget to comment.