Chapter 24: The Final Chapter
Milady got shocked that she got frozen for several seconds, as she knew before the jauhar's meaning. After that, she questioned the Queen: "Sundarta… are you serious?"
"That's the only way to protect our honor and to keep our promise toward our martyrs and Gods…"
Milady stepped straight and begged her: "Don't do it, Sundarta! Do throw yourself in the fire! Don't burn yourself! You're British after all! You're not obliged to follow these myths…"
"One, they're not myths; they're true stories. Two, don't forget that I'm cause of this war…They killed my father… they're the responsible for my mother's sati… they banished my husband and probably my biological mother is now killed! Throwing ourselves in the holy fire is nothing but conquering them… They can't get us… They won't be able even to touch our shadows… We won't be their slaves getting tortured and raped… Yes, we'll turn into sand but our dignity and honor will resonate in the air for decades and maybe for centuries… The history will witness the injustice of Great Britain and the bravery of Michor…" The Rani explained, full of emotions.
"But Sundarta…" Cook intended to convince her to not burn herself, but suddenly the latter raised her index finger and ordered severely: "My name is Sundarta Bai… and I'm ordering, as the Queen of kingdom of Michor, you as one of my maids to prepare yourself and Lilly to run away this night toward your country!"
The old maid kept looking at her, surprised, while the latter explained: "Lilly is under the age of five; she's not allowed to practice the Jauhar with us… and you're British and need to protect my daughter as best as you can…"
She looked then at her daughter and squatted in front of her. The latter asked innocently: "Mother… are you going to burn yourself?"
She smiled to her, and answered: "Women and I will keep our promise of never splitting with our husbands, fathers, sons and brothers but at death…"
She hugged her strongly, and continued: "Now, go and help Aunt Milady in gathering your stuff… You're leaving Michor this night…"
"Why?" The girl wondered. "… Didn't you miss Great Britain?" The mother foxily replied her with another question.
She hugged her again for the last time. Then, she ordered Milady with a meaningful look to go and to hurry.
After, she turned to the rest of people, and announced in Hindi: "Tomorrow, our few soldiers will practice the Saka… and we will practice the Jauhar…"
And the Saka was a ritual that Rajput men followed after or during women committing Jauhar where they fought their last battle…
***
During all this night, Hindu Priests were praying and reading Yajna, which was a ritual priests did in front of a sacred fire for their safe passage to heaven. Men feasted together for the last time and took a bath of sandal and milk. Women also took the same bath and wore their bridal finery.
Sundarta after the bath went to her adopter mother's bedroom. She opened the wardrobe and found Chandramukhi's bridal dress. She remembered her words when she hoped her to wear it for her wed. Thus, she decided to wear it. It was a bit short for her…
Meanwhile, Milady and Lilly were ready to go. The maid received the information that the queen refused to watch her and her daughter leaving with pregnant women and kids below 5 years old through a hidden tunnel of the palace. So, she took the girl and started her trip toward Great Britain on a horse with an Indian guard by order of Rani. She was terrified of bandits and hunger and danger surrounding her and Lilly, but somehow she had feelings that everything would be fine with her 6-days trip…
After the bath and wearing bridal saris and all of their jewelry, women mixed a little quantity of opium with their food to avoid the feelings of fear and pain. Following that, men wore saffron clothes, and waited for women; they put Kesari Tilak on their foreheads and basil leaves in their mouths as a bless, and did the last Aarti of these warriors, with no tear or shake of a hand. Subsequently, soldiers fulfilled women's hairlines with their blood, while the Yajna continued…
***
It was at final the sunrise, everyone in the palace heard the loud sound of horses' running getting close to them despite the Yajna rituals.
Sundarta ordered the soldiers to close all the doors of the palace and especially the celebrations and middle courtyards and to lock them well, and to empty that large pool of the middle courtyard. That time, she exchanged looks with her childhood friend Ratan for the last time…
Soldiers – who were no more than 500 ones – stood all of them in front of the fort, while some women started fulfilling the pool-turned-kund with wood. (Kund was a large pool or a dungeon where women commit Jauhar).
Women gathered up in the celebrations courtyard, waiting for their leader to get out of one of rooms.
When the latter appeared with her bridal sari and the same plate that she did Aarti to warriors, the eldest woman screamed: "Jai Bhavani!" and all women but Sundarta followed her. (Bhavani is a Hindu Goddess) and this elderly repeated it many times until the queen started climbing stairs down.
She walked toward the door between the two courtyards. She looked at two women close to it and allowed them to open it with a nod then to close it again after that every woman got in.
Once they did, some other women began ringing bells, priests read Yajna louder, and the fire was already kindling.
Women had to make seven rounds around the kund before the jump into it. Every round was a promise for something.
Before the first round, Sundarta was the first woman who put her hand on the Kesar (the same Tilak she used with soldiers) and then printed it on the wall. After, every woman did the same as a mark of their presence and their keeping the promise. Finally, women walked behind their queen in a row, to start the rounds.
It was the end of the first round; the British army got closer while the Michorian one was getting ready.
It was the end of the second round; the Michorian army could hear well the sound of horses' running.
It was the end of the third round; Ratan and his fellows were praying and mentioning Goddess Bhavani and Lord Shiva.
It was the end of the fourth round; Ratan ordered the soldiers to walk toward the enemy.
It was the end of the fifth round; Ratan asked them to run and to scream as best as they could.
It was the end of the sixth round; the two armies collided.
It was the end of the seventh round; Sundarta was getting closer to the edge of the burning kund when she remembered why she was doing this: she was committing suicide for revenge… avenging her Michorian parents' death, her banished innocent husband, her mother's unknown destiny, her daughter endangered future….
She remembered all of these scenes and so… she smiled with a tear on her cheek… she stepped her first step in the air… and jumped… jumped in the same time when Ratan received a sword planted in his heart…
During the Jauhar, there was a huge dark smoke getting out of the palace that Milady despite the distance between her and Michor could see it clearly. She barely hid her tears when she realized that this nightmare did happen. However, she looked at Lilly, and she knew that she must at least protect her if she couldn't protect her mother. And so, she kept travelling…
Two hours later, after a huge effort in opening large and thick gates, William succeeded in breaking into the palace. But it was too late for them; they continued walking until they found a dead fire with a huge amount of ashes inside a big deep dark pool, with walls full of red hand prints. That time, William realized that every single person in the fort disappeared…
***
6 days later, Milady recognized George's place thanks to one of her relatives responsible for the prince's banishment.
She rested for a day with Lilly. Then, she continued her trip toward Scotland.
When she arrived, guards allowed her to get in as long as William wasn't there.
George – who got very skinny and pale – didn't believe what he saw. He hugged his daughter warmly and asked Cook about his wife. She demanded from one of guards to take Lilly away.
As soon as he did, the maiden told the whole story from imprisoning Sundarta in Kensington palace to the Jauhar. George didn't believe what happened... And suddenly he started crying, lamenting and yelling for his wife's suicide and also for his father's death…
***
The British public after they did hear the whole story decided to revolt against this dictator royal family. However, and despite the huge number of people, the army attacked them and the revolution after all was failed which turned British people's life worse.
George during the revolution was released secretly. However, three days later, he died… not just of diseases, cold and lack of food, but it was of his deep sadness for his beloved Sundarta's horrible death. And so he left Lilly completely orphan with Milady…
***
They say that people living in countries and kingdoms around the kingdom of "Michor" had never seen such a huge dark smoke spreading out of its royal palace…
That smoke… when the Michorians saw it, they cried, they wailed, they lamented… But they knew that the queen who ruled them for only a week… was a legend…a legend who sacrificed herself and her life for her people… a legend who burned herself to protect her honor… And despite losing her, they were proud of having such a queen like her…
It's the legend… of Rani Sundarta…
The End