Raigad ke shant mahal ke aangan mein shaam dheere-dheere utar rahi thi. Dhoop ki aakhri kiranen pattharon par pighal rahi thi, jaise waqt khud thahar sa gaya ho. Das saal ka Rudra Pratap Rajput, apni talwar se zyada apni baaton mein garv liye, rawana hone ke liye taiyaar khada tha. Uski aankhon mein ek ajab sa vachan tha—bachpana bhi, aur ek anjaani zimmedari bhi. Uske saamne khadi thi chhoti si Meera Rajvanshi, sirf chhe saal ki, jiske haathon mein abhi bhi khilone the, par aankhon mein poore raaj gharane ki masoomiyat chamak rahi thi. Rudra ne halka sa jhuk kar uski taraf dekha, jaise kisi rani ko pranam kar raha ho. “Meera,” usne dheemi par thehri hui awaaz mein kaha,“jab tum badi ho jaogi… main laut kar aaunga. Aur us din, main tumse shaadi karunga.”