Sumi's quest to Save Fatehpur-Sikri

The Mughal Empire was dead.

But I wasn't going to let it die without a fight.

I couldn't believe that we had lost the Punjab, where our capital was located. The state of the Mughal army had been deteriorating for years now and we were in no position to put up a fight against the warlord who sought to usurp my father's throne. But this was outright treason.

The Sikh rebel leader, Ranjit Singh, had taken our lands by force. He had killed my father, Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan, and now held him captive in his camp. My father's last words to me were "Sumi, run! Run as far away from here as you can!" He had told me that he would be fine and that whatever happens, I mustn't come back. He didn't even have time to tell me where I should go or what I should do.

I trusted my father implicitly but this new situation left me with only one option - to seek help from somebody who could restore my family's honor as well as their power. And there was only one person who could possibly fulfill both these requirements: the Emperor himself - Bahadur Shah Zafar II; my grandfather.

"You know what you must do," he said to me when I met him at his place outside Delhi.

I nodded in agreement and prepared myself for what lay ahead of me. "I'll need your help," I told him and he smiled sadly at me before starting to work on a plan for me.

"I'll send you with Mirza Azizuddin Baig Chishti Wajid Baksh," he said after some thought and I looked at him curiously. "He is a descendant of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya and has traveled all over Hindustan since childhood," the Emperor continued, smiling proudly at the man standing beside him who looked like he was about my age and height. "He will be your guide."

"It will be an honour," said Azizuddin Baig with a smile and I nodded in agreement as well, feeling much better after meeting someone with whom I would spend most of my journey with. At least now I wouldn't feel so alone!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

To get to Gujarat, we took a ship from Surat which went past Bharuch and Navsari before reaching Baroda - Ranjit Singh's home territory where the rebel forces were stationed. As soon as we landed at Baroda, Azizuddin Baig instructed us to keep our heads down while he negotiated with a sea captain who agreed to take us on board his ship for free once we entered his house for dinner that night for some 'food'!

We shook our heads in disbelief but Azizuddin Baig seemed unaffected by any of this and followed him into his house gladly while two strange men kept watch outside his door so nobody could enter or exit without their permission! After dinner, they escorted us out of the house by threatening violence while laughing loudly at Azizuddin Baig's curses before leaving us near the jetty where we found out that they had stolen everything we owned including our horses, money and food! We stood on the jetty all night until dawn when Azizuddin Baig finally spotted a cargo ship sailing towards Surat - our next destination! Deciding that there was nothing else we could do, we boarded the ship along with all other passengers who were also returning from their business trips in Gujarat before it set sail early morning!