1A/N: Set during the intermission. Title means "farewell", in particular to a bride being sent off, in Hindi.
Jodhaa is not allowed back inside the fortress after the Emperor leaves, but instead stands at the foot of the drawbridge, shivering in the night air. A coterie of guards surrounds her at a good distance; for her protection, she thinks, until she realizes that their presence is not for her benefit. She is, after all, suspected of treason. Her husband- the Emperor- gave orders that she was to depart at once, and until her belongings are prepared, he apparently intends to keep her here on the outskirts of the palace. She is not even allowed back inside her chambers to oversee the packing of her belongings- not that she could bear such an ordeal without breaking down and crumbling.
Neelakshi comes out soon afterward, her veil askew as she runs towards her. Naturally, she is full of questions, and naturally, Jodhaa is bereft of answers. When Neelakshi asks how they should pack her items, all Jodhaa can say through numb lips is, "As quickly as possible." Neelakshi recognizes the signs and says nothing more as they stand in silence, only wrapping a shawl around her mistress's hunched shoulders.
One by one, trunks and boxes are brought down, across the drawbridge, and set at her feet. She recalls her bidaai and the enormous procession that conveyed her to this fortress; by comparison, it takes but an hour for everything to be packed and settled on horseback, even without Jodhaa supervising the process. She nearly leaves the Krishna idol behind, even considers smashing it into ten thousand pieces and hurling it into the moat, but in the end she nods mutely as it is wrapped up in silk and tucked into a trunk.
Her eyes are gritty, and the sky more pink than black, when the palanquin is made ready for her. Just as she steps in, a prickling sensation comes over her, as though she is being watched. Jodhaa whirls around and looks back at Agra. She scans the stone facade, seeking out every window and every opening, but there is nobody, nothing.
She enters the palanquin and the curtain swishes silently behind her. The hasty cavalcade sallies forth with a great thundering, kicking up dust in the dawn.
