CLANG...!
The great bronze bell echoed through the palace courtyard.
The lead horses stepped forward.
One by one...
The enormous imperial caravans began moving.
Wooden wheels rolled across the stone roads of Kannauj.
Imperial banners fluttered proudly in the morning wind.
The Northern Expedition had finally begun.
Inside the royal carriage...
Tara slowly closed the carriage door.
She let out a long breath.
"...Finally."
The excitement...
The embarrassment...
The farewell...
Everything that had happened within the last few minutes suddenly caught up to her.
She looked down.
The little woolen doll rested safely in her lap.
Its stitches were uneven.
One side of its hair was slightly crooked.
It wasn't perfect.
Somehow...
That made it even cuter.
A small smile escaped her lips.
"...He really made this."
She gently brushed one loose thread with her finger.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!"
Tara nearly launched the doll into the roof of the carriage.
She spun around.
Malini was pressed against the corner behind several bags, apparently having witnessed everything while staying hidden from the Emperor's view.
Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates.
She grabbed Tara's shoulders.
Malini: "YOU KISSED THE EMPEROR?!"
Tara: "WHEN WERE YOU THERE?!"
Malini: "I WAS HERE THE WHOLE TIME!"
"I SAW EVERYTHING!"
"The running!"
"The doll!"
"THE KISS!"
Tara's soul temporarily left her body.
A sweat drop slid down her forehead.
Tara: "...You saw all of that?"
Malini: "ALL OF IT!"
She shook Tara dramatically.
Malini: "Tara... do you realize what people at court will think if they hear about this?"
Tara: "...What?"
Malini: "They'll think you're flirting with His Majesty!"
Tara blinked.
Tara: "Flirting?!"
"It was just a kiss on the cheek!"
She waved both hands frantically.
Tara: "I couldn't think of anything better!"
"He made that doll himself!"
"I thought..."
She awkwardly looked away.
Tara: "...it would've been more memorable."
Malini placed a hand on her forehead.
Malini: "Tara..."
"...this could get you into serious trouble."
Tara swallowed.
Tara: "...Really?"
Malini: "Maybe."
"...I don't know."
"...But palace gossip spreads faster than pigeons."
Tara slowly looked back at the doll.
Her smile became noticeably more nervous.
Tara: "...I hope not."
The carriage rocked gently as it continued through the palace roads.
Outside...
The convoy stretched farther than either of them could see.
Back at the palace...
Chandraveer still hadn't moved.
Not even a single step.
One hand remained suspiciously glued to his cheek.
Nayan circled around him in increasing panic.
Nayan: "Prabhu?"
No response.
Nayan: "Your Majesty?"
Nothing.
Nayan leaned closer.
Nayan: "Are you feeling unwell?"
Chandraveer immediately straightened.
Chandraveer: "N-No."
His voice cracked.
Nayan frowned.
Nayan: "Then why are you hiding your face?"
Chandraveer: "I'm not."
Nayan: "You are."
Chandraveer: "I'm merely..."
He paused.
Chandraveer: "...thinking."
Nayan blinked.
Nayan: "With your cheek?"
Silence.
Then...
The tips of Chandraveer's ears slowly turned pink.
Pink became red.
Red became...
Completely crimson.
His entire face exploded into color.
Tiny exaggerated puffs of steam escaped beside his head.
His shoulders began trembling.
Then—
His whole body started shaking.
Nayan's eyes nearly popped out.
Nayan: "PRABHU?!"
"WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU?!"
Chandraveer remained completely frozen.
His brain had officially stopped functioning.
Not everyone missed what happened.
Far away...
Near one of the palace balconies overlooking the departing convoy...
A young woman stood quietly beneath a carved sandstone arch.
Her elegant royal veil swayed in the breeze.
Her sharp eyes remained fixed on Tara's carriage.
Her fists slowly clenched.
Young Woman: "...How dare she."
Her voice was calm.
But filled with jealousy.
Some time earlier...
Inside a declining noble estate...
An elderly lord sat upon a carved wooden seat.
The mansion still carried traces of former glory.
Beautiful pillars.
Faded silk curtains.
Half-empty treasure shelves.
The wealth was disappearing.
Across from him stood his eighteen-year-old daughter.
Princess Naina.
Lord: "My daughter..."
"Our house grows weaker every year."
Naina frowned.
Naina: "What do you mean?"
The old lord looked toward the nearly empty treasury room.
Lord: "Our wealth shrinks."
"Our influence fades."
"And one day..."
He sighed.
Lord: "...our clan may no longer stand among the great nobles beneath the Pratihara banner."
Silence.
Then he looked directly into her eyes.
Lord: "I want you to go to Kannauj."
"Live within the imperial palace."
"And marry Emperor Chandraveer."
Naina stared at him.
Naina: "...To save our house."
The old lord nodded.
Lord: "If our blood joins the imperial family..."
"...our clan survives."
The memory faded.
Present...
Naina watched the convoy continue moving.
Her gaze never left Tara's carriage.
Naina: "...That place beside him..."
"...was supposed to be mine."
She turned sharply and walked away.
Her long veil disappeared into the palace corridors.
Meanwhile...
The convoy finally reached the northern gates of Kannauj.
The enormous wooden gates stood wide open.
Citizens lined both sides of the road.
Children waved excitedly.
Merchants paused their work.
Guards struck their spears against the ground in salute.
One by one...
The imperial caravans rolled beneath the towering gates.
Tara quietly pulled back the carriage curtain.
She took one last look.
The city where she had lived.
The palace where everything had begun.
The rooftops of Kannauj slowly shrank behind her.
She gently hugged the little woolen doll closer.
Then lowered the curtain.
Ahead...
The road stretched toward the distant Himalayas.
And for the first time...
There was no turning back.
Scene 2 – The City Says Goodbye
The massive northern gates of Kannauj slowly fell behind them.
The deep rumble of wooden wheels echoed against the stone roads as dozens of imperial caravans stretched across the highway like a moving river of crimson and gold.
The city wasn't gone yet.
People had gathered along both sides of the road.
Merchants stepped out from their shops.
Blacksmiths rested their hammers.
Potters wiped clay from their hands.
Children ran alongside the slower wagons, laughing as they tried to keep up.
An elderly flower seller smiled warmly before tossing handfuls of marigold petals toward the passing convoy.
Yellow petals danced through the morning sunlight before landing across horses, wagons, and travelers.
Old Flower Seller: "May the mountains be kind to you!"
Several travelers folded their hands in gratitude.
Farther ahead, priests standing beside a roadside shrine raised copper vessels filled with holy water.
One by one, they sprinkled blessings toward the convoy.
The water caught the sunlight like tiny diamonds.
Temple bells rang softly behind them.
For a brief moment...
The entire road felt sacred.
Inside Tara's carriage...
She quietly pulled back the small curtain.
The cool morning breeze slipped inside.
She watched Kannauj from the window.
The towering palace walls.
The golden temple spires.
The crowded markets.
Everything looked exactly the same.
Yet somehow...
It already felt farther away.
Beside her, Malini noticed she hadn't looked away once.
Malini: "Still staring?"
Tara nodded absentmindedly.
Tara: "I'm trying to remember how Kannauj looks from this far away."
Malini leaned toward the window.
The city had already begun shrinking behind them.
Malini: "We'll come back."
Tara: "I know."
She smiled faintly.
Tara: "But it'll probably feel different when we do."
Malini couldn't argue with that.
Silence settled between them.
Comfortable silence.
Outside...
A small boy wearing an oversized cotton tunic suddenly sprinted toward the convoy.
He stopped beside one of the wagons carrying ministry supplies.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
He threw a dramatic salute.
Unfortunately...
He saluted the wrong person.
Little Boy: "Great Warrior!"
Dev, who happened to be sitting on the edge of that wagon eating a piece of flatbread, looked around in confusion.
Dev: "...Me?"
The boy nodded enthusiastically.
Little Boy: "Yes!"
"You look very strong!"
Dev immediately sat up straighter.
He puffed out his chest.
Then returned the salute with ridiculous seriousness.
Dev: "Train hard."
"You'll become even stronger."
The little boy gasped.
As if he had just received wisdom from the greatest general in history.
Little Boy: "I will!"
He ran away proudly.
A few seconds later...
Yash rode up beside Dev on horseback.
He had witnessed the entire thing.
Yash: "He was probably trying to salute an actual soldier."
Dev looked offended.
Dev: "He chose correctly."
Yash: "He chose the man holding bread."
Dev: "A warrior requires nourishment."
Yash sighed.
Yash: "I'm beginning to regret traveling with you."
Dev: "Too late."
Nearby, Priya couldn't stop smiling.
She was already writing furiously onto a fresh scroll despite the wagon constantly shaking beneath her.
Priya: "First observation."
"Kannauj citizens throw marigolds during imperial departures."
She paused.
Then quickly added another line.
Priya: "Second observation."
"Children possess terrible judgment when identifying warriors."
Dev leaned toward her.
Dev: "Cross that one out."
Priya: "It's historically accurate."
Dev: "I object to history."
Ritu, walking calmly beside another wagon, glanced over without slowing down.
Ritu: "History objects back."
Dev blinked.
Dev: "...How do you accidentally insult people so professionally?"
Ritu simply continued walking.
Ritu: "Practice."
Even Tara laughed quietly at that one.
The laughter faded almost as quickly as it came.
She looked outside again.
The city walls were becoming smaller now.
The temple bells grew fainter.
The familiar rooftops slowly melted into the morning haze.
She watched until Kannauj became nothing more than a distant golden outline against the horizon.
Then...
The road curved.
The city disappeared.
Completely.
Tara slowly let the curtain fall shut.
For the first time since leaving...
There was nothing behind them anymore.
Only the long northern road waiting ahead.
Just before the lead caravan reached the northern gates...
A conch shell echoed across the road.
BWOOOOOOOOOM—
The convoy slowed.
Priests dressed in saffron robes stepped into the road carrying brass lamps, copper vessels filled with sacred Ganga water, bowls of vermilion, sandalwood paste, rice grains, and fresh marigold garlands.
The lead horses stopped obediently.
The chief royal priest raised his hand.
Chief Priest: "Before this journey leaves the protection of Kannauj..."
"...may Dharma walk before its wheels."
The other priests began chanting together.
The deep Sanskrit verses rolled across the morning air.
"ॐ गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहे..."
The rhythmic chanting seemed to steady even the restless horses.
Servants lowered their heads.
Soldiers stood silently.
One by one, the priests walked along the front of the convoy.
A brass lamp circled before each lead horse.
Sacred smoke from burning frankincense drifted around the wagons.
The scent mixed with fresh morning air.
Another priest dipped a mango leaf into Ganga water.
With gentle flicks, he sprinkled the sacred water across the caravan.
Tiny droplets landed on banners...
Wooden wheels...
Armor...
And even Tara's carriage.
Inside, Tara instinctively touched one of the droplets that had landed on the window frame.
Malini folded her hands.
Malini: "May we return safely."
Tara quietly nodded.
Outside, the chief priest marked the forehead of each lead horse with sandalwood paste and vermilion.
A garland of marigolds was placed around the neck of the first horse.
The bells tied to its harness jingled softly.
The chanting reached its final verse.
"शुभं भवतु मार्गः। विजयः भवतु। सुरक्षितं प्रत्यागमनम्।"
"May the road be auspicious. May victory accompany you. May your return be safe."
The chief priest stepped aside.
He struck the ground once with his wooden staff.
Chief Priest: "The road has been blessed."
A heartbeat of silence followed.
Then—
CLANG!
The lead caravan's bell rang once more.
The horses stepped forward.
This time...
The journey truly began.
The chief priest slowly stepped aside.
For one brief heartbeat...
Everything became silent.
The horses stood still.
The banners stopped fluttering.
Even the restless chatter of the crowd seemed to disappear.
Then—
CLANG—!
The lead caravan's bronze bell rang once more.
This time...
It sounded different.
Not like the first bell inside the palace.
That bell had begun the expedition.
This bell ended home.
The lead horses took their first step beyond Kannauj's protection.
Then another.
Then another.
One by one, the endless line of wagons followed.
The massive northern gates stood fully open.
The gate guards struck their spears against the stone together.
THOOM!
THOOM!
THOOM!
Their synchronized salute echoed across the road as the expedition crossed the threshold.
The citizens raised their hands one last time.
Some smiled.
Some cried.
Some simply watched in silence.
Inside her carriage, Tara pulled back the curtain again.
She couldn't help herself.
She wanted one last look.
Kannauj still stood proudly behind them.
Its sandstone walls glowed beneath the morning sun.
Temple spires pierced the sky.
Thin curls of smoke rose from breakfast fires across the city.
The palace where she had lived...
The offices where she had worked...
The streets where she had argued with merchants...
The entertainment district she desperately wished to forget...
Everything stood behind those walls.
Malini quietly noticed Tara's expression.
She didn't interrupt this time.
The road gradually began climbing.
A gentle hill rose ahead.
The convoy reached its crest.
Tara leaned slightly closer to the window.
The city became smaller.
The palace became a golden speck.
The temple bells grew faint enough that she almost wondered if she was imagining them.
Then...
The road curved around the hillside.
Kannauj disappeared.
Completely.
Tara remained staring at the empty horizon for another few seconds.
"...It's gone."
Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
She lowered the curtain.
The carriage suddenly felt quieter.
She looked at the small woolen doll resting in her lap.
Her fingers gently straightened one of its crooked sleeves.
A tiny smile returned.
Tara (thinking):
"We'll come back."
"Eventually."
Outside...
The convoy stretched endlessly across the northern road.
Red imperial banners danced against the wind.
Beyond them...
Far beyond what anyone inside the carriage could yet see...
The first blue silhouettes of the Himalayas waited beneath the morning sky.
The journey beyond the northern horizon had truly begun.