"Empress, you should start soon," Sagaya said to Sikala, who stood watching Adhiyavan's portrait in the jasmine chambers. He glanced at the portrait and hesitated.
"If I may?"
She nodded, eyes still on the bronze mirror.
"Who is this man in the portrait?"
Sikala smiled.
"You will know soon."
Sagaya was confused. She had never let any man inside the jasmine chambers — at least, the men who entered never came out alive, except him. He stared at the dark man's portrait she had painted herself, and his mind turned in circles. The man couldn't be an Ankalan royal — Sagaya knew each and every one of them. A merchant? A commoner? No. Sikala despised them. He leaned in closer.
"Seems like you like him too, Sagaya?"
He startled.
"What — no, no, my Empress." He turned to find Sikala smiling and mocking him.
"Good. I hope you've sent word to the feudatory kings of Chakra. I don't like interruptions in my voyage."
"Yes, My Empress. We have spoken with the three kings of Chakra, and your generous gifts have been added to your trail."
Sikala set her crown down and looked at Sagaya.
Sagaya understood the command and opened the map.
"Your grand yatra should reach the Ankottai Crossroads at noon and cross the Ponni River and checkpost by sunset, My Empress. We have informed King Niran of Anniyur — he has allowed your passage along the Veedhi Vangal route. It is a trade route controlled by the Emperor of Chakra, connecting to the Chenna River. King Aadhi has agreed and will arrange the ferry crossing. A small area before the Chakran fort falls under the Kingdom of Vilanur — the King of Vilanur died during the Ankalan invasion, and we have informed their Queen."
Sikala froze. The King of Vilanur had been one of six men killed by Emperor Thejan on the day she revealed she was carrying Adhiyavan's son. Six of his own men, to save her reputation.
She composed herself.
"What about the gifts?"
"All the gold, silver, and bronze belonging to Ponni Devi has been loaded into 36 wagons as per your orders — 18 for Ankottai and 18 for Anniyur. They will depart when you reach the crossroads."
"I will hand them over to the people of Ankottai myself and speak to King Logawara. Have we had any word from Havi?"
Sagaya kept his head down.
"No, My Empress. Not a word."
Sikala nodded as Sagaya continued.
"The temple car has been added at the rear of the column. Ten Chendurai guard chariots — five ahead of you, five behind, each carrying ten guards. Fifteen wagons of gold, silver, and bronze coins, gifts, sarees, and jasmine oil. Ten wagons of food grains, tents, and lumber for camp setup. Fifteen wagons of weapons. Ten chariots of Ankalan soldiers. Three empty chariots as you requested. The Empress's chariot at the center. One hundred in total."
It had been a long while since a Ratha Yatra — a grand voyage — had left Ankala, and Sikala wanted the commoners to remember this one.
"Ask Jaya to join me in my chariot."
Sagaya nodded.
The gilded column marched around the ten long bends of the Chendurai fort before the sun came up. Commoners gathered along the road just to see their Empress. The saying went that a commoner might see their god once a year — but seeing their Empress was rare. The Chendurai guards held a tight perimeter, soldiers carrying the Ankalan flag — the most beautiful flag on the island. Violet, with a golden woman walking. The flag stood for the importance of women in the Ankalan empire.
A few hours passed. Jaya had been silent all the way. Her commoner's dress made Sikala sad. Jaya was royal-born — from Kash, related to King Logawara — and had been handed to the crown as a child. Trained by the Kuriyan network. Hidden from her family. Stripped of her royal titles. Trained in martial arts while other girls learned dance and cooking. Somehow Jaya had outshone everyone and become the favorite of Kalvara, the Kuriyan Leader. Sikala personally believed her to be the guardian Adhiyavan needed when he entered the Ankalan empire and high-ranking Sathyeran commanders were hunting him.
Sikala held Jaya's hand.
"You are coming with me to Chakra."
Tears ran down Jaya's cheeks. Sikala wiped them away as Jaya nodded.
Jaya held Sikala's hand in return.
"I'll get down here. I don't want any commoner to see me with the Empress."
Sikala nodded and rang the chariot bell to halt the yatra.
She drew the curtain back slowly and watched Jaya pull her veil over her face as she rode her horse fast into the village road.
The sun was overhead when the Ratha Yatra halted. People gathered around the white chariot and the Ankalan flag. No commoner had expected to see the Empress in their village in their lifetime. King Logawara stood first in line. Sikala drew the curtains as the Chendurai guards formed a perimeter. She smiled at everyone as she stepped down, and the crowd broke into a chant.
"Long live the Empress!"
Sikala walked straight to King Logawara and raised his hand.
"Long live Kash. Long live Logawara."
The crowd went still. King Logawara was overwhelmed, tears on his cheeks. Sikala signaled the Chendurai guards to step aside and stood among the commoners.
She took a handful of sand from the ground.
"This sand has given us the most spirited warriors. I grew up listening to the tales of the Ankottai Maveer — the Hero of Ankottai — his bravery and his merciless justice for those who disrespected Kash. Do you all remember that?"
The crowd surged, sickles and steel bars raised.
"Yes!"
"I have heard of the recent incident in this village that resulted in the execution of one of my brothers."
The crowd murmured — the Empress had called Mala her brother.
"Each and every one of you is my brother and sister, my mother and father, my niece and nephew. I will not leave his death unpunished."
The crowd roared.
"Until Dhira answers for the crimes against the Crown, the Great King, and the people of Kash — Dhira is an enemy of the Crown."
The crowd erupted. The Chendurai guards stepped forward to hold them back.
Sikala smiled at everyone, then looked at King Logawara.
"Now. The main reason I came."
She turned to the elders, who had stood silent through all of it.
"Ponni Devi has not shown her grace, and I know some of you believe we Ankalans are the reason. I will not repeat my ancestors' mistakes. I have ordered Ponni Devi reinstated on Sigam Island, as in the old days, and I will allow your cousins from Anniyur to worship her."
The elderly women came forward in groups, wishing and blessing her.
Sixteen wagons were drawn up beside her.
"These belong to Ponni Devi." She looked at King Logawara.
She clapped once. A food wagon loaded with rice, meat, and vegetables rolled forward.
"Prepare a feast for my people."
Everyone set down their sickles and steel bars and went to work.
King Logawara welcomed Sikala into a house — and there she saw Jaya holding the baby. Sikala's breath shortened. She was nervously wringing her saree pallu and didn't hear a single word King Logawara said.
"You are coming with me to the Chakran fort. That is my order, King Logawara. I have matters to attend to now."
She stood like a pillar until King Logawara closed the door behind him, then ran to Jaya and took her son. She kissed him all over, checking for rashes or injuries, and wept. She held him close to her chest as he smiled up at her. She sat against the wall and lowered her pallu.
"Just a few more days. I will be with you all day and all night. Please forgive me."
She wiped her face and looked at Jaya.
"Did the idiot see his son when he was here?"
Jaya sat on the floor beside her.
"Yes. Prince Adhiyavan saw his son and even held him for a while."
Sikala kissed her son on the forehead.
"It has been almost a year. Please plan something decisive. I need to see my son more often."
The baby smiled at her, arms stretched up, yawning, his lips still wet with milk. He smiled again and looked at Jaya.
Jaya pinched his cheek.
"He is a joy, my Empress."
Sikala couldn't hold back her tears.
Jaya leaned in close and adjusted Sikala's pallu and saree and jewels.
"We need to be careful, my Empress. After the golden cloak's execution, I have been seeing new faces in Ankottai — and they speak differently."
She took the baby.
Sikala walked out to her chariot. The King of Kash was seated in the empty chariot behind hers. Before her chariot moved, she looked back and saw Jaya handing her son to Devi, then slipping away behind the bushes.
Sikala woke to a halted yatra. It was already growing dark. She opened the curtain — four Chendurai guards stood at their posts.
"Get more wood!" Two soldiers were shouting as they stirred the rice over the fire. They fell silent when they saw her.
Jaya ran toward her.
"Empress, you won't believe it — there is a stream of water running in the Ponni River. Come with me."
Sikala looked around and realized they had made camp on the Ponni riverbank after crossing the bridge.
Jaya knelt and cupped water from the stream and drank.
"The stories were true — Ponni River water tastes like amirtham. An elixir. Please try it."
A soldier filled her golden glass.
Sikala's eyes widened. The river was coming back to life — only a thin stream, but unmistakably alive.
She noticed fire torches burning in the distance and looked to the soldier. Jaya stepped in and dismissed him.
"That is Sigam Island, Empress. The Ponni Devi temple is being rebuilt, and the palace you ordered is being constructed day and night. The people of Anniyur have offered their help as well."
Sikala was surprised to hear that.
"We are brothers!" A proud, distinct voice. King Logawara walked toward her, shawl in hand, head bowed.
Sikala nodded as he continued.
"We were a single kingdom once, My Empress — until your great-grandfather, the unifier Sundara Ankalan, annexed us. Our grandfathers then divided the kingdom in two. Anniyur joined the Pathukalans, and we joined Ankala — all to avoid bloodshed."
His face fell.
Sikala watched him, curious, as he went on.
"Emperor Sundara Ankalan believed he was the human incarnation of God Sundara himself. He tore down every temple in the Ankalan kingdom — the statues of Venn, of Dhira, and finally came for Ponni Devi. From that day, the Ponni River went dry and you know what followed."
A thud sounded as the heavy vessel was lifted from the stone stove, and soldiers, maids, and helpers formed a line for dinner. Sikala took a banana leaf and joined the queue like a commoner. Men and women wept to see it. King Logawara followed.
She sat on the ground next to her maids. King Logawara settled beside her.
"You are the Empress we prayed for." He wiped his cheeks.
Sikala finished her food and walked to the cook to press a gold ring into his hand.
She walked with King Logawara toward the tent.
"You know — I was never supposed to be the Empress."
King Logawara's face darkened.
"We are sorry about your brother. He should not have ended his life."
Sikala smiled.
"He was the kindest man on the island. Sadly, people mistook it for weakness — and he forgave them."
A few steps on, she looked toward the fire torches burning on Sigam Island.
"Sometimes I wonder — if my brother's betrothed, the Sathyeran Princess, had never run off with that Chakran prince, we might have had a great unified empire ruled by her. And other times I wonder — if Emperor Nomar had never proposed that marriage, my brother would still be alive."
She had a fading memory of her brother, herself a toddler, watching him wander the Chendurai market after he had lost himself — before he fell from the Jasmine chamber.
She smiled.
"Commoners often think that being a king or empress is the height of luxury — the end of all striving. I wonder if they ever realize what we carry."
She looked at the soldiers, maids, and guards sitting in circles, singing and drinking.
"I am walking into an empire that killed my father. Their reckless elder prince drove my brother to his end. And who knows what their younger prince intends for Ankala. We sacrifice everything to protect these commoners — their lives, their wealth — and yet they never understand what we go through."
Early in the morning, Sikala came out of her tent. The Chendurai guards at the entrance saluted her. She nodded and watched the soldiers packing up, readying the trail. The temple car had just arrived — it had taken enormous effort to move it across the stone bridge. Her servants prepared her, and the column set off from the riverbank.
Before climbing into her chariot, she called the commander and confirmed the passage approval. He nodded. She looked at King Logawara.
"I trust you to hand over the 16 wagons to King Niran. I don't wish to enter the Anniyur fort."
The Ratha Yatra geared up and crossed the Ankalan checkpost.
Jaya's smile was wide enough to split her face.
"Empress, you should see this!" She pulled the curtain open.
The commoners of Anniyur were lined up on either side of the road, throwing flowers.
Sikala immediately lowered the chariot's top rails and stood to receive their welcome.
The commoners stretched as far as she could see, on both sides, for hours. She had not expected a royal welcome from Anniyur. The road eventually led into the Anniyur palace grounds. The gates opened and the drawbridges came down. The green moat, the palace — she had never seen anything like it.
King Niran stood at the entrance to the drawbridge. The moment he saw her, the mallari was sounded.
She stepped down from her chariot. At the center of the chieftains of Anniyur stood King Niran, holding a kumbh — the highest honor one could receive in welcome.
She graciously accepted the kumbh and handed it to King Logawara.
Queen Narthaka was holding the welcome aarti but had gone still, lost in staring at Sikala. Niran nudged her back to herself, and Narthaka performed the aarti and pressed a tilak to Sikala's forehead.
Sikala smiled, then looked back at her soldiers, who directed the 16 wagons forward.
"King Niran." She nodded. "Queen Narthaka." The Queen was still staring.
"It is time we Ankalans returned what is yours."
The soldiers opened the carts. Gold ornaments caught the light. The great jewels of Ponni Devi, returned to their rightful people.
King Niran accepted and invited Sikala to be his guest for the day. It was an extraordinary act of trust — calling an enemy Empress into the Anniyur fort exposed its every vulnerability. But King Niran wanted to honor the Empress who had returned their gods.
Queen Narthaka took Sikala's arm and led her inside. Behind them, King Logawara and King Niran looked at each other and broke into matching grins.
"Cousin — come on." Niran pulled him into a hug.
"Finally — you're inside my palace, cousin!" King Niran roared.
Thirty Sasir dancers performed for Sikala as she sat in the king's chair. Two chairs had been set far apart. Sikala was served munnir — a fermented honey-fruit beverage — while Niran and Logawara drank toddy.
King Niran, flushed with happiness, sang along with the Sasir dancers and turned to Sikala.
"I am so happy, My Empress. We are all so happy."
She looked around — at the upper floor, the royals, the chieftains — every face turned toward her with something close to awe.
"Our hundred-year prayer has been answered. Please — tour the palace with me. Queen Narthaka. Cousin, come."
Queen Narthaka smiled and came to stand beside her. King Niran showed them the miniature Ponni Devi statue in the royal courtyard first. The crowd, royals, chieftains — all departed on command, leaving just the four of them moving quietly through the marble palace. When King Niran stood before the courtyard statue, his eyes trembled.
"When I first saw you, Empress, you were perhaps eleven or twelve — a serious student of the Gurukulam. I told Batra to follow you then, without knowing that one day you would become the Empress who returned our Ponni Devi."
Sikala smiled.
"Yes — I remember you were the only father who came to the Gurukulam. You loved Batra so much that the rest of us envied him. Where is he? I didn't see him."
"Ah — he has been at the Chenna Riverbank for months. You will see him on the way, Empress. I will send a hundred of my men to ease your crossing — they will carry no banner and no weapons. Please accept it."
Sikala nodded slowly. He had once spoken about Batra for hours without stopping. Now he changed the subject.
The grand feast was arranged. The entire Ratha Yatra crew gathered in the dining hall, Sikala at the center. Mallari music played. Sasir dancers moved through it all. Munnir was poured for Sikala and Narthaka.
After the long day, Queen Narthaka finally chose to speak.
"Forgive me, Empress — these men have never welcomed an Empress before."
Sikala nodded. She had noticed that the Sasir dancers were entertainment designed for men, and she was glad the Queen had finally said something instead of simply freezing every time their eyes met.
"We envy you, Empress," Narthaka continued. "Not for your beauty. Not for your youth. But because you gave hope to millions of women on this island who believed they would always need a man to rule. You have governed this empire without war and managed everything better than any emperor could. Poets do not write songs about women unless they are about beauty — but we will carry this in our hearts."
This moved Sikala. She reached out and took Queen Narthaka's hand. Even in Sathyeran and Ankalan traditions, both matrilineal, it was the men who commanded.
The feast ended. King Niran asked Empress Sikala to sit on his throne in the courtroom. Queen Narthaka and King Logawara took seats nearby in the vast empty hall.
Sikala settled on the throne.
"I was a fool to order that checkpost installed. I will remove it. You have my word, King Niran."
"Thank you, Empress. Once my fool son Batra is back, I will have him remove the checkpost on our side as well. He has even created something he calls the Ella Force to prevent intrusion from our own brothers — that will go too."
Sikala continued.
"We will also remove the tax on donations. Only merchant sales will be taxed."
Queen Narthaka's face lit up.
"Please forgive me — and my forefathers — for separating your families for hundreds of years. I hope your blood continues, and peace returns to our island."
King Niran shook his head.
"My Empress, please don't make us feel guilty by asking our forgiveness. We are grateful. And — Logawara and I have decided on a marriage."
Sikala, slightly drunk, leaned forward.
"Really?"
King Logawara grinned.
"I worried our connection with Anniyur would end with Niran and me. But I have decided — I will give my daughter to Niran's son."
Sikala's eyes widened.
"I will lead that marriage. And if you wish, I will speak to Emperor Thejan about it."
Both kings broke into broad smiles.
"Yes, Empress — we were hoping exactly for that. But you offered before we even asked. Thank you." King Niran clasped his hands.
"This will be the first marriage before Ponni Devi on Sigam Island in a hundred years. You have both my word."
Morning. The Ratha Yatra set out again, now with a hundred men from Anniyur, and at a point the road smoothed to something almost unnatural. Sikala drew the curtain back and saw it — the long, straight expanse of the Veedhi Vangal Route. The great trading artery, developed entirely by Emperor Thejan after the fall of Kalam, connecting Chakra's farmlands.
It was said the Chakrans built no beautiful forts or palaces — but they had built this road. It had proved its worth in the Ankalan war two years earlier, when Emperor Thejan mobilized the Aadhi Regiment and the Swarapa Regiment in two days and marched straight into Kash.
Sikala noticed how wide it was. Chakran soldiers had planted trees on either side; rest stops with stables marked the way at intervals; large grain stores sat at the junctions of major village paths. The entire road had been cleared for her arrival. Commoners waited at the edges on either side, held back until her yatra passed. She could see the frustration in their faces — but most had never seen a grand procession in their lifetime.
The Ratha Yatra reached the banks of the Chenna River. A hundred ferries waited. Sikala stepped down from her chariot to oversee the loading — the wagons of gold and silver coins going first. She stood about twenty feet back. The Chendurai guards loaded carefully. An umbrella shade appeared over her.
She turned slowly. The tall, old shape behind her was holding the umbrella.
"King Aadhi." She stepped back in respect.
"Please don't make me feel guilty." The three Chendurai guards nearest him, slightly wary of the man's size, stepped closer. Sikala turned and stared at them until they went back to loading the gold.
"Come with me, dear." King Aadhi smiled and led her into a large temporary tent.
"So sad — no welcoming party for the future Chakran Empress."
"Stop teasing me, Uncle." Sikala leaned forward.
"I have a gift for you, Uncle. You must accept it."
The temple car drew up before the tent. King Aadhi walked to it, ran his hands along the teak wood and the fine sculptures, and his eyes went bright.
"You remembered!"
King Aadhi crouched to look at the four-foot steel wheels coated in gold, the axle made of hard steel. Sunlight came off the top.
"Is it…?" His voice rose.
Sikala's smile was answer enough.
The seat of the temple car was made of gold.
King Aadhi stood, his face settled and full, and walked back to Sikala.
"You must be my first guest for the Chenna Devi temple car yatra."
Sikala, eyes wet, nodded.
A grand royal ferry pulled in.
King Aadhi smiled.
"Parandvani has sent her personal ferry to receive you. Don't keep your mother-in-law waiting too long at the capital."
Sikala smiled and touched his feet before stepping onto the ferry.
Sikala ordered the yatra to halt for the night at the Valoor temple, tents and camps spread through the surrounding area for her crew. The temple priest shuffled toward her nervously and, with great politeness, asked her alone to stay in the stone mandapam inside the temple. Sikala smiled and refused — she would not accept partiality.
A chariot arrived with only five soldiers and a blue flag. A pale-skinned woman climbed down, her eyes swollen as though she had wept for years. A small boy of about ten stayed close beside her.
The Queen of Vilanur — PadmaDevi — wore a white silk saree with no jewels, no sindoor. Her cheeks were hollow. She walked to Sikala's camp and apologized for not having welcomed her properly, asking forgiveness.
Looking at PadmaDevi, Sikala felt the full weight of it — the thought of her husband's execution, ordered to protect her unborn son.
"We all lost someone we loved most during the Ankalan war. But that is no reason to be so hard on yourself, Queen."
Sikala patted the enthusiastic young boy on his head — he was too young to understand what had happened, what was still happening, and he circled around her with easy curiosity.
"Please join me at the palace, Empress. I don't want the Chakran throne questioning the warmth of my welcome."
Sikala put her hand on PadmaDevi's shoulder.
"They won't. It's only a few more hours. Leave early in the morning — and I hope to see you at Adhiyavan's coronation."
Queen PadmaDevi's face shifted.
"Widows are not invited, Empress. Chakran custom."
Sikala felt it like a strike.
"Stupid custom. These people never change."
Queen PadmaDevi turned toward her chariot.
"This is my life now."
Sikala felt helpless, and made a vow — she would find a way to bring joy back to this woman's face.
The Ratha Yatra left before sunrise. Sikala could feel the soldiers' mood lifting — they were close now. She looked out at the farmland, flooded with water.
Empress Parandvani was waiting at the start of the spiral road. When she saw Sikala, she welcomed her with aarti. When Sikala moved to touch her feet, Parandvani caught her hands instead.
A 14-horse chariot stood waiting. Parandvani took Sikala's hand and helped her in.
"How are you, dear?"
Sikala rested her head on Parandvani's shoulder.
"Tired. Of cleaning up the mess left by men."
Parandvani's hands went to Sikala's cheeks.
"Welcome to my world, dear."
Sikala smiled.
"I am sure Adhiyavan will find ways to make it worse. You must keep a firm hand on that horse — and I believe you can."
Sikala had only just met Empress Parandvani, and yet it felt as though these two women already knew everything about each other. The chariot began up the spiraling road. Fully armored guards stood like spikes the whole way. All the shops and guest houses had been cleared. Parandvani kept Sikala's hand in hers.
Adhiyavan was watching the grand chariot enter the gate.
And then he saw her. And his mother.
The moment he had waited for his entire life. The moment he had dreamed a thousand times. The welcoming words he had rehearsed a hundred times. He forgot all of it. He couldn't look away from her. The Chakran fort had been heavily fortified for this arrival — no commoners, no merchants, only royal guests and those with scroll invitations.
Sikala was brought into the grand court of Chakra, empty now, and Adhiyavan came as quickly as he could.
Empress Parandvani, smiling at her son — who was grinning like an idiot — left Sikala and crossed the court toward Adhiyavan.
"Bring her to my chambers."
Sikala waited until the Empress had gone.
"Is it the custom here — to welcome a neighboring Empress with a commoner like you?" She smiled.
"Yes, if the commoner is the heart of the Empress."
"Oh? And where is he?"
Adhiyavan moved closer. He noticed her red saree, the ruby-studded hip chain, and pulled her toward him by it.
Sikala smiled.
"First you watched me from the room. Then from the court. Can't you keep your eyes off me?"
"The winds may rest. The tides may sleep. But a lover's eyes — never."
"Welcome to Chakra."
The grand doors — the Emperor's doors — swung open. Adhiyavan stepped back.
Sikala smiled at him as Emperor Thejan walked down the steps, his face warm and broad.
Emperor Thejan, flanked by six Chakran commanders, welcomed Empress Sikala. He glanced at Adhiyavan with an expression that managed to be both fond and contemptuous at once.
"Take our esteemed guest to the Empress Chamber." He directed this at Adhiyavan.
Twenty servant girls followed them, and the door was shut in Adhiyavan's face as Sikala entered the Empress chambers.
Emperor Thejan watched from the court and signaled Adhiyavan to his own chambers.