Zhenjin, Dusshela, Mahintha, Sumita, Rajiv (along with his three uncles and his aunt Pereiri), Cheongsun, the three Tawalesi girls, Uddiawan, Do?an, and a company of twenty mounted Xinese guards were making their way to Mahananda on a wide, shady road. It was a chilly morning, but the sun shone in a cloudless sky.

  Zhenjin heard a long, low whistle. The other heirs heard it too. They all looked back attentively. Zhenjin whistled back, then held up his hand; everyone snapped to attention.

  Huaizong and Tan Po stepped out from behind the shrubs lining the road.

  The heirs broke out in jubilation. "Brothers, well met!"

  "There you are! Where have you been?"

  "We missed you!" Mahintha was smiling.

  "Didn't I tell you to meet me at Chengdu?" Zhenjin reminded Tan Po.

  "We were waylaid by monsters," Huaizong exaggerated.

  "And gangsters," Tan Po added factually.

  "And dragons," interjected Huaizong. "But in truth, Khazan, further down the road—a hundred paces or so—are the Madjapahit Queen Gitarja, the Queen Mother Gayatri, and her sister RajiDewi."

  Huaizong and Tan Po stepped aside. Zhenjin saw the three women walking up the road. Zhenjin dismounted. Simultaneously, all the heirs followed suit. Rajiv stepped out of the caravan he shared with his relatives. The mounted guard changed formation, encircling the Madjapahit royals and the vassal heirs, who were now all on foot.

  Zhenjin bowed. "Queen Gitarja, we meet at last. I am honored." All the vassals bowed along with him.

  "Khazan Zhenjin, it is I who am honored," she replied. "It is truly a stroke of luck to meet you on this road, as I need help that only you can give."

  "Whatever you ask, my Queen," Zhenjin replied.

  "Sanctuary, Khazan. Temporary sanctuary."

  "I shall protect you with my life. Let us walk; it is a lovely day for it," Zhenjin offered the Queen Mother his arm. Gayatri took it. "Kheshtar Yang, prepare a caravan for the Queen and her entourage, so they may rest should the road tire them." Mahintha walks beside the Queen offering her his arm for support and Huaizong and RajiDewi smilingly walk arm in arm behind the Queen. RajiDewi is chattering away on Huaizong’s arm and he and can’t have enough of her.

  The vassals, including Rajiv, walked the rest of the way to Mahananda. Few days were as uneventful and peaceful as these. And yet, these few beautiful, quiet days would live in their minds as their most memorable—not the days of over-the-top celebrations or swashbuckling adventures, but these.

  They finally arrived at Mahananda at Darjeeling. Mahananda was high but flat. In the center were a few hills where Khublai had built several pavilions. The fragrance of tea invigorated the soul, and the views were breathtaking, especially in autumn.

  "Do?an, why was I not informed of the murder of King Hayam?" Zhenjin asked.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "Khazan, I was sworn to secrecy because Zalir did not want Guvercin to forward the message," Do?an said.

  "Guvercin is my brother, as Do?an is too, but I wanted to meet you first, Khazan," Zalir affirmed. "I did not know whom I could trust. Do?an is my brother, but we had never met."

  “A man with many secrets finds it hard to trust others,” Zhenjin said. “King Hayam banished you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yet he asked you back. Why?”

  “I don’t know his motives, my lord, but I had my own reasons to return.”

  “To remove your Queen from danger?”

  “Yes.”

  “You are not a royal, yet you held high positions in both the court of King Hayam and served as adviser to the BatangHari. You are a marvelous man, Zalir.”

  “I have served to the best of my abilities.”

  “We will speak again.”

  “As you will, Khazan.”

  Zhenjin turned back to his man. "Do?an, is there anything else you could be hiding from me?"

  "Yes, Khazan." Do?an cleared his throat. "They have cleared the remains of Chittor. They found no trace of Devi Tara Bai."

  "Could she have escaped?" Zhenjin asked incredulously.

  "If she did escape, there would only be one place for her to go," Tan Po said.

  "We must return to Xanadu immediately. Assassins could be after her, too. If she left the subcontinent, she could be on the Northern Imperial Highway. Find her, Do?an."

  "Yes, my Khazan."

  "Where is Huaizong?" Zhenjin asked.

  "He is teaching RajiDewi to ride a horse," Kheshtar Yang said.

  "What? That man has no patience to teach anyone anything," said Zhenjin.

  "He is different with her," said Tan Po.

  "Is it alright? Is the princess safe from his terrible influence? He is a heartbreaker," Zhenjin reminded Tan Po.

  "I wouldn't underestimate her," Tan Po replied. "He breaks hearts; she breaks jaws."

  Zalir and his two guards remained quiet, exchanging glances. They listened intently, remembering how the princess nearly killed Huaizong the first day they met. They wondered if Zhenjin would take it as a personal affront that RajiDewi had almost killed the man he loved as a brother.

  "Is everything truly fine, Master Tan Po? You seem discomfited," Zhenjin observed.

  "My Khazan... it was the most demoralizing display of subservience I have ever seen. She took one look at him, and he confessed undying, grovel-on-the-floor forever mindless love for her," cried the aggrieved Tan Po, feeling relieved to vent. "He was disgustingly obsequious. He has disgraced himself. It was totally un-Khannic."

  At this point, Zalir and his men could no longer contain themselves; they blurted out laughing. They tried to stop as polite guests. They started coughing to hide their laughter and it made matters worse.

  "And he peeked while she was bathing! She knew, and she slapped him so hard I thought he would lose his teeth," Tan Po continued, unable to hold back.

  Zalir and his men laughed so hard tears rolled down their cheeks, clutching their stomachs.

  "He has been a reformed man since," Tan Po observed.

  Now even Do?an, Mahintha, and Zhenjin burst out laughing. Tan Po remained stoic.

  Later that evening, Tan Po told Zhenjin are alone in his study.

  “He never brought up the brotherhood, never mentioned it” Tan Po noticed

  “Yes . We must talk to him but not with his Queen around. There are a lot of sisters in the brotherhood. And those three women may not be so innocent.”

  “So they are the brotherhood but it’s Zalir who gets banished”.

  ” He loves her and he is in over his head.”, says Zhenjin. ” You can’t fall in love with your Queen if your not royal.”

  Silence.

  "About your ring. Huyen says she will wear it forever." Tan Po reports to complete his mission.

  Zhenjin sighed. They were seated on cushions. "And the Cham Agatub? Is he everything they say he is? Undefeated?"

  “Yes,” Tan Po said. “He promises never to hurt her.”

  “Well, that’s good,” said Zhenjin, smiling sadly.

  “And he says he will never force himself on her.”

  “Maybe I should thank him,” Zhenjin said bitterly.

  “He claims that he will be patient with her, that he will cherish her, and he hopes perhaps one day she will come to him.”

  “Maybe she will come... to him.” Zhenjin broke down crying. It was not the way of warriors to hold back tears; their lives were full of tragedy. "Does she love him?" Zhenjin asked.

  "She is willing to marry him," Tan Po said softly.