Village at the Nildiri Hills base
Ten minutes later
Two docile looking horses followed Dushyant's white steed, 'Garud', on the narrow and rather treacherous path which was steeply inclined. After an hour's journey, the crude checkpoint was visible to them, making the two women sigh in relief.
The men stationed at the checkpost stood alertly. They saluted smartly when Dushyant and the entourage crossed them.
The dress code of the Northern army soldiers consisted of full sleeved, olive green shirts, which were woolen, paired with fitted pantaloons in the same color. A dull metal armor covered their upper bodies with a crescent moon embedded on the metal chest, showing allegiance to the Chandravanshi royal clan of Mandhaar. The same emblem was carved on their swords, arrows and shields as well.
Crescent moon was a symbol of empowerment and growth!
Ankle length boots made from treated animal leather completed the ensemble. Due to the extremely cold weather conditions, heavy cloaks were worn by everyone for almost three quarters of the year.
The cloaks were dyed black in color, irrespective of the material used, by different cadres. As one grew in ranks, so did the expenditure on their uniform material!
Princess Anara took in the well laid out regiment once she got off the horse. The cantonment area seemed to be never-ending. As far as her gaze went, she could see a housing area on her left which seemed to be the barracks. It was a combination of tents and constructed quarters. On her right, was a fenced field and she could see people sparring with swords and lances.
Straight ahead was a banner announcing the office of the Northern army.
This was in no way inferior to her maternal family's army camp.
"Soldier," Dushyant beckoned a baby-faced guy who was coming towards them.
The guy was taken aback. This was his idol standing right in front of him. He became flustered and even forgot to salute him for a second.
At Dushyant's frown, he recovered and said, "Greetings, General! Welcome back."
Dushyant gave him a stern look and rattled off instructions. "Take these two ladies to the main office and give this letter to General Chandraveer's assistant. Make sure that you escort them properly to the office and not lose them on the way. It would be your head on the platter if either of them got 'lost'!"
The young soldier understood the underlying meaning behind his words and nodded vigorously. After all, this was a highly sensitised area.
Princess Anara looked at Dushyant shyly. "I would appreciate it if you were the one who could personally take me there. I am really uncomfortable around strangers."
Laasya cringed at her mistress's lame flirting attempt but kept her gaze on the ground. Her little head was not capable of figuring out these higher-ups' dalliances.
"Miss, you seem to be mistaken. Exchanging mere ten words in a span of an hour doesn't make me any more acquainted with you than this soldier. Rest assured, he will carry out his duty with utmost sincerity. Now, if you will excuse me," saying so, he turned around and walked off in the direction of the barracks.
Princess Anara bit her lip in consternation. The guy reminded her of her wild horse which had been nearly untamable for the longest time.
A slow smile spread across her face. 'Don't worry. I will definitely subdue you sooner than later. Wait for me.'
Dushyant could hear the murmur of the soldier leading the princess and her companion towards the main office. He went close to a large earthen pot kept near the cluster of trees which dotted the perimeter of the open area. He whistled softly and suddenly a person materialised behind a tree close by, hidden from the eyes of the onlookers.
This person was also dressed in a uniform but his dress was starkly different from the Northern army soldiers.
Wearing a thin, dark-green, nearly black, shirt and matching bottoms, he did not have any cloak or woolen cardigan on his body. His shoes were thin, not bulky and had strange grooved metal fittings on the soles.
His armour was not visible because it was worn inside the clothes and was made of a much superior and different material than the metal ones on the Northern army soldiers. Even the emblem on these armours was extremely small in size and not visible to the naked eye unless examined closely.
But the important part was the design of the emblem. It was really strange. It was a circle, in which half the side was smooth and the other half had flames rising out of it.
Dushyant bent down to pour water for himself in a small clay cup kept next to the pot.
"Welcome back, General. Here are the latest updates from all the cities," saying so, he placed a rolled up scroll on the raised platform behind the water container.
To the onlookers, it was simply a man standing there and drinking water.
"Is the Commander back?" Dushyant asked him, barely moving his lips.
The guy replied softly. "General Chandraveer was on his way back here after surveying the border post when he received the summons from the emperor. He is on his way to the capital now."
Dushyant frowned at this development. Under normal circumstances, the emperor never summoned high ranking generals away from their base-camps without reason. When Dushyant had left Dima a few days ago, there was no news regarding anything unusual happening there.
Then why the sudden order?
"Have someone send you a report from the commander's entourage every day till he reaches Dima. Is General Agastya also with him?" Dushyant asked belatedly.
"No, he has returned and is currently in General Chandraveer's office," came the reply.
"Have one of your men follow the two women who have entered the cantonment today. I want an accurate report on their movement and actions till the time they stay here," he finished drinking water and tucked the papers inside his cloak in one smooth movement.
"Ask Ashmayu to meet me in my tent after fifteen minutes," he plucked a leaf from a tree and walked away, fiddling with it nonchalantly.