Adi signaled Pratap to look after the ship and the people, while he led the Magadh group and his ministers towards the castle.
Soon they reached the castle gates. The gates already had been put up with red carpets and flowers. Probably, the people in castle were already notified of a Royal visit. Although the welcome was not the standard, the visit too was sudden. Also, Rai was a impoverished territory and Adi was an abandoned prince. So it suited their image.
Adi gestured to Sandhya, "Welcome Princess. I am sure you would need to rest and freshen up after a tiring journey. The maids will show you the guest room and will be available for you. If you need anything, just tell them.
But as you know, we do not have abundant supply so some things may not be available. So I have to apologize in advance for your inconvenience."
Sandhya hurriedly replied, "No worries Your Majesty, you don't have to apologize. Rather I am feeling ashamed of visiting without prior message. Its a great honor for us to have Your Majesty welcome and host us."
Adi said, "Then that will be a great relief. Now we should end this topic. Sati, please take the princess to the guest room. Also, arrange for her group to freshen up."
Sati, now the Labor minister, who was standing nearby, quickly assented and said, "Please follow me Your Highness."
Sandhya also nodded and replied with courtesy, "Please lead the way."
Sati nodded and lead her into the castle towards the guest quarters. She showed her the room and the facilities and assured her, "If you need anything else, just let anyone of the maids know. If they cannot fulfill it, I will try my best to do it."
Sandhya nodded, "I will. Thank you for your service."
Sati replied, "Its our pleasure Your Highness . I should get going. I will call you when the dinner is ready."
Sandhya nodded and Sati went away. She asked one of the maids to show the restroom for the knights. As they had to protect the princess, they went to freshen up one by one.
Meanwhile, Adi went to his study where all the ministers were already present, including his Mother. Only Pratap and Sati had not come yet.
Pratap was busy monitoring the ship and the people in it. He was ensuring that no one from the visitors strayed from their designated area.
Sati on the other hand was looking after the princess and the preparation of feast. So, everybody who could be present was there.
Adi took his seat in the main chair and started, "As you all know, we have identified the visitors and it's passengers. They are the Third princess of Kingdom of Magadh and her people.
From the information they told yet, they had encountered a storm where they lost directions and exhausted their supplies. They have come here to refill the supplies.
Now that's what they said, but we don't know if it's the truth or they had come with other reasons. So I need all your views on it."
Kaif, Kali and Shane did not know much about the international politics and their implications so they kept quiet, leaving Dara and Laxmi to give inputs. Dara soon understood their intentions, so he started,
"Your Majesty, from what little I know about Magadh, they are not that war mongering like other kingdoms. They have not expanded their territory for over two centuries and have good relations with every kingdom. So, I don't think that they are having ill intentions but we should be careful."
Adi and his mother modded with his speculation while the other three were digesting the information. Then Adi looked at Laxmi and said, "Mother what do you think about them?"
Laxmi said, "Dara is right. Magadh is a peace loving kingdom and they have fought very few wars in their long history. So I too think they won't be here for conflict. Also they are very far away from here, whether by land or water, so they should not be stupid enough to aim for this land. So I think they are telling the truth.
According to the general information, the King of Magadh has only married the queen and has three children, with the third princess as the youngest and only daughter. She is said to be the apple of the family. Everyone in their family dotes on her, including her brothers. So, we need to make good connection with her as it may be beneficial for us."
Adi was also of the same mind. Magadh was the most peaceful kingdom in this continent and was also far enough. It would take more than a year to travel by road from Magadh to Rai and also through several kingdoms.
So, the only possible way for transportation was the waterway. It eliminated many reasons to invade Rai.
Adi considered the suggestions and then declared, "I agree with both of you. So for now, we will treat them with Royal courtesy and etiquette of highest standards as our guests. Let's go have a welcome feast for our guests."
Adi stood up followed by others and all went to have the dinner. It was not the first time for them to eat together as they had been doing it for few times in the past week. As they took their seats, Sandhya and the flag bearer man entered the dining area.
Adi motioned for them to sit in his left side and said, "Welcome Princess. Please take your seat. I hope you didn't have any inconvenience."
Sandhya took the seat she was told and by her side was her companion. She said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. It was all good."
Adi smiled, "Great. Now let me introduce to the people here." He gestured towards his right, "He is Mr. Kali, our chief farmer and the Minister of Agriculture. To his side is Mr. Kaif, our chief Blacksmith and the Minister of Construction. Mr. Shane, our Healer and Minister of Health.
The last person is Mr. Dara our Minister of Finance. You have already met Madam Sati, Minister of Labor. Back on the shore, the person who welcomed you was Mr. Pratap, Minister of war and the General of our army.
And to my right we have our Queen Mother Laxmi, my mother and also the Minister of Education."
Sandhya nodded towards each of the people introduced. But when she heard that the elegant lady was the Queen Mother, she quickly stood up and bowed to her.
She said, "Pleased to meet you, Your Highness. I am very sorry for visiting uninvited and unannounced."
Laxmi said, "Pleasure is mine princess. Don't worry, we are very happy to welcome you here. Please don't mind the lack of facilities as we have reached here just last week and you know our condition is a little off. So please bear with us."
Sandhya replied, "Not at all Your Highness. I have no issues." Then she sat down and said, "As you know, I am the third princess of Magadh. With me is Harman, the chief of my guards and also the captain of the ship."
Adi nodded to both and said, "We are very happy to host you Princess and your Chief guard Mr. Harman. This is a small dinner in your welcome. Please enjoy."
Adi gestured for them to start eating and they all began to dig in. The dinner was pleasant and everyone was busy eating. They all had their own thoughts in their mind. As the supper came to an end, Adi addressed them,
"Princess Sandhya, its getting late and I think you would also need a good night's sleep as traveling in ship can be too exhausting. We would talk about your visit and what you need tomorrow morning after breakfast. What do you say?"
Sandhya agreed with him as it was indeed too tiring. And after filling her stomach with good food, she was craving for a bed. So she said, "We will do as Your Majesty says.
But can you please send some food materials for my sailors and helpers. They will be looking forward to proper food after getting on land."
Adi said, "Don't worry Princess. My men have already sent enough food for them. We don't mistreat our guests. Its just that they will be restricted in that area and we will not allow them to roam around. I believe you will understand my concern."
Sandhya nodded, "Restricting them is not an issue. I understand your worries and I would have done the same if I were in your position. Also I am very thankful for the dinner and your thoughtfulness for my people."
Adi said, "Then it's good. Now we should all retire for the day. If you need anything, just ask the maids. We will talk tomorrow. Have a good night Princess."
Sandhya thanked him, "Thank you Your Majesty and good night to you too."
They all retired to their rooms after a tiring and exhausting day.