After a night of feasting and celebrations, almost all the leaders had returned and some were currently being escorted. It was unknown whether the Queen had convinced more of them to join her cause, but they all took their leaves on good terms with each other.
The royal company of Cloud-flouds slowly walked through the grove, led by #212. They passed by a sleeping Isra, and a large golden bangle fell right beside her from above.
Isra got up and lifted the heavy bangle into her arms. She had gained a steady rise in her strength during this past month.
"MY QUEEN!" she shouted, aiming for the clouds with her voice.
No one listened.
She lifted it onto her shoulder and started running beside their giant legs, looking like a tiny ant from above.
"My Queen, please stop, your bangle!" Isra screamed at the top of her lungs, but no one looked back. They just kept following #212 lazily.
After chasing the Cloud-flouds for almost a kilometer, Isra finally reached the edge of the grove, and luckily, #212 spotted her in the open ground, carrying the heavy bangle and panting.
He asked a soldier to cover for him as he descended.
"Isra, what... why do you have the Queen's bangle on your shoulder?" he asked.
Isra opened her mouth to explain, but #212 answered his own question. "Nevermind... don't answer. Give me the bangle."
She placed it around his neck; he looked quite cute with it on.
Isra made a small heart with her fingers, #212 rolled his eyes, and then flew up. He reached the Queen, apologized, and then told her that she had lost her bangle.
The Queen denied it, #212 asked the king, but he didn't reply.
The old, gaunt-looking grandma Cloud-floud was next, and #212 did not want to ask her at all.
"Ask me as well," she said, her senile grey eyes shimmering with deviousness.
"Is this yours, my lady?" he asked hesitantly.
"You flying rat, can't you—" and #212 simply closed his eyes. After ten minutes of constant rumbling, the completely insane nutcase of a granny said, "No, it's not mine."
#212 flew down and dropped the bangle near Isra.
"It's yours," he said and without saying anything else, flew off.
*************
Isra lifted the bangle up and walked back to the grove, her silver floating hair reflected in its shine. She found Haniya and simply walked to her, then placed the bangle at her feet.
"I bought jewelry for ammi," said Isra; her face was covered in mud and dirt, and her white clothes were completely brown now.
Haniya sucked in her lips, her eyes squinted as she stayed quiet for a long moment, looking at her feral little sister.
She grabbed Isra and pulled her close, and with the back of her sleeve, started cleaning her face.
"Listen Isru, you can't trick me. I'm your older sister; I can see exactly through your little devious schemes," she said.
"But Hanu aapi... it's no trick," Isra said.
"Yeah, sure it isn't. Haha, where would Deeji be hiding this time, I wonder?"
Haniya looked right above her, and Khadija wasn't there sitting on the tree.
"Hmm..." she said, a mischievous smile furnishing her lips.
"Wait, I know..." Haniya knelt down to pick up the Golden Bangel, but to her surprise, it weighed quite a lot. She dropped it immediately and yelped.
"Who gave you this?" she asked Isra, her sly smile completely changed into a tone of horror.
"#212 gave me this," Isra said.
*****
At noon, the girls were summoned to the court of the Queen.
Queen Golden looked a bit disheveled, she had done a remarkable job at organizing and managing such a large event,
Khadija Haniya and Isra stood with their hands folded, infront of her. Isra carrying her gigantic golden bangle on her shoulder. She was not leaving it for a second.
Queen Golden spared her bangle a glance and then said.
"I haven't had the chance of personally expressing my gratitude, its because of you that we have gotten such an opportunity, to even think about a world without tyranny. Ask anything of me and if it is within my power i will fulfill it. I'm indebted to you all"
They stayed quiet, shying away from responding.
Haniya gathered some courage and walked to the front.
"My Queen, you have already given us more than enough, and i feel shy of asking more but there is something that will help me enormously. I would love to learn architecture from the bees, its my major and if i could know how the amazing ideas are even originated, that would be a huge help."
Queen Golden smiled.
"Haniya, you are free to learn from us anything you want to; the hive is your second home," she said.
Haniya smiled and walked back.
"Thankyou my Queen."
Then she looked at Khadija.
"Khadija," she said enthusiastically; they had never expected such a humorous and childish tone from Queen Golden, and it caught them off guard.
"My Queen, I would like to learn how the bees craft. I would like to learn the history and understandings of Parvaaz if it's possible."
"I knew you'd ask for something like that," Queen Golden said, her beautiful and soft conduct making her appear even more ethereal.
Queen Golden walked to her and touched her arm with the edge of her wings, and she suddenly felt an extreme urge crawling its way up to her mind, dimming all the other urges; she felt light traveling through her body, making it warm to a point that she almost screamed, then it settled down.
"Rise in the ranks of Parvaaz, Khadija. You will learn more as you go along, and it may take a long time to ascend, but I have believed in you since the first day," she said.
Khadija felt goosebumps on her arms as she remembered how the Queen had chosen her as the leader of the first team Insaaf.
She bowed her head, and said thankyou.
Isra was the last.
"And what does our little Isra want?" The Queen asked looking at Isra with all the love in the world.
"My Queen, I have everything I need; thank you," she resettled the giant gold bangle which was slipping away from her shoulders.
The Queen then stood up and looked at them.
"Go forth fearlessly in your lives; stay confident. I command the winds to be your caretaker and a friend," she said.
The girls teared up at that.
It was finally time to go back home; #212 had prepared an extensive patrol to lead the girls safely back to the gateway of Salazar; their own gateway wasn't completely functional yet.
After meeting Gimpi and Laathi, the girls departed for home finally. It had been a long arduous journey, but none of them carried any regrets in their hearts.
Before they got up and began the journey for home, Khadija stopped and ran away to the spot where Amawas was sitting, recovering.
She hugged Amawas,
Amawas did not know how to react, she was extremely stunned.
"Thankyou aapi" She said, I hope to see you soon.
Khadija heard a very slight purr coming from Amawas, she smiled widely on that.
Amawas pushed her away, hiding her blush.
Khadija looked for Aatish but she was nowhere to be seen, she then walked back to #212 and got on.
She was going back home with a heart full of joy and contentment and a million memories.
*********
Roop once again climbed up the steps of the colossal structure which led to Kehkashaan; its titanic horns were bent towards her. Step by step, she scaled the entire stairs.
After hours of climbing up thousands of steps, she reached the behemoth gate of the castle-like structure; it was already opened.
Roop walked in; stars and constellations rippled around her feet like dark water. Out in the black vastness of infinity, a lonely canoe sat with a small boy sitting on top of it, leg on leg, casually reading a novel.
"They have killed Adaawat; your legions are deeply cracked and discorded; we need you," she said, visibly huffing, she had gathered alot of courage to take such a tone with Kehkashaan but Kehkashaan remained unbothered, as he flipped a page of his novel without saying anything.
"Golden and Zar-e-zameen had probably something to do with it; the whole of the Shomaal is currently without order."
He still didn't care.
After a moment of long silence, Roop said.
"There's another thing... Shahrukh... is back."
Kehkashaan slowly lifted his head up and look at her.