"I am sorry for the misunderstanding, but Sir Aabir, you are not allowed to enter," Dhritiman said.
"WHAT!"
"I ask for your pardon, but you are well aware of the relationship between the 'two kingdoms.' We can't take any risks by allowing someone of your caliber to enter. However, Prince Chandra and his friends are gladly welcomed. Even His Majesty, King Hi'um, has expressed his wish to meet his nephew many times," Advisor Dhritiman said.
"I'm sorry, but I can't leave them alone. My king entrusted their safety to me, and I can't abandon my duty. We only came to invite King Hi'um to the harvest festival. Please deliver the letter, and we'll take our leave," Knight Aabir said, glancing at Prince Chandra.
"..."
Suddenly, two small hands held Knight Aabir's arm. It was Chandra.
"Please let us stay, Brother Aabir. We will be fine, and I really want to meet Uncle," he requested.
"But Prince, I can't leave you alone—"
"Now, now, please don't be too harsh on the young prince. You don't have to worry about him and his friends— we don't have cannibals here," Dhritiman mockingly said.
"You—" Knight Aabir clenched his fists.
Before he could say anything, Prince Chandra interrupted, "It will be fine. Trust me, Brother Aabir. Sir Dhritiman said nothing will happen. And I am sure that even Father will allow me to stay here. Please, Brother."
Aabir looked at Ipsha and Aniket standing behind him. Their faces were easy to read—they wanted to stay but couldn't say so.
"(Sigh) Fine. But, Prince, please come back as soon as possible, and take care of Ipsha and Aniket too," Aabir said.
The young prince nodded with a bright smile. Aabir turned towards Ipsha.
"(Sigh) Take care and don't cause any problems. I will inform Aunty about you staying here. You too, Prince and Aniket, take care."
Ipsha nodded as Aabir patted her head.
As he walked towards the road to leave, Dhritiman stopped him.
"Since you are already here, we can't be discourteous by sending you off without a ride. I request you to wait for some time; I will arrange a ride for you," Dhritiman said.
"It's fine. I can travel faster on my own," Aabir said refusing Dhritiman's' offer.
Despite Dhritiman's repeated insistence that Aabir take two soldiers as escorts, Aabir left alone.
"Now that Sir Aabir has left, we, too, should head inside. Girl, you can leave your bag here; the guard will bring it," Dhritiman said to Ipsha.
"Ye—yes, Sir."
Dhritiman guided the children to one of the rooms. Ipsha and Aniket's gazes were locked on the many luxurious items they had never seen before, even at the valley castle. Soon, they reached their room.
"The three of you must be tired from your journey. Please take your time and rest. I will send a servant to bring fruits for you to eat. You can call for me if there's any problem. I will come to take you to dinner tonight; King Hi'um will be there," Dhritiman said.
Later that night, Chandra, Ipsha, and Aniket went to have dinner. As soon as Chandra saw his uncle, he ran and hugged him.
"You have grown so much, Chandra. The last time I saw you, you were like a puppy. Did Uncle Tenzing start to train you yet?" Hi'um asked with a smile.
"He hasn't yet. But he said that Brother Aabir will start training me after my birthday."
"Oh, you aren't fifteen yet? It's been such a long time," King Hi'um said as tears hovered at the edge of his eyes. "Anyway, introduce me to your friends," he added, as he tried to compose himself.
"Yes! I totally forgot," Chandra giggled. "This is Ipsha, and he is Aniket," he said, pointing towards his friends.
"I—I am Ipsha Borbaruah, Sir King," the young girl's voice cracked as she swallowed hard, intimidated by King Hi'um.
"Borbaruah? Just like Sir Aabir?" Dhritiman asked curiously.
"Yes. He is my big brother," Ipsha replied. She was visibly proud to be Aabir's sister.
"Oh! So that's why he was so caring towards you."
"Did he come here?" Hi'um asked.
"Yes, my lord. Sir Aabir escorted Prince Chandra and his friends here, but he had to leave," Dhritiman explained before whispering something in Hi'um's ear.
"Still, he could have stayed the night," Hi'um said.
Aniket sat quietly, his head down, nervously rubbing his hands together. Suddenly, he felt several gazes on him. Looking up, he saw everyone in the room staring at him. He stood up abruptly.
"SirmynameisAniketRai," facing down he clenched his fists as he realized that he spoke too fast. His face turned red with embarrassment as everyone in the room chuckled. Silently, he sat back down, avoiding eye contact.
Controlling his laughter, Hi'um said, "Relax a bit. You don't have to be afraid. I won't say anything. And also, call me 'Uncle,' just like Chandra. There are plenty of people here to call me 'Sir' or 'My Lord.'"
During dinner, Hi'um asked Dhritiman, "Did you arrange what I asked for?"
"Yes, my lord. Everything is prepared," Dhritiman replied.
Turning to the children, Hi'um said, "After you finish eating, get some sleep. We will be going to a festival tomorrow morning, okay?"
"The festival in Khalingla?" Chandra asked.
"Yes, the annual 'Festival of light: Sunam' started three days ago. But to go there, you must rest first."
After a while, the kids went to their room with Dhritiman to avoid getting lost.
After ensuring they were settled, Dhritiman returned to the dining room, where King Hi'um sat drinking wine.
"You look happy, my lord," Dhritiman remarked.
"Of course, Sir Dhritiman. I met my nephew after so many years, and he even brought friends with him.— You wouldn't understand since you've never had a child," Hi'um teased.
"My lord, I have experienced joy—" Dhritiman started, but Hi'um interrupted.
"I'm happy," he said with a bittersweet smile.
"..."
"I am happy that brother is no longer angry and wishes to invite me to harvest festival—You remember those times when you had to bring me and brother back from festival because we didn't want to go to castle? I miss that time", Chogyal Hi'um said with a gloomy face.
"I remember, my liege," Dhritiman replied. "I too am happy for you. Now that Lord Desma isn't angry anymore, I believe everything will be fine," he continued.
"..."
Seeing the king silent, Dhritiman chose to distract him from his thoughts.
"About tomorrow—would you prefer to leave for the trip as soon as Prince Chandra and his friends are ready? Shall I instruct the guards to prepare a chariot before sunrise?"
"Yes, Sir Dhritiman, please do. Also ask the cook to prepare something for the kids to eat on the way."
"As you wish—I think it has gotten too late. You should sleep too, my Lord," Dhritiman said in a concerning way.
Hi'um stood up from his chair and walked towards the gate.
"Good night. You should also sleep, Sir Dhritiman," he said and left.
Once the king was gone, Dhritiman sank into a chair, his face darkening with frustration. His fingers drummed against the table before he turned to the maid cleaning up nearby.
"You," he said to the maid cleaning the table.
"Y—yes sir!" the maid stammered, visibly startled.
"Bring me alcohol," he ordered. As she scurried off, he muttered to himself, "Tch! Why can't I make them hate each other?"
His fist slammed onto the table, rattling the dishes and sending a faint echo through the room.