After watching the festivities in the streets that night, they returned to their rooms in the palace and slept soundly.
Maya awoke in the morning and prepared to meet Nisha.
Suddenly, Dushi burst into Maya's room. Seeing her frantic state, Maya asked, "What, Dushi? What happened? Why are you running so fast?"
Dushi was breathless, unable to speak at the speed she had been running.
"Maya! Prince... prince... he'sā" Dushi gasped, unable to finish her sentence.
Maya was startled when she heard the prince's name.
"What happened to the prince? What's wrong with him?" she asked nervously.
"The prince is unconscious. The doctor says he has fallen into a coma! I don't understand what's happening; that's why I came running to tell you," Dushi explained.
The moment she heard the prince was in danger, Maya rushed towards his room, tears welling up in her eyes.
As she approached the prince's room, she hesitated, but finally gathered her courage and entered.
Inside, the prince's brothers, ministers, and doctors stood around his bed. The queen wept, cradling the prince's head in her lap. King Sanga Bahu stood beside her, offering comfort.
Nisha, sitting at the prince's feet, beckoned Maya closer. Maya continued to cry, unable to hold back the tears.
Only then did she realize that she was deeply in love with the prince.
The doctors, after examining the prince repeatedly, consulted with the other physicians present and reached a conclusion before informing the king.
"Your Majesty," the lead doctor began, "the prince is not suffering from any ordinary illness. Our examination of his blood reveals..."
"Tell me, doctor! What was found in my son's blood?" the king demanded.
"Your Highness, the prince's blood contains a type of pus, a white poisonous salt. In my experience, if this pus remains in the body for three days..."
"Tell me what will happen in three days, doctor!" the king urged.
"He will succumb," the doctor stated.
Upon hearing this, everyone present, both men and women, erupted in loud cries of grief.
But Maya approached the doctor silently, tears streaming down her face.
"Doctor! Is there no other way to cure this poison?" she pleaded.
Everyone stopped crying and looked at the doctor, hoping for a solution.
The doctor pondered for a moment.
"There is only one way. But..."
"Tell me what it is, doctor! I am willing to do anything to save the prince!" Maya declared.
"But it is extremely difficult to obtain. There is a type of ash tree on Trikuta Mountain, ruled by the Ratshasha clan. Only the fruit of that tree has the power to counteract this poison. However, it is said that a beast called Amarok has been living in that area for many years. The beast does not allow anyone other than members of the Ratshasha clan to approach the tree. Furthermore, the Nagar clan and the Ratshasha clan have been bitter enemies for millennia. Obtaining that fruit at this time is incredibly challenging," the doctor concluded.
As soon as he finished speaking, Maya stood up.
"Tell me how to reach Trikuta Hill. I will go," she declared.
Nisha and Rudra were astonished to see Maya, always playful and childlike, speak with such determination.
However, they understood her love for the prince.
Nisha and Rudra declared, "We will go with Maya," and stood up.
The king, desperate to save his son, granted them permission to proceed.
After bidding farewell to the king, the trio prepared the necessary items for their journey to Trikuta Hill.
The person who had been observing Maya and her companions from a distance throughout Vesak Day, as if from his desolate cave, witnessed all that transpired in the prince's room through the eyes of a squirrel perched near the prince's window. He shook his head with a smile.
A woman dressed in yellow approached him. Her face was obscured by the shadows of the cave, and only a beautiful small birthmark on the left side of her lip was faintly visible in the dim light filtering through the cracks.
She stepped forward and paid her respects.
"Lord Asanka, everything is proceeding according to our plan. It is the perfect time for revenge," she said.
"Wait, Manisha. We must be patient. Let us see what happens next," Asanka replied.
........
Nisha and Rudra approached the king and thanked him, gathering their belongings and preparing to depart.
The king then realized that Maya was not present.
"Where is Maya? Has she not arrived yet?" he asked, looking at the two of them.
As they exchanged glances, they replied, "No, Your Highness! She said she was retrieving her belongings."
Maya had packed only the essentials in her bag. She prepared a single bag and slung it over her shoulder before returning to the prince's room.
Seeing the prince lying on the bed, her heart ached. With tears welling up in her eyes, she slowly approached his bedside.
Placing her hands in his hair, she kissed him on the forehead.
"Prince, I do not know if I will return alive from this journey. It is frightening, but I cannot bear to see you like this. I will save you," she whispered, removing the ring from her finger and placing it on his hand.
Leaving, she departed without the strength to linger any longer. She walked directly from the prince's chamber to the royal court, bowed before the king, and said, "Forgive me for my tardiness, my lord!"
"How could I possibly be angry with you? You are risking your life to save my son. My only concern is that you are not powerful. How will you accomplish this? Time is running out," the king said to the three of them.
He led them to the castle gate. As they reached the gate, the murasu sounded, its tone slightly different from usual.
As the murasu fell silent, a beast the size of ten elephants descended upon them, its massive wings flapping and its body radiating power.
The beast had the face of a lion and legs that seemed to possess the strength of fifty horses. Its tusks were long enough to topple an enemy with a single blow.
Landing before them, it declared, "What are you waiting for? Come, mount my back. Do not waste time."
"Yali, are we truly traveling together? With you by our side, what is there to fear?" Rudra approached the beast and climbed onto its back.
Then Nisha helped Maya climb aboard. All three settled onto the yali's back.
The yali soared into the air, heading towards Trikuta Mountain.