Chapter Twelve - [Aaryan]

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The trip back to the palace took a total of twelve days consisting of short breaks only to rest ourselves and our horses. I was quite used to long trips such as this, but the recent turn of events had made me feel a little more restless and filled with a desire to get through all of this as fast as I possibly could.

Fortunately, I had a strong understanding of my own horses capabilities, knowing when he needed to rest and knowing not to push him too hard.

When we finally arrived in the capital state of Chandraba, Aathikara, I felt a calmness thanks to the sense of familiarity.

Aathikara was a glorious state, serving as a perfect representation of the power and wealth of Chandraba as a nation. Unlike Nandioor, Aathikara was filled with massive temples, great fortresses and beautiful gardens as well. Everywhere you turned, your eye would catch a remarkable structure of some sort.

To the left of the main Aathikara Southern Gate, for example, was the massive Simha Military Fortress, functioning as the headquarters and gathering place for all military related operations, as well as being where all the greatest warriors were trained. With massive grey stone walls covered in carvings of scenes displaying the victories of our previous kings, this fortress on its own easily surpassed the size of Nandioor.

Then, to the left of the gate, right next to the ocean was the Great Shivan Temple. Even more glorious than the fortress was this temple, nearly double the size of the fortress and housing just outside its tiered structure, a marble statue of Lord Shiva. This statue, featuring the most prominent god of our lands in a meditating position with his eyes closed, was so tall that it touched the sky and may have been the Lord himself, sitting there, meditating peacefully as the people of Aathikara continued on with their lives.

Finally, of course, there was the palace right ahead from the southern entrance.

The palace was smaller than the greatest sights of Aathikara, but a massive and stunning sight nonetheless. The entire palace was made mostly of marble, and anything that wasn't marble was plated in polished gold, making the building shimmer in the daytime and in the night. Looking close to the temple itself in terms of its multiple levels, the palace also had thousands of columns and windows around it, as well as many gorgeous gardens and opens places everywhere.

This palace was the pride of the Rudraraja clan, constructed by our ancestors many, many years ago. It was so glorious that people often bragged that it was a palace worthy only for the royal family as well as the gods themselves.

And this place... was my home.

When we entered the grounds of the palace, we were greeted by hundreds of bowing soldiers and servants. This was the usual scene we saw upon our arrival to the palace after a long trip. When we were close enough to the gate, my brother and I got off our horses, letting them be taken away by the stablemen, who bowed low when they approached us, and even as they walked off, not turning their back to us until they were a safe distance away.

Then we entered the palace.

The palace was lit mostly by natural light during the day thanks to all the open space and windows. It was this aspect of the palace that made the inside the most beautiful. We walked past lines of bowing servants before finally reaching the massive wooden doors of the throne room. As we approached, the guards opened the doors, revealing a beautiful, bright throne room. With an extremely high ceiling and massive open windows, the light poured through, making the polished stone floors and gold plated wall scenes shine.

My brother and I walked in, the eyes of all the nobles on us. To the left and the right of us, there were maybe fifty nobles, all standing and all wearing the loveliest of clothes to reflect the wealth and status they held. Along the walkway which led to the throne, were ten stone chairs for the highest of nobles to sit at, five on each side of us. Even those men, with their long beards and wrinkled features, bowed low for my brother and I.

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