Rewari kingdom, inner pce of Bawal, early morning of 1557.

  After coming from his bath, Aditya changed into his finely embroidered kurta and dhoti in his quarters.

  Standing by the window and lost in thought, he contempted various pressing matters. He wondered whether it would be wise to take Princess Meenakshi to the cannon factory. Although he cannot escape for a month , he considered whether he might dey the visit and prepare designs in advance rather than drawing them in her presence.

  Additionally, he awaited a message from Delhi regarding the ongoing conquest of Agra. As he pondered the situation, he reflected on the current leadership's absense in the kingdom, where military professionals were temporarily managing w and order due to the near-extermination of noble families involved in the rebellion.

  Their figureheads were still rotting inside the dungeons. His thoughts also turned to the upcoming court meeting and the urgent need to select a capable representative to lead his forces in assisting Tejpal with his kingdom's rescue.

  He sighed, frustrated with the radical Muslim schors who were inciting unrest and rallying commoners to their cause under the pretense of their version of peace.

  Suddenly, an idea came to him. He moved swiftly to his writing desk, opened the trunk, and retrieved a parchment. He seated himself on a cushion near a low foot table, quill in hand, and began drafting his pns and letters as his mind raced with solutions.

  Moments ter, Bheem entered the room, accompanied by Colonel Ratnakar and his butler, Hari Singh. The trio had arrived as per Aditya's orders.

  Aditya lost in his thoughts, looked up from the parchments which he was organizing before. He returned the documents to the trunk and stood to acknowledge their greetings and salutes with authority.

  He then turned to Ratnakar and commanded, "Colonel, provide me with a brief report of all the prisoners."

  Ratnakar reported, "Sir, as per your orders, we have arrested the extremists from the city and nearby vilges. Despite our hospitality treatment in the specialised dungeons, none of them have opened their mouths and they appear confident. Additionally, the rebel nobles are proving uncooperative. They keep insisting on their innocence and cim they were forced to join the rebellion by the previous leader out of fear of death.

  Aditya scoffed, "So now they expect to be rewarded for their surrender? Very well. You'll accompany us."

  He then turned to Hari Singh and inquired, "Have we received any message or pigeon post?"

  Hari Singh nodded. "Indeed your highness, I have been informed by the kingdom's officials that a pigeon post from the border personnel has arrived. They have granted passage to an imperial official, who is en route to Bawal. He should arrive shortly."

  Aditya wondered about the urgency of informing him in person rather than through a pigeon post. He took out the imperial seal, marked it on a letter, and carefully returned it to the trunk. Handing the letter to Hari Singh, he instructed, "Send a message to the factory. I am canceling our visit for today and tomorrow."

  Before Hari Singh could respond, Aditya added, "Also, if Princess Meenakshi comes to my office, have someone notify me and keep her waiting. Now, you should hurry."

  Hari Singh nodded and went to carry out his orders.

  Aditya then turned to Bheem and told him, "Lead me way to the boy." With that, the trio proceeded to the infirmary.

  Soon after, they entered the pace infirmary where injured soldiers were being treated. The room was rge, with sunlight coming through open windows , despite air filled with mix of smells from herbs, medicines, and burnt flesh.

  Simple wooden beds were lined up along the walls. Each with a patient and a medic attending to them. Fabric tents were used to divide the space into sections for some privacy.

  As Aditya and his group walked through them the passers-by greeted him and he nodded in acknowledgment. They moved to the section where the boy was kept. He was bound with ropes and lying in bed while the medic was checking his pulse. He appeared skinny and malnourished, smaller in stature, and looked younger than Pratap.

  Approaching the patient, Bheem pointed and said, "Your Highness, this is the boy we were talking about."

  The elderly medic stood up, startled, and greeted Aditya, who nodded in return. Aditya then asked, "How severe is his condition?"

  The medic replied, "Your Highness, physically he is alright, but mentally he is broken. We have to force him to take herbs to survive. He refuses to eat and has vomited. He has attempted suicide twice."

  Aditya turned to Bheem and inquired, "Do you know anything about his background?"

  Bheem responded, "Not much, Your Highness. When he regained consciousness, he spoke briefly with a maid and then tried to run. We learned that his name is Nirbhay and that he wants revenge for his brothers. When he discovered that the very rebels he was fighting had died, he attempted to stab himself with scissors and ter managed to cut his hands."

  Aditya noticed the bandages on Nirbhay's bare body, still covered by a bnket. Bheem shook the boy gently and said, "Look, our prince has come. Greet him."

  The boy remained silent. Seeing that Bheem was about to force him, Aditya stopped him with a gesture.

  He then took a deep breath and sat beside the boy. The medic excused himself for privacy, while Ratnakar stood vigintly, his hand resting on his sword's hilt.

  Aditya gently pced his hand on the boy's head and said, "Bhai (younger brother), won't you greet me?"

  Hearing the word "brother," Nirbhay's pupils moved, and his hands trembled. He looked up at Aditya, who reminded him of his elder brother Naman, due to his height. Though he knew Aditya wasn't his brother, he grabbed Aditya's clothes and began to cry.

  Bheem and Ratnakar instinctively reached for their weapons, but Aditya signaled them to stop. The boy cried out, menting his mistake of believing in the rebels' that lead his brothers to death.

  Aditya patted his shoulder with sympathy and said, "I know my words can't bring them back, but if you keep hurting yourself, who will care for your father and mother? There must be someone waiting for you in your home."

  The boy panicked and pulled away from Aditya's embrace, leaving behind streaks of tears and dirt. He cried out, "Mother... my mother is waiting," and struggled to free himself from the restraints.

  Sensing the boy was losing control, Aditya pressed a pressure point near his neck, causing him to lose consciousness. Bheem looked on in surprise, while Ratnakar maintained his strict demeanor.

  Aditya then called the medic and instructed, "Take special care of him and let him know his mother won't visit if he doesn't calm down."

  With that, Aditya and his group exited the infirmary. He turned to Ratnakar and said, "Take me to the maulvis."

  Afterwards, they headed to the heavily guarded section of the fort. Thanks to Aditya's status and reputation, they passed through the checkpoints without trouble and reached the chambers, which were also heavily secured. The flickering torchlight illuminated the interior, where sunlight couldn't reach due to the building's design.

  Navigating past several guards in the corridor, they arrived at the room. To Aditya's surprise, it was a special dungeon cell for high-status prisoners. The conditions were slightly better than usual, with some basic comforts provided, though sunlight and freedom of movement were still restricted.

  As Aditya entered, he saw seven maulvis sitting on cushions, eating from ptes of food.

  One of the maulvis, clearly the leader, greeted him with a mocking tone. "Ah, the rumored Prince of Samrajya graces us with his presence. What an honor."

  The others chuckled with a mocking gaze.

  Aditya took a seat on a cushion across from them and asked firmly, "This is your st chance. Why did you betray the empire? Why did you aid the Mughals in turning innocent people against us?"

  The leader, whose long beard was as white as his hair with no moustache, responded with a smirk, "We've said all we need to. You already know everything."

  They ughed heartily, as if they were on a pilgrimage rather than in detention of royal premises.

  One of the maulvis said, "It's pointless, Prince. No matter what you do, you can't harm us. We're Alh's gatekeepers. By Alh's grace, even if you tell everyone we were involved, no one will believe you."

  Another added, "It's a humble request from this wise one: there's still time to apologize and free us. We won't tell anyone how you kidnapped us and put us in sacks." Slight anger evident in his voice.

  The leader responded, "Listen, Prince. The confession of the spy who has ratted us out is meaningless. We officially deny any involvement. If you keep us detained and our followers can't find us within two days, don't be surprised by the chaos that will ensue."

  Aditya's expression grew grave as he stood up to leave. From behind, another mocking voice said, "The biryani is cold. Please send someone to warm it up."

  Laughter followed, but Aditya remained silent.

  As they left, Bheem suggested, "I think Your Highness, we should just kill them and throw them into the Sahibi river. No one would know."

  Ratnakar asked, "Do we have orders , sir?"

  Aditya sighed and replied, "Yes, but not that one. We'll just burn some houses instead."