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Chapter 2 - Chapter 2 — Ominous Signs

But joy turned to dread before the first light of dawn.

In the middle of the night, as thunder rolled and rain poured heavily, the royal vaidya burst into the hall where the king sat with his nobles.

With a shaken voice, he leaned close and said,

"My king — there has been an accident. The queen has fallen into a coma. She will not open her eyes. We do not know why."

At once, Vairava ran to the queen's chamber, tears in his eyes.

"My queen, wake! Look upon our children!" he cried, shaking her gently.

But she remained unresponsive.

Word spread quickly. The kingdom's Rajguru — the royal sage — arrived with the Rajmata, the king's mother. Rajmata pressed the king's shoulders and comforted him,

"She is not dead. Breathe, my son. We have the Rajguru; he will find the cause."

Rajguru bowed, his face grim.

"I must examine the horoscopes of the queen and the princes," he said. "There may be forces at work beyond the visible."

Before Rajguru could reach any conclusion, a soldier burst into the chamber, out of breath.

"My king! A warband from the north has appeared — fifty thousand riders at our walls! They call themselves the Mongol Horde. They are at our gates!"

The king staggered under the weight of the news. Everything he had known had turned upside down in a single night: his wife unresponsive, his newborn sons vulnerable, and an enemy army at the gates.

Rajmata seized the moment.

"Listen, my son," she said fiercely. "If you remain here, drowned in sorrow, what will become of Singhala? A king's first duty is to his kingdom. Protect the people — that is your priority."

Vairava's grief and duty collided. He looked once more toward the queen's sleeping form and then to his mother.

"Mother," he said, voice breaking, "take care of the children and the queen."

He fastened his war-shield, put on his helmet, and took up his sword. Turning to his generals, he shouted,

"Prepare the men! We will not let those barbarians take what is ours. To arms! Har Har Mahadev!"

As dawn broke over Singhala, the king strode toward the city walls to meet the coming storm — leaving behind a palace of questions, an unconscious queen, and two newborn princes whose future would be written in war and omen.

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