12th CENTURY – RAJPUR

Damayanti was in the Raj Mandir when her maid Sukanya came and asked whether she should arrange dinner.

Damayanti replied softly, "No, Sukanya. I am on fast today."

Sukanya insisted gently, "Ranisa, I know you are doing this for your daughter, but your health is also important. Please have your dinner."

Damayanti shook her head and said with determination, "I will eat... but only tomorrow. Today I am on fast for praying to God for my Rajkumari Diya Gauri's safety and protection."

Hearing Damayanti's words, Sukanya hesitated and asked, "Ranisa, it has been a long time. Rajkumari would have grown up by now. How will you recognize her?"

Damayanti smiled faintly and replied,

"When my child was two years old, she suffered from a severe fever. When Vaidyanath began his treatment, he asked Rajasa for permission to perform Vata Dosha—a burning treatment that leaves a mark on the hand."

She paused before continuing.

"But Somnadh refused to allow his daughter to carry the same mark as common people. Instead, he created a special royal stamp exclusively for Rajpur's Rajkumari."

"After the treatment, Rajkumari was left with a unique diya-shaped mark on her hand—one that no one else in the kingdom possesses."

Damayanti's eyes filled with emotion.

"And apart from that, there is a mole on her ankle... one that looks like a clock."

She looked toward the temple idol and whispered,

"Perhaps God knew that one day a mother's love would be tested by time itself. That is why destiny left these clues for me... so that I could recognize my daughter."

Meanwhile, Veerendra and Devnath had reached Rajpur in disguise.

Veerendra was determined not to leave until he had gathered concrete information about Rajpur's strengths and weaknesses.

After a long and turbulent journey, the time machine finally stopped.

With a loud thud, it landed at the same place it had once departed from—the banks of the River Kailash in the kingdom of Rajpur.

Diya and Roohi slowly stepped out of the machine, confused and disoriented.

They looked around.

The surroundings were unfamiliar.

"Where are we?" Roohi whispered nervously.

They decided to ask someone nearby and soon reached a small hut belonging to an old lady—the same old lady whom Somnadh had met earlier.

But the moment Diya saw her, she felt something strange.

"Roohi... don't you think her clothes look too ancient?" Diya whispered.

Roohi shrugged.

"Maybe she belongs to some tribe and wants to preserve her culture."

Ignoring their confusion, they approached the old lady.

"Grandmother, can you please tell us where we are?" Diya asked politely.

The old lady looked at them curiously and replied,

"Children, this is the kingdom of Rajpur, and you are standing on the banks of the River Kailash."

Hearing those words, both Diya and Roohi froze.

Their eyes widened.

They looked at each other in pure panic.

Rajpur...?

Before they could react, the old lady looked at their clothes suspiciously.

"Your attire looks very different from ours. Where have you come?"

(Diya was wearing a white skirt and top, while Roohi was in jeans.)

Diya quickly replied nervously, "We are from... somewhere far away."

Without saying another word, both girls hurried away.

But Raja Somnadh had already stationed guards in the area to monitor every activity.

The soldiers had first seen the strange time machine and then the two unfamiliar girls going to the old lady hut.

Finding them suspicious, they captured both Diya and Roohi while they were leaving the old lady hut and took them to the palace.

Both of them were terrified as they realized the seriousness of their situation.

Diya and Roohi were locked inside a large ancient chamber.

The room had beautifully carved sculptures on the walls and large stone pillars.

Looking at everything around her, Roohi finally figured out the things

"Diya... the time machine actually worked."

Diya stared at her.

Roohi continued nervously,

"We are in some ancient era... where kings still rule."

Hearing this made Diya panic even more.

Roohi started scolding her,

"Bro! I told you not to mess with that machine. Look where we ended up!"

Diya sighed and replied,

"Even though I was curious, you shouldn't have followed me. Now we are both stuck here."

Her voice softened.

"I feel guilty... because of me you are trapped too."

Roohi immediately dismissed her guilt.

"At least we are stuck together. And when we are together, we always find a way out."

Suddenly, an idea struck Diya.

"Bro! Let's escape from here and go back to the time machine. We still have the thesis. Maybe we can fix it and return to our world."

Roohi nodded.

"That's the best option we have."

The room had large thick curtains.

They removed all the curtains and tied them together to make a long rope.

Thankfully, the ancient fabric was strong enough to hold their weight.

They tied the curtain rope tightly to the window.

Diya decided to go first.

She wasn't sure whether the curtains would support their weight, and she didn't want to risk Roohi.

Roohi wanted Diya to escape first anyway.

Slowly and carefully, Diya began climbing down.

But just as she was about to reach the ground...

She saw a man standing below.

The man noticed the moving curtain and looked up.

And then he saw her.

For a moment, time itself seemed to stop.

The moonlight fell softly on Diya's face as she hung between the sky and the earth.

Her hair swayed gently in the night breeze.

Veerendra's breath caught in his throat.

He had seen many women in royal courts and kingdoms... but never someone like her.

To him, she looked like a celestial being descending from the heavens.

His eyes locked onto hers.

And in that moment, the fierce warrior who feared nothing... forgot how to breathe.

Yes... the man standing there was none other than Maharaja Veerendra of Vijaygarh.

When Diya finally landed on the ground, she immediately panicked on seeing him.

She assumed he was a palace soldier and thought they had been caught.

At the same moment, Roohi saw Diya standing with a man and quickly began climbing down as well.

Diya was now face to face with the mysterious stranger... not knowing that he was one of the most powerful kings of the era.

And Veerendra... could not take his eyes off the strange girl who had appeared before him like a dream.

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