विक्रम संवत 435 | श्रावण माह | कृष्ण पक्ष | एकादशी
(26 July 375 CE)

The Moon Wakes Up

"The Shakas have already made their camps west of here, their fortifications are already halfway to complete."
"Perhaps we will invite them to a feast and feed the whole army," chuckled Atreya.

Chandragupta was not amused. On the contrary, it puzzled him how Atreya always kept up his humour, even outside his job as an entertainer of the court. He only looked in the direction of Madhavasena with a frown.
Madhavasena, a court servant of the royal prince's detail, sat on Chandragupta's bed, and she understood the turmoil underneath Chandragupta's frowns. But she could do nothing except utter comfort.

"Chandragupta, you will think of something. I have faith in you," Atreya retorted back, "If he starts thinking, his thinking will lead this kingdom to the grave."
Chandragupta flicked back, "The Shaka King is asking for Dhruvadevi as ransom for our land. Do you understand how insulting this is? Do you understand what will happen to my family if this news gets out of our palace?"

Atreya looked directly into Chandragupta's eyes and said, "Your palace, your kingdom, you think so tiny though they tell me you are a prince. Last I checked, your elder brother, Maharajadhiraj is still alive and breathing. If it bothers you so much, why don't you come to your senses and do something about it? What happened to your Kshatriya blood, is it frozen in your veins? I think not. You need to stop thinking and start acting, Chandra, or if you cannot find it in yourself to take the action forever hold your silence and join me in my laughter."

Chandragupta stood there staring, lost into the distance from inside this royal room. The tinkering of the golden chimes of this room of the palace were subtly sprinkled over the sudden emptiness left after Atreya's piercing words. The flames flickered and exerted a light which dimly rested upon the regal decorations and intricacies of the prince's bed. Silence drenched the space between Chandragupta and Atreya, filling up the emptiness into something darker yet seemingly curious and alive. A moment passed until Chandragupta found his voice and declared the most outrageous course of action one could think of.

"We will send the ransom the Shakas have asked for, but instead of Dhruvadevi, I will be hiding in the carriage."
"And do you intend to beg for mercy when they discover they have been deceived?" asked Atreya.
"I will not let them have any time for it. I will attack the King as soon as I get a chance and show him what this order of betrayal gets him."

Madhavasena was very concerned at this suggestion. "This is dangerous Chandra. You have been trained, but you have never been surrounded by the enemy all alone."
"Think about how you can help me, Madhavasena. Instead of warning me, the enemy has warned us enough," said Chandragupta.

Madhavasena was almost tearing up. Atreya stepped forward and said, "It is the prince's choice, Madhavasena. We should support him."
Chandragupta turned to Madhavasena and said, "Help me dress up, Madhavasena. Send me to the enemy with pride and not tears."

Madhavasena said, "If this is the last time I see you, I must describe to you how one must carry a lady's attire which I know you will forget despite your quick wit. "She wiped one of her tears with her hands and skipped forward organically, settling into a tight hug with Chandragupta. A strange wisp of air twirled around them, a mild current rising and slowly settling into a calm embrace.

Madhavasena wrapped Chandragupta with a long cloth. She put a veil on him to cover his face. She wrapped payal around his ankles, and she helped Chandragupta enrich his disguise to better deceive the foes. When the moment arrived, Atreya had said his goodbyes and left the prince and his company to say theirs.

The warm and fuzzy fire sent calm gleams across the ornaments. Madhavasena looked up into Chandragupta's eyes, her throat anchored with restraint. As the light beamed back and forth between the jewelry decorated on both Chandragupta and Madhavasena, Chandragupta said his words.

"I promise I will be back."