After saying that, the Emperor Chandraveer walks away with a smile on his face.
Tara is standing there in confusion and shock, overthinking why the Emperor would want her to be beside him.
Malini asks Tara.
Malini: Devi Tara..! What did the Emperor say to you??
Tara doesn't respond. She is still standing there in confusion.
Malini: Devi Tara!!!
Tara suddenly snaps back to reality and immediately grabs Malini's hand and rushes toward her office.
Her other two Dasis (servants) quickly follow behind them.
Malini: What happened..?!
Tara:in mind This is bad... This is bad... This is bad...
Malini: What's bad??
They quickly enter a room that works as an office for Tara's Cultural and Event Ministry.
Tara quickly starts picking out a few documents and maps and begins planning something.
Tara:in mind So he did know about the incident during Dussehra...
Scene of a flashback
A large, enormous statue of the Ten-Headed Demon King Ravana stands in the middle of an open ground, surrounded by a huge crowd. Among the crowd sit the royal ministers and nobles in a separate section very close to the statue so they can get a better view of the event.
Tara is sitting among them.
Suddenly she gets called over by someone, so she has to leave the event for a while — just at the moment when the final show is about to begin, when the statue of the Ten-Headed Demon King will finally be burned and blasted.
Tara is sitting quietly when suddenly a guard appears.
Guard: Devi Tara, you have been called by the chief sculptor of the statue urgently for an important matter.
Tara: Huhh..? B-But the statue is about to be burned. I will miss it if I go now.
Guard: He said it is very important.
Tara: Ugh... well, fine. 😮💨🙄
She goes outside of the palace grounds where the event is happening.
The chief sculptor who made the statue notices her coming and rushes toward her in fear.
Chief Sculptor: There she is..! Devi Tara!! I have something important to tell you!!
Tara: Huh? Why do you look so afraid?
Chief Sculptor: The thing is...
Scene shifts back to the Dussehra event
Lord Rama sets the statue on fire with a flaming arrow from his bow, and the statue begins burning from below.
Everyone cheers loudly and celebrates the defeat of evil.
The statue begins to crumble, and it is supposed to collapse slowly piece by piece by itself.
But instead, the legs burn first, making the statue unstable and causing it to move violently.
The people who were cheering just moments before suddenly start to panic.
The stage where the ministers, nobles, and officials are sitting begins to shake as everyone wonders what is happening.
Suddenly, the statue collapses.
Its top section falls directly onto the stage where the nobles and ministers were sitting.
Seeing it fall, every minister and noble who had been proudly showing off their royal dignity suddenly starts running like frightened cats, jumping off the stage and forgetting all their pride and status.
Tara runs back to the event and arrives only to see the fallen statue.
The ministers and nobles now have their clothes covered in dirt, and their faces are filled with shame and anger.
When everything is finally recovered and the situation calms down, Tara is seen begging for forgiveness from everyone one by one.
Flashback ends
Tara snaps back to reality.
Tara:phew Thankfully the Emperor was not attending that event… or else I probably wouldn't have been alive today... ε-(´・｀)ﾌ
Scene switches to the Emperor
The Emperor walks with his guards and servants somewhere within the palace grounds.
Then the head servant of the Emperor, whose name is Nayan, speaks.
Nayan: Prabhu (Lord), what did you say to that lady in her ear?
Chandraveer: I told her to stay near me during any event.
Nayan: Why would you do that, Prabhu? She is not the daughter of any other king to be standing right beside you.
Chandraveer: I background-checked all of the new ministers I appointed. And she has one of the best reputations among the people. Her being right beside me would automatically increase my reputation among the people as well.
Nayan: Prabhu… forgive me for speaking freely. Old minds still rule this court. A young woman standing beside the Emperor will unsettle many people.
Chandraveer: They were uneasy the day I took the throne too. They will survive this as well.
Nayan: Prabhu… what if power changes her? What if, being so close to you, she is turned against you?
Chandraveer: Nayan... we should not judge people by what they might become in the future, but by what they are doing for us right now.
Nayan: And if closeness turns into attachment… You and she are both young adults. The heart often speaks louder than reason. The court will not forgive either of you.
Chandraveer: Then the burden will be mine to carry — not hers.
Nayan: Should I keep an eye on her, Prabhu?
Chandraveer: Keep an eye on the court.
Nayan nods.
Chandraveer looks toward the setting sun with hope for a better future.
Scene shifts back to Tara
Tara is standing in deep confusion.
Two Upya Mantri (Deputy Ministers) enter the room along with Satyadhara.
Seeing Tara so serious and lost in thought, they both suddenly stop. A chill of fear runs through their bodies as they start wondering if they did something wrong.
Aryav: D-Did we do something wrong..?
Kavya: She looks so serious… WE DEFINITELY DID SOMETHING WRONG.! o((⊙﹏⊙))o
Tara notices them and calls them over.
Tara:turns and notices them Oh, you two have finally arrived... sigh come over here.
Aryav and Kavya become even more scared.
They walk closer to Tara and immediately start begging for forgiveness without even knowing what they did wrong.
Aryav & Kavya: FORGIVE US!! FORGIVE US!! FORGIVE US!! FORGIVE US!! FORGIVE US!! .·´¯(>▂<)´¯·.
Tara: H-Huh..? Did you two do something wrong?
Kavya: U-Uhm… did we..?
Aryav: I don't know...
Tara: Then why are you begging for forgiveness..?
Kavya and Aryav suddenly feel relieved when they realize they did nothing wrong.
Kavya & Aryav:phew Safe...
Malini makes an awkward face seeing how dumb they are.
Malini: (¬_¬")
Tara: Anyways… I have something to tell you all...
Kavya: W-What is it?
Tara: The Emperor wants me to stand right beside him during the Ganga Aarti...
Kavya / Aryav / Malini / Satyadhara:in shock WHAATTTTTTTTTT!!!!!
Tara: Yeah.
Kavya: B-But why?!
Tara: I don't know… I am wondering about that too...
Kavya, Aryav, and Tara all start thinking together with serious, confused expressions.
Satyadhara speaks.
Satyadhara: Forgive me, but I think you should focus on the preparations rather than wasting time thinking about this right now.
Tara: Oh! You are right! We need to check the preparations.
Kavya:stands proudly You don't need to worry about that! Aryav and I have already done everything!
Tara: That's good. But I personally need to check everything on the ground myself. So we need to go to the ghat — the riverside steps.
Kavya: Alright then.
All of them go to the Ganga Ghat to check the decorations and preparations.
They reach the ghat.
Tara: Alright… so… the ghat is clean… Decorations look good...
Tara: Are the brass lamps (deepam) arranged?
Kavya: Yes, Devi. They are arranged.
Tara: Alright… Are the royal priests available?
Aryav: Yes, Devi. They are resting near the camps beside the ghat.
Tara: Flowers… conch… and incense are available, right?
Aryav/Kavya: Yes, Devi.
Tara: Hmm… those stands where the priests will stand… we need to check if they are stable enough.
Tara: Aryav… could you please stand on it?
Aryav: O-Oh… okay...
He walks over and stands on it.
Tara: Hmmm… could you shake your body a little?
Aryav: Okay... (¬_¬")
The stand is still perfectly fine.
Tara: HMMMMMMMMM… could you jump on it a little?
Aryav: Okay! This is too much now...
Tara: We need to check it! It is so that nothing goes wrong… pleaaaaase (✿◠‿◠)
Aryav: Fine...
He jumps.
The stand remains perfectly stable.
But Aryav falls off and ends up getting wet in the river.
Aryav: Guh… I knew this would happen...
Tara: You did a great job! It is all just to make sure everything goes well and that we don't get executed by the Emperor! (^▽^)
Aryav: Ugh… I know.
Aryav is now half wet and dirty, looking visibly embarrassed.
Kavya is trying very hard to control her laughter.
Aryav: I can see you laughing... (╬▔皿▔)╯
Tara looks around and suddenly notices something.
Tara: Hmm… Hey! You see those fire lamps?
Aryav: Yeah..?
Tara: They are too close to the wooden structures and decorations. A little bit of wind could make the structure catch fire.
Kavya: Oh… you are right.
Tara:speaking to a worker Could you move those lamps further away from the decorations and wood, please?
Worker: Sure, Devi.
Tara: Oh! Also, are the entry and exit routes perfectly planned? There will be tons of people since the Emperor is also coming.
Aryav: I think so… but let's check those spots again.
They walk toward the entrance gate of the ghat.
The entrance stands tall and magnificent at the top of the stone steps leading to the sacred river.
Two massive carved pillars support a beautifully decorated archway.
The pillars are wrapped with fresh marigold garlands and mango leaves, while colorful silk banners hang from the arch, gently moving in the evening breeze.
Brass lamps have been placed along the sides of the gate, ready to be lit when dusk arrives.
Intricate carvings of lotus flowers, sacred rivers, and divine symbols decorate the stone pillars.
Above the arch, a large banner bearing the royal insignia of the empire flutters proudly, announcing the Emperor's arrival for the evening's Ganga Aarti.
Beyond the gate, a long stone pathway leads directly toward the ghat steps, where hundreds of people will soon gather to witness the sacred ceremony.
Tara stops and carefully observes the entrance.
Tara: Hmm… this won't work.
Aryav: What do you mean?
Tara points toward the pathway.
Tara: Look at this. The entry and exit are the same path.
Aryav: Yes… that's how people usually come to the ghat.
Tara: That works on normal days. But today the Emperor is coming. Thousands of people will gather. If everyone tries to enter and leave from the same path, the crowd will push against each other.
Kavya: That could cause chaos...
Tara: Exactly. If panic starts, people could get crushed on the stairs.
She turns toward the workers nearby.
Tara: Listen carefully. This entrance will be only for people entering the ghat.
Worker: Yes, Devi.
Tara: Use ropes and wooden posts to create two separate paths. The left side will be for entry, and the right side will be for exit. Place guards here to guide the crowd.
Aryav: That's a good idea.
Tara: Also place workers here to keep the path clear. No one should stop at the gate.
Worker: Understood, Devi. We will arrange it immediately.
The workers quickly begin placing ropes and wooden markers, dividing the pathway into two separate lanes.
Kavya: Devi Tara… you notice things most people would never even think about.
Tara: When you manage large gatherings, small details can save many lives.
Satyadhara: Devi Tara... it is getting late. The Ganga Aarti is about to begin. You need to dress up.
Tara: Oh yes… since I will be standing beside the Emperor, I need to look really good and shine the most among the crowd.
Malini stands proudly.
Malini: Don't worry about that, Devi! I will handle everything! I will prepare you to look the most beautiful among the entire crowd!! <(￣︶￣)>
Tara: I trust you.