When the king landed on the shore, a small crowd was waiting. The commander recognized the chieftain, the herdsman, the headman, and the old man. There were a few other familiar faces but he wasn't familiar with them. The king himself was accompanied by the commander and the governor of Nokkhottro. The sordar and his cavalry had swum to the shore beforehand and were now standing in two neat lines on either side of the king's approach. The commander did the introductions and when the mutual greetings were complete the chieftain said ' The queen has sent her regards', and as he raised his hand, an elephant appeared from the forest. The animal ambled on as the crowd parted to make way and it sat down yards from the king. The huge basket tied on his back indicated that it was meant to be the king's carrier. The chieftain helped the king onboard. The basket, made from cane and bamboo, was generously padded with rugs and covered with mats. It was spacious enough for both the king and the chieftain to sit with their legs stretched out and it even had a pitcher and a couple of pots for water and refreshments during the journey.
The boats, laden with goods from the cargo vessel, started to arrive at the shore. The boatmen unloaded them on the shore and immediately a group of villagers started to load them on the waiting ox-carts. Chotu and the sordar supervised the process. It took a while to unload and load as the cargo vessel carried a huge bulk. Finally, the last sack was loaded on the cart. Chotu and the sordar gave the carts a thorough check and were satisfied with the way all the goods were neatly organized and secured. Soon, another procession was on its way to the forest road; twelve ox-carts, each pulled by four sturdy beasts, and an assortment of herdsmen and soldiers guarding the carts followed Chotu and the sordar. Though the oxen were strong the carts were heavy too and the procession went no faster than a brisk walking speed. They would rest little and would even walk through the night; the torches, similar to those which had protected the camp all those days, would protect them during the night safari.
The king's troupe made steady progress and there was still light enough when they reached Palash Nogor. The elephant slowed down to a walk and allowed the king to explore the wonderland in front of him. Three huge ponds glowed like sapphires in the soft afternoon light, lush green fields crisscrossed by a maze of canals stretched as far as his eyes could see, and although they weren't in blaze yet, the scattered blooms of the Polash burnt like embers in the sky. The place didn't have the dusty, perched smell of the forest he had passed through, instead, it had a wet, rich aroma of his own country.
The elephant stopped in front of the queen's house and sat down. The chieftain climbed down and then helped the king to dismount. 'What a handsome king you have brought to us' a merry voice greeted them. The king smiled pleasantly and bowed low. When he raised his head the queen held his chin and locked into his eyes, the king felt that she has dived into the depth of his soul. 'Bless you, my child' she smiled serenely and said after a few moments. The king had also looked into her eyes, and all he could see was that they hold no malaise for anything. The chieftain proceeded to introduce the assembly of chieftains and elders while the king introduced the commander and the governor. 'Ah, the shy one; I thought you have run away for good' the queen teased the commander. 'Whatever business you have with him can wait till the morning; tonight, I will have him for myself' she said to her council, then she took the king's hand and took him inside the hall. 'I hope you are not a shy one too, dear, I had so much trouble chatting with your envoy' the queen pleaded. 'I feel I can talk with you for an eternity' the king said cordially. 'Excellent' the queen clapped in joy.
Of course, they didn't talk for an eternity, they didn't even talk through the night. But they did talk well into the night and when the lamps burnt really low, the king was ushered to his room. After breakfast on the following morning, the commander informed the king that the gifts are ready for handover. The gifts now occupied a portion of the plaza in front of the queen's house. There were huge earthen jars and there were small metal pots, there were cloth sacks and there were cane baskets. They were organized in a manner that the same type of goods clustered together. 'Why don't you and the governor do the honor as it's you two who have done the hard work' the king suggested. And so it went, the commander would open a container, put a small amount of the product on a plate and the governor would present it to the queen with some introduction, if necessary. After the queen, the plate would circle around among the elders and chieftains. The audience was already familiar with the rice, the ghee, and the cloth, but the michri (rock-sugar) was a novelty to them as was the dried-fish. Finally, only two earthen jars, as huge as those that carried rice, remained. The commander poured out a golden liquid. 'Reri Tel (castor oil)' the governor said, 'This is what we use for our lamps and torches' the king added.
After a while people gathered in the hall room. The king and the queen sat in the middle, facing each other while the chieftains, elders, the commander, and the governor formed a circle around them. The room started to fill up. 'Come love, sit beside me' the queen said to Suborna who was attempting to sit along the wall. For a few awkward moments, she stood out like a sore thumb, and then she made her way beside the queen. 'I guess it's only fair that the future queen has her say in this discussion' she asked the assembly, there was a murmur of agreement.
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