Arjun ducked instinctively, heart pounding so loud the wolf cub could probably hear it.
He'd only peeked for a second — but in that heartbeat, the world had shifted.
Because the girl in the palanquin had looked straight at him.
Not like she saw a stranger.
Like she expected him.
Blade whimpered softly, ears flattening.
"Yeah, I know," Arjun whispered.
"That was weird. Really, really weird."
He watched the caravan roll forward — guards armored in bronze and leather, spears tipped with crescent blades. Their silence said everything.
These weren't merchants.
This was royalty.
Do not get involved, Arjun's brain screamed.
He'd read enough isekai novels to know the rule: Avoid nobles until you can blow up mountains.
He ducked lower.
But destiny didn't care for his plans.
From the curtained palanquin, Tara's breath hitched.
That wasn't hallucination.
That was him — the boy from her visions — the one whose life and death twined with hers through threads she didn't understand.
She gripped the curtain edge and leaned forward.
"Stop."
Her voice wasn't loud — but it carried authority sharpened by training and bloodline.
The caravan halted instantly.
Soldiers straightened, hands to weapons.
A guard captain trotted to her window.
"Devi Tara? Is something wrong?"
Tara swallowed, mind racing.
How could she explain?
She couldn't say:
"Oh, I've been dreaming of a boy for days and he just stared at me from those bushes."
Instead, she said simply:
"There is someone watching us."
The guard's expression hardened.
He raised a hand, signaled — and a squad of soldiers broke formation, scanning the trees.
Arjun's stomach dropped.
"Oh come on!" he hissed.
"Couldn't just…pretend you didn't see me?"
He lifted Blade and sprinted silently deeper into the trees — or tried to.
But the forest floor betrayed him.
A loose rock rolled under his foot.
Arjun stumbled — and crashed face-first into a bush.
Blade tumbled out, squeaking indignantly.
A soldier spun.
"There!"
Arjun cursed under his breath.
So much for stealth.
Tara stepped down from the palanquin — her sandals softly touching the leaf-covered ground.
Guards stared, horrified.
"Devi, please—"
She raised her hand.
"I'll handle this."
Her calm voice brooked no disagreement.
With long strides, she crossed the forest floor — eyes locked on the boy trying to extract himself from a thorn bush while clutching a baby wolf like a teddy bear.
Arjun finally pulled free, hair full of leaves.
He froze.
She stopped in front of him.
For a moment — neither spoke.
Tara saw:
A too-thin boy in rough forest cloth,
Scratched arms,
Fierce eyes that didn't match his age,
A wolf pup nuzzled against his chest.
Arjun saw:
A princess who didn't act like one,
Gray eyes sharp as monsoon lightning,
A crescent mark glowing faintly between her brows,
Strength — not physical, but inside her gaze.
Blade let out a soft, uncertain growl.
Tara blinked at the cub.
Her expression softened just a fraction.
Arjun shuffled backward.
"Uh. Hi. Sorry. I was just… passing through."
Good job, brain.
Couldn't have sounded more suspicious if he tried.
Tara's lips twitched — not quite a smile, not quite judgment.
"What is your name?"
He hesitated.
His old name felt distant, like a skin he'd shed.
But the new name wasn't fully his yet.
"…Arjun," he answered quietly.
"Arjun Ashkiran."
Tara inhaled sharply.
The mark on her forehead warmed.
It's really him.
Arjun noticed her reaction and panicked internally.
Great. She recognized it. Am I, like… famous? A missing kid? A criminal heir?
He forced a casual shrug.
"Look, I'm not… whoever you think I am. I'm just—"
"You're hunted."
Arjun froze.
Tara continued, voice steady but low:
"There are marks of shadow poison on your clothes.
You've been attacked."
Arjun stared.
How could she tell?
Tara lifted her chin slightly, choosing her words with care.
"The forest is dangerous for children. You shouldn't be alone."
Arjun almost laughed.
If only she knew he wasn't originally a child.
Before he could reply, Blade yelped.
A soldier had moved closer, spear angled — not at Arjun, but at the cub.
"Feral beasts belong in the wild," the guard barked.
"They carry plague—"
The spear jabbed forward.
Blade whimpered.
Arjun reacted without thinking.
Energy surged from his palm — a ripple of air that shattered the spear-tip like dry twigs.
Soldiers staggered back, stunned eyes turning to the boy.
Arjun stared down at his hand.
Even weaker than before — but unmistakable.
Magic.
Tara bit back a gasp.
That power — even raw and uncontrolled — matched the visions.
A hush fell across the clearing.
Then the guard captain bowed, breath shaking.
"Devi Tara… he is gifted. And if the shadows pursue him—"
"It means he is important," Tara finished quietly.
Important to who?
To what?
And why did fate drag her into it?
She turned to Arjun.
"Come with me."
Arjun gaped.
"What? No! I barely know where I am!"
"Exactly," she replied.
"And these woods are not safe. If the cult hunting you returns, you won't survive twice."
He bristled. "I survived the first time."
Tara's gaze flicked to the cut across Blade's side — hastily healed but still tender.
"You didn't survive alone."
That hit harder than expected.
Arjun swallowed.
He wasn't helpless — but he was lost.
Tara extended her hand.
"Come. To Nandivana. The palace will protect you."
Arjun stared at her hand — at the girl who trusted a stranger based only on calling of fate.
Everything inside him said don't.
He had no idea what palace life meant. He didn't know the politics, the threat, the expectations.
But another part of him — the part that swam in glowing sigils — whispered:
This is the first step.
The path you're meant to walk.
He met Tara's gaze.
She waited — patient, steady, unafraid.
Blade pressed his nose into Arjun's chest, as if nudging him forward.
Arjun exhaled.
"Fine," he muttered.
"But if this turns into some royalty drama—"
"You'll walk away?" Tara asked, amused.
Arjun managed a grin. "No — I'll run. Again."
Tara turned, curtain swaying as she led him toward the waiting soldiers.
The guard captain barked orders, reshuffling formation to mirror an escort — not for a prisoner, but for a precious charge.
Arjun walked beside Tara, Blade tucked securely in his arms.
He didn't see the shadow flitting through the treetops — the hooded scout who had watched everything.
He didn't hear the distant chanting rising from a hidden cave beneath the forest.
But he would soon learn:
A lost heir walking into a palace was not the end of danger.
It was the beginning.
To be continued...