The war finally tore me away from the arms of my lover. Amarisa wept amidst her well wishes. Her face was reddened like a plucked lotus, which made my own heart constricted with sadness. We held each other tightly as we'd had such a short moment of married life together. Now I had to be apart from my wife, and neither of us could know what would happen afterward.

Amarisa raised her eyes to meet mine. I saw they were ruddy from her long secret weeping. She knew she should never cry on the day of our departure. What else could she do with the fear and distress now mounting inside her heart? What would she do with all the worries she could not express in words for they might bring bad luck to me?

Before our army marched out of the Victory Gate at the break of dawn, I went to my mother, who had come to see us off despite her frail condition. I kneeled at her feet and bowed as she hugged me and blessed me.

"May your enemies run far away from you. Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surround you on all sides," she said and kissed my forehead.

All the avatars came to her later, kneeling beside her, asking for the same blessing. I watched her stroke their heads and chant the same mantra of protection, but I could already imagine that she would later sob bitterly to herself. She was like a mother to everyone, and the thorns of regret had plunged into the depth of her heart.

I held her again, trying to send a message with my embrace that she shouldn't blame herself. Ravana would sooner or later sack the kingdom, and all lives would perish. Not even gods could stop him, and the vision that Indra had me glimpsed would turn into reality. She had done the right thing.

I hugged Amarisa one last time before we left. Not until the trumpets were blown and soldiers came to escort me that I forced myself to release her.

At the Victory Gate, everyone was in his or her finest armors. They carried their weapons of choice: swords spears, and bows. A handful of handmaidens also accompanied us, yet the whole time I did not see Kesar.

After King Jayavarman mounted his gold-cloaked elephant, the other kings and ministers and their princes also mounted theirs. Queen Indradevi already settled inside her golden carriage. In front of us, I could see the innumerable red and gold sunshades as the troops lead the escort. Then came the bearers of flags and banners and the musicians, following by the other palace attendants. Some of the maidens also carried lances and shields as the soldiers. There were roughly four to five hundred thousand. The journey was proceeded by the generals and royal guards riding chariots drawn by horses and oxen with more than one hundred parasols flecked with gold.

When the horns and war drums sounded, we began to sally forward. Gajasimha, the lion king, swayed as his heavy feet thumped on the dusty ground. Sitting atop his back, I let myself sway with him. People stared at us in awe. The other spectacular mount beside mine was Morokot's gigantic rhino, which she brought along. All the avatars were in their celestial armors, riding on horses and chariots. I had to admit that they looked like gods.

From a distance, the marching army would look like a long body of a serpent going through the path. It was all hectic and full of cheers, but also with a trace of subtle despair. I saw a woman running after her husband, giving him a package of food she had prepared. I saw crying children and sad elderly, waving as we went slowly out of the city. Some of us might not return, or maybe all of us. The heartbreaking thought turned my stomach into knots.

I looked back at the direction of the palace. Its unwavering golden peaks and towers glimmered in the sun. I caught a glimpse of my beloved wife. Amarisa was standing by the gate with my mother. They held each other, looking at us. I waved at them as they grew smaller and smaller until a curtain of fine dust hid them out of my sight.

We rode ahead, our prancing steeds matching each other. Our journey would have taken weeks if it wasn't for Tepi, who shrunk the earth so we could reach the border in mere days.

The army was going uninterrupted until we reached the very edge of the empire. The first view of the battlefield was hazy from the heat. One of the widest plains far off the corner of my eyes hosted our military base. We climbed up the grassy hill that lay all the way to those mountain ranges. The forest stood like hidden mysteries. We stopped there for a moment, surveying our camp and the areas around it. In the sky, the crows squeaked. I could see dark clouds stirred beyond those green boundaries and hoped it was anything but an omen.

~*~

After the sun hung low on the horizon, the King called the first council meeting. A large pavilion had been set up and filled with rows of small tables and mats. The center was devoted to an earthen replica of the kingdom's geography. It was completed with miniature camps, mountains, a nearby lake and the thick forest.

At the front of the room sat the other royalties and the avatars. Tepi sat beside me, ready to answer my questions. The King and Queen came in and took their places. We started with basic things, food supplies, weapons, and animals.

"The news has arrived that the southern king has pledged his full alliance to the Asuras," one of the ministers informed us during the meeting. A round of angry hiss came from some of the men.

I turned to Tepi.

"How could mortals come into contact with the demons?"

"Have you forgotten, my friend?" she said. "Demons have been working with mortals since the dawn of time, and those who have reincarnated as humans are the worst of their kind."

"Your Majesty, should we not perhaps try diplomacy?" an old king spoke up.

"What do you wish to gain from a vicious demon king and his heart of cruelty?" another king said. "If you dare not go out and fight, don't try to dishearten our chosen warriors for we're not cowards and afraid of dying."

"Calm down, respected kings," the Queen spoke in a delicate yet authoritative voice. "If war comes within our own people, we are doomed and would not stand a chance against the villains. Therefore, I beg for your patience."

"Then what shall we do, my gracious queen?"

She turned to the avatars. Then her eyes drifted to mine. For a moment, it seemed she wanted to say something to me, given the fact that I was chosen to lead this war as the Prophesied One, I had the right to decide, but then she just looked at Sambo instead.

"Wise son of Genesh, what is your say on this matter?"

"If you will hear me, Your Majesty, I would suggest you bid us stay our ground and wait," the Guru said without further contemplation.

"We have to wait?" Issarak said in disbelief. He didn't look so pleased with the suggestion.

"Yes, dear cousin," Sambo said with a solemn nod. "The enemy is hidden in the dark while we are in the light. As a true warrior, you should've known that patience is a crucial part of fighting. We must wait and be prepared until the time is right."

"Very well then," King Jayavarman spoke at last. "We will do as you advised."

The night slowly descended as we discussed more of the war strategies. The King was proven a military genius since his youth. He was the first ruler to form powerful platoons known as the 'Sena', named after the army of Lord Krishna, the Narayani Sena from the epic battle, the Mahabharata. They were skilled combatants assigned to protect each warrior who would ride their mount into the battle.

The avatars argued when it came to arranging the soldiers into the formations. Tusita wanted to set them into Vajra-vyuha or the thunderbolt formation. Issarak wanted Garuda-vyuha, the eagle formation, but Vorac said we should use Chandrakala-vyuha, the crescent moon or curved blade formation. It was mainly in honor of me as the Prophesied One. Yet we still couldn't reach a solid decision. There was nothing else we could do but to wait.

My own tent was set near the lake by the other avatars' and quite far away from the royal tents. The first night was half spent in an uneasy sleep, perhaps from missing my beloved Amarisa. I woke up sore from moving around all day inspecting the camp. The tent that hosted me felt oppressive all of a sudden. I stepped outside through the canvas door, eager to catch some breeze.

The air outside was perfumed with night flowers. But I did not hear the cries of wild birds, not even the owls, as if they were hiding. It was quiet and strangely so. With the glowing light of burning torches around the camp, I walked to the lake and sniffed the fragrant Romdul trees. The sky was pitched black with no stars. I realized it was the beginning of the darkest month of the year.

Suddenly I noticed a maiden by the bank of the lake. It seemed she was gathering some water into a silver beaten bowl. At first, I thought it was one of the palace women, but when I saw those lengthy golden wings tugged under a thin scarf, I knew who that was.

"Kesar!"

She turned around and saw me. The winged-maiden gasped, looking like a frightened fawn under the glare of a hunter. Then she unfolded her wings, spreading them wide as if ready to fly away.

"Do not run from me, Kesar!" I said sharply, causing her to recoil in fear.

"My...my lady..." she stuttered.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were staying in the city."

"I...I..."

Kesar knew that I was not pleased to see her. I looked at her hands clutching the silver bowl nervously. Then her eyes darted briefly to a wooden carriage standing under the tree. Everything seemed suspicious.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing, my lady," she said hurriedly when my head turned to follow her gaze. I frowned at her. The look on her face told me she was clearly hiding something. After a moment, I turned and walked toward the carriage.

"My lady, no!" Kesar called after me, but I kept walking.

Once I reached the chariot, I pulled open the wooden door. A sharp gasp of air came from someone inside. Under the light of the campfire, Amarisa's face stunned me with its beauty.

"Amarisa?" I breathed in utter shock. My stomach churned, awash with both apprehension and relief.

"Nikita," she whispered my name with a hint of dread. For a moment, we simply stared at each other speechless. Then my head turned abruptly back to Kesar, who immediately kneeled to the ground in apology.

"Forgive me, my lady," she said. "I knew it was foolish of me to bring her here."

"Kesar, what on earth are you thinking?"

"Do not blame her, Nikita," Amarisa said. She was using her princess's voice. She got off the carriage and turned to Kesar, reaching down to pull the trembling maiden up. "If you must blame, blame it on me. I longed to come to you on my own. She merely obeyed my wish."

"You know there's no guarantee for your safety here," I said with an angry voice. "I must take you to your parents. They will send you back to the city..."

I would have continued then if Amarisa hadn't hurled herself at me. Her arms wound around my body in desperation. Her sweet scent drowned me with its sharp joy. I realized how much my own heart agonized to see her. We hugged each other for a while then pulled away. Amarisa's eyes glittered with tears as she stared back at my face.

"I just couldn't bear the thought of not seeing you again," she said. Her voice broke.

"Shh...it's alright, it's alright," I said, stroking her cheeks with my palms. "We will talk about it tomorrow. Now you can't hide in the carriage forever. Let me take you to my tent."

She nodded quietly. But before we left, I turned to Kesar.

"You too, Kesar," I said, causing the Kennari to look up. "Amarisa will need someone as her companion."

She bowed in acceptance. Then the two of them followed me back to the main camp. Kesar later insisted she could stay with one of the other palace maidens while Amarisa and I stayed together. It was the most sensible option.

There was nothing else I could do, and the rest of the night I spent consoling Amarisa until we both fell asleep.