CHAPTER 7- Macherla

1538, Fort Town Macherla, Golconda Sultanate.

Rudra followed a brick road, which was laid from the dock to the town. It was less than half an hour since the sun had risen, and people were already popping up on the road. There was not yet much traffic coming into the town, but the people who were already in the town and were starting to move out, to leave to their respective destinations as soon as possible.

Holi, the festival of colors, was just around the corner. Due to this reason, towns and cities all over the sub-continent will be bustling with activity. While this provides ample opportunities for merchants and other craftsmen, it also causes a spike in criminal activity.

To mitigate the security risk caused by this, additional security was added at the gate. This ensures that proper security will be maintained in the town. The bribes that the soldiers collect for letting people and their goods in, is an added benefit.

By the time Rudra reached the gate, there were a few people in front of him. He didn't see them at his side of the dock, so these people either came from the other side of the bridge from Dharanikota or the Sultanate's lands.

There were also a lot of people coming outside of the town from the other gate. As expected, that gate is only guarded by two soldiers. These people only set up a checkpoint to extract money from visitors and new merchants. It would be a lot easier for an established merchant because of their connections to the soldiers employed by the town.

Checkpoints like this are more common and were also fortified on the side of the town facing the territories of Dharanikota. That was also the side of town, that would be expected to face the initial attack from an invading army.

"Next!" the soldier yelled, prompting Rudra to move forward as he was the next in line.

"Name?"

"Rudra."

"Reason for visit?" the soldier questioned.

"Meeting a few close friends of mine. I will never see them again after this visit." Rudra explained, acting very eager and excited.

"Submit your bag for a check to the check post officer. We need to make sure, you are not carrying anything 'prohibited', and smuggling in any goods." the soldier stated with a bland tone. It looked like the next shift soldiers had not yet arrived and these people were from the last night's shift.

Rudra then moved forward to the officer in the next position, who had just completed checking the luggage of the merchant who was in line before him.

Rudra waited as the officer, then checked his bag for anything he could tax on. There was also the sword he was carrying on his belt, but most don't think of it as an illegal item.

"Alright. Looks mostly clear. Wait, what is this?" while checking the bag, the officer removed a small jar made of pottery from it and proceeded to open it. All he found inside were ashes.

"What is this? Ashes? Some kind of dye? You do know that smuggling in color dyes during the Holi festival is illegal right? The Sultan prohibits from celebrating 'kafir' festivals. " while saying this, the officer leaned closer to Rudra, as if to tell him a secret. "If you are smuggling any items for the festival, bring them either late at night or before sunrise in the morning. It would make both of our lives easier." 

'These people are openly advertising their corruption' Rudra thought as he shook his head to the officer.

"No, officer. Those are ashes..." Rudra was in the middle of completing the sentence, when the man, confirming that it was not a dye, put a finger in it and licked it.

"... of a friend. I have to deliver them to his family." he finished. The officer, realizing what he had done, spluttered out the ash particles from his mouth, and dropped the urn while doing so.

Rudra's instincts kicked in, and with a grace which he did not have before his second death, he jumped over the inspection table and caught the urn before it fell to the ground.

The officer fell into a coughing fit while trying to dig out those cremated ashes from his tongue with his bare fingers. The soldier at the gate and some from the side managing the exit looked at the recovering officer with worry and caution. 

Rudra's free hand slowly reached out to the sword at his waist. If the situation goes out of control, because the officer was offended by the fact that he licked cremated ashes, he may have to fight his way out of here.

But, thankfully things didn't seem to be headed that way.

The officer, after he recovered from his coughing fit, seemed quite embarrassed for what had happened. He immediately apologized to his co-workers, prompting them to continue their work. 

He then turned to Rudra, and spoke in a whisper, though his tone conveyed his distaste and anger. "Can't you have said that sooner? You made me lick human ashes." 

Listening to the words of the officer, Rudra had a questioning look on his face. It was him who had licked the stuff, before properly knowing what it was. Where Rudra expected outrage and lashing out from the officer, there were only whispered protests.

Seeing the look on his face, the check post officer turned further embarrassed." Alright, Alright. I thought you were bringing in a new spice mix. People say all sorts of things to avoid paying customs." he completed.

"I'm sorry you thought that way officer. I'll be sure to advertise what they are next time." Rudra stated, the dry humor apparent in his voice.

"That's it. The search has already taken enough time. I'm required to inform you that under the decree of his royal majesty, Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk Shah, the great pillar of this land, and implemented by his loyal servant, Governor Hasan Abdullah, any festivals belonging to kafirs will not be celebrated in the lands of the sultan. Any violators will be punished if caught." the officer briskly recited the decree of the Sultan of Golconda, Quli Qutb Shah.

Rudra nodded and moved forward when he heard one last thing from the officer, "Remember, the violators will be punished, if they get caught." with a special emphasis on the last part.

A small smile formed on Rudra's face when he heard that. Looks like the local people do not like their festivals getting banned. It would be better for local authorities to follow these types of orders, as loosely as possible. It would keep the public calm and prevent unnecessary revolts.

The Qutb shahs in the original timeline were known to be amiable to the local culture and even adopted the local language as the court language. But it was not the case initially. The earlier Qutb shahs, like the first one ruling now in this timeline, imposed a lot of restrictions on the local population, preventing them from celebrating their festivals and not allowing them any official positions.

It was not until the middle and late periods of the sultanate, did they become more open to the locals. The changes in the power structure and rise of Hindus, more specifically Brahmins, in the sultanate's court, was one of the reasons, the mad Emperor of the peacock throne, Aurangzeb, gave for the invasion of Golconda.

"May I know your name officer?" Rudra asked the man.

"Ahmed" the officer said, raising an eyebrow at the question. Rudra just nodded as a reply. He would remember the man. Humility is an important virtue after all.

Rudra Deva, the prince of Dharanikota, then exited the check post and officially entered the Fort town of Macherla. He had 'friends' waiting for him in the town after all.