Chapter 04- Search

In the meanwhile, royal palace was facing a total rectification process. King Vasmbha sat on chair in royal study room while was looking at door of study room as if he was waiting someone. After some time, a young man came into study room and greeted the king.

"A thousand blessings for your majesty"

"Please sit" Vasambha said to the youth with some impatience and he obeyed the order while sitting on a mat in front of king's study table.

"Have you found out?"

"No your majesty. No one saw princes after king Subha took her to his bedroom."

"Have you checked the secret tunnel?"

"Yes, your majesty. With your permission, we checked that secret tunnel which started with the king's bedroom. We found it direct to place in the outer city near the west road. Also, we found some traces of recent use in that tunnel. We suspect the king used this tunnel to go outer city secretly. "

"Do you find traces of the princess in the tunnel?"

"We checked it. But only found some messy footprints outside of the tunnel which marked the same night of our attack."

"It seems the king handover princess to another person. Have you checked the person who left attack day?"

"It seems to be hard work."

"Why is that?"

"That night king ordered city guards to join the attack and permitted to leave any person to leave the city as their wish. He ordered to not to check anything about the person who leave city and not to record about people who leave city."

"What an ingenious plan"

"Your majesty, why are you saying that?"

"Bandula, think about it. If the king had not been ordered to act like this someone may recognize the baby child and guardian of that girl while was checking. Even if it will not happen, many babies will cry after he or she handover  to an unfamiliar person. So with the attitude of baby, that man was surely jailed that night for child abduction. So it will be a hard task to send a baby with this security. So he ordered security guards to centralize the south gate and fewer guards in other gates to make it more available to depart from the city to anyone. With the situation, no one will also not much suspect this. "

"Wow… what a conspiracy." Bandula replied with some admiration.

"Indeed. That's why said it. Now it will become more and more hard to find princess. What about royal seal? Have you found it?"

"Your majesty, we still finding it."

"I think it is hands of person who took princess."

"In that case it will become so hard to find royal seal."

"So what? Whether it hard or easy we have to do this?"

"Your majesty, if the royal seal is also with the person who takes care princess, maybe that person went to Chola, Chera, Pandya or Kerala kingdom?"

"Your assumption may be right. Because they surely left from the western road. So they may depart from the western shore. "

"Then what do we do?"

"It is still two days since the disappearance of the princess. So there should not go long distances if they did not depart from the country. Also with this rainy climate person who took the princess will travel slowly. So send the order to get a list of baby girls birthed within four months to a week ago in every household of the western side and 20 Yodun area around the capital and ask people that if they saw a baby girl within this age range who passing this area within month time.  Specially check families who adopted children, who gave birth to twins and children taken from the capital and ask every boat, ship and ferry in western shore that if they have seen a person who took little baby girl to travel Jambudweepa or other country."Vasambha said.

"Your majesty, I will order to royal guards to active now."Bandula nodded to Vasambha king and tried to get up from seat.

"Wait. I have to say another thing." King said and Bandula sat on his seat to hear the orders of his king attentively. As a young general, Bandula had good skills to handle many situations cleverly. So he got trust of Vasambha from the time of being a gangster. He had dark complexion with short and strong physique but had clear long eyes that could see things clearly.

"You have to remember to tell no one can hurt or kill that baby. King Subha was accepted as the king by theros and people. So any situation she is still a princess in our country. So we have to treat like her as a princess. So order the people who join search party to never hurt princess or her guardian if they found "

"Yes your majesty. "Bandula said and left the royal study room. Vasambha looked at the departing figure at some time and went to inner court of his quietly.

 Yodun - This is ancient distance measurement unit in Sri Lanka. Most of source says that 1 Yodun is equal to 4miles in British unit system.