The Rule
The long, sonorous notes rolled over the crowd, commanding silence before the first voice rang out with trained authority.
“Make way for Her Majesty, Queen Inayat, sovereign of this land!”
Cheers rippled across the stands as the queen appeared, radiant in a lehenga of white silk trimmed with gold. The crown upon her brow caught the sun like fire, her presence regal, unshaken, the very embodiment of power and grace.