I
Protection begins before passage
The guardian meets the visitor at the edge, where stone turns arrival into ceremony.
The Gate Remembers
II
Five strides hold a single promise
Frontal stillness and profile movement share one body, so the sentinel never leaves its post.
III
Words are carved to outlast witness
The royal inscription crosses the body in measured bands, preserving the charge in every age.
IV
Pigment survives as an honest trace
Ochre, red earth, and blue remain sparingly present: evidence, never an imagined repaint.