Part of the Aurel Stein Archives and Collections Conference: A decade before his first Central Asian expedition, Aurel Stein embarked on an ambitious project to acquire and translate the twelfth century Kashmiri chronicle Rajatarangini (1892 and 1900). For this, he teamed up with a well-known scholar from the region Pandit Govind Kaul. They went on to work on multiple projects over the next decade, up until Kaul’s death in 1899. The Stein-Kaul relationship has been commented upon by Stein’s biographers and other scholars, largely drawing from the wholesome tribute that Stein included in Hatim’s Tales (1923) to his old friend. This paper extends this discussion on the scholarly dynamics between Stein and Kaul by refocussing the archival lens on Kaul’s letters, written in Sanskrit and untranslated so far, contained in the Stein archives at the Bodleian Library. In doing so through select translations, it places the words and sentiments of the Kashmiri scholar in focus, to reveal a deep friendship that was balanced with a nuanced, sometimes-complex working dynamic as well as Kaul’s critical role in the success of Rajatarangini that is not captured in Stein's own narrative.