The Mosquito and the Lion

eighteen

Arjun hated peas.

The spheres rolled along his plate, drifting from one edge to the next. He frowned, stabbing one with the gold tine of his fork, watching the green mush spill out from its encasing.

"Don't play with your food, Arjun," his Mother scolded him from across the table. An elegant woman, with slender hands and refined features. Though his Father's hair was turning gray, Mother's was as black as the night sky. "And eat your peas. You want to be a strong warrior, don't you?"

He scrunched his nose. She was right, of course. He did want to be a strong warrior — as strong as his Baba's nickname for him. But he did not see how these small, tasteless orbs would help him fight a battalion of men.

And he was positive he had seen some kulfi in the kitchens. Surely, ice cream would strengthen him up just as much as peas would.

"Amma!" he whined, dropping his fork with a clang. "I'm full!"

His Mother smiled at him, her light brown eyes twinkling with amusement. "I'll let you practice with a real sword if you finish them." Her voice was like a melody, captivating him with promises and ensnaring him with her charm.

He perked up at the thought of practicing with actual steel. Baba only ever let him use the wooden ones, and Rahul teased him relentlessly for it. Scrunching his eyes, he scooped a few peas into his mouth. He could not hide the shudder rippling through his body.

Amma laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling with mirth. "Oh hush." She reached forward and tousled his hair, the affection evident in every move. "All right, go play. No more peas."

He grinned and threw himself into his Mother's arms. "You're the best, Amma!" And then, he jumped to the floor and scampered to the training grounds.

When he glanced back to blow Amma a kiss, he was surprised to see the smile had vanished from her face. There was someone with her, though Arjun could not see who. All he saw was the tension in his Mother's shoulders and the fear in her eyes.

She caught him staring and smiled at him, waving him off. But something was wrong. The smile did not reach her eyes, and Arjun wondered if he should call his Baba.

But then she waved him off again, and there was no one he trusted more in this world than his Amma.

And so, he fled to the grounds, pushing aside any worries and instead dreaming up a plan to take his cousin down. For three moons, he did not ask his Mother any questions about that day. Indeed, after three moons, he had almost forgotten that someone had frightened his Amma.

Until he found her dead body. And then he never forgot again.

♛♛♛

Arjun awoke with a gasp.

His heart thudded in his chest, drowning out the sounds of the jungle. He sputtered for air, clutching his aching head. Frantic, he struggled to recall where he was.

His leg. The poison. The tiger.

Alia.

"Whoa, whoa!" he felt hands pushing down his shoulders, forcing him to stay on the ground. That was strange. The last thing he recalled was Alia poisoning him in the tree.

He blinked his eyes rapidly, waiting for his vision to adjust. When the sunlight no longer seized his temples, he saw Rahul staring down at him, his own eyes wide with worry. Arjun glanced behind his cousin, but Vidya was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?" he choked out. His head was throbbing with a dull ache, and though his nerve endings no longer felt like they were on fire, a steady pain permeated his muscles and joints.