The Village Girl

Chapter Fourteen - [Aaryan]

She felt so small and warm in my arms as I hugged her. But more than anything I felt relief. It was foolish of me to think it, but part of me worried that she may have forgotten me.

But she hadn't, and I was extremely relieved.

When she pulled away from me, she looked at me with a big smile.

It was almost as if she had gotten more beautiful after the three months of being away from her.

I wanted to kiss her... but I didn't. I couldn't help but think that it was too early for that.

However, as she stepped away from me, she suddenly looked shy. "Did you just arrive?" She asked, a little awkwardly.

I smiled at her, finding her sudden switch to be slightly humorous. "This morning," I said. "I was going to come straight to you, but I saw you here... I didn't know you danced... or sang."

She laughed awkwardly. "I do."

"Well," I said, "you do both very well." I meant that. And to be honest, I was rather pleased that she seemed more cultured than I already thought she was. It was attractive. And it would most likely please my mother. "You must dance for me," I said, taking her hand in mine.

She chuckled, still with some shyness.

"Come," I said. "I have a present for you."

Her shyness suddenly vanished. "I don't want a present," she snapped.

"Why?" I asked as I pulled her towards my horse.

"I already have this," she held her arm up, showing me my bangle. I was relieved to see that she still wore it, though it was pulled up to sit tightly around her upper arm. I wasn't surprised surprised she chose to do that, it was quite big for her, afterall.

"That's more of a keepsake-"

"I still don't want it," she said.

"Just come," I said.

"Where?"

I didn't say anything, instead, I lifted the sweaty and suddenly panicking girl up onto my horse without her permission.

---

When we arrived back at that small lake from her stories, Seetha slipped off my horse and collapsed onto the floor once again. After helping her up, I looked at her in disbelief. "How could you be frightened of riding a horse?"

"I don't like horses," she said.

My eyes widened. "How could you say such a thing?" I asked. "You have a cow."

"Cows are kind creatures. Horses... can kill people. They can knock them down and trample them to death."

I stroked the mane of my glorious horse Bhumi, named after the earth which had rich soil that matched his dark brown colour. He was now the pride of all the stable men back at home. Though he was a simple brown colour and did not look as glorious as some of the other horses, he was large, strong and fiercely obedient.

He was misjudged when he was young... people refusing him when he was younger for his simple dark brown colour. Most warriors and kings and princes preferred beautiful white horses or frightening black horses.

But I had selected him myself, seeing the strength in the young horse before it had even developed.

And now he was the strongest and most favourite horse in the kingdom. He was a warhorse who would not run off even in the fiercest of battles. He, like me, was covered in battle wounds, a testament to his bravery and reliability.