The Village Girl

Chapter Sixteen - [Aaryan]

The entirety of my day was spent in training and then planning. A new group of soldiers were brought to the Western Fort for the sake of defence and all of those men were practically useless. It was going to take a lot more than simple training to make these men real warriors.

On top of that we had received news that there were small groups of rebels making their way towards us. Things were beginning to get busier. There was planning that needed to be done and warriors who needed to be prepared.

Once our meetings had come to a close, I returned to my room rather quickly. I had promised Seetha to come see her family tonight... and I wasn't going to break such a promise.

After dressing in my simplest of outfits, I got onto Bhumi and rode down towards the village. Most villagers didn't even turn in my direction, not knowing who I was. It was rather relaxing. I never liked being feared by people who had no need to fear me.

Like back at the palace.

No servant would dare to meet my eyes and they would never say anything to me unless it was completely necessary.

Then there were the nobles... constantly trying to stay on my good side. It was all an act, I knew, and I hated that too.

So it was nice being someone unknown. Someone who people wouldn't necessarily care about, but would smile at if we were to meet eyes.

When I reached the hill that led down to Seetha's small home, I got off of Bhumi and led him down the dirt path. The inside of her home was lit up with a dim, orangish light. There were also some young children running around outside, playing with sticks.

When I reached them, my presence attracted the attention of these children. Without any hesitation, the two boys and three girls came running towards me.

"Are you the warrior?" One of the extremely skinny boys asked. He, and the rest, had bodies that could be compared to the sticks they were holding. They looked nothing like the little children who ran around the palace grounds.

"I am," I said to him as he stared at me with wide eyes.

"Wow!"

"I want to be a warrior!" The little girl practically shouted.

I chuckled, amused. "Do you?"

She nodded eagerly, snatching the stick from the boy. She held it like a sword and began swinging it around. "I can fight!"

"And who taught you how to fight, little one?" I asked, messing her hair.

"I did!" She pointed at herself proudly

The little boys began to laugh. "Girls can't be warriors!" One of the boys said, making the girl frown.

"That's not necessarily true," I said. "Durga is our warrior goddess. A woman."

The boys fell silent and the little girl began to grin. "I'll be Durga!" She shouted. "Like Appapa says!"

I smiled, as appapa meant grandfather, I assumed Seetha's father treated his granddaughter the same way he treated his daughter.

"Aaryan?"

When I turned around I saw a nervous looking Seetha.

"You're early," she said.

"Am I?" I asked. In fact, I thought I was running late.

She hesitated, and just as she opened her mouth, I heard the voice of another woman. "Seetha! Have you not taken your cow out to eat yet? Why is she shouting at us like-"