The princess of Aurealia is ready to sacrifice anything for her kingdom and her people. With peasants revolting and her kingdom in the brink of civil war, Ayra decides she must marry a peasant to save her people from killing one another. When she se...
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The hut was cozy. With the side walls made of dry cow dung, and the roof made of straw, it didn't look like much from the outside. Entering the small house, however, relieved me of my worries of the day. In a horizontal row, my whole family slumbered. My sisters were off to one corner, while my parents slept in the middle of the room, partitioning the males of the house from the females.
It was dark, and navigating the small space became a challenge once I stepped foot into the low-ceiling hut. I tip-toed across the long hall, quietly retreating to the kitchen. I grabbed the glass of water my mother usually set out for me, and gulped it down in one go.
Working in the fields was back-bending, but I was only male in the family who could make such a high salary. My two younger twin brothers, Charan and Karan, and the youngest of the house, my favorite sister, were still too young to attend to the house. One of my sisters were of marrying age, and it was highly unlikely for her to get married if she is deemed to mere work in the fields. Plus, mother always scolds her for ruining her fair skin under the sun.
Mother was different. She always tricked us into believing one thing, but the motive behind her actions are always for our good. The names of our village girls have been tarnished because they were merely seen conversing with a young man. My mother doesn't want that for my sisters.
Although, my sisters would cut the tongue of any ill-speaking twit who crosses them, I still am vary about letting them out until mother finds good suitors.
"Can you not step on my foot?" One of my sisters voice. It was Tara, the youngest, and most rebellious of all my siblings. I winced as she kicked me on my calf. I shook my head at her antics and smiled.
After a day of hard work, I was hoping to eat a full dinner with my family, joking under the moon about Mithilli ever finding a suitor. But coming home from the fields, which was an hour away by foot, it was becoming harder and harder to see them each night. I woke before the sun rose, and slept well after it was dark.
Sighing as I hit the floor, I stared up at the ceiling. My aching body relaxed as I heard the snores of my father. Pa's snores were bothersome to most of the family, but I adapted to it. It put me to sleep.
When I woke up, the sky was pale yellow, with hints of pink on the horizon. The sun was about to come up.
With a yawn, I stretched my hands out, and ducked under the threshold to exit the hut. People were already out and about, busying themselves with their chores for the day. Everyday, everything was the same. I went to fill up water in the nearby lake, and returned to heat up the water and bath. I usually eat whatever was leftover from last night, and I'm off to work in the fields under the harsh sun until it was dark. Then, I return home with blistering feet.
