The Village Girl

Chapter Fourteen - [Aaryan]

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to share some IMPORTANT info!

In case I haven't mentioned this before, I planned on making this story four parts (each part being a separate 'book.') Just so you know where we are in the story, we're reaching the end of Part 3! And Part 4 will be the last one!

Hope you're looking forward to that!

As always, don't forget to vote and comment to let me know what you think!! Reading your comments make me so happy!!

Love, Luckycharms! <3

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I don't know if it was because I had seen it all once before or if time was just flying by a little faster, but Seetha was inflating quickly. By Aathavan's first birthday, the belly was completely evident, there was no hiding it, and by then everyone knew that my wife was pregnant with our second child.

Aathavan's first birthday celebration was grand. Though Seetha was not one to enjoy big celebrations, she certainly enjoyed this one because for the first time since our marriage, her family joined us at the palace, and I once again extended the invitation to her best friend as well.

The only person missing was Aayu.

Though both Seetha and I asked my father to allow an exception, he refused, stating that it would not set a good example for future individuals who chose to make the decisions that he made. My father refused to go easy on him.

It upset Seetha, but there was nothing more that could be done.

And so the festivities went on, and while we celebrated his first birthday in the palace, the nation celebrated as well, conducting prayers and wishing my son a happy and healthy life. In the palace, nobles, lords and ladies from all over Chandraba came to see our son. Aathavan was remarkably patient, certainly more patient than I was, shedding no tears and not throwing any tantrums. He sat in silence, smiling sometimes but usually looking observant. As people bowed for him, sometimes, if they were close enough, he would try to grab at whatever it was that they were wearing on their head, especially if it had feathers on it, the northern men loved to wear their extravagant hats with large feathers to cover their bald heads, but really, that was the worst he would do. That, and yawning.

He was well behaved, and most were mesmerized by him.

He had grown into himself now, his features more obvious, and what was striking were the lightness of his eyes. They were a light shade of brown, different from both Seetha and my eyes. They looked more like her father's eyes, actually... a good sign, if you ask me.

His eye shape was completely Seetha, making it clear that the eyes were coming from her side of the family, but his lips and nose were looking more like mine. And his hair was thick, growing quickly no matter how often we cut it, but it was okay. Seetha liked it a little long, remarking on how similar his hair was to baby Lord Krishna. She would even knot it into a thick top knot on the top of his head, just like how baby Krishna was always shown. Aathavan was certainly a good match, his skin was dark too, just like the Lords... all he needed was the peacock feather in his hair, and a flute too. Of course, the only difference was that Baby Krishna was exceptionally naughty, whereas Aathu was not.

Surprisingly or not, he got along especially well with Seetha's parents. Maybe he remembered them. Maybe he remembered the feeling of being strapped to his grandfather's back as he worked the fields. Maybe he remembered being sung to sleep by his grandmother nearly every night, especially when he woke up at random hours. He must have, because he quite easily fell asleep in Seetha's mother's arms and he was quite easily calmed when in Seetha's father's arms.