Chapter Text
An arrow flew past his ear and hit the tree bark behind him. “By Shiva’s topknot, if I’ve to fight bandits like this…I'm just gonna go back to the mud pond and drown myself," Shivu muttered under his breath. But he figured his mom would wrestle Yama and drag him back to life and give him a nice earful of “when I was your age, I could beat a hundred bandits all by myself” etc etc until he would want to crawl back into Yama’s much more peaceful embrace. He would rather just fight a few ragtags, thank you very much.
Shivu unfastened the small dagger at his hip, grimacing at the mud dripping down the clean hilt. Something shuffled in the wilderness in front of him. He raised the dagger. Get them before they get you. His left hand shot out, grabbing what felt like flesh on bone. Pin. He shifted his weight so it fell with him on top of it. Lock. He found the arms and wrenched them together in his palm. “Got you,” he grinned. Stab. But Kattappa’s technique really wasn’t as foolproof as he claimed it was because immediately the air got knocked out of Shivu’s lungs, the dagger dropping from his hand. Hard cranium met his chest again and again until he finally let go. He moved back on his elbows, coughing and wheezing, his vision blurry and red. The bandit sprung up like a deer in its prime and snatched the abandoned dagger.
“Listen-ugh- s-so you can’t take that-” Shivu clutched at his chest, the words burning his throat and he hoped, hoped that the bandit would take the bait and come back to shut him up and then he could kick him square in his genitals for even a tiny bit of karma if not anything else.
But the bandit didn’t move. Through a haze he could see the legs, spread in caution, the point of Shivu’s dagger resting on the right thigh. His gaze travelled upward. He could see a dark mud stain on the back from when he was on top of him and the end of a braid- wait, what? He wiped his eyes, which only made it worse because he had forgotten that he was covered in filth.
As if on cue to make it the worst day of his life, he heard more footsteps approaching them. “Someone’s gonna die today,” he stood up, groaning, “and it’s probably gonna be me.” More arrows flew towards them. Very poorly aimed if he was being honest. He dodged them with ease, cracked his knuckles and yawned loudly. “Really? That all you got?” he yelled, adding a tsk sound, earning him a hiss of annoyance from his assaulter.
It was, indeed, not all they had got.
Bandits with covered faces and abnormally large knives flooded all over the wilderness, surrounding them from every possible direction. Well, damn. He couldn’t say he didn’t deserve it.
Shivu could see his mysterious assaulter- whom he had decided not to kick for now- slowly backing into him, his (or maybe, hers?) hands raised. He bumped into Shivu and before he could register what the hell was happening, his hand was pulled by a death grip and they were running. He heard his dagger cut smooth through air and skin and felt warm drops of blood land on his cheek. A thunderous cry: “Move!” then the dagger being drawn again and human figures retreating as if from the face of divine fury.
They ran, ran, ran. He could hear many footsteps following after them for some time but soon they died out. The fingers on his wrist were bony but their hold never faltered. He did not know where they were going and did not think that she knew either except that it didn’t matter for some reason and he was safe. He was now sure that his assaulter (or saviour) was a girl and even if she had not spoken, her long braid that kept hitting him across his face was more than enough of a clear indicator. A bit unfortunate because he had been really looking forward to that kick. He was also sure that they had crossed half the Deccan by now and it was catching up to him. His legs ached from how long they had been running and that too, faster than he ever had in his life. Running for your life through the woods with a girl taking your hand- now, this was an experience his dad never had. His face wanted to break into a grin but all that came out were loud gasps. He was slowing down and she was speeding up. Alright, he might need just a small break. There was no way this wild girl had more stamina than the crown prince of Mahishmati. But even as Shivu thought this, he knew that it wasn’t true; who was she? Why was she so adept at running away?
“Stop,” he murmured. No reaction.
“Stop, stop,” he repeated, louder, and tugged at her hand. No reaction.
“Goddamn it-” he skidded to a halt and pulled his hand back and she slammed into his chest- “just stop, okay? Let’s catch a break and find some water. We lost them ages a-”
She grabbed him down by the neckline of his kurta. “And who put them on our trail in the first place?” Her eyes blazed and he forgot to breathe. “Now, listen here and listen closely,” she said between gritted teeth and pushed him back into a tree. “You’re damned lucky I haven’t killed you already. If you can’t even run then maybe you should-” she stabbed the dagger into the bark, a hair’s breadth from his neck- “shut that big mouth of yours.” He flinched but he couldn’t look away. The last red rays of the sun fell on her face and she was strange, inhuman. A forest goddess come alive to take her rightful prey. Her tangled hair glowed golden brown and a twig stuck out rebelliously. Unconsciously, he lifted his hand to remove it and she slapped it away. She fixed those infernal eyes on him again, her gaze making his veins feel like they were on fire. Her grip on his kurta tightened and she pointed a finger at him. Do not test me. And Shivu made the wise decision not to, for now.
She turned on her heels and marched away. He watched her go and tried to regain his breath. His heart was pounding so loud he thought his ribcage would break open. It was dark now and he was afraid of losing her.
He pulled the dagger out and sped to where he could barely see her small moving silhouette. He was taller and had much longer legs and he still had to struggle to keep pace with her. The girl walked like some king riding into battle. Entirely too sure of herself.
“You’re the first person to treat me like this, you know?” The words slipped out before he could stop them. Here came another threat or worse, rigid silence.
“Like what?”
Oh. He felt a smile etching the corners of his lips.
“You know, that little thing you did back there? Threatened me with a dagger and everything?”
“Don’t tell me that was your first time?” she asked with exaggerated shock. “God bless the people around you for they might be the most patient people on earth.”
He laughed out loud. Queen Devasena and King Amarendra were surely the most patient people on earth.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He suddenly found himself wishing desperately that he wasn’t caked in mud. He knew he was pretty good looking in general. But then again-
“Do you know who I am?”
She gave him a quizzical sidelong look. “Am I supposed to?”
His guess was right. She hadn’t recognised him and this made him oddly glad. He didn’t want to lie to her, not exactly, but she had never asked him his identity so it wasn’t his fault.
“It is a bit late for formal introductions now,” he chuckled, “but hello! I’m Shivu, the local village blabbermouth and your current hostage.” And he folded his hands in a namaskaram.
Shivu could have sworn she had smiled if only it hadn’t disappeared like lightning and the dusk hadn’t been so dark. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Can’t say the same,” she retorted and walked faster.
He ran up to a bit ahead of her and turned, walking in reverse so he could see her face.
“Heyyyyy,” he drawled, “c’mon, tell me your name at least.”
-“No.”
“Please?”
-“No.”
“But why not?”
-“I don’t want to.”
“Okay, why do you dislike me so much?” He stopped and blocked her path.
“Can you just keep it moving?” She replied, irritated.
“Not until you answer me first.”
She pushed him but he stood firm. She might have a temper but he was raised with the stubbornness of a prince. And he knew she realised it was better to give in this time.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you threw me to the ground and tried to stab me to death the first time we met?” She spat out. “And then you set an entire horde of bandits chasing after us? Have you really done anything for me to like you?” He could feel her rage rolling off of her in waves. She shoved him again, rudely, and stormed on and he thought she couldn’t be more beautiful. To be fair, she also did kind of have a point.
He caught up to her again and tried to make out her expression. “Fine, but you can’t judge me just by first impre-” He was suddenly yanked off his feet to her side.
“Shh,” she put a finger on his lips. She pointed to an horrifyingly large king cobra, slithering across where he would have put his foot in just a fraction of a second. They watched the creature disappear into the bushes and he imagined its fangs sinking into his leg. Goosebumps broke out on his skin. Shivu might not always appreciate the joys of life but he wasn’t too keen on dying at nineteen either.
She broke the silence first: “And that was my second impression of you. I saved your life twice now and I don’t even get a thank you.”
He looked at her, almost incredulous. She simply shrugged. “Let’s go.” She took hold of his hand again, as if he was some annoying brat, and started to lead the way. Shivu hated to admit it but her hold was comforting and he was glad that she had weird owl vision like the nature spirit that she was by the way she moved in the dark.
They walked in silence. The only sounds were their feet trampling over rotten leaves and the occasional laugh of a hyena. He shivered, the remnants of the shock and the cold, heavy night air settling into the pits of his stomach. The firm set of her jaw appeared and disappeared by turns of the moonlight. How was she so calm? How familiar was she to this hostile forest?
Soon, they came to a narrow clearing where the trees thinned out. He could see the dim glow of a fire in the distance.
“Follow this trail,” she said, “and you’ll reach the village of Madhuri. Get help from someone. The people who live there are good at heart.” And she let go of his hand. Cool air replaced the warmth of her fingers.
He didn’t know what she was on about. “Well then, where are you going to stay?”
“Don’t see how that’s a concern of yours. Now go.”
Shivu wanted to press so many questions on her. Questions he was sure she would never answer. Would it really kill her if she dropped that dark and mysterious temper for once?
“Why can’t you just,” he stopped and reconsidered. “I want to thank you properly,” he began again, “for saving my life. Twice or whatever,” he added under his breath.
She cocked her head to the side, assessing him. “Guess you’re not so mannerless after all.”
He sighed. “So, how do I reach you?”
“You can’t, so don’t,” she said.
Before he could say anything more, she pushed him towards the light. He turned back in protest but she had already raised her hand in farewell. He blinked and she might as well have been a dream.