5 Who is she?
Part 5 Who is she?
Arnav started walking towards his camp with Khushi. Her eyes were not stable but wandering here and there. She was admiring the peaceful and pleasurable location excitedly. Arnav who was watching her, could not understand what was there to be excited. He thought she was excited about going to their camp. He even analyzed whether taking a stranger to their camp was right. He decided to get some information about her. He looked at her and she smiled at Arnav casually.
"I could not believe a girl is ready to travel with a stranger without carrying about anything," He said.
Khushi knew which mean he said that. It was two thousand and five hundred years ago. In that period, girls were not allowed to step out of the house. So, no wonder Arnav thought odd about it.
"I know how to protect myself. You would not have raised the question if you had seen how I hit the spearman" she boasted herself.
"I did..." he said
"What? What did you say?"
"I saw you fighting with the man," he said.
"Oh... Still, don't you believe I can't protect myself?"
"But, danger can be hit by any form. Trusting anyone blindly is not good for a girl like you"
"Girl like me, means?"
"I mean, young girl..."
"I will keep it in my mind, Mr. Arnav" she smiled.
"By the way, what was that?" he asked.
"What?"
"That you used on the man. It was like a gimmick"
Khushi understood he was talking about Karate.
"It's karate..."
"Should all your nation girls learn it?"
"Mmm... No... whoever is interested can learn it"
"Are you interested? Or, did you learn it for your protection?"
"Both... I learned it with interest to protect myself"
"Why? Won't your contrary be protective of girls?" He asked sarcastically. But, to his surprise,
"There is nothing to hide from you. Yes... Our country is turning unsafe to girls these days" She sighed.
"Means?"
"In your country, only one Hemadri is there. But in our country, each lane has more than one Hemadris"
"Won't your king behead them?" he asked angrily.
"Behead? Then, half of the men in our county would be headless" she chuckled.
"So what? What is necessary to hold such men's life? It's ill to the country. If he beheads a few, others will automatically be disciplined. What kind of king yours is? How are you guys living in such a country?" he was furious.
Khushi didn't know what to say. Yet, she felt ashamed. She wanted to stop Arnav from talking about India more.
"No no... Our king is a nice person. He would take action if the guilty was proven. Just like, you need someone to prove Hemadri wrong, he too asks for a witness. That's all..."
Arnav got stuck. He understood she cornered him.
"What's your King's name?" He asked.
Now, Khushi got stuck. King's name? What could she say? Her mind worked faster.
"Our king is INDIRA VARMA... King of DOLAKPUR. More than our king, our commander is clever... CHOTTA BHEEM his name" Khushi managed with the cartoon characters.
"Chotta Bheem?" he raised his brows.
"Yes, he is as strong as Mahabaratha Bheem. So, we dearly call him Chotta Bheem. He can do anything after eating a single LADDU"
"What? Laddu?" there was disbelief on Arnav's face.
"Yes, there is a woman called Tuntun Aunty in our village, she makes the tastiest laddu that gives Bheem unimaginable energy"
Arnav was looking at her unbelievably.
"Don't you believe me? He defeated a dangerous Bandit called Mangal Singh, you know?"
Arnav frowned.
"Thanks to Chotta Bheem" Khushi controlled her laughter.
"Why do all your country people's names sound like ours?" Arnav asked.
Khushi got stuck again.
"Is it? You guys also chose Sanskrit names?" She questioned him back, without answering.
He nodded yes.
"By the way what's your name?" he asked.
"Khushi..."
"Oh..."
Khushi noticed one thing in Arnav. He avoided looking at her unless it was necessary.
"Why are you not looking at me? Will your kind behead you if you look at a girl?" She asked teasingly.
"Why are you looking at me? Don't you feel embarrassed?" he questioned her back with a smile... not looking at her.
"What's there to get embarrassed? There is nothing dirty in my heart. So, I'm feeling free"
"Would all the women in your country be like you?"
"No... Not at all... No one is like me"
"What's so special in you?"
"I don't depend on anyone. I choose what I want and it won't hurt anyone. I will say anything on your face no matter who you are"
"In our country, women won't even look at men's faces..."
"Everything will change but it will take time"
Arnav was like 'Are you mad?' How people could change like Khushi said? Was there any chance for it? He could not believe it. How could he know whatever Khushi said to him was about the same land in which he was ruling?
They entered a village. The villagers looked at Khushi weirdly. Khushi sensed it.
"Why these guys are looking at me like I'm an alien?" she murmured.
"Alien? What's that?" Arnav questioned.
Khushi again got stuck. What could she explain about aliens? Was not it a long derivation?
"I mean, stranger..." She tried to manage.
"You are indeed a stranger to our country..." Arnav frowned.
"Yeah, but, I don't feel so. This country gives me a good feel" she said but it didn't give Arnav a good feel.
They reached the camp, crossing the village. The camp became silent seeing Khushi as Viraj already alerted them about her arrival.
Khushi became excited again. There were a variety of tents in the camp. Arnav walked towards the tent that was in the middle of the camp. It had a flag of a sword-holding lion.
Ignoring all the alien looks, Khushi walked behind Arnav. Arnav looked at Viraj and said,
"Take her to the next tent and make her comfortable"
Viraj nodded ok.
"Then come to my tent"
Viraj again nodded ok and looked at Khushi.
"Please come with me," Viraj said.
Khushi went with him to the next tent.
"You can get fresh here. Then, Arnav will take you to the capital"
Khushi nodded ok. Viraj left. She sat on the bed relaxing. She could not believe she was sitting in the camp tent of Ashoka's Under Kingdom. She removed the sand clock from her pant pocket and smiled at it.
"Hey, my dear friend, because of you I became a friend of a commander of the Ashoka empire. Thank you so much. This is an awesome experience of my life" she kissed the sand clock.
On the other side,
Arnav was pacing in his tent. Viraj entered in.
"Did you get anything from her?"
Arnav nodded no.
"I can't find anything odd in her. She has no quality that makes her a spy. She talks about everything in the open. She even talked about her country. No gestures of her seem suspicious"
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm taking her to the king. Let me wait and watch"
Viraj nodded ok.
"Give her some men's clothing. People look at her oddly... I would like to take her to the capital in disguise" Arnav said.
"Ok..."
Viraj came to Khushi's tent and gave her men's clothes. Khushi frowned, seeing them.
"Our commander ordered me to give it to you"
"But why?"
"To avoid, the odd gazes of people that embarrass you"
"May I meet Arnav... I mean, your commander?"
"Let me get his permission"
"Ok, I will be waiting"
Viraj went out and came with Arnav himself.
"Why do you want to meet me?" Arnav asked.
"Why do you want me to wear this dress?"
"Didn't you say, people are looking at you as if you are...mmm (he thought) what was that?"
"Alien?"
"Yeah... if you wear a disguise, you can avoid such gazes that embarrass you"
"Are YOU (she stressed) embarrassed to travel with an alien?"
Arnav got stuck and nodded no.
"Why would I be embarrassed?" he asked.
"You may think, traveling with a girl may affect your future... love life"
LOVE? What this girl was made up of? How casually she talked about such things? Arnav struggled.
Viraj smiled at Arnav's flushed face. Arnav nodded no hurriedly.
"Let me be me... I don't want to wear a disguise. I will face everything coming my way" she said.
That stunned the duo. They had never seen such a confident woman in their life before. Arnav liked it.
To be continued...
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