In the Wake of the War

Chapter-15

Arjun heard the swoosh of an arrow heading towards him and automatically raised a hand to catch it right before it before it went through his eye. 

For a long moment Arjun wondered if Vrishaketu had truly meant to shoot him, before the boy let out a sigh of relief, therefore proving that it had not been on purpose.

Then the signature scowl returned to his face. "What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly deciding to ignore almost shooting him in the face, but Arjun wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily.

"What was that?" he asked incredulously. "No matter how much you don't like me, I didn't really think you would attempt to shoot me in the face and that too, with a normal arrow."

"I didn't know it was going to be you until the moment you stepped out!" Vrishaketu protested.

"And then? Your finger just slipped, did it?" Arjun asked sarcastically.

When Vrishaketu didn't reply back with a snappy comment however, choosing to glare at the ground with a blush so dark rising on his face that it was visible in the moonlight, Arjun paused. His finger couldn't have actually slipped, could it? That would be impossible. That was the first thing students were trained out of, once they had a basic grasp of archery. There was no way the Angaraaj hadn't drilled that into his sons' heads and reflexes.

"Vrishaketu?" He asked quietly.

Vrishaketu shook his head violently, hand swiftly rising up to rub at his eyes.

He had been crying.

Arjun really wanted to know how a clearly excellent archer had let his finger slip, but he didn't think it would be wise to press at the moment.

He sighed. "Fine, but you must come back to the palace with me. Your mother is worried."

"And she sent you, to find me?" Vrishaketu snapped back immediately.

Well, that was better than the silence.

"I offered," Arjun said, "since I felt that our dispute might have had something to do with it."

Vrishaketu scoffed loudly, but didn't accept or deny it.

"Come now."

"You go first." Vrishaketu planted his hands on his hips, which was really odd to see since he was still holding his bow in one of them. "I'll come after a while."

Arjun sighed in exasperation. "I'm not leaving you here. Come with me."

"No." Said Vrishaketu, getting increasingly agitated. "No. You go first Rajkumar. I promise I'll follow. I won't make my mother worry more. But you go first. You should not be here anyways."

"Why shouldn't I be here?" Arjun asked, raising his eyebrows. Something was going on here with the boy that he didn't understand. Why was he getting so agitated by his mere presence now? This had not happened when they had spoken before.

Vrishaketu stomped over to the nearby tree and sat down. "No. You leave. This is not a place for you."

Arjun pursed his lips for a moment.

"I will go ahead and after fifteen minutes you will follow me. I will wait right outside the Palace gates and if you don't show up within half an hour of myself, I will come and take you back with me."

"Fine." Vrishaketu agreed immediately, seemingly very relieved about not having to... walk with Arjun? "Go now. Go."

"But," Arjun said, holding up a finger and Vrishaketu tensed again. "You will first tell me why you say so desperately that I should not be here."