अन्तः अस्ति प्रारंभः।
The end is the beginning.
A caterpillar dies, to birth a butterfly. Water evaporates to rain down. Dead carcasses fill the stomachs of vultures.Life gives way to death and death to life. In a vicious circle of different karmas...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Watching sunsets still was something Mihira abhorred. The nausea and nostalgia of sentiments planted into oneself, romanticised by others did not appeal to her.
However, Eklavya loved them. He waxed poetic about the symbolism, about Surya Dev's prowess, and about old tales that left even Mihira mesmerized.
That was the reason, they would sit together and admire sunsets and keep watch, respectively. It did not matter, she realised, if they did not know eachother well enough. That they did not know eachother's motives or personal lives. There were no boundaries to enjoyment and silence.
All Mihira knew about Eklavya, was that he was travelling to the same place as she was. The neighbouring state to Chedi, glorious Vidharbh. He travelled in his cart with bags of fruit and other things he did not disclose. Mihira did not ask.
He still wielded a bow and arrow, a master of archery devoted to his art. He did not hide the stub where his thumb must have been and for the first time since she first read Mahabharat, Mihira realised the man had cut his thumb clean off. With bone.
A part of her felt pity for the man. To be so enamored and devoted to someone and yet clearly left behind in history as a footnote to be only remembered as cautious tales and age old myths of respect that moulded the minds of youth. A tale used for manipulation and conditioning.
A week after travelling with him in his cart, Mihira could sleep through the night. Her first instinct was still to reach for her machete when any noise escaped, but she had used her dupatta to shadow him in heat multiple times as well. He still never handed her the reins of his horse, but had often given his satchel to her as a pillow.
Mihira did not know what kind of camaraderie they had, and she did not care to find out, so long as it allowed her to be alive and complete her goal.
"Rude thing." Eklavya tutted behind her softly as he proceeded to sit down, two leaves full of fruits in hand. He offered one to her and began eating his share. "Your pain makes you rude enough to be so ignorant? In a more cruel world, you'd be dead."
Mihira snorted at him before picking at the berries. He had been marginally better than many people she had met regarding periods, especially the cramps. He had allowed her to take rest, forced it, in fact.
"In a more cruel world, you would be beheaded the moment you called me a girl." Mihira snipped back.
Eklavya nudged her with his elbow and gestured towards the berries. He ordered,"Eat."
Childish irritation flared in Mihira and she petulantly replied,"Not if I don't wish to."
He rolled his eyes at her and sighed,"You are no use to me if you faint from not eating, Mihira. Eat."
Mihira began eating and told herself that she was doing it because she recognised the dangers of starvation, not because he was making a compelling argument. She replied,"Yes, of course. You would be lost without my directions."
