Vishkanya

1

It was the time of the summer setting . There was always something that the setting sun carried, although going away , it showed the valour and richness of the great kings . The red coloured sky with an orangish tinge looked as though it was covered by the blood of all those fallen people from war . The very look of the sky kept Aratrika at peace....

"Aratrika has successfully defeated the Lord of the neighbouring village ; our kingdom prospers yet once again." exclaimed a girl from a distance .

While everyone rejoiced , Aratrika was the only one who seemed to be thinking .
The lord was not a good man , nor a good king . His death was justified . But the thought of his young wife and the people from the neighbouring kingdom; the last words of the lord still lingered through her ears.....
each and every person she killed had some last wish , some cursed her , some made amends with death ;Aratrika chose to ignore all .

"Aratrika, what are you thinking child ?"
There came in Gurudev , the head priest and teacher of the palace. Under his training and guidance , the women were developed to be Vishkanyas- women who had one duty , to their kingdom . They were in charge of spying for their empire, reporting to the Guru and obeying their orders. Being a vishkanya was risky , everyday was death meeting you at your door.
Vishkanya were known for their beauty which they used to seduce the lords and ministers which made them vulnerable for the kill . They were equally hated and admired by the people . According to their Guru, they had the gift from the Gods.

Aratrika came into her senses , "Guruji , I have no thoughts in my mind as of now . I apologise for not responding earlier. I am ready for your next orders."

Aratrika was not the oldest vishkanya but of an age where she was pursued by many men of different ages , which made it way for her to take their target out . She was known for her ruthless kills, torture methods, her beauty was to die for and was easily comparable to that of the queen or even more. She obeyed every order of hers and never had a doubt about her actions . All she knew was to protect her kingdom. That's what she knew from the age of 6 .

"Take rest child . You will be restricted to the temple and palace duties for the next few days . You have done a good work , you will need to replenish your energy."

"As you order, Guruji."

Aratrika was only 3 when she first came to Guruji who took her in , trained her and taught her how to read and write , taught her about poisons and medicines and how she could control her emotions through yogic practices . She was not one of the weak hearted as one would be when they saw a snake on their training days , but she had differing thoughts which lingered sometimes. She was also sure that these thoughts would never leave her as long as she was alive and that she had to live with them ; not making them a liability.

The Maharaja always had a special spot for Aratrika as reason for his victories against the other kingdoms and spoke highly of her which made her target to hate by the General in command and even the Crown prince and princesses.

And why won't they be ? After all , a girl was getting praised by her own father .
Yes that's right . Aratrika was born to a woman who worked as a palace maid not so long back. The King being a 20 something year old new to the kingdom and ruling reign, fell for this maid - had a child ; but never knew about her . The woman gave birth on a heavy rain day . She was given shelter in a nearby village by priestesses. Aratrika mother who was only 15 when she gave birth suffered from health conditions and often required use of recreational medicine. The stigma for the society of having birthed a female child without a proper name also added to her stresses. This was when Guruji saw Aratrika and her mother's plight and took her in . Her mother served at the same temple she was brought to and Fayrah rarely saw her mother again.

The distinct voice which sang the lullabies to her , the warm smile- all clear in her head .
Sometimes she wondered whether she could meet her ever again in her lifetime.

All in all , she heard the sound of the shell and it was time for the evening Aarti after which food would be served.