Kalī - A blossom

I.

"Me?" she echoed, fiddling with rings on her fingers. "You want me to marry your son?"

It wasn't shock, it was disbelief-- a quiet, simmering astonishment, as if the very idea was impossible to grasp. Uttara's gaze flickered from her lap to her dance teacher.

Arjun was watching her with a sort of hidden amusement, a calm intensity that heralded his every lesson with her. "Why, do you not want to?" he asked her.

She stayed quiet for a moment, not wanting to offend him in any way. Just a day ago, she had discovered he was a prince—one of the greatest warriors in the land—and not just her dance teacher.

It came as quite the shock. Especially when she had treated the older 'lady' as a mother.

"I... um," she stuttered, trying to gather herself. "It's not that I don't want to... he is your son, Bri—I mean, Kumar Arjun."

The habit of calling him Brihannala hadn't faded yet.

Arjun smiled, despite her little hiccup, like he... understood.

"And what if he's my son?" he probed further, a small smile on his lips.

How could she respond to that? This man—her teacher, her mentor—was also the father of the very prince she was now being asked to marry.

"I..." she began, her voice faltering under his calm gaze. "I never imagined this, Kumar Arjun. I never imagined you like this. I always thought of Brihannala as my teacher, as..." she paused, choosing her words carefully, "...someone I trusted, not a warrior or a prince."

Arjun's expression softened further, his eyes filled with understanding. "And that trust remains," he said quietly. "I am still that person, Uttara. I will always be Brihannala to you, if that brings you comfort."

Uttara lowered her gaze, the conflict inside her growing. "But I don't know if I'm worthy. Your son... he's brave, strong. And I'm... just me."

Arjun shook his head. as if she has just uttered the most absurd thing ever. "Just you? Uttara, you are more than enough. Abhimanyu will see that. He's his mother's son, after all."

Abhimanyu.

So that was his name.

"How do you know if I'm enough?" she asked him, confusion and doubt creeping into her mind. "You've only known me a year, and-"

"A year is enough for a person to see through your heart," he interrupted gently. "In this year, I have watched you grow, Uttara. Your kindness, your grace- these things aren't learnt."

Uttara swallowed hard, still uncertain. "But what if I can't? What if I'm not brave enough for him, for... all this?"

It was a subtle hint of the war they were all sure would ensue in the near future, and Arjun caught on to it immediately. "Bravery isn't the absence of fear, my child. It is about facing everything with a smile."

She exhaled, trying to make sense of his words. "Have you ever thought why I chose you to marry him?" He leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady on hers. "I saw something in you. And I saw something in Abhimanyu. It was strength."

The uncertainty still lingered, but something about the way Arjun spoke made it seem... possible. Maybe she didn't have to have all the answers. Maybe it was enough to just take the first step.

"Do you trust me, Uttara?" Arjun asked gently.

She looked into his eyes, and for the first time, she nodded. "I do."

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Marriage. The concept felt foreign, like something distant and far removed from the battlefield, what he had spent most of his young life preparing for. He had always imagined a future filled with valour, battles fought for honour, but marriage? That was a different kind of challenge, one he wasn't sure he was ready to face.