WHEN LOVE BATTLES WITH DEATH [#Missiondesi]

# 6 HER ANTIQUITY

Before opening her eyes, Amitis was in a semi-conscious state. She felt severe pain and her body refused to obey her mind's command to get up. She was lying on the bed and her sub conscious mind re-winded her past.

#AMITIS POV

I Amitis, the daughter of the most honorable and brave chief commander Ochus, of the Manidian empire who has been considered as a gem of our commander clan and more than that who sacrificed his life to save the life of the great king Xerxes of our Menidian kingdom.

The courageous warrior, Artunis was my elder brother.

My mother said that we came to Pairidaeza, when I was too young. Before I started to speak Artunis left to the capital to become a warrior. I had never spent time with my father and brother. They used to send a messenger from the capital with new clothes and stuffs often.

My mother used to say that she felt proud to be the wife of my father when she heard that my father had laid down his life to save the king.

My grandmother used to say that I and my brother were equal and I too have the responsibility to save the kingdom as well as the king's family. I was taught to be ready to do my duty at any time. The seeds of honor and respect about the royal family which was sown in my heart by my mother and grandmother when I was too young, had grown in to a tree with strong roots in my heart.

I remember my mother saying that my father wished to bring me up with all the knowledge and courage of a warrior. My mother and grandmother taught me the battle tactics which belongs to our warrior clan. I know to handle horses more than that I love horses. My father presented me a horse when it was a pony.

I grew up with it and now it was my best friend Pirus. I love his grey color. And I love to have a walk with him through the woods behind our palace at Pairidaeza.

I learned to love plants and flowers from my mother and Bessus have been helping me to maintain the garden in which I have been growing varieties of plants and trees.

I think it happened when I was 6 years old. At one rainy night a man came with his sick son probably of my age, to our palace seeking for shelter. The man appeared without his right leg and they were drenched in rain with torn clothes. He told that he was a refuge from a neighboring country called Sidia. My grandmother made them to stay with Bessus. But the boy died after some days.

I found that man roaming in to the forests like insane with the support of a wooden staff, which he made for himself from the branch of a tree. But my grandmother took care of him as she used to say it was our culture and duty to help the needy. That man was silent always and he used to speak only few words. But whenever I practice horse riding and sword fight, that man used to come to me and guide me voluntarily. And one day my grandmother told that the man would be teaching me war tactics thereafter.

He was a dedicated teacher and he introduced himself as Niramitra. He taught me the most detailed tactics of Battle arts, Archery, Sword fight and horse riding which was far most advanced than our Menidian war techniques.

Still I remember, while practicing horse riding, Bessus used to help my teacher to get on a horse and he used to ride a horse like a king.

He taught me about different animals of the world their characteristics, their strength and weakness. He used to say that the kingdom which he came from had many animals which was not known to the world. He made me to get skills to tame even wild animals. 

He told me that I was learning the war techniques which have been taught especially to the 'to be kings' of the countries at east.

He taught me the Holy Scriptures of the eastern kingdoms, which was learned only by the royal princes of the kingdoms at the east. As he knew the whole things in those scriptures by heart, he taught me even to write it. Even though it was prohibited for us to learn the holy scriptures of others I learnt it since it attracted me a lot.

He taught me Royal ethics, mathematics and medicine, which was also learned only by the 'to be kings' of the eastern kingdom.

And more than everything he taught me the importance of truth, respect, honesty, patience, peace and intelligence.

He taught me courage. Which made me to stand alone with braveness when my mother and grandmother died leaving me alone in the huge Pairidaeza palace.

My grandmother used to say that I had been learning things more than Artunis.

My teacher used to treat sick people of the village and I used to help him in getting plants and preparing medicines for him to treat people.

I am his faithful disciple. My teacher filled the vacant place of my father's care and guidance in my life. He cared for me like his own daughter. After 10 years, my teacher told me that I had finished learning everything which a king should learn. And he also said that I had excelled in everything which he had taught me.

I decided to ask a question to him which had been bothering my mind for the past ten years.

Amitis asked Niramitra, "Teacher, why did you taught me the skills, which were meant only for a 'To be kings' to learn? And I want to know how did you know all these things?"

I came to know about who my teacher was when he answered my question after a long hesitation.

I understood the place of mine in his heart as a daughter as well as a best disciple in his heart when he opened up the truth of his life to me.