The Village Girl

Chapter Three - [Seetha]

I didn't really understand why he wanted to spend time with me. He seemed like the kind of man who had so many important things to do, yet he was here with me. We were right next to the river and I was sitting next to him, though not to close, hugging my legs under the long skirt of my sari. "Are you a soldier?" I asked, my eyes looking down at his sword.

"I am," he said.

"Are you at the Western Fort?"

"I am."

"Will you be there for long?"

"No."

I nodded, now wondering why he wanted to spend time with me though he wasn't talking much. "Is being a soldier hard?"

"It depends."

I decided to stop asking questions.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. "No more questions?"

"You don't seem that interested."

Now he chuckled. It was deep and soft and for some reason, my heart skipped a beat. "My apologies," he said. "I am not much of a talker."

"Well, tell me about yourself," I said. "I know nothing about you yet you wish to sit and talk to me."

He seemed surprised by this. He thought about my words before speaking. "My name is Aaryan, I am a warrior and... I like stories."

I laughed. "You don't seem very interesting."

"Well, tell me about yourself then," he said. "Show me that you are more interesting."

"My name is Seetha, I am the daughter of a farmer and I like to tell stories."

"Hmm," he smirked.

"And I have a cow named Maadu."

He laughed. It was a nice laugh. "Alright," he said. "You win."

We spoke a lot after that. He told me about the reason why he was here and Nandioor, the fact that he was trying to help train a hopeless brother of his and how he hoped to be a great military leader one day. He even showed me the sharp sword and explained that it was as old as the kingdom itself and apparently belonged to an ancient king.

I believed him. The sword looked glorious. It was long and sharp and had rubies all around the handle. It looked heavy too.

Then I told him about myself. How I had four brothers who I loved and two older sisters who I also loved, though both of them were now married and off in different villages with their husbands. I told him that I had only recently turned eighteen and how my parents were eager to find me a suitable husband, as they had for my sisters, though I wished that i could find someone for myself.

"Why don't you find someone for yourself?"

"I'm not interested in simple minded men."

"What is a simple minded man?"

"A man who wants a wife who can cook and clean and sew and make love to him whenever he pleases."

He nodded.

"And those are most men."

He smiled. "You are not wrong."

"If my parents find me someone, they will most likely find me a simple minded man. He may be wealthier than us, as they were with my sisters, but I cannot settle for someone who won't let me... be me. I have a voice that needs to be heard. I do not do so well with people who try to silence me."

"That is fair," he said. "But in that case you must look for someone yourself. You cannot always expect someone to come to you."

"I know," I said. "But there are not many places to look in a little village like this."