The Village Girl

Chapter Six - [Aaryan]

We were lying in the grass, staring up towards the sky. We could not see the sky though, seeing as it was covered by the thick foliage of the trees. She was right next to me, her head resting on my chest. I imagined that she could hear my heartbeat as she lay there, using her fingers to trace a scar on my chest.

It seemed that our conversation in the water had made her grow almost completely comfortable with me.

My thoughts had been consumed by her. All I could think of was the touch of her skin against mine. Our bodies were still both wet from the swim, our clothing still soaked, but the small amount of sun which came through the foliage kept us warm, as did the touch of the other person's body.

"Your favourite fruit?" She asked, lifting her head up. We were taking turns asking each other questions. It was her idea as an attempt to get to know one another.

I was quite enjoying myself.

"Mangoes," I said without any hesitation.

She chuckled softly. "Mine too," she said. Her long hair slipped off of her shoulder right then, landing onto me. It was still soaking wet, and I wondered if we would both soon fall ill because of our foolishness. But then I realized I did not really care at that moment. So I reached out and ran my fingers through her soft hair. It was so long, nearly an entire arm's length, and there was so much of it.

I thought then, that it was her hair that made her so beautiful. It must have been. "How did you get your hair to be so long?" I asked, deciding to use up my next question on that.

"I didn't cut it," she simply said.

When I lifted my head to look at her, she laughed. "It's true."

"Your turn," I said, dropping my head back down onto the grass.

"Your favourite animal?"

"Tiger," I said, without hesitation.

"Typical of a man," she said.

That offended me. I was not a typical man. "Fine," I said. "An elephant... they are almost equally as ferocious."

"Better..." she smiled.

"Your mother and father's name?" I asked her.

"Rajeshwari and Jegadev," she answered. "And yours?"

"Aadhiraraavanan, my father, and Niranjanadevi, my mother."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't be silly," she said. "Really. You will ruin the fun."

I was immediately confused. "I am being serious."

"You're telling me that your mother and father have the same name as our Warrior King and his Queen?" She asked. "I'm not a fool."

I realized at that moment that I had never told her who I was. Who I really was, at least.

For some reason, I felt a rush of worry.

"They are my mother and father," I said. "I am Aaryaraavanan."

She laughed.

"You don't believe me?" I asked.

She lifted herself up, sitting on her legs. "Alright, Prince Aaryan," she said, sarcastically. "It's completely normal for the Warrior Prince of Chandraba to be spending his afternoon with a peasant girl."

I got up too, leaning back against my arms. "You do not believe me."

"So you don't want to tell me your parents' names?"

I took a breath. "Did you ever hear of the story of how Prince Aaryaraavanan was stabbed in the chest at fifteen  during a battle with the Narisimha clan?"