The Village Girl

Chapter Twenty Six - [Aaryan]

I assumed she would not be entirely appreciative of all the gifts but it was fine. I could not blame her though, as she was not used to it. In a normal situation, a future bride would be brought hundreds of gifts, mostly for herself.

I knew Seetha would not want any of that, so instead, I chose to bring the gifts for her village. It seemed logical, seeing that the village only recently had to deal with the rebels. Besides, I wanted everyone to rejoice at this arrangement.

As Seetha continued to gawk, I turned around, waving at the procession, who then proceeded to disperse and pass around to goods. There were looks of shock and then cheers as rice, silks and other goods were shared with all the men, women and children. As they did that, a few of them came over to the family, passing around toys and other gifts to the children and adults.

One of the servants came over to me, handing me a box. After taking the box from him, I turned around with a smile. "Nithi," I called.

The little girl, who was mesmerized by the sight of what was going on, was taken aback by my call. "Y-yes?"

"Come here," I said. When she reached me, I knelt down in front of her and opened the box. "This is for you." I pulled a small, wooden sword out from the box and handed it to her.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I had this wooden sword made specifically for you," I said. I remembered when I first met Nithi and she told me she wanted to be a warrior one day. She also impressed me with her bravery on the day of the battle, leading me to Seetha. She had easily become my favourite of Seetha's nieces and nephews.

However, she was still a child, and I didn't know if she would always feel the same way, but I hoped that I could, at the very least, help this brave little girl have some fun and frighten the boys. Little boys often needed to be put in their place, and Nithi seemed like the kind of girl to do that.

"You can use this to practice if you still want to be a warrior one day," I told her. "And maybe one day you can be your aunt Seetha's chief bodyguard."

Nithi looked ecstatic. "Thank you, thank you!" She took the sword from me and began waving it around.

"How about I send someone to teach you?" I asked her.

She nodded eagerly. "Please!"

I messed her hair as I stood up. "Be sure not to scare your mother or upset your father."

The little girl chuckled but nodded.

"Are you sure-" Seetha started.

"Don't worry, it's wooden," I said. "It will do no more damage than what a stick would."

She let out a short laugh before smiling at me.

---

Seetha's mother had a talent. The food she made was truly delicious. After eating a well prepared meal, we went on to discuss the important things. "My father has invited your whole family to the palace," I said to Seetha's father. "He hopes to meet you all and perform the engagement rituals in Aathikara."

Her father nodded respectfully. "Of course," her father said. "However, I wanted to ask if you could give us some more time."

My eyebrows rose. Time for what?

Her father seemed to sense my confusion. "We cannot just leave the farm behind with no one here. I have sent a request to a relative to look after the farm for the time being, however it would take some time for him to arrive."