The Other Fire-Born

3. Golden Fire and Turquoise Eyes

Dhristyadyumna woke up with a pounding heaviness in his head and whitish smoke coming in from the ventilating openings of the tent. He ran out urgently, something dreaded must have happened and he was not aware or rather not made aware.

He was met with more smoke, although not thick enough to curtail vision, but it burnt his eyes and nose. He coughed, frantically waving with his hands to clear the hazy screen surrounding him.

"Yuvraj, cover your mouth and nose!" came an urgent scream from chief commander, "This smoke is toxic! It has already killed at least half of our soldiers! Cover your nose!"

Dhristyadyumna did not waste further time, and having quickly taken the necessary precaution, began to venture his way amidst the screening smoke, the cries of agony an fear, now and then tripping over some corpse or someone unconscious, or people passing by like shadows...and then he stopped— a strong bright, golden yellow light shone through the blinding smoke and then it leaped up before spreading and then the horrific screams followed—

"FIRE"

"GET WATER"

"HELP"

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The uproar had died down and now the charred remains of thatched huts and straw and...corpses. The fire was dying out, the toxic smoke was soon replaced the moment the settlement had gone up in flames.

Dhristyadyumna was fatigued now, the fire had not bothered him as much as the plaintive sobs of the villagers along with the crackling of the still glowing articles which that fire had decided to feast on, wrenched his being.

He wondered if he had made a mistake in staying back to help, if there was more to this attack than what met the eye, and what was the burning poisonous smoke, and if matters were this grave why hadn't any action been taken by the royal forces, why did his father never bring it up with him, why—

He stopped, his mind could not go on thinking of these matters when there was so much of suffering around him, not when the piteous cries of lamentations and pain filled his ears. He quickly knelt beside an elderly woman with graying hair sitting by the corpse of a good looking young man, her son, he presumed as he quietly whispered condolences into her ear, knowing very well that she would not hear but he continued nevertheless.

Like this he walked from one mourning person to the other—some cursed him, others thanked and yet others did not respond— until, he stopped before the kneeling forms of two familiar girls, bending over the burnt remains of a middle aged couple.

He took some tenacious steps forward, while the black braided head, rocked to and fro unheeding to anything else, the brownish head with its long flowing locks immediately looked up, alerted of his presence most likely by his tall shadow looming over them.

Her eyes met his, they were wide and glazing but strangely hardened. On other circumstances he would have admired their rare turquoise shade, the long thick lashes curling up beautifully around the almond shaped eyes, thinly lined with black kajal, some of the stray tendrils of her hair falling around them.

But now those steely yet warm eyes surprised and thrilled him simultaneously. What had they seen before? Were they hiding something deeper?

"Ragni..." he managed to mumble before his mind went blank and the condolences and reassurances he had planned remained unarticulated.

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Hello everyone

That's a new chapter after a long time. Thank you for your patience:)

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