If not for the knife in her hand she would have looked like a celibate immersed in deep thought. Her eyes were closed and the eyeballs underneath the eyelids unmoving. She was sitting under the shade of the large banyan tree in a lotus position. Her hair was tied in a tight bun atop her head but nevertheless, a strand had escaped. No matter how hard Prishati tried to attach it back to the bun it wouldn't budge, so over time, she had learned to ignore it. Her lips were closed, she was taking in regular breaths through her long sharp nose. Not too fast. Not to slow. Just normal. Her torso was covered with only a mauve blouse as she had discarded her cream angavastram so that it wouldn't interfere with her. Her mauve dhoti fluttered in the soft breeze, but till the time Prishati had zoned it out. Her left hand was kept nonchalantly beside her and her right one was alert but still, holding a knife. It wasn't very large, but its edge could kill if the thrower wanted to. Luckily for any passerby, Prishati was in a good mood today. She fought the urge to smirk when she heard a familiar sound. A sound she had been waiting to hear. She waited for the right moment. And thwack. She smiled. Right on target. Then she heard a more familiar voice, or shriek to be precise. She opened her eyes, the smile never leaving her face. She leaned back resting her back on the trunk of the tree. 

"When I said you could kill someone in your sleep I didn't literally mean it." Parth yelled, a little scared but humour apparent in his tone. 

His beige angavastram was attached to the trunk of the tree nearest to him with the help of Prishati's knife. Though startled he detached the knife from the trunk, examined his angavastram and walked towards the grinning Prishati with a pout. 

"You ruined it!" he said whining, holding out his torn angavastram. 

"Wear another! What the big deal?" 

"Big deal! Big deal? It was the only beige one I had!" he said whining again, now taking a seat beside Prishati.

"I will stitch it for you." Prishati offered, smiling sympathetically.

"No thank you, I rather get it done from your rogue brother!" Parth said a smile on his face.

"Come on, he is not that bad!"

"Maybe. But he is not as good as me." his smirk was wiped off his face when he heard Prishati snort.

"What you don't think so?" he asked raising his eyebrow.

"You want to know what I think?" asked Prishati innocently. Parth nodded eagerly.

"I think... I think you have an ego the size of the earth." she said softly.

"Aghhhh!" Parth had launched herself on her, holding her stomach from the back and tickling her unmerciful.

"Take it back!" he said trying not to laugh.

"What the truth?" Prishati barely let out in between waves of laughter. To which Parth responded with even more tickling.

"Okay! Okay, I take it back!" Prishati shrieked in laughter. Parth sat back beside her with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Oh God! I feel so sleepy all of a sudden!" Prishati said yawning.

"Oh! It is so not sudden, don't you think I know you stayed up all night?" Paarth said looking at a distance. Prishati's head snapped towards him, shock writ on her face.

"Don't look at me like that it is your morning grouchiness that gave it away!" Parth said smiling. Prishati didn't say anything and just rested her head on his shoulder. 

"You know I would kill to let you sleep on my shoulder but you need to feed something to that stomach of yours." Parth said softly as he placed Prishati head on the trunk getting up.

"I am not hungry!" Prishati whined wanting to sleep.

"Great idea! I will take the knife will help in cutting the guavas." Parth said grinning.

"Just come fast I don't want to pass out cold!" Prishati said smiling.

"Yes ma'am." Parth said before turning and breaking into a run.

- : -

"Don't you think so Devaj?" asked Ashwathama, when he didn't get a reply he turned back to see the boy stopped in his tracks.

They were walking near the outlines of the forest, talking in their free time.

"What happened?" he asked concerned walking towards him Parighosh following him

"You go ahead! I will be there with you after a while." Devaj said keeping a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" asked Ashwathama. Before Devaj could speak his brother replied.

"He does that sometimes. He likes to think when he is alone." Parighosh said it as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh! Right. We will take your leave I guess." Ashwathama said unsurely but nevertheless turned to walk away with Parighosh. Devaj waited till they were out of sight and then through the foliage on his left he travelled towards an opening. And there he saw what he wanted to see. Rather who he wanted to see. She had fallen asleep under the banyan tree. At least Parth wasn't here Devaj thought. To his dismay Parth and Prishati were inseparable. And even if through some miracle Prishati was all alone it wasn't like she would let him even near her. It wasn't like Devaj was fond of her. He despised her for humiliating him on his first day. But he couldn't deny her unearthly beauty. Soundlessly he had travelled the distance between them and now was only a few feet from her. And for some time he just stood there. Tracing his eyes through her arched back all the way to her curved hips. Her discarded angavastram gave view to her torso and Devaj was glad.

- : -

Parth was about to shout his arrival when he saw someone he shouldn't have. He went closer without making any sound. And he saw Devaj's eyes tracing Prishati like a piece of food. Aghast he dropped the bundle of guavas to the ground and screamed while taking the knife in his left hand to the right.

- : -

Prishati's eyes flew open as she heard a scream. Parth's. Through her dazed eyes, she saw him fling her knife towards Devaj who was standing dangerously close to her. Wincing she hurriedly covered her torso with her angavastram. The knife whizzed past her and grazed Devaj on his right arm. The cut wasn't deep but it could get septic. She saw the two boys brisk walking towards one another anger radiating from them. In a hurry, Prishati ran to stand between. 

"Go. Or there will be consequences!" Prishati shouted glaring at Devaj while holding Parth back. 

"Yo-" Devaj started.

"Go or it will not end without blood." Parth spat.

"Blood has already been shed. I will remember this." Devaj said holding his wound with his left hand and storming away possibly to the ayuralay. Prishati without a word went to sit beneath the shade of the tree, bundling her legs close to her chest and let the tears fall. Parth oblivious to her personal dilemma consoled her on what he thought was going on her mind. He sat beside her and cupped her tear stricken face in his hands.

"I am here. I won't let anything happen to you. That sc-" 

"It's not that Parth." Prishati said removing his hands from her face. Parth grabbed on another possibility.

"We won't get in trouble! He won't tell anyone for his own good." Parth said.

"Parth!" Prishati shouted still weeping.

"What is it talk to me?" Parth asked whispering his eyes brimming with tears.

"I know you okay? I know how good your aim is. And I saw it you weren't aiming for his arm. If you knew how to throw a knife with that force you could ha-" Prishati couldn't come up to speak it out loud, "Would you do that?" she said looking at him, herself unsure what answer she wanted from him.

"Prisha-" Parth started tears finally escaping his eyes.

"No, Parth answer me! Would you kill someone?" her eyes begging for him to answer.

"Yes. For you, I will."

Prishati didn't know how to react to be aghast by his words or relieved by them. She didn't know! Whenever she was unsure she let him do the only thing that could calm her down. She let him engulf her in a hug till both of their tear bags emptied.

- : -

"What do you do with it?" Prishati asked touching his right cheek.

"With what?" Parth asked confused.

"Your skin. It is spotless. Not one spot or zit on it!" Prishati said.

Three years had passed since the incident with Devaj. The gurukul now brimming with new teenagers had listed skin problem as one of it's trending topics. 

"I care for it." Parth said shrugging as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What? Do you say 'I love you' to it before going to sleep?" Prishati asked amused by Parth's answer.

"No, of course not. I reserve that for you." Parth said smiling goofily which Prishati noticed he did often now.

"Haha! Very touching, but seriously what is the secret?" 

"Well, it's actually something Maa used to do. It's pretty easy. There are just three things our skin needs. Cleansing. Toning. Moisturizing." Parth said.

"And how do you do that?" Prishati asked intrigued she would kill to have his pristine skin.

"Wash my face with neem paste. Dry it. Apply rose water. Apply Aloe Vera gel. Simple. Just do it two times a day."

"Ugh...I thought you would give me a simple solution. All the girls they... You know what I have no idea what they do on their faces. It is just hectic."

"Mine is not. What if I make the paste and gel for you?" Parth said placing his head on her lap.

"You would do that?" Ptishati asked.

"You know I would do anything for you." Parth said winking. 

Prishati just smiled. They both were changing both physically and emotionally. But the best thing was that they were doing this together. As Prishati looked down at his peaceful face she saw his soft features giving way to more defined ones. His dark skin was glistening in the afternoon sun. His left temple had a new scratch on it, evidence to his rigorous practices. His arms and back were as strong as they could be thanks to his archery. Though he was still very polite now he was more confident of himself and his surroundings. Prishati smiled looking at a distance. Her caramel coloured skin gleefully taking in the sun's diffusing rays. Her lips now a little fuller were a shade of light pink. Her hair nowadays was braided and pinned up into a bun. One thing that hadn't changed was the strand of hair, always enjoying the breeze.

"Prishati!" a voice came breaking both of them from their reverie. It was Charvik. He had come from the hilly regions of eastern Aryavarta. His nose was sharp whereas his eyes were soft. His black hair with a tinge of brown was braided with a feather attached to it in the end. His immaculate fair skin was a little tanned now from training in the plains. He was tall and lean and a little buff. His voice had already started to crack. He was undeniably attractive and named so.

"Yes?" Prishati asked smiling.

"You up from some practice?" he asked swinging his knife.

"Umm... I thought I would spend some time with Parth and M-"

"You are with him all day. You should give other people a chance to impress you too! Amn't I right Parth?" Charvik asked with a lopsided smile.

What would you do if someone likes your favourite person in the world? You get jealous. Parth told himself it was the most rational thing to do. Charvik obviously tried to impress Prishati with his feather braided hair and hazel skin. What would you do if that person was also good and cared about your favourite person? You would develop resentment. It was the only logical thing Parth told himself. But he never let this show. He knew he would have to give Prishati up someday for her knight in shining armour but he wasn't ready. Not yet at least. He doubted if he ever would. 

"Actually Parth doesn't have a say in this. We promised Madhav we would meet him here. He would be here any second. Sorry, what about tomorrow?" she asked sympathetically.

"Yeah sure! No problem. Till tomorrow Prishati!" Charvik said turning around and leaving. Parth smiled at his thought.

Not tomorrow. Not ever.

देवज ने कदम ऐसा उठाया

जिसके प्रभाव वो सह न पाया

प्रिशति अचंभित है

पार्थ का स्नेह देखकर

बढ़ रही अब आयु है

क्या बदलेंगे रिश्ते भी

पार्थ को ये समझ न आये

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