︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"Vasusen!" A voice echoed through the small house as the jingling of anklet bells followed. There stood Radha, her hands on her hips as she glared at her adorable son who was currently in his own world.

Radheya snapped out of his daze, jolting a bit at the sudden tug of consciousness. He shook his head to clear the thought as his dark hair spread in the wind around him. "Yes, Ma?" He replied with a tilted head, unaware of why his dear mother was angry at him.

She sighed heavily, her hand reaching for Radheya's ear and with a swift move, she twisted it. The child yelped at the sudden abuse, his small hands coming up to cover his mother's. Radheya felt the smoothness of her rings as he shouted, "Ow, Ma. What did I do? Please let me go na. It hurts."

"I told you to help me in the kitchen today. Where were you?" She demanded the answer while letting his ear go and gently rubbing the slight reddening part. "Vrushali also came to play with you and she is waiting."

His eyes widened in realisation and he leaned into the touch of instinct. "I am sorry, Ma. I will help with the dinner and tell Vrushali that I am coming in a second." He muttered, his hands fidgeting with the fabric of his mother's saree.

"Okay, I will tell her to wait but don't take too much time." Radha planted a small kiss on his forehead, feeling the soft skin beneath her lips. She stood up, fixing her saree and glazed at the little boy for the last time before walking away.

The son of Radha stood up as well, shaking his head to clear the cloud of thoughts that had stopped him from going to practice today. Wait. Ashwatthama must have been waiting for him! He forgot to tell his friend that he won't come. Stupid him. He really needs to start getting mature.

He picked up his makeshift bow and kept it behind some clothes, hiding it from others as they may not appreciate this. With a sigh, he brushed away the dirt from his clothes and rushed out with his signature smile.

There stood a small girl beside his mother, dressed in a simple pink saree and a blouse. He quickly rushed to her and stood just a few steps away, noticing the new bangle in her slender arms. "Vrushali!" He exclaimed and his smile widened as she turned around, her dark brownish eyes meeting his amber ones.

"Vasusen!" She giggled and turned around gracefully, the hem of her sari fluttering around her feet. She felt a light blush spreading across her cheeks as she took in his smile, so radiant and perfect. "Come on, let's play!"

"Of course!" He eagerly nodded and hugged his mother before grabbing the girl's hand as they both rushed out of the house. He barely heard his mother say, "Be safe," before Vrushali started talking about her day.

"Mother taught me how to cook kheer today!" Vrushali excitedly exclaimed, her black hair falling like a delicate waterfall over her shoulder. She looked at Radheya with wide eyes, eagerly awaiting his response.

Radheya's steps faltered, but his mind remained elsewhere, a cloud of thoughts clouding his usual clarity. He hardly noticed Vrushali had stopped walking until she tugged at his sleeve.

"Radeya? What happened?" She pouted at the realization that her best friend wasn't even paying attention to her talk. Was she that boring?

He blinked again, shaking his head to clear the lingering fog in his thoughts. "I am so sorry, Vrusha," Radheya murmured, his voice almost a whisper. His gaze dropped to the ground, unable to meet her eyes, knowing the hurt he'd caused. "I...I was just thinking about Ashwatthama."

Vrushali tilted her head, her expression softening as she waited for him to continue. "What about Ashwatthama?" she asked, genuinely curious but still unaware of the turmoil that had taken root in Radheya's heart.

He hesitated, biting his lower lip. The thought of the fight with Ashwatthama made his chest tighten. He wasn't used to being open about such things, especially with Vrushali. Still, something in her voice made the words just tumble out. "I didn't tell him I won't come to practice today," he muttered, his tone strained. "We had a fight yesterday. He... he looked really troubled, and I just..." His words trailed off, and he swallowed hard.

"Why didn't you tell him?" She asked, trying to coax the full information out of her friend. Her soft hand grabbed Radheya's calloused ones from playing with the bowstring all day and night as she tugged him with herself.

He stumbled a bit but quickly managed to walk with her pace, his head swirling with thoughts. He felt a gentle squeeze on his head and took a deep breath, "Let's just forget it. Come on, we can go to the forest clearing to play! There is a mango tree with the most delicious mangoes ever."

"Mangoes?!" Her eyes lit up like twinkling stars at night, mesmerized and enchanting. She forgot about her disappointment and the information about Ashwatthama as she was basically bouncing with joy, "Those are my favorite!"

He smiled softly at the girl's happiness and started walking to that place. This time, he made sure that no thoughts—No Ashwatthama—came between them as Vrushali again started retelling the story that was her amazing day.

But when has fate even been on Radheya's side? The answer was simple, never. And just like that, while walking and sharing his thoughts on the other's day, Radheya saw him. A boy with a slim yet with the signs of a warrior body standing in the center of the clearing, his eyes narrowed as he drew the bowstring back. His chocolate eyes and flowing dark brown hair that seemed to talk to the wind. Ashwatthama. Why was he still here?

Seeing Radheya pause, Vrushali looked at the wide-eyed boy in confusion. "What happened?" Her voice was normal, not a whisper that the son of Radha would have appreciated. As if on cue, Ashwatthama's arrow snapped towards them. In a moment of sheer panic, the son of Drona shot the weapon and Radheya quickly pushed Vrushali out of the way.

Vrushali stumbled back and maintained her balance as she was about to fall. Her breath hitched looking at the arrow engraved in the tree bark beside her. She quickly rushed to Radheya's side who walked from where the arrow came from.

"Ashwatthama, what was that?!" He glared at the chocolate eyed boy, "You could have killed her!"

"I didn't mean to," The son of Drona muttered beneath his breath, looking at the girl. She was so beautiful and could only be described as an apsara, "I was in deep thoughts and then suddenly heard sounds. It was a reflex but I am sorry."

Vrushali nodded slowly, her fingers brushing through her disheveled hair as she adjusted her dress, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She looked at Radheya with a mixture of relief and lingering concern before speaking up, her voice soft but firm, "It's okay. Just... don't do that again." Her hands trembled slightly, but she quickly hid the shake, choosing to let go of the tension.

With a small, reassuring smile, she grabbed Radheya's hand, pulling him toward the clearing with a gentle but determined tug. "Come on, Vasu," she said, her voice lightening, "Show me those mangoes. I'm starving!"

"Of course," Radheya smiled, though his gaze lingered for a moment longer on Ashwatthama, a knot still forming in his chest. But he quickly tore his thoughts away, focusing on the girl beside him. He tugged her toward the massive mango tree, his voice light and eager to distract her from the earlier tension. "See? They're practically glowing in the sunlight!"

The mangoes, indeed, seemed to sparkle in the warm golden light. Their bright yellow skins shimmered, catching the rays like jewels in the midday sun. It was as though nature itself had decided to showcase its finest treasure just for them.

"Woah!" She gasped, her eyes liting up with joy as she licked her lips trying to imagine how sweet they would taste.

Radheya chuckled softly, his mind drifting back to present as he looked up at the tree. "Wait here," He informed and began to climb the tree, the rough bark biting into his bare feet while the gentle breeze played with his hair.

He sits on a branch, plucking one of the sweet treats and calls out to Vrushali who is looking up with awe, "Catch!" He tosses the fruit down and his smile widens as the girl catches it and starts to eat.

Just as Vrushali was enjoying the mango, the sweet liquid trailing down her chin, Radheya's gaze drifted back to his friend. Ashwatthama was still practicing but his posture was more tense, his grip on the bow tight and the force of his shots more than usual.

She smiled, wiping her mouth and said, "Give me another, Vasu! And I have to go home as the sun is setting." Radheya nodded, getting another mango and tossing it to her with a small giggle, "I have to go home too otherwise Ma will kill me."

Vrushali nodded and smiled widely, her cheeks dimpling slightly with the effort. "You will play with me tomorrow, right?" The son of Adhirath quickly nodded, his hair bouncing as he jumped down from the tree, "Of course!"

He watched as her friend ran away, the jingling melody of her anklets filling the air before it was replaced by the rustling of leaves. He knew he should go home but it wouldn't hurt if he stayed for some more minutes. WIth a sigh and hesitant expression, he walked to his practising friend.

Ashwatthama controlled the urge to flinch away as he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked back to see those blazing amber eyes. "I told you, I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your friend." He frowned as Radheya didn't let go instead tightened his grip. What was going on with him?

The son of Radha took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He has to do it. Their friendship can't just come to an end so easily. "I am sorry for not coming today," He began with a shaky smile even though his words were still firm, voice confident, "And I promise that I will come to practise tomorrow."

Dronaputr frown deepened but he nodded slowly, trying to make sense of the things happening—the tight grip, sudden apology and there was something else, something he can't pinpoint yet. "That's okay...?"

Should he continue? Radheya paused, weighting the pros and cons. His mother's words rang in his ears, a guiding light to his blurry mind, "Think of far things too yet live it the present. Apologize if you are wrong, forgive if you must. Address issues or they will be a fire to the thread of different relationships."

"What happened?" Ashwatthama asked with furrowed brows, why was Radheya not speaking?

"Why did you call me a Kshatriya yesterday? Why were you so shaken up when you woke up?" The question left his lips like water from a broken dam, his eyes searching for the truth in the younger's chocolate eyes.

Ashwatthama's eyes widened at the sudden head-on questions but he managed to compose himself for now. What should he say? He will sound crazy if he told Radheya about his dream or nightmare. Yet he couldn't help but gulp as the amber eyes burned into his brown ones with such intensity.

"Tell me, Ashwatthama," He urged while lightly squeezing the other's shoulder, "Please, I need to know and I don't have too much time as my mother..." His voice trailed off into a sigh. The sun had fully set and the stars were twinkling high. His mother would kill me literally if he didn't go now. "You have to explain tomorrow." With the words said, he walked or more likely rushed away.

Kripanandhan let out a sigh of relief as he watched the retreating back of his friend. He couldn't tell him, not yet. He needs to understand it himself first. Who was that sage? And why was he cursing Radheya? Calling him a Kshatriya? 

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
· • —– ٠Words - 2066٠ —– • ·

Hello again, dear lovely readers! I am so grateful for all the people who decided to read my book. I don't know how to express my happiness but a digital hug to you all~<3

Onto the chapter, did you like out sweet as mango Vrushali? She is a sweetheart, right? It was so much fun writing about her innocent joy and pleasure of the simple moments in life!

How were our dear Ashwatthama and Radheya? Tell me how you feel about their strained relationship/friendship-→

What do you think of the words spoken by Radha to Radheya? Were they wise and helpful?

Again, lots of love for you all. Continue voting and commenting as they give a lot of motivation!

-yourFEATHERS