War For Love

~Eight~

The illicit lane that led Siya to Sahib's house seemed more and more familiar now. Like every other time, Siya was walking towards Sahib's house, her hand clutching the food and the kurta, she had stitched for him. When Siya reached his house, the small lamp was illuminating his front yard. The white clothe was hanging on the branch of the Banyan tree and he was practicing his fighting skills. His wounds still had some traces of the ointment on them, indicating that he hadn't wiped the ointment away, making Siya's heart to thump loudly in her chest.

Siya's feet froze on the ground as her wide eyes took in the frame of Sahib. His upper torso was glistening with sweat, his muscles flexing as he was practicing with his sword. His hair disheveled and his chiseled face looking no less than a blade that was tearing Siya's inside. Subconsciously, her feet advanced towards him. And sensing someone's presence behind him, Sahib turned around, throwing his arm forward and the sword touched Siya's neck, almost like grazing her skin. Siya gasped, her eyes widened from fear and Sahib rose his brows at her, letting out a tired breath before he withdrew his sword back.

"Do not surprise me while I'm practicing with my sword, lady! You could have been severely hurt." Sahib said, his words sharp but Siya was used to the harshness of his voice. She hummed, looking at the sword with childlike curiosity, which tensed Sahib.

Knowing her, Sahib wouldn't be shocked if she would demand to touch his sword, next and then ask him to teach her, how to fight with it. He quickly placed his sword, far away from her sight and grabbed the white clothe to cover himself before he turned to gaze at the stubborn lady whom he found every night at the same time with some food.

His eyes fell on something which was new today. Sahib had often seen her with food, ointment and sometimes with medicines too but what astounded him today was that she had a piece of clothing with her. Siya silently placed the food wrapped in tha banana leave and the kurta on his cot. She turned around to see a jug and filled a glass with its water before placing it on the ground, just under the cot. Sahib looked at the kurta for a while before he turned to look at Siya.

"What is this?" Sahib asked and Siya shrugged her shoulders, her cheeks flushing pink.

"Kurta?" (Shirt)

Sahib rose his brow at her obvious answer that made his question to sound dumb. He clenched his jaw in annoyance, looking directly in her eyes.

"I can see that, surprisingly, Miss. What I meant was, why have you brought this kurta here?" Siya licked her lips, anxiety rushing in her veins as she gripped on her dupatta (scarf), looking anywhere but at him.

Sahib didn't scare her, surprisingly. She has always been peace loving person. Though she was rebellious at times and often broke the rules but she was never violent. But Sahib was the paradigm of violence. Everything he did mostly included violence. He believed that the path of peace should be undeniably chosen but only for once. And if the other person doesn't understand the language of love, it's important for you to show them the power of violence.

So when Sahib often looked into her eyes, she couldn't look directly in his dark gaze because he made her nervous. It was the first time she was communicating with a man who wasn't her father. And unlike her father, Sahib was a violent, blunt and stern man. Siya never saw his eyes ever going soft or his rigid body ever relaxing. It was like Sahib was always on guard.

"I can't hear your silence, Miss. You need to speak for me to hear you. Hm?" Siya looked up to glare at him. Was he joking? Did he just use sarcasm? Siya couldn't believe it.

"I made— I mean I brought it for you."

Sahib caught on her mistake. Siya made this kurta for him. His eyes stayed on the kurta for the longest time. This was the first time somebody had brought something for him without him asking for it. It was the first time somebody had gifted him something. And, of course, who else could it be other than Siya?

It was not even a month since Sahib had met Siya. When Sahib rejected her ointment the first time, like he did with everyone else, she had still been been persistent in bringing him food and medicines. Everyone left after a good amount of tries but Siya stayed. He couldn't admit how much indebt he was to her. His eyes slowly gazed up to look at the petite woman in front of him. He stiffened as their gaze met.

He noticed that Siya had put kohl in her eyes. The black bindi (dot) on her forehead. Her hair were tried loosely in a braid. There was everything Siya had that every other woman in the village had. Bindi, kohl, bangles but one thing Siya lacked was anklets. Every woman had atleast one pair of anklet with them but Siya had none. Every time, Siya walked in his house, her footsteps screamed her presence but Sahib wanted to hear her presence with her anklet bells.

"Why?" Sahib asked, his voice thick with the sudden emotion that got stuck in his throat, making it harder for him to speak.

Siya, however was unaware of Sahib's thought. She didn't knew that the thickness in his voice wasn't because he was angry but because he was shocked. Overwhelmed. Siya had evoked an unknown emotion in Sahib's heart. When Sahib had forgotten all the emotions other than cruelty and pain, Siya was introducing positive emotions in him. What it felt to be cared by others, Sahib had completely forgotten after his parent's death until Siya walked in his life one day.

Siya shared no relationship with Sahib and he knew, any kind of relationship with her won't be good on her character. People would question her selfless devotion to him. They would name it as sin, Sahib knows is as pure as the holy flame.

"The winter is arriving and I— I couldn't have slept with the thought of you— anyone struggling with cold. I know, it won't give you any relief from the cold but it will help."Any relief? The kurta she had stitched for him would warm him more than any sweater or blanket could have.

The emotions bubbling inside him didn't surface to his face. It was akin to that stone who had no emotions in it. Like he had forgotten to express them. His face no longer knew any emotion. It was impassive.

"There are men, women and kids who would spend their winter with no clothes and shelter. How can I accept this when my villagers would die from cold and hunger? I can't accept this."

Siya opened her mouth to only close it back. His words were true. There are people who would die from the lack of shelter, clothes and food in winter. There are women who have no clothes to cover their body, children who don't have food to eat and men who don't have shelters to live in. And if Sahib won't wear his kurta, cover himself in cold, would he survive? Will Siya be able to live knowing Sahib isn't safe?

"I have lived like this all my life, Miss. I'd survive this one too. It's getting late, you shall leave too. And take this dress with you, I can't keep it."

Siya licked her lips, her eyes casted downwards before she looked up, her eyes shining brightly as her fingers were still gripping on her dupatta.

"Would you wear this if everyone in our village will have the clothes for winter?" Siya asked, her voice slightly high, with excitement that didn't go missed by Sahib. He tilted his head, looking at the younger woman in front of him with a sigh.

"It's not possible."

"That's not the answer of my question, Sahib."

"Only if everyone would have clothes to wear. Then yes."

Siya smiled. She clapped her palms loudly with excitement and sudden surge of happiness, gazing into his dark orbs which seemed to have frozen on her face. On her smile. Her smile was like a spell to him, he couldn't help but get lost deeper into the curve of her lips. He blinked out of his trance, looking away from Siya, clearing his throat, pointing towards the exit of his house.

"You'll apply the ointment, right?" Siya asked, raising her brows and Sahib mimicked her actions, tilting his head and folded his hands against his chest, looking intimidatingly at her. She cleared her throat, nodding her head as color filled her cheeks.

"I understood. I'll leave but tell me, will you or will you not apply ointment on your wounds?"

"Will you or will you not leave now, hm?" Siya smiled at his question, shrugging her shoulders.

"Depends, Sahib. Will you apply the ointment?"

"I can't reach my back." Sahib mumbled, almost to himself but Siya heard him. Her smile fading from her face as she gripped the ointment kept under the tree and Sahib looked at her with his dark eyes, daring her to touch him.

"I won't touch you." She assured him, as she plucked the Neem (Indian Lilac) leaf from the tree, outside his house before she returned back in.

She took the ointment on the leaf before she gently took the white clothe off his back and applied the ointment using the leaf. As promised, her fingers never even once touched him. The gentle and soft caress of the leaf made Sahib to clench his fingers. Siya silently inspected the marks as she treated them. Her lips pulling down in a frown as she put the leaf down, walking in front of him.

"You should avoid stretching or practicing for a few days. You're making them bleed again." Sahib rose his chin up, taking the clothe in his hand as he looked at Siya.

"No amount of pain and blood can stop a warrior. This pain inspires me to fight more for my motherland."

"Hm. True. But how can you serve your motherland without being fit yourself? And if you need this motherland, Sahib, this land needs you too."

Do you need me? He wanted to ask her. But he kept quiet instead, nodding his head as he sat down on the cot, taking a bite of the food and Siya knew it was her cue to leave.

"How do you know so much about medicines though?" Sahib asked and Siya smiled, looking at him.

"By sneaking in the lectures, how else?" Sahib's eyes widened before he shook my his head. Of course, this is Siya, they were talking about.

"Oh, by the way, Sahib, when are you going to teach me the sword fight?" Sahib looked at her in disbelief before pointing out towards the exit of his house.

"Out." Siya giggled as she left his house.

~~~~~~~

Shankar who stood far from his house, witnessed everything and he knew the woman was none other than Siya. He had his doubts on Siya from the start but her meet with Sahib just confirmed it.

Sahib narrowed his eyes, feeling someone's gaze on him but Shankar took a step back when Sahib walked out of his house to see. But Sahib knew someone was here and saw Siya with him. He had to be more cautious from now on.