War For Love

Four

It was silent amid Sahib and Siya for a long time. None of them spoke as Siya washed her face from the river water, before wiping her face with her dupatta (scarf). The thick silence amid them was as dark as the darkness of the sky. Sahib's gaze involuntarily fell on Siya's frame, unknowingly appreciating her bravery in the revolt. The younger one had no idea of his gaze on her. She turned slightly to her left, her eyes meeting with his dark ones. She never dared her eyes to wander off his face, to his upper torso, glistening with the sweat, but failing miserably as she quickly averted her gaze, color filling her dusky cheeks.

Siya felt the very first ounce of her freedom, breathing in the fresh air, away from the restrain of her family and society. Even with Sahib's steely gaze and cold demeanor, she felt no fear of being judged. She felt as if Sahib was different. But the idea of being alone with a man, in the farm, in dark night made her somewhat conscious but she knew she didn't do anything immoral other than breaking the stereotypes of the society and world, she lived in.

"It's getting late. We should leave now." Sahib said finally, his rigid voice sending shivers down her spine and she jolted a bit at the unfamiliar and histrionic emotion that were bubbling inside her. She blinked several times to get rid of the warmth that suddenly spread her body, making her sweat.

Must be because of all that running. She assured herself.

"Can't— can't we wait for like a few more minutes?" Siya asked, her eyes taking in the free air that made her insides giddy. She could free her soul liberating away from all the norms put on her. There is another happiness in being rebel, she thought, smiling to herself.

Sahib's eyes froze on her face. The soft stretch of her lips made something inside his heart to curl. He had never seen anyone like her. So brave. So strong. And undeniably so beautiful. Her dusky skin tone reminded him of the mother land, he always worshipped. She was just like her, strong, dusky, soft and a life bearer. Sahib didn't realise for how long he kept staring at her, getting lost in the estuary of her smile. This was the first time, he got mesmerized by a woman, a woman who had managed to infuriate him from the time she has entered his life.

"There's police behind us, Miss. And not to mention if anyone saw you in the farm with me, you'll get punished.... very brutally, may I add." Siya had gone accustomed to his harsh behaviour.

He was a soldier. He even looked like one. Straight spine, broad shoulders. The fire in his eyes that erupted like a volcano and the courage that so many people lacked. He was fearless; like the knight of the darkness that burned himself to give others light. But there was something else about him, that made Siya bend a little towards him. Was it the physical attraction, every woman once faces in her life? Or was it something more? More emotional and more spiritual?

"Do you know what my name means, Sahib?" Siya asked in her soft voice, the smile still persistent on her face. "Goddess Sita. A woman who was fierce and fearless. She was a Goddess, Sahib and yet she had to suffer for the karma (deeds) she never did. She suffered to free other women. To end the sin."

When Sahib didn't say anything, Siya continued. It felt like someone was hearing her for the first time. Like someone actually wanted to hear her. She didn't care about anything in front of him.

"She inspires me, Sahib. And how do you expect me not to be brave when I am her devotee? Why do we think women among the weaker section of our society? Women are more than just family's reputation. We are more than just an ornament kept in the house. I intend to prove everyone that, Sahib."

Sahib didn't knew what to say to her. Her words were akin to that poisonous dagger that hit him, paralyzing him and his tongue. He turned to the footsteps that echoed from a distance, his body alerting at the danger that didn't seem far away from them and his jaw clenched, his fingers curled in a fist as he turned towards Siya.

"I think they're near us. We need to leave now before they catch us."

"If they catch us, they'll put us behind the bar, right?" Siya wondered, standing up from the ground and Sahib narrowed his eyes at her, as if getting the idea of what was cooking in her mind.

"Hm."

"So won't that news get printed in the newspaper, the next morning?" Siya asked, a childlike excitement in her voice that enraged Sahib. The footsteps sounded more near now and he gripped Siya's wrist, against his morals of even touching a maiden, before pulling her behind the bushes, taking the hem of her dupatta (scarf) before stuffing it in her mouth, placing a finger on his own mouth, asking her silently, not to speak anything. The officers were here.

"Are you sure, you saw them here?" One of the officers asked, in his native language (english), unknown and foreign to Siya, completely, but Sahib construed their language. He understood them.

Sahib was a mysterious man. Other than the fact that he was new here and was many times sent to jails, nobody knew a thing about him. Not his name, not his real origin and certainly not that Sahib was a well educated man. He knew several languages and English was one of them. Sahib was one of the most educated people in the whole village but he never let anyone know that.

It was always advantageous to Sahib to stay undercover. The royals unaware of his literacy always stayed off guard around him, speaking about their own plans in english, unknowingly exposing the royals out.

"I did. They came here. I even saw a girl!" The second officer, Sahib recognised him as Sir Dankworth spoke, his light eyes looking for Sahib and Siya.

Sahib glared at Siya, as if silently accusing her of the truth that would now come out in no seconds. Sahib wasn't against women working or fighting but he didn't want any woman to bear the consequences of society's ill thoughts. Especially Siya. Siya however sat there unfazed, excited even. Everything was like a thrilling story for her where she was the main protagonist, fighting against the odds.

"A woman in the attack? Are you again inebriated, Dankworth? You saw no-one. And stop f*****g consuming alcohol while on duty. If Sir Dorington got to know about your drinking while in working hours, he'll have you thrown out. Understood?"

The first officer snarled, putting his gun down and Siya huffed, wanting to tell them that Dankworth wasn't hallucinating her and she— a woman, did come in the attack! But before she could have done what she wanted, Sahib pushed her down, glowering at her dangerously, his lips pulled in a thin line and Siya rolled her eyes, looking away in protest.

"We need to ensure other government offices are sound. Come." Once Sahib was assured the officers had went far away from them, he stood up, followed by Siya who looked slightly disappointed.

"In the name of Shiva (God), what is wrong with you? Do you wish to die, Miss? First sneaking into the attack, not to mention, all alone, then demanding to throw the grenades, jumping in the fire and now, you wanted to divulge yourself? Why are you so damn rebel?"

"Because that's how I am, Sahib." She spat his title with anger and rage, making his fingers to curl in a fist. How much she tested his patience, only Sahib knew. "Besides, if they would've caught me, I would've been sent to jail and then I would be on the newspaper headlines that a woman dared to defy the foreign control. I could've inspired other women!"

"Before you could've inspired people, they would have killed you! You need to be alive to inspire people, woman."

"They wouldn't have." Siya said, more like to herself. She atleast hoped they wouldn't have killed her.

"We bombed their offices and police stations. We killed their people, Miss. They wouldn't have spared any of us." Siya tried not to shiver from the fear at Sahib's words and gulped harshly, looking away from him.

"We shall leave, before your family wakes up and notices your absence. And remember, you weren't a part of this revolt. You don't know what happened. Jayanti Lal won't speak of you too. You won't speak of tonight in front of anyone. Anything happened today should never come out in public and I hope I never see you in the battlefield or in my house, sneaking it to provide me food and ointment."

Siya's heart almost dropped down to her stomach as her eyes jerked up to meet his dark one's. For once they eyes met like the moth meets the flame of the candle, burning in its fire, but blending in its light. The moonlight made his dark face to lighten up, stirring something inside Siya's heart, pulling on the strings, she didn't knew, she had. This was foreign to her. This fluttering in her stomach, the uneven breathing she never experienced before and the sudden warmth that made her feel hot when it was cold outside.

Everything was long forgotten amid them. The officers chasing them, the need of reaching home early and that they were all alone, in the darkness and under the moonlight. The thin line between moral and immoral was erased out as their eyes discovered the unknown depths of each other's soul.

Siya felt embarrassment flaring her skin as she shyly looked away from his magnetic eyes that seemed to have her held hostage for a few seconds that felt like never existed. Sahib noticing her keeping food for him was embarrassing for her. She didn't want him to know that it was her who gave him food from her own share, sleeping partially hungry every night. But nothing satisfied her more than partially filling his stomach from her share. To Siya, it was an innocent deed done from her side, unaware its effect on Sahib. Only if it would have been someone else, Sahib wouldn't have consumed the food but Siya was oblivious to the fact.

"What— what are you talking about?"

"The meals you give me everyday. I have never seen a woman so reckless about her reputation and so rebel. You infuriate me, Miss." It was an insult. Siya knew it damn well but the way Sahib spoke those words, it made Siya to smile softly, blush spreading her cheeks.

It wasn't an insult. Siya finally concluded. Though his words were harsh, aspersed, but the intention behind his words were far away from derogatory.

"We shall leave now, Sahib." Siya said with a smile as she started leading the way and for the first time, Sahib walked behind a woman who wasn't his mother.

Siya, of course, incognizant to the fact kept walking forward, creating a history with the every footstep she kept on the muddy ground that night. Who knew Sahib was capable of following a woman; a man who had always shown path to others was now walking behind a woman. As they reached on the edge of the lane that differentiated their ways, Sahib looked one last time at Siya, not uttering a single word before he walked towards his own house.

Siya finally sneaked in her own house, before she slept where once the dried grasses were, covering her absence with a smile on her face.

Mission one: Being a freedom fighter had initiated and Siya was the first woman to participate.