War For Love

~Five~

The morning to that night was beautiful. When there was fear in the village, knowing the repercussions of the revolt that took place a night before wouldn't certainly be painless. Siya woke up early, even though he barely had slept the entire night. The adrenaline rush seemed to have left a longer effect on her. When Vedika woke up, a few minutes after Siya, they both collected their clothes to take a bath at the river. Vedika could see the happiness on her sister's face and she knew her mission was successful. She, however didn't question her about the revolt, knowing how dangerous it would be if anyone got to know about her participation in the last night's revolt.

It was still dark outside, a few more girls of the village had gathered on the banks of the river to take a bath. Siya took handful of water before splashing it on her face. She slowly undid her braid, letting her long, dark, thick hair to fall over her shoulders. She slowly ran her wet fingers long the length of her hair, before washing them. When others were talking about the revolt that took place, a night before, Siya and Vedika were silently listening to them.

"I heard that a woman was also involved in the revolt last night. Strange, who could be rebellious and brave enough in women to stand against the royals?" One of them said, making Vedika to choke on her breath as she looked at her sister with fear and anxiety.

What if they caught her little sister? She thought, playing with the hem of her now drenched dupatta ( scarf).

'I'd take the blame.' She concluded in her mind but what really astonished her was the smile on Siya's face. The small, proud stretch of lips, that sometimes scared Vedika so much, knowing her fiery her sister really was.

"You heard that a woman took part in the revolt?" Siya asked, trying to mask her smile but Vedika could sense the euphoria in her voice. She glared at her little sister, warning her not to let her excitement push her in the pit of mud.

"Yes. You also think it's a lie, no? It was one of the royal soldiers who saw the woman. I think, they're doing this to harass us!" The girl said, looking slightly enraged that they would get interrogated for the act they never did.

"It could be true, though. A woman can raise her voice and hands against the wrong, no? Maybe that royal officer wasn't lying." Siya said, much to the dismay of her sister who could feel the tremors in her spine, looking around her cautiously, praying to the Supreme Lord, that no one listened to her other than the girls in the river.

"Not everyone is a rebel like you, Siya." The girl said, looking at her with pursed lips before she leaned closer to her. "Don't tell me, you were the girl, that officer saw! Because if that's the scene, I won't let those officers harass me and my mother because you couldn't behave like a lady!"

Siya could feel the anger bubbling inside her. She moved a little forward, glaring at the girl of her age, who seemed to have a problem with Siya not behaving like a "woman". How fair was it that what the girl did was termed ladylike and what Siya thought violated the norms of the society. Who was she to question her; or for that matter, who gave the authority to her or anyone else to put restrain on her thoughts and question her intentions.

"Oh, I didn't knew, there was a book on how to be a lady, Mamta?" Siya said in her sweet and soft voice, laced with utmost poison and Vedika knew it was the only time to intervene their argument because anymore provoking words from Mamta and Siya would accept that she was the woman everyone talked about.

"That's enough. The officers will be here any moment and we're not in a decent form to face the officials or any man for that matter. And Mamta, you know how Siya is, but do you think Baba (Dad) would've let her go in the protest? And I've even heard that royal officers are often intoxicated, drunk while on duty. So stop alleging my sister!"

"But jiji (Sister)......"

"We're getting late, Siya. Dress up fast." Vedika cut her off, making Siya sigh as she nodded her head. Stepping out of the river, followed by many more as they covered each other while the other one got dressed up.

Siya wore a blue blouse, a plain, flowy skirt and floral dupatta (scarf), and her long, thick hair, open. They all filled their pots with fresh water before returning back to their houses.

They had almost crossed the jungle and had entered the market area when Siya's gaze when on the officers whipping a few people. As she took more steps, unfolding the scene in front of her eyes, she felt the breath knocking out of her lungs. Her eyes widened as she saw Sahib, standing on the floor, getting whipped, brutally. His upper torso was bleeding; the angry red, painful wounds forming every time the whip made a harsh contact with his skin. But Sahib didn't once knelt down in front of the royals. And to keep his painful screams to himself, he bit his lips harshly, looking away and that's when his dark gaze met Siya's teary widened eyes.

Sahib forgot his pain for a second. His eyes swallowing Siya's whole existence in his dark gaze. This was the first time Sahib had seen Siya away from the veil and bondage of norms. Her hair open, unlike every other time, she had them braided. They always said a woman only let's her husband witness the beauty of her open hair. That rule had broken that day. Her eyes didn't had the thick coat of kohl in her eyes. Her forehead missed the small black bindi (a small dot made on the middle of the forehead), she often had.

Siya looked raw to him. Without any adjunction, just raw and pure. He wasn't pulled out of his reverie until the harsh hit was delivered to him and Siya flinched back, her chest heaving up and down, the pain that brimmed inside her chest, clenching her heart. As if the whips were hitting her. She felt a thousand nails stabbing her soul, all at once. Vedika gripped Siya's fingers, trying to take her away from the horrendous scene, fearing that Sahib's pain would make her confess every single secret of her life. But no avail.

"Tell me, who was the girl involved with you in the protest last night?" The officer from the last night snarled, in the villager's language, hitting him once again and Siya stumbled on her step, her tearful gaze still on Sahib.

"I told you, there was no woman! Why would I involve a woman in our protest? For the last time, there was no woman. Understood?" Sahib said, boldly, his voice daunting everyone in his low tone, passing shivers down Siya's body. He didn't let the pain to seep his voice. Before Siya could've intervened, speaking the truth out, he made a jerk with his head, asking Siya to leave for her house, now. And Siya knew Sahib wasn't in the mood to be disobeyed now. But how could she let him suffer for something she did and was an equal part of?

"Siya, don't be foolish. Even he is asking you to leave. Please  Siya." Vedika pleaded and she looked at Sahib, almost apologizing him for not being able to take a stand, letting Vedika take her away from the market. Away from him.

Sahib watched Siya leaving the market, relief flooding his body and he didn't knew why the thought of Siya being in pain and getting punished made his heart to clench.

~~~~~~

"Officer Dankworth saw a woman in the protest last night." Siya's father said as soon as both of his daughters walked in. But his eyes specifically on Siya; his voice unusually hard, stern but Siya didn't react. Her mind was still stuck on Sahib's red and injured back. It was all my fault. She thought, looking away, trying to blink back her tears.

"That was a false news, Baba. You know how these officers are often high on intoxicating substances. And only one of them saw the woman, perhaps he was hallucinating her presence?" Vedika said with a nervous laughter but her father knew something wasn't right by looking at Siya's face.

"I hope that it would just be his hallucination and not something else." The father said eying his younger daughter who looked at her father, her eyes akin to that inferno that could burn the universe down.

"I'll get the breakfast ready." Siya said instead, walking towards the kitchen, sitting down, tying her hair into a bun before she started chopping the vegetables their father had brought from the farm.

She didn't wait for Vedika, her mind still on Sahib. As if she couldn't think of anyone else but him. His pain. His punishment. It made her wish to cry but she swallowed instead, swallowing the lump down her throat as she sautéd the vegetables and started kneading the batter, before she started making the tortillas.

It had become so normal for Siya's family to see her eating a little late that nobody questioned her anymore. Her father when went to the farm and her mother in the stable, Siya started making paste of Neem (Indian lilac), turmeric and coconut oil and some more herbs. Vedika was stunned with Siya's devotion for Sahib.

She took part in the protest, last night, not sleeping for more than an hour or two, and made the brunch for everyone, empty stomach and now preparing this medicinal paste for him— Sahib. And she knew, Siya won't eat until Sahib ate and Vedika never felt anything more intimate than this.

"He could be in the jail for all we know, Siya." Vedika said with a defeated sigh.

"That wouldn't stop me from trying, jiji. He is getting whipped to save me. This is the least I can do for him." Siya spoke softly.

"He saved you today, Siya. And you've been literally investing your devotion in him even before that. Do not develop any emotion for him, Siya."

Siya softly laughed at her words. Yes, she was doing the exact same thing even before he saved her but that was not an outcome of any feelings inside her but a pure devotion to him for saving her village and villagers at so many instances, without caring about his life.

"Sahib is indeed an attractive man, Jiji. But that's not the reason for what I did. I respect him. He is the revolution our country needs. Sooner or later, people will realise that. They will worship him, no less than any God. Ma always say that God may come in any form and who is even mightier than the person who shields his country, behind whom everyone seeks their safety. No one, jiji. No one."

With that, she poured the vegetables in between the tortillas and wrapped them securely along with the ointment she had prepared for him.

"You're going out like this, Siya? You know, Ma don't like us with our hair open. They are reserved for our......"

"Husband, I know." Siya said, rolling her eyes as she brushed her hair, braiding them to the side. But other than that, she did nothing. She didn't apply the thick coat of kohl in her eyes and rushed out of her house.

She kept praying for Sahib to be at home and not in some jail and God, listened to her, for when she looked in his house, Sahib was sitting on his cot, only with a dhoti (clothe) wrapped around his waist, his back bare, devoid of any clothe. The red marks angrily glowing on his back and Siya felt the guilt bubbling inside her.

She walked in, this time, not fearing from him or trying to hide her presence in his house. Instead, she made her presence manifest to Sahib. Indeed, Siya was involuntarily, but heading towards her new life. A life that would revolve around only one man, a man whom everyone called Sahib.