Page 269 of A King's Oath

“I am talking about Brahmi. How can you leave a child in the middle of the pen like that? What were you thinking dropping her off and riding away? Why did you drop her there?”

Samarth went silent.

“I am asking you something.”

“It wasn’t like that, Rajmata, I was taking the horse back to the stables…”

“That little child. Thank god she is full of spirit and so spunky that she is making an adventure out of it. These are traumas that stay with you for life! Thank god the most she suffered was a scraped elbow.”

“Sharan…”

“Will be alright. He has to become alright. He will wake up.”

“He will wake up,” Samarth reiterated. “He will.” He exhaled.

“Relax now, we are all here, it will be ok.” She nodded. “Now come and officially introduce Papa to Ava.”

Avantika’s eyes widened.

“How does Papa know about Brahmi?”

“I had to tell him on the way, to prepare him.”

“You told him everything?”

“Yes. And no more secrets now. It’s time he knows about Ava and what you have done.”

Before they could turn and see her, Avantika took quick steps back and strode back to her daughter.

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“Oh, and you know there’s also a secret way from my room to the garden…”

“But you can’t go around telling secret passageways to everybody.”

“You are my Dada Sarkar, I can tell you. My Papa also told his Dada Sarkar everything. It’s allowed!”

Samarth’s father threw his head back and laughed. “You know, you are so adorable I could eat you.”

“I know,” she flipped her ponytail.

Avantika cleared her throat, making both their heads whirl to her. Brahmi was grinning, half leaning on her grandfather’s chest as he held her standing between his legs. His eyes met hers and the playful smile turned soft, tender.

“Cricketer Ava.”

Her eyes widened. She gaped at him. When his tender smile burst into a grin as if he knew her for ages, Avantika let out an incredulous chuckle that bubbled inside her.

“I would stand up to greet you, Kumari, but I have one right here and I believe she won’t like it if her back support is messed with.”

Ava stepped towards them — “Yes, I think so too,” she looked down at her daughter, so easily blended into a new set of people. Brahmi had always been a people person, always an extrovert — anextraextrovert. But she wasn’t so physically affectionate with everybody. With Samarth, since that first moment in the car, she had trusted to lean into him. And now his father. Or there was something about these men, all three of them, that you instantly felt safe and comfortable with them.

“How did you know my Mama played cricket in school?” Brahmi patted his bearded cheek. Her grandfather’s face automatically moulded and turned as per her wishes — “I know it because Ihave heard a lot about her games from your Papa. About her famous full toss hits.”

“Your Dada Sarkar played cricket too, you know?” Ava added, obliged to tell her daughter about this heritage.

“I still play cricket every day, thank you very much,” he added. “Primarily to prove to your Dadi Sarkar that I am not old.”

“You are not old,” Brahmi turned in his arms. “Your hair is not all white. My Nanaji’s hair is all white.”

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