Page 68 of A King's Oath

Geography. Literature. Sanskrit Studies. Maths. Break. Hindi. Physics. Physics. Yoga.

Samarth didn’t come. And there was no friend here closer to him than she was who would know why. Now that Avantika thought about it and began to count heads, she realised the entire school was Samarth’s ‘friend’ but nobody really was his friend. If she had to go ask somebody right now if they had heard from him yesterday or today, she wouldn’t get any answer. Not from Jai, not from Gopi, not from Kush or Vishnu or even Coach Singh.

She was the one who knew him. Who got all his updates. Except this one.

That thought made her preen. And Avantika set aside the worry of his absence on the first day. Maybe he was saying goodbye to his horses and missed his flight. Or was spending time with his father and his new wife. Or maybe his Dada Sarkar had stopped him. Or Hira ben would have come to the airport to drop him and they lost track of time in some story. Ava laughed to herself, immersing herself in the merits of Bokaro coal mines. After all, she would have to understand it herself to explain to the Geography loser that was her boyfriend!

————————————————————

Avantika rushed down the school corridor and out the door. She didn’t have practise today but Coach Dhillon wanted to run batting drills with them. Only the batters. She had twentyminutes to eat lunch, something lighter than ‘light’ because there were miles of running immediately after, she was sure. A banana, dal and two rotis with salad, she counted in her head. She wouldn’t be caught dead eating this fare at home but if it was cricket, she would happily sacrifice.

And, after the drill, Coach would have Reese’s cups ready for them all. He was great at rewarding that way…

“Hhuuu!”

Avantika stopped, her heart racing at that familiar grunt. She pushed out of the spill of students around her and stared at the hill leading to the stables.Harsh.Avantika grinned, forgetting lunch, forgetting practise, forgetting Reese’s cups, and just running.

Running. Running. Running.

“Harsh!” She stopped short of his chest that was rising above her nose. “Where is Samarth? When did you come? Why are you late…”

He nudged his chin over his shoulder. Towards the stables. Avantika frowned. He hadn’t even smiled. He didn’t smile as freely as the lot of them did but he did smile at her and chatted with her. She understood a lot of what he gestured, and Samarth translated if she didn’t. Or Harsh wrote it for her.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

He nudged his chin again.

Avantika hitched her bag’s strap higher over her shoulder, braced, and launched into a sprint. Down the hill and over the next one, running towards the stables — their ‘spot.’ Was it a surprise? Had he got a new horse? Something for her? Had he got those lehenga-choli sets she had raved to him about? Those12 metre wide garba lehengas? She wouldn’t put it past Samarth. He was a boy, but he was the most thoughtful boy. And did not flinch while doing such tender things. That’s what had drawn her towards him.

He was so himself, so secure, so sure of his life, his beliefs and his goals. Unlike all the boys, contemporaries and seniors. All the girls too, even the most mature ones. Ava didn’t know too many adults that closely but she was sure even they wouldn’t be as clear-headed and secure as Samarth was in himself.

Which teenager would openly go to Badrinath otherwise and smile through Kresha’s teasing? Which teenager would push his father to marry again? That one had jolted her as well as made her love him more. She had seen and believed in her parents being a team outside of being her parents. He had accepted that his Papa had a team outside of him. That was guts. Or maybe that was Samarth. Avantika’s chest shuddered with excitement and pride.

She turned the corner to the final fencing of the stables and stopped. There he stood, the horses grazing in the far distance behind him. He wasn’t looking at them though, his eyes were on her. They had been on the path she would take. Avantika broke into another run, this one faster than any run chases she had ever run. She sprinted, jumping, and threw herself into his arms — “Oh my gaaawwd! Why the hell were you absent today?!”

It took a second longer for his arms to come around her. But they did, and squeezed tight. But his head did not push itself into her shoulder. Nor did he bend down to scoop her up fully, feet and all dangling.

Avantika pulled back, cupping his cheek — “Are you ok? Were you sick?”

He did not look sick. In his casual clothes of polo and jeans, he looked exactly like the guy who had left here.

“Samarth?” She nudged his face lower. His eyes smiled.

“I am not sick, Ava,” he took her hand and lowered themselves on the grass. It was green again, the spring of March touching its surface with magic. She tried to stick into his side but he sat in front of her instead, crossing his legs.

“Then why were you absent? You landed just now?”

“I landed yesterday.”

“Ok, Samarth, come to the point.”

“So, my Papa got married…”

“Yeah, I know, duh! You are awesome, by the way. Tell me all the deets. How did you go there? How did you find out about her…?”

“I promised Maarani’s father that I will abdicate the throne of Nawanagar. Took an oath.”

“Whaaaa?! Are you crazy? Is he crazy…”

---