In the moonlight, the soldier stood up from the ground with his back facing Maira and he folded his fingers into a fist. He badly wanted to kill the one who chased him down and so he turned around taking his sword out his ore.
Maira slowly opened her eyes and looked at the soldier coldly. The soldier started to shiver by the sudden drop in temperature. Maira is still in disguise.
Lower part of her face and her hair are wrapped around by a cloth, one end flying to the winds. Only her eyes with the looks as sharp as knives are the traces on her face visible that make her human prey pray for their lives.
"Who are you?" the soldier asked firmly.
"Who sent you here?" Maira asked, ignoring his question.
"What made you think I will answer whatever you asked about?" the person sneered.
"Seems like you want to die here, don't you?" Maira smirked and said slowly.
Her words send shivers to his spine. Being a soldier and winning many battles, he never felt this way.
"Do you think you will kill me here?" he laughed.
Maira just smiled and got down from her horse.
"What I think is, actions speak better than words." Maira said and without waiting for his reply maira ran towards him with her sword.
"clang..clang.." these sounds were echoing in the open space.The soldier was shocked to his core by Maira's fighting skills. He thought he's got a good competitor to fight. He battled many brave soldiers whose skills were extraordinary. But he never felt the way he is feeling right now in a long time, not at least after fighting with a real warrior who's a king he fought 20 years ago.
At that time he was a young soldier but despite his age he achieved higher ranks by proving his skills and in no time, he became the one to lead the army. And the first war he fought against was with that king. If not for the intervention of somebody else, he would've been dead today. While the intense battle is going on, sounds of horse footsteps are growing louder and louder.
He smiled and said, "Let's see how you will survive today"
Maira smiled and plunged her sword right into his palm, making his sword fall to the ground. Without waiting for a second, she kept her sword on his throat.
All the people who were on horses froze and one of them shouted, "Leader Indrajit..!" Those all are a part of the army who came for Indrajit. They were waiting for Indrajit at the exit of the forest but suddenly, they started to hear the sounds of swords. They got alerted and entered the forest to see what was happening. To their surprise their leader is fighting with someone.
Indrajit just raised his hand making them stop in their tracks. "Let me go.. I won't hurt you..Or else you will regret this decision", he said with no fear in his eyes.
"What made you think that way? Tell me who sent you here?" Maira asked again.
Indrajit suddenly took out a small knife and avoided her sword. He went for Maira's throat but before the knife reached the throat, Maira moved fastly and the knife touched the cloth which draped around her head, made it open and it fell to the ground.
Maira and indrajit backs are facing each other separated by two feet apart. All the soldiers held their breath as the scene just unfolded in front of their eyes.
Indrajit kicked the sword lying at his foot making it rise from the ground, caught it and turned around to attack Maira. Maira also heard the sound and turned around to counter attack within that second itself.
When she just turned around and as the swords struck each other making a sound, "Clanggggg....'', Indrajit raised his head and froze by seeing the person in front of him.
Maira also slowly raised her head and looked straight into his eyes. Time seems to have stopped for Indrajit. He was mesmerised by the beauty in front of him. Under the moonlight, her hair is floating in air due to a sudden turn and her dark eyes are mesmerising and she is a totally incredible beauty that he had never seen in his life. Every action she is doing is a feast to his eyes. Her moves are going in a slow motion to him.
"Little lady.. Tell me, who are you?" He asked while fighting with maira.
"Answer me first. Who sent you here and what was your motive?" Maira said by aiming her sword towards his limbs.
He dogged her attack and aimed towards her calf, "What is your name?" he asked ignoring her questions. Maira didn't answer his questions and kicked his mouth with her elbows and made him spat blood out his mouth. Before he recovered to his senses she knocked him unconscious and he fell onto the ground with a loud thud.
All the soldiers stood shocked because he was their commander and he never loses a battle with anyone. They came out of their daze when their leader fell on the ground. Suddenly all of them got down from their horses and rushed towards her with swords.
Maira seemed very calm and she adjusted her posture to fight. When all the soldiers surround her, she doesn't even budge a little but her eyes become dark and the sudden change brings shiver in the soldiers.
Ashmita heard the sounds of the swords clashing. She directed her horse to go in that direction and she is having anxiety and her heart is racing like a storm. She is having a feeling that something is going to happen, something big..
When she comes near the spot she is frozen by the scene in front of her. Someone is fighting with the culprit who injured the oak. She just stood there and watched the fight and suddenly the face of the person who is fighting against the culprit is revealed. Ashmita was taken back by knowing the person who is fighting against the culprit is a girl and at that moment she wanted to make her friends.
Suddenly she knocked the culprit unconscious and that too that smooth. She was surprised by her calmness when all the soldiers marched towards her and surrounded her. Ashmita thought this is the time she needed to help her. Before she took her bow she was rooted to ground by the scene in front of her.
When all of them surrounded her, she calmly closed her eyes and prayed " Mother nature please help me and punish them" and suddenly all the trees swung by making loud sounds. Without knowing what was happening around them, soldiers looked confused and before they understood all the branches of the trees took them away one by one and tied them to tree trunks with their branches. Soldiers face lost their colour and they looked very pale and frightened.
Maira slowly opened her eyes and saw all the soldiers are tied down to trees. Maira slowly bowed to nature and said, "Thank you Mother!"
And she raised Indrajit and dropped him on the horse back but before hovering the horse someone asked "Who are you?". Maira stopped in her tracks. Her heart beat very fastly and slowly she turned around.