"Ohhh ..."
The voice with pain and a relaxed mind came out of the mouth of Vasusena. He opened his eyes. He was lying on the bed in the room of his master. He usually sleep on the ground and never dare to sleep on the same level as his master. He did it so to show respect towards his master.
"I am laying on the bed. But why am I sleeping on the bed? Is is not the question for now. Why am I in this much pain? I remembered that I tried to save the woman and fought with those three middle aged man. But I got beaten by the leader of their group and lost my consciousness. After that I don't have any of my memory. I have been treated well. I am all bandaged up. But who carried me here and game me the treatment?"
Vasusena was in a confused state but he was relaxed as he is in the house of his master.
"I think master has returned back, and after seeing me all wounded he carried me here and treated me."
After a while the door of the room was opened and behind the door his Master was there.
"Oh! you are awake. It is good to see you that you have woken up. You really don't understand your limit and the value of your life. The first time I met you, you are all wounded up and did not wake up from bed for three days straight. But this time you are all beaten up and did not wake up for seven days. In this way you are going to die sooner or later. Value your own life the most. If you can not protect yourself then you can not protect anyone."
"Yes, master I understood. But I can not help to see a lady being killed in front of me. I jumped between the wrangle to save her but I just got beaten by the leader and then lost my consciousness. It is really distressing that I could not even help her at all in the end. All of my training have no meaning. And I also made master to save me and treat my wounds. I am really shameful."
"I am not the one who treated your wounds and about saving you.... let's talk about that later."
"So, who treated me?"
"The lady whom you saved. I told her to leave but she did not go and asked me rather begged me to stay here as long as you are not awake."
"So, she is safe." Vasusena relaxed a little bit after hearing the information.
"Thanks master for saving her and saving me also."
"Don't worry about that. She is out for collecting fire woods in the near forest. You can talk to her after she returns. So, I will be going then for collect our food. See you later."
Ramabhadra stood up and went near the door and glanced at him before going outside of the room.
"My master is really a great person. He is strong, cheerful, helping, gentle and kind. He has no resentment towards anyone nor any pride about his strength. I really admire him." Vasusena thought it with respect towards his master and lied down on the bed again.
"He did not have any memories of the fight. He did not even know that he was the on who saved that girl from those guys. Interesting." Ramabhadra smiled and went to searching for foods.
"I have been collecting woods for a time being. I should return home and see how he is doing. He has been passed out for seven days. He is in that state because of me. I should go to check him quickly." She hurried for returning home.
Vasusena was awake and checking himself in his room.
"I am really in a bad shape. I really survived out of dumb luck. Seriously I was beaten into a mess. If it was not for master I have been dead by now."
Suddenly the door opened slowly. He looked at the door.
The woman who opened the door had luscious and beautiful black hair, crescent shaped eyebrows, a pair of bright and slender eyes, a small and cute nose, with peach pink cheeks, a pair of delicate cherry lips and had glistening pale jade-like skin accompanied by a dainty, graceful and slender physique; indescribably enchanting. She was wearing a dress which was a light green colour mixed with some blue hues and it made her looks very beautiful. She was looking as a goddess of a certain forest who had never been to the outside world.
"Hello, So you are awake! Thanks God." Her voice is so sweet and calm. Her expression was just for beautiful. Vasusena was stunned by the sight of such a beauty.
"It was really worth to save a woman like her." Vasusena thought himself and smiled at her.
"Thanks For Saving My Life. I will never forget this in my life." She bowed her head in front of Vasusena.
"No, it's a man's duty to protect the elder, women and children. And I am not the one who have saved you. It was my master." Vasusena politely told her.
She looked at him in a curious eyes, but did not ask anything.
"But you are the one who stood in front of those men to save me. So accept my gratitude."
"Ohh, okay. Thanks You. ... Uh! ...."
Vasusena did not know her name. But he also did not asked her name. Looking at his worried face she realised and said,
" Sorry I have not given my name yet. My name is Vrushali. I am the eldest daughter of Hankusha. My father is the Lord of the East faction of Kuru Kingdom. I am a student of the Gurukul in Ujjanak. I was paying a visit to my father after a long time. But I was ambushed by the assassins of the Magadh Kingdom which is the enemy of our kingdom. The four guards accompanying me were killed by them and chased me for killing. I got away with the teleportation array that was crafted on a talisman and appeared in this mountain range. But after two days the appeared in front of me again and after chasing me for half of a day they caught me and tried to kill me. It was then when you appeared in front of me to save me from them." Vasusena was just listening to her story like hearing a saint. But he regained his consciousness when she finished her words.
"So, you really have a great background. But how did you caught in that mess? Normally you sure have not be ambushed like that."
"I don't know. I have no idea what to do or how to find the suspect who tried to kill me?"
"Ok, don't worry for the time being. Now you are safe. So be greatful to be alive."
After hearing the words of Vasusena, Vrushali calmed down a bit and became calm.
"You sure are having a nice time. Don't you?"
"Master you returned."
"Yes, and I also brought some meat to eat tonight. We are having feast tonight for celebrating your recovery."
The night was long but in the middle of the joy and celebration it became shorter. The celebration was organised by Vrushali and Ramabhadra. Both of them are happy and Vasusena was also swiped away with the same feeling. But after sometime Ramabhadra had a gloom look on his face but he didn't show it in front of them.
"I have enough food. I am taking my leave. I will be back after a leisurely night walk." Ramabhadra left his house and went towards to the forest.
"Finally the time has come."
After that night Vasusena took more five days to have a full recovery and now he can move around. The calm and leisurely time began to pass slowly. But after a several days Ramabhadra called for Vasusena.
"Hey, you can now move freely, can't you."
"Yes, master."
"Then follow me for a bit. Vrushali, take care of the house untill he came back. Then, let's go outside."
Ramabhadra and Vasusena followed the path towards to the cave. On the way Ramabhadra had a gloomy face. Vasusena noticed it but did not dare to ask. But Ramabhadra noticed the worried face of his student.
"What is bothering you?"
Vasusena didn't expect that question at all. He immediately replied.
"No, it was nothing. But you are looking gloomy today. So I was thinking what is the matter that can bother even you."
"Oh, how considerable. Don't worry, you will know about that after sometime."
They reached in front of the cave and entered in it. Ramabhadra was walking in front of Vasusena while Vasusena was following him.
"You wanted to know about my past, when I started to give you training. But I told you that when it will be the right time I will disclose my past to you. Today the day has came which you have waiting for a long period of time. But I still want a confirmation from you. You have not asked about my past after that, why? Did you lose your interest or something?"
Vasusena looked at his master surprisingly. He didn't expect his master will ask about if he would have any interest in his past life or not.
"Of course I have a great interest in you and your past life. But when you told me that you would tell me when the time comes I respected your words and even if it bothered me I never dare to ask you again. It would be a lie if I tell you that I have lost interest in your past. But after all time you never exposed your past. So I controlled my desire to know about your past life."
"Oh, I see. You know you are the one and only student of me. I am a Brahmin and I have the highest place in the society. I belong to the highest class; The Brahmins. But although you belong to the Brahmins your status may be decided by the position and wealth in the society."
"My father was Jamadagni and my mother was Renuka. My father was a great man. He didn't do any great things to remember by the people, but he was a man of his word and kind. My mother was polite, kind and beautiful. She was like a goddess for me. But you know when you have a high status but low wealth the people of the society started to looked down upon you."
The gloom face of Ramabhadra became more and more gloom. Vasusena was watching his master all of the time but could not think about anything to say to his master.
"Because of the less wealth We were stripped down from the highest class and put down in the middle class. We were forced to be removed from the village and became outcasted. But our family was doing great because of my mother. She took care of everything and never make us worried."
"But everything was charged, when I killed my mother in my own hands."
Vasusena was shocked after hearing the story. Ramabhadra became serious and filled with rage as well as regrets. There was a piece of brief silence for a moment. Ramabhadra didn't speak about anything more. They reached the secret room in the cave after walking a while. Ramabhadra looked around the room. The room had contained nothing except only one weapon; the sacred axe; Vidyudabhi.
"You really have destroyed all the weapons that I have collected over the years." Ramabhadra started to move towards the sacred axe and hold it in his right hand. He lifted the axe and looked at Vasusena.
"You know this is a sacred axe. It is more powerful than any other axes you can get in this world. But this Axe became a cursed axe because of me. It is the first weapon I held in my hand despite being a Brahmin. And because of it, I made a grave sin and had to kill my mother with my own hands."
Ramabhadra started to lift the curtain from his past life. Vasusena had no words in his mouth and has not a single bit of understanding of the story that was telling to him.