Never had Koushik come to this part of the main village before. It was situated on the very edge of the cluster of huts, and only a few miles from that, the village ventured into the nearest rainforest. 

If Abbu and Ammu knew where he was right now, they would yell at him and never let him out until he was grown. But Ammu and Abbu did not have to know, did they? And his guard could be dim-witted at times, so Koushik did not think he would be found out by him either.

Koushik pranced through the final cluster of huts, wondering if he would be lucky enough to see a panther. Or perhaps a sun bear? Maybe monkeys?

He would stay at a safe distance.

The sun’s light shone warm and bright on him, and there was a wetness in the air, a feeling that would have normally sent him back inside the palace. But now, it only made him feel giddier and happier.

His leaving turned into racing, and he was getting closer and closer to the edge of the rainforest.

That was when he saw it. He stopped.

A small bamboo hut, situated on a tiny hill. The usual village huts were considerably larger than this one.

He frowned, peering at it. Did anyone even live there?

He looked back the way he came. He could tread back now. Make it home to the palace before anyone noticed.

Yet, his curiosity bugged him. Who lived in that hut?

Before Koushik knew it, he found himself walking towards the hut.

When he was only a few feet from it, he heard the sounds. That of someone who sounded like he was Koushik’s age.

“What-“ Koushik began in surprise as he opened the door, and then he stopped again.

It wasn’t another little boy. It was a little girl.

She wore absolutely nothing and was fully naked. Koushik’s eyes looked in wonder at her, realizing the only difference between their bodies was that she had a curved emptiness where his bulge was. Well, that and he was much paler than her. She was very dark, almost as dark as the night.

It was pretty.

“Who are you?” The girl asked, cocking her head, her messy black hair obscuring the side of her face.

“Pri-“ Koushik began with his official title, but then was quiet. “Koushik,” he finally said.

“Why have you come to my house?”

This tiny place was her home?

“I didn’t know anyone lived here,” Koushik said. “Where are your ammu and abbu?”

The girl was silent now and only stared at him, no hint of a smile on her face. It made Koushik a little nervous, but he squared his shoulders and gave her a toothy smile.

“What is your name?”

“Talvia,” The girl said simply.

“Talvia” Koushik said, repeating it.

He walked closer to her and then realized, behind her, that Talvia had been making something. He came even closer and saw that it was a piece of cloth.

“What is that?” He asked curiously.

“I’m making a skirt for myself,” Talvia said matter-of-factly. “So that I can be clothed like you, but still not be so hot.”

Koushik frowned, looking down at his own garments now. “I am not hot. I feel fine.”

Talvia shrugged her shoulders. “It’s stupid to wear so much outside.”

Koushik’s frown grew. “Everyone I know does it, and a lot of them are not stupid.”

“That’s because you look rich. Rich people stay inside.”

Now Koushik was quiet as he watched her work on the skirt.

“How do you get food?” Koushik asked curiously.

“The villagers. And there’s plants nearby.”

Koushik was worried. He remembered learning that some plants were not safe to eat. He said so to Talvia.

Talvia shrugged again. “It is no big deal. I know which ones.”

Now Koushik looked around the hut. The ceiling was bamboo, and it was plain and empty save for a straw sleeping mat and a few bowls, one with remnants of rice within it. That must have been from a villager.

“Are you thirsty?” Talvia asked suddenly.

Koushik looked at her again and nodded.

Talvia reached for one of the bowls and held it out to him, and he drank from it. The water was cool and fresh, and even though he had said to Talvia he did not feel hot, he did. So it helped with that.

“I don’t get guests a lot,” Talvia said, trying to wrap her newly made skirt around her waist. “But if you get them, you should feed them. Wait here, I will be back with fruits.”

Koushik waited, the giddiness he had felt moments earlier coming back. He was on an adventure. Instead of sitting at home like a prisoner, always trapped inside.

Talvia came back with river ebonies in her hands. She handed some to Koushik, and he put it in his now-empty bowl and began to eat it.

Koushik looked up every few seconds from eating to see Talvia looking at him with her wide eyes. They resembled a deer's.

After he had finished eating, he looked at Talvia with a huge smile on his face, satisfied from the fruit.

"Do you want to play with me outside?" he asked.

They had spent a few hours around the hill where Talvia's little hut was.

When it began to get dark, Koushik decided it would be good to walk back. He had had his fun for today, and he would come back every day.

"Is it lonely staying here for the night?" he asked Talvia.

Talvia shrugged. "No. I have a friend in the forest."

Koushik wondered who this friend was. Maybe an adult who lived in another hut there? But he had not seen anyone on the way here.

He kept thinking on the way back, as he heard crickets. He had heard stories of forest fairies. That could be it. Maybe fairies were Talvia's friends.

It was then that Koushik saw the men. It was a group of adult men, younger than his father, but clearly fully grown, and they were advancing towards the hut.

He overheard some of the conversation.

“A girl child lives in that hut. She is a very pretty thing.”

“Should we ambush her or just take her?”

“We have to be careful, she might scream and alert the entire village.”

Koushik’s heart sped up. They wanted to kidnap Talvia.

He thought of all the stories his father had told him, where the hero would rescue the princess.

That’s because it is a man’s job to protect the woman, his father explained.

Well, he was a man. He would protect her. Yes, he would go and save her from this, and then go back home when she was free from harm. He would not let them kidnap her.

He looked about himself, spotting sticks and rocks on the ground. He picked up a large, thick stick and several rocks from the ground and then made his way back up the hill, following the men.

The men opened the door, and the first of them went in, and a few seconds into it, Koushik heard shuffling and then a girl’s yell. Talvia.

He stopped creeping behind them and ran into them.

“Stop!” He cried, throwing a rock at the man trying to take her.

It hit the man’s back, and he stumbled a little, turning around in surprise, letting go of Talvia.

Koushik stepped in front of her, now between her and the group of men.

“You can’t take her. I won’t let you.”

Instead of being intimidated by him, the men laughed, and Koushik balked. Has his voice come out small? Had he trembled without realizing?

He waved the stick at them, and some of the men’s laughter turned into glares.

“He looks rich,” one of them mused.

“Then, let’s take the little boy too. We could ransom him for a lot of money.”

This was not going how Koushik had planned.

He hit the man who had talked of ransoming him with the stick, and immediately the man grabbed him, lifting him off the ground, calling to another one to grab Talvia.

Now they both struggled against their captors, both kicking and screaming until their mouths were covered with hands.

Koushik’s mind felt frazzled as he looked over at Talvia. Where would they be taken? What would these men do to them? If his family bought him back, what would they do with Talvia?

The thoughts disturbed his mind to such a degree that he started to cry.

This morning, he had not thought he would be in such a situation. And not only were both he and Talvia being taken away, not only had he failed his duty in protecting her as a boy, but he might never see Ammu and Abbu again, or might go through a lot of pain before he did.

And then the sound came. That of a loud roar.

Koushik had never seen one in person. A beautiful tiger, larger than he thought it would be, running towards the group at a frighteningly high speed, its heavy weight seeming unnoticed by the Earth.

It roared again and pounced on the man next to the one holding Talvia. Once it stood, with its paws on the chest of the shaking man, it bared its teeth at the person who was carrying Talvia.

The person made a hissing noise back, and seemed to grab something from his trousers, when the tiger bit into his leg and he let out a bloodcurdling howl of pain.

He let go of Talvia, and she dropped onto the ground.

The man holding Koushik also dropped him, and the tiger began growling, seeming to be deciding on which of the men to eat first.

One of them hissed another noise at the tiger, and the tiger charged at him, and the entire group began running off towards the forest for their lives, the one that had been injured limping as quickly as he could.

The tiger chased after them, leaving Koushik and Talvia on the muddy path, heaving big breaths and staring out at the scene.

Koushik was dazed. What had just happened? What had he just seen?

He looked over at Talvia, who did not look as astonished as he did.

She seemed to notice his eyes on her. “That’s Bivala. She’s my friend.”

Friend? Koushik tried to think of something to say, but didn’t know what.

Talvia held out her hand. “Come. I’ll tell you at my hut, and you can spend the night there. Bivala might come back after her hunt, and we can both pet her.”