Chương 95: Adoption ( Part 7 )

Bhargava threw a look at the impassive Shakti beside him, who was Ashangi herself. He winked and said, "Who knows? You know how she's all mysterious…never telling anyone what she thinks! When she finally said let's get married, it was all I could think. I didn't even complain when I wore this stupid dress!"

"But you complained now," Kush smiled.

"That's 'coz I'm eager to take it off, you brat. If I still didn't have to sit here and adopt you, I'd have long done that!"

"Please don't be so graphic!"

Kush felt like a great weight had been lifted from his heart. He felt like was being washed by the waves of the milky ocean, every pore and every nerve of his body relaxing with the relief he felt. The sacred chanting just added to this feeling and cocooned him in a web of security, totally unlike the mantras he felt thrumming the ground earlier in the day. Unknown to himself, he was slowly integrated into the ceremony. Sleepy as he was, he could only feel Bhargava taking his hands to perform some motions, but he didn't know what they were. Sometimes, he would feel the heat of the fire, sometimes the soft texture of a flower. Sometimes, he would smell beautiful incense surrounding him, sometimes he felt grains of rice slipping through his fingers.

"I feel sleepy," he mumbled occasionally.

"Bear with it a little while," Bhargava would murmur gently, adjusting him into a more comfortable position. "Your part is almost over."

Ultimately, he fell asleep throwing his arms around Bhargava's neck and his feet into his teacher's lap. She would occasionally stroke the blisters on his feet with a lotus flower dipped in herbal solution. He got them from running barefoot on the hills all day.

The priests who saw them like that couldn't help but wonder about this couple. They resembled exactly the god and goddess that time when they found Kush lying in their laps at dawn.

Just when Kush fell into a deep sleep, a soldier rushed into the temple. Seeing that he was armed and bloodied, the brahmins reacted strongly. But he didn't care about them and barged in directly, falling on his knee the moment he spotted Kush.

"Report! Armies have surrounded Manas from three sides. They are all forces affiliated to Amaravati. The enemy vanguard has taken Bharat pass at midnight and now approaches the capital. General, we have been blindsided! The commander requests your immediate presence."

The soldier, a Marut, only looked at Bhargava after he finished reading his report. He took a moment to recognise this man and was surprised when he did so. Though not every Marut was graced by Bhargava's training and directions, every single one of them knew how he looked. They have either seen him or heard detailed descriptions of this elusive personality. The soldier did not expect he would directly find him here though.

Kush stirred in the man's lap, still a moment away from wakefulness. Bhargava calmly soothed him, letting him go back to sleep. The soldier was confused when he saw that action.

"Lord…" he garnered the courage to say, "This is urgent. The vanguard is expected to reach the capital at dawn…"

"Hmm…" Bhargava smiled calmly. "Tell Ajagava that the prince is sleeping. He will understand."

"Huh?" The soldier wanted to say something, but when he saw that sweet looking smile on Bhargava's face, he was terrified into silence.

How was this a smile? This was clearly intent to slaughter. Lord Bhargava appeared like he wanted to slaughter anyone who disturbs the little one's sleep.

The soldier had long heard of the lord's destructiveness. He was a very gentle, very amiable and benevolent person…as long as someone doesn't anger him. He was a lord with a short fuse. No one knows what sets him off and whenever something does, he goes on a rampage. That's what the soldier heard. That's what everyone heard. But no one has seen him lose his temper really. Only veterans like Commander Ajagava and others of the older generation did. It was because of how somberly they describe the lord's exploits that the soldiers are still so careful regarding anything that comes to him. Even if they do not see him and their work has nearly nothing to do with him anymore, they still knew not to trifle with him.

The soldier was not even able to formulate a response before he retreated with shaky knees.

Bhargava turned to look at Ashangi who was staring at the soldier's back with a pensive brows.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Amaravati is getting impatient," she said softly. "They are probing Manas's response now that it has come under the rule of a Kshatriya, a powerful one at that who has already subdued the Asuras. They want to see if it is still a diplomatic center that will act through dialogue or if it will respond with force as it should, after they decimated the fortress at Bharat pass and probably killed all the soldiers guarding there."

"Hmm…" Bhargava took Ashangi's hand leisurely and stroked it with his own. "Wife thinks too much. Wife forgot the third kind of response in her worry."

"The third kind?" Ashangi worriedly asked.

"Diplomacy, force…and deterrence." Bhargava pecked her cheek lightly while taking care not to disturb Kush. "The third kind of response is deterrence."