"Why's there an eagle on the dresser?"

Khushi didn't know why she asked this question? The fact that she herself couldn't fathom the bewilderment of an eagle calmly perching on the dressing table—should have been enough to deter her from asking that question yet she did. The eagle looked vaguely familiar with its white belly, face, and black wings. It was looking at her with a concerned expression that an eagle shouldn't be able to conjure.

And she didn't know whether it was one of her hallucinations? Is the bird even real? But she never hallucinated about animals before? Is she finally going mad? She doesn't know anymore but she wants too. She can't live if she has to doubt the things in front of her again and again. If she can't trust her own eyes.

So, she asked about the majestic eagle on the dresser expecting a confused "what?" in reply not at all an amused hearty laugh.

"Because we are in the jungle, dear" 

The woman whose name Khushi still didn't know and didn't have the guts to ask. What'll she ask anyway? Umm, Mam what's your name? I've been living in your home for the past few weeks, eating your food, troubling your family but I don't even know your name. So, can you excuse my pretentious behavior and be so kind as to supply me with your name? It sounded so wrong even in her mind that Khushi didn't dare ask the kind lady brushing her hair about her name. So she mumbled an ever so intelligent reply of—Oh!!

The lady hummed kindly in response carefully combing Khushi's wild mane while Khushi stilled again. Sitting on the bed like a doll letting the lady do whatever she wanted to do with Khushi's hair.

— his breath stunk of alcohol —

'No, not again,' Khushi groaned in her mind. No more flickers of that night. No, she didn't want to remember. She wants to forget. She wants to erase. Please, no - she begged like this to them too. They didn't listen.

— they hurt her. They hurt her so badly. She screamed. She begged. They hurt her —

No, please stop. She begged her mind.

—he breathed rotten fishes and smelled like cheap perfume —

No, think something else. 

'Don't contaminate my mind. Don't contaminate my mind. Don't make it as impure as you made my body by your claws. Leave my mind. Leave me,' her soul screamed in anguish.

— "you go first Shyam" —

— when I was raped —

It sounded so distant when spoken like this but it didn't feel distant to her. The night continues polluting and vilifying her mind. She just can't seem to get rid of the memories. Why won't they go away? Why? Why did it happen to her? What was her fault? What did she do wrong? Why won't they just listen to her?

—They crowded around me, one pulled out a knife—

No........

"Why are we in the jungle? Where is it? Do you all live here? Why do you live in the jungle? Is it even safe?"

 Khushi knew she sounded breathless heck she felt breathless. But, she was ready to be a rambling fool then a fool captured in her own mind. The lady laughed again. She had a pleasant laugh like the winds of spring. She knows she isn't making sense how can winds of spring be pleasant? But it felt so. She can't explain it in words. Her laugh was like everything good and happy and sweet.

"Well, we are in a jungle because my dear brother-in-law is an Indian Forest Service officer and the head of this wildlife reserve. So, actually, we are in a wildlife reserve.  Amogh Eha reserve which makes most of the Kodhur district and my husband is the SP of Kodhur and most of our family is one or other way entangled with the jungle. So, yes, we live here and it's as safe as anywhere else in the world," 

"Sid is an IFS officer?" 

Khushi asked confusedly trying to divert her thoughts and screamed terrified when the eagle swooped towards her without thinking she covered her eyes.

"Eagles scratches away human's eyes," Her massi's warnings to her in childhood ringing clearly in her mind, followed by a sudden very hollow and bitter feeling as that night flashed in her mind again. 

The laughter from the kind lady again drew her away from the demons in her mind. She won't be laughing if the eagle was attacking them would she? Khushi thought warily as she slowly pulled her hands away from her eyes. The eagle was sitting on her lap like a cat. She is sorry if this sounded truly ridiculous - she is feeling truly ridiculous.

 "She likes you, Name her" giggling the lady whispered in her ears.

"She? Name?" Khushi questioned back confused. How did she know the eagle was a she and not a he? And why name it?

"Yes, a She... they're slightly larger than males and she chose you. So give her a name. She is going to stay beside you as long as she likes," the lady replied with a knowing look. Is this one of the things they know living here in the jungle and all? Khushi didn't know but she started pondering names for the bird anyway. Thinking about anything was better than nothing. Even if naming a wild bird felt totally ridiculous to her.

Still, Khushi stared at the bird for quite a few minutes racking her brain for names. Why should it even matter what she called this bird? Still, she decided to humor the kind lady.

"Prithvi," She said after what felt like ages looking directly at the birds onyx eyes. They made her feel strangely calm. The bird tilted its head to the side and then made a - what she felt was a screech of approval. It felt strange.

"Why? I mean it's a good name and all but it's a female bird after all," The kind lady sounded curious and not at all like she was making fun of her choice. So, Khushi decided to be truthful.

"She felt like a Prithvi to me and I think Prithvi is unisex, I mean dharti mata is called Prithvi right" 

Khushi knew she shouldn't have said that, god, she was making a totally and utter fool of herself. No doubt, no one really appreciated her continuous chatter.

"I suppose it makes sense and to answer your prior question; No, Sid isn't an IFS officer. It's Arjun – Riya's husband," 

Khushi could feel the smile in the kind lady's tone as she answered her. God, she herself had forgotten all about her confusion and doubts on the topic of Sid as an IFS officer. But the lady remember. She seemed to have a great memory. Well, better memory than her anyway. Khushi decided feeling the talons of sadness and madness around her again. She needed to focus on something else and maybe she should try to touch the magnificent bird, get bitten by it. And let the pain distract her but she didn't dare when the bird glared her in a way that made her think it could read her mind. 

"Arjun?" Khushi asked the kind lady instead.

"Yes, Arjun, He is the third brother. The IFS officer and he is the calmest, quietest and the least impulsive of this lot then you heard, Iresh — the eldest and my husband also the SP of this district then there's Kanil —the second oldest, he is a businessman and you know Sid — the local physician then there's Arnav — the youngest, he is the reserve vet and everyone's favorite," 

The way the lady talked about the five brothers in a fond, amused and loving tone like she knew them inside out. Like she knew them better than they know themselves yet loved them with all their flaws and imperfection. It was touching yet hurting for Khushi. Did anyone ever talk about her in that tone? But she didn't also want the lady to stop. She'll muse about this then that.

"Are all of them married?" And whose wife is Saesha? Khushi thought confused. 

"No, Arnav is unmarried. He is still a kid but everyone else is," 

The kind lady said chuckling as if the thought of Arnav being married was absurd. Khushi couldn't help but think about this matter. She is nineteen and married. Her massi didn't even care that she got married at seventeen yet this guy whoever he is must be older than her being a vet and all - why this lady thinks he is a kid then? He must be a pampered brat. Khushi thought decidedly, so loved and well-behaved seemed impossible. 

While Khushi was thinking so the door of the room opened again and Sid waltzed in with a tray in his hand and asked her in a totally doctor on rounds patented manner;

"Hey, how are you feeling now, Khushi?"

"Fine," She mumbled softly not divulging anything else to him.  She didn't feel like talking to him much.

"Hungry?" He asked her sounding not at all disheartened by her monosyllabic reply. At least, she replied today.

Khushi nodded slightly and Sid plated the food and provided it to her. And she took it without any qualms and dug in on Sid's one look. The background chatter of the kind lady, whom Sid called "Bhabi ma," and Sid stopped her mind from wandering anywhere else. They were talking about Adivasi and hunters. It was interesting and foreign for her. 

"So, Khushi will you like to hear a story?" Sid asked Khushi when she was done with her dinner and he was done forcing medicines down her throat.

Khushi nodded not having anything else to do. 

"So, this story takes place in an Ancient...Ancient, I mean really ancient, even ancient than stone age era, ancient world..." The way Sid stretched on the story being ancient Khushi couldn't help but giggle. The way Sid was talking made her feel like a child and maybe that was what she really was to the male and female sitting with her in this room.

"So, as I was saying in a really ancient there were five kingdoms namely Udak, Krashanu, Samiran, Kshiti, and Jeeva..."

Khushi listened half-heartedly first and then intrigued as Sid divulged about powerful ancient kingdoms with rules. A stupid rule according to her anyway. A rule that stated the eldest princess of the kingdom had to marry the crown prince of another kingdom while the youngest princess ruled. A rule made to maintain the stability of the kingdoms and prevent wars and such. Sid had made it sound even boring than school history lessons to her.

But it started becoming intriguing when he started with the three princesses of Udak. The crown princess Anika, the second princess Nandani, and the third princess Ishana. The crown princess and second princess were the true children of the king and queen while the third princess Ishana was the child of the King and the head of the merpeople. Ishana's mother had died while giving birth to her. Her father blamed Ishana for his lost love. His wife and daughter just bore with her presence. The usual fairy tale setting. But Sid very humbly mentioned, he was just building the background and the real story was about to start.

At, this point the kind lady whose name Khushi still didn't know left the room. Mumbling something about checking on the others.

It was again just Sid and her. And Sid again started with the story. So, the real story according to Sid Started before Princess Anika's eighteen B'day Anika's.  Even after everything, Khushi couldn't help the hopeless sigh that escaped her lips the way, Sid described Anika's love at first sight experience with the blue-eyed scion of ice lords, Shivaaye. Her turmoil of being in love with Shivaaye and being betrothed to the savage King of Jeeva. 

Didn't Khushi say the law was terrible and a total overdo?

But Princess Anika didn't keep her feelings to herself. She confessed everything to her father. Even her father and the whole kingdom didn't want to part with their beloved princess. So, for his daughter, the King of Udak defied the laws and decided the youngest princess i.e Ishana will go to Jeeva kingdom as the savage King's betrothed. After all, no one minded the illegitimate daughter of their beloved King been sent to the lands of wild.

Sid was just explaining about princess Ishana's inner turmoil, resentment, and anger towards her family. She has spent her entire life learning about every nook and corner of the Udak kingdom. She has spent her entire life trying and learning to be the Queen of Udak and suddenly it all seemed for nothing. All her hard work washed away as she was sent to a kingdom no one knows anything about.

Sid stretched on Ishana's feelings a lot and Khushi thought no one was really to be blamed. How does it actually matter whether Anika becomes the queen or Ishana?

Sid smiled a knowing smile in her direction like he just read her mind and knew what she was thinking. But maybe that was just her imagination as he continued with Ishana's tiresome journey towards Jeeva and through the mystical borders of the kingdoms ocean of Udak, Fire of Krashanu, Simmering of Kshiti, whirlwind's of Samiran and Black of Jeeva. The black representing Jeeva did nothing to reassure Ishana.

They had just reached the point where Ishana entered the strange lands of Jeeva and Khushi yawned.

"Well, it's quite late, isn't it. You should sleep. We will continue the story tomorrow, " Sid promised Khushi, noticing the protesting look in her eyes albeit she didn't say anything aloud.

Khushi just nodded even though she didn't want Sid to stop. The story made her think, ponder, and question. It kept her mind occupied and she didn't want to be captured in the nightmares of her mind again.

"And Khushi, we didn't shift you here to make you Rapunzel, " Sid called out from where he stopped at the door.

'Who's Rapunzel? And what connection did she have with me?' Khushi pondered confused and maybe she was really an open book for Sid clarified snickering slightly.

"We didn't shift you here to lock you in the room. You can wander in the house, you know get to know the place and stuff, " Sid suggested shrugging and She just nodded. Not sure, whether she really wanted to escape the room or not.

After Sid left, she continued sitting still in the bed afraid to sleep, afraid to breathe, afraid to think.

The screech of the still now silent bird reminded her she wasn't totally alone in the room.

"You're pretty, you know" Khushi complimented the bird, staring at her in a manner that would be quite rude to stare at a human.

The bird seemed unfazed though she just puffed out her chest, flapped her powerful wings in a total show-off manner.

"And a show-off too, "

She murmured softly. The bird rolled its eyes, admonishing her with a screech.
Khushi rolled her eyes too. And then realized, Sid hasn't even blinked watching the large eagle on her bed. He didn't even look a little surprised.

What was with these people? And she still didn't know the kind lady's name. But Sid said she could look around, couldn't she?

With that thought, Khushi climbed down her bed and walked slowly towards the balcony, waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows and tell her it's all a dream. She is still unsafe.

But nothing as that happened. She walked in a large balcony and gasped. She didn't quite know what to think when the others mentioned reserve and jungle. But this wasn't something she imagined. She hasn't seen anything like this in her entire life, not even on the tv.

There were trees, some even larger than the house, and they were stretched all around her. She could see just trees, terrifying looming trees as far as her eyes could see. There wasn't any other house or any other building beside what seemed like a watch post around here.

There were hills in the distant north and she could hear wild roars from the west. It was a strange terrifyingly calming sound. The eagle was perched on the railing looking around with a bored look.

How the hell was a bird able to emote such expressions? She didn't know.

She just knew she hadn't seen so many trees in her entire life. And this thought brought her back to the reason she was actually here.

No one would have ever found her in this forest. She would have decomposed under some tree or eaten by some wild animal and no one would have known. For the jungle was so vast, frightening, and full of life forms that weren't human.

That's the reason they would have thrown her here.

She didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if Sid hadn't found her.

But maybe, it would have been good too.

She wouldn't have to live with the stain.

No, Khushi don't think like that. Don't think about that. Don't. She repeated in her mind like a chant. When the bird perched beside her screeched again looking at something on her left.

Khushi's eyes followed her gaze and her heart stopped beating for a moment. Her pupils blown wide as she noticed the black, totally black panther perched on the balcony in a relaxing manner, it's tail swishing around it and its intelligent glowing amber eyes fixed on her.

The panther looked like Bagheera from jungle book and she knew it wasn't quite the time to think about this. But she couldn't help it. She hadn't seen anything like this in her entire life.

And she knew she should run inside and close the bloody balcony door. But she couldn't help it. She was frozen at her spot, not able to move even when the panther got up lazily and made a move towards her.

She knew it was time to scream "blue murderer, "

But she was frozen on her spot and the panther was ready to jump on her.

~to be continued~

Hello, everyone. So how are you all doing?

And so what do you think?

And let me warn you, Khushi is just 19 years old. So, she is going to do many stupid things. Sometimes she'll overthink, sometimes she'll jump to conclusions and be a flawed human being in general.

So, that being said.

Wassup guys.

I know Arnav is quite missing till now.

But the next chapter in the family introduction to Khushi and again this is a slow burn. So, things will take time.

Okay, again did you enjoy the chapter?

Liking the story line or not?

Tell me your views, don't forget to vote.
Take care and be happy.