We were lying in the grass, staring up towards the sky. We could not see the sky though, seeing as it was covered by the thick foliage of the trees. She was right next to me, her head resting on my chest. I imagined that she could hear my heartbeat as she lay there, using her fingers to trace a scar on my chest.

It seemed that our conversation in the water had made her grow almost completely comfortable with me.

My thoughts had been consumed by her. All I could think of was the touch of her skin against mine. Our bodies were still both wet from the swim, our clothing still soaked, but the small amount of sun which came through the foliage kept us warm, as did the touch of the other person's body.

"Your favourite fruit?" She asked, lifting her head up. We were taking turns asking each other questions. It was her idea as an attempt to get to know one another.

I was quite enjoying myself.

"Mangoes," I said without any hesitation.

She chuckled softly. "Mine too," she said. Her long hair slipped off of her shoulder right then, landing onto me. It was still soaking wet, and I wondered if we would both soon fall ill because of our foolishness. But then I realized I did not really care at that moment. So I reached out and ran my fingers through her soft hair. It was so long, nearly an entire arm's length, and there was so much of it.

I thought then, that it was her hair that made her so beautiful. It must have been. "How did you get your hair to be so long?" I asked, deciding to use up my next question on that.

"I didn't cut it," she simply said.

When I lifted my head to look at her, she laughed. "It's true."

"Your turn," I said, dropping my head back down onto the grass.

"Your favourite animal?"

"Tiger," I said, without hesitation.

"Typical of a man," she said.

That offended me. I was not a typical man. "Fine," I said. "An elephant... they are almost equally as ferocious."

"Better..." she smiled.

"Your mother and father's name?" I asked her.

"Rajeshwari and Jegadev," she answered. "And yours?"

"Aadhiraraavanan, my father, and Niranjanadevi, my mother."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't be silly," she said. "Really. You will ruin the fun."

I was immediately confused. "I am being serious."

"You're telling me that your mother and father have the same name as our Warrior King and his Queen?" She asked. "I'm not a fool."

I realized at that moment that I had never told her who I was. Who I really was, at least.

For some reason, I felt a rush of worry.

"They are my mother and father," I said. "I am Aaryaraavanan."

She laughed.

"You don't believe me?" I asked.

She lifted herself up, sitting on her legs. "Alright, Prince Aaryan," she said, sarcastically. "It's completely normal for the Warrior Prince of Chandraba to be spending his afternoon with a peasant girl."

I got up too, leaning back against my arms. "You do not believe me."

"So you don't want to tell me your parents' names?"

I took a breath. "Did you ever hear of the story of how Prince Aaryaraavanan was stabbed in the chest at fifteen  during a battle with the Narisimha clan?"

She gave me a silly look, but it began to fade when I pointed at the scar on my chest. The same scar she was touching only moments ago.

"The bangle I gave you," I continued. "It is part of a family tradition... I am sure you heard of it. Every member of the Rudraraja clan has a gold bangle with an engraving of Lord Shiva's trident on it. It is given to them when they are considered an adult. For women it is after their first blood and for men it is after their first battle." I turned the bangle, which was still around her wrist, revealing the trident.

When I looked back at her face, her smile was completely gone. In its place was a look of horror.

I was surprised when she stood up, picking up her sari and hastily wrapping it back around herself. "What are you doing?" I asked, standing up as well. I tried to grab her arm but she pulled away quickly.

"You are..." She put a hand over her mouth, and for some reason, her eyes watered. Then, she began to rush off, holding her skirt up with her hands.

I grabbed my tunic, throwing it on, and then picked up my sword before running after her. "Seetha," I called. When I reached my horse, I jumped onto him and followed her.

She ran for as long as she could, until she grew too tired and instead began to walk quickly.

This had gone on for at least nearly half an hour and I was still on my horse, who was trotting slowly behind her. "Seetha, you cannot expect to walk the rest of the way home. It is far away and you are not wearing any sandals." It also didn't help that she was still drenched.

She ignored me, and I saw her wipe her cheek.

I let out a breath before jumping off my horse. I patted him, signalling him to stay by my side, and he did. He had always been an obedient horse.

When I caught up to her, she tried to walk faster, but I grabbed her hand once more, stopping her. "Why are you upset?"

She pulled her arm away. "Why?" She shouted. "You cannot..." She hesitated before lowering her voice. "I cannot ever be with you!"

"Why not?"

"You are a Prince!"

"And so?"

"You are a prince and I am a peasant! How could you not tell me?" she shouted, before realizing something. "Is this a joke to you?" She then covered her mouth, realizing something else.

Now she stayed silent. She wouldn't even look at me.

"You are being foolish," I said. "This changes nothing. I didn't tell you because I found this to be unimportant."

"This changes everything!"

"No. This change nothing," I repeated.

She began shaking her head and pulled free of my hold once again.

"Seetha," I called.

She did not respond.

"At the very least, let me take you home."

Now she stopped walking.

She let me lift her onto the horse right then but refused to say anything to me as we rode back home. It was not as pleasant as when we rode here together, where she was hung onto me tightly. Instead, she held tightly onto the hair of my horse. He would not like that, but he was patient and would not complain unless it became unbearable. I hoped that this anger, or whatever it was she was feeling, was temporary. Maybe she would cool down by the time we arrived at her home.

When we arrived at the top of the hill which lead to her small home, however, she slid off my horse on her own. Before I even got off, she was rushing down the hill, leaving me behind. "Seetha," I called. "Wait." My voice was deep and loud, making some of the men working the fields below look in our direction.

She stopped running, making me relax for a moment as she turned around to face me. She began making her way back up the hill, but just as I started to smile, I saw her slip off the bangle I had given her.

She took my hand in hers before placing the bangle in the palm of my hand. "This is my decision," she said.

"You are making a mistake," I responded. "Nothing has changed-"

She was already running back.

Now I was angry, more upset than angry, but angry nonetheless. Why was she so frightened? Any other woman would have killed to have the interest of the Prince. They would have thought that they were the luckiest girl in the world.

But as I got back onto my horse, glaring, I realized something.

I had done this to myself.

After all, she was not at all simply 'any other girl.'