CHAPTER 23: DOUBTS & DESTINY

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Ramachandra and Dhrithiman, disguised as commoners, got ready to leave for Satavahana. They went to the berth and waited for the ship to Satavahana to come.

As the two brothers were walking, suddenly, a person covered in black robes took a knife and stabbed Ram. Before Dhrithiman could react and go after him, Ram was already bleeding heavily.

Dhrithiman immediately went for Ram's aid. However, the ship came right then. He didn't have time to call anyone and the mission was important. He took him inside the ship, hoping to find a vaid inside it.

"Is there any doctor here? Please help my brathashri." He asked as the people on board gasped and screamed and Ram fainted.

Suddenly, a voice was heard from between them. It was the voice of the woman. Yashasvini didn't look around. If she had, she would've known that it was Paramdham. She was focused on a wounded Ram.

"I'm a vaid. Get him inside. I'll check his wound." Said Yashasvini.

After Drithiman took him inside the cabin, he left when the captain called him to pay up for the trip.

Yashasvini checked his wound. Fortunately, she had some herbs for wounds she had carried just in case. She took them and made a paste. She cleaned the wound and applied the paste.

After applying the paste, she pulled Ram up who was still unconscious on her shoulder, almost like hugging him, and tied the cloth on the wound.

When she was tying the cloth, she noticed something but decided not to talk about it at the moment.

When she was done, Dhrithiman came upto her.

"Is he okay?" He asked with concern.

"He's fine. He needs to rest a bit. By the way, how did he get this wound?" Yashasvini asked.

Unable to come up with a good excuse, Dhrithiman became tongue tied. Yashasvini kept looking at him. She knew that something was off.

"He'll probably be better in 2 days. Where are you guys heading? Can you atleast answer that?" She asked in a calm voice.

"Satavahana" He said with his head down.

"Well it'll take 2 weeks to reach, so don't worry. He'll be fine by then." Yashasvini said and left.

"Thank you, vaidji" He said with a namaste and his head bowed down. Yashasvini stood up and returned his namaste with a smile.

When Yashasvini went back to her cabin, the man who was tempted by her beauty, Sanjay, came up to her and tried to have a conversation. From only the look the man was giving her, Yashasvini knew he wasn't being friendly.

"Hello. What's your name?" He asked.

"Why do you want to know sir?" She asked back.

"Okay, are you married?" He asked with a lusty smile, getting closer to Yashasvini, and she kept stepping back.

"I don't think I'm obliged to answer that." She replied in fury, realizing what the man wanted.

She pushed him away hard and went out to the deck. Sanjay got furious at Yashasvini's neglection.

Soon, it was night. Yashasvini realised that she should take a torch to check Ram's wound. She looked upto Dhrithiman.

"Excuse me! May I know your name? It's hard to call you without your name." She said.

"My name is Sahasya vaidji" He replied. He wasn't exactly lying. It was his other name.

"Sahasyaji, I'm going to check on your brother and change his medicine cloth that I tied. I'll let you know if anything happens." She informed.
Dhrithiman nodded and waited outside.

Ram's room was completely dark. Yashasvini took a torch with her, thankfully. When she came forward, she suddenly felt someone standing up. Her hand immediately went to the dagger on her waist that she had hidden.

When the light fell on the person's face, she saw a handsome young man. It was Ram, who just gained consciousness. Both their faces glowed in the dark.

He searched for his dagger in the dark but he couldn't find it. Instead, he took a needle with henbane (a herb used to make people unconscious) that he had on his dress and pointed it next Yashasvini's neck defensively.

To his surprise, the woman didn't even flinch. He just found a beautiful young woman holding a bowl of medicine.

"You don't seem like normal people. A needle with henbane?" Yashasvini said with a smile looking at the needle he held next to her hand.

"Neither does your reaction to my assault seems normal." He said, looking at the exact spot where she had her dagger.

Damn he's observant! How'd he know I had a dagger there? It was well hidden.

Yashasvini moved away and Ram took away the needle from her neck. She went and lit up a few torches in the room with hers.

Finally, Ram saw where he was. It was a ship.

"What happened?" He asked as he looked around.

"I'm not sure about how you got stabbed, but you were hurt when you got inside the ship. You're brother brought you in and asked for help." She said.

"Wait, where's he?" He asked holding his stomach in pain.

"He's outside. I'll call Sahasyaji in if you want. For now, please lie down so that I can change your cloth." She said.

Ram suspected the woman. She definitely didn't seem like a normal citizen. She even had a dagger with her. But he didn't have a choice. She saved him and he had to obedient to his vaidji.

"Can you lift your hands please?" She asked.

"Why? Will you try to do something to me with that dagger of yours?" He asked.

"If I wanted to kill you that badly, I would've done it when you were unconscious or I wouldn't have told that I was vaid. I need to remove the cloth and apply the medicine and again tie the cloth. It would be convenient if you moved your hands up." She said calmly.

"Oh, right. Sorry." He said and raised his arms.

Yashasvini removed the cloth, applied medicine, and tied another cloth again.

"The cloth has to be changed 2 times a day. I'll come by then to do it. I'll call your brother in now. " Yashasvini said,
taking the bowl and leaving.

"Wait! Atleast, tell your name." He asked. He wanted to get some information out of her.

"Why would you want to know that?" She asked back, turning around.

"Well, what if I need your help?" He asked.

"You can call me vaidji." She said and turned back to the door.

"S-shouldn't I atleast know the name of the person who saved me?" He asked, hoping to convince her.

She turned back to him.

"You can call me Pavitra."

To be continued

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To be continued....
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