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5.

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Talwar went back to the monastery after sending off the letter to his father. He had to close that chapter of his life in a better way than being dragged out of the temple against his will. Besides, he had considered going back anyway, until Khanda had told him her feelings.

First he stopped in the marble temple for a short prayer in front of the painted statue of the goddess. Now that he looked more closely, the statue's features reminded him of Khanda, although the goddess had obsidian eyes and tawny skin and black hair. The colors might be different, but the shape was so much Khanda... He wondered who the long-dead artist had used as a model centuries ago – he must have loved his muse, and had infused her life in a stone statue.

Then Talwar went through the backdoor and into the inner courtyard of the monastery. The students were all out, exercising in pairs under the sun, which made him smile at the memory of his own training.

He recognized one of the teachers, a bulky monk with black curly hair tied at the nape of his neck who had taught him everything about swords.

"Bhai Maza, do you think the abbot will see me?" he asked, stopping next to the monk.

"Of course, Ajay." The man grinned. "Go ahead, you know where to find him!"

The abbot let him into his small office, where they had often met during the seven years he'd studied there. Talwar had ended up loving the abbot more than his father, and felt he hadn't said a proper good-bye to his mentor. He might never wear the brown vestment of the monks, but he owed them many thanks for his education.

"You look well," the abbot said, letting him sit on the stool in front of his desk. "Have you come back for this?"

He pulled Talwar's journal out of a drawer. Talwar looked at the little leather-bound booklet that contained his former, dreamy self, and gulped.

"I'd rather you kept it. I don't think my family would understand what I wrote in there," he said.

The abbot nodded and put it back inside the drawer. "So how was the homecoming?"

"At first, very busy," Talwar answered, head bowed. "That's why it took me so long to come back here."

"It's been just a month." The abbot smiled. "Did if feel like a lifetime to you?"

"Sort of... Let's say that eventually I found a new reason to abandon the monks' way," Talwar replied. "I wish to consider myself a lay person. I have met the woman I want to spend my life with. She's a childhood friend who was bold enough to let me know that she wishes to marry me, even though her parents want her to marry my cousin."

"Ah, love!" The abbot smiled. "Yes, I understand why the life of a monk won't suit you now that your heart beats for someone! So, no Bhai Name for you. I still think you deserve the pole-arm of our order, if you're willing to accept it. I'm not clear what your father's trade is, but it might be useful to protect the life of your wife and future family."

Talwar smiled ruefully, averting his eyes. "My secret name is Talwar," he said.

The abbot gasped. He knew what weapons' names meant. It didn't matter that it was the sword chosen by his order. When used as a personal name, it meant only one thing.

Talwar could be punished for revealing that name to an outsider, but he knew the abbot wouldn't betray him and his new identity.

"I do not wish to follow my family's tradition," he continued, determined. "I'm sure Khanda will agree with me that we can have a better life away from Agharek. I don't think our families would allow us to give up our skills."

"Were you involved in Lord Anand's death?" the abbot asked with a frown.

"Yes," Talwar answered, eyes low. "It was horrible." Not so much wounding the nobleman, more what had followed – those innocents killed in the dead of the night... He shivered at the memory and looked at the abbot again with a lump in his throat. "Do you still wish to give me the pole-arm of Zindagi?"

"Do you still wish to protect life?"

"I do! I don't want to be an assassin! I hate myself for what I had to do, but I had no choice!"

Did he really have no choice? Shouldn't he start behaving like a grown man and stand up for himself? But the lofty palace was full of scorpions, they'd never let him be who he wanted to be. Not only his father, but his uncle and Khopesh and everybody else... maybe even Khanjar would tell him he was a fool to turn his back to his family!

"I am aware of that." The abbot nodded. "I should have known that you're so good with weapons for a reason. Your friend Rahul also chose the lay life, I think he's getting married soon."

The abbot rose and went to a stack of pole-arms. He took one and handed it to Talwar.

"Here's your weapon. You know how to activate the seal. Follow in the footsteps of Zindagi and you'll be fine. Best wishes to you and your bride."

Talwar rose to take the pole-arm then bowed deeply to touch the abbot's feet.

"I am honored to have been part of your school," he said. "Thank you for teaching me the value of life."

The abbot blessed him and he left the monastery feeling at peace with himself and the world.

***

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"The nasty one comes!" the parrot warned as the other birds flew off to hide in the branches of the inner garden's tree. Khanda frowned and looked at the garden's door. Indeed Khopesh was sauntering towards her with his usual smirk.

She caressed her gupti, hidden in the folds of her skirts, and kept her head high. She didn't rise from the bench to welcome him, which made him scoff as he stopped in front of her.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me," he said.

"I'm not. I do not wish to marry you, Khopesh. I shall take the blame for breaking our betrothal."

His smile vanished as he frowned.

"You're not breaking anything," he whispered threateningly. "Next month you will come to the altar with me and we will be married."

She rose, clenching her teeth.

"I will not," she warned, holding her dagger tight, ready to use it.

He laughed. "I will not be rejected by you," he warned.

"You are rejected, Khopesh. I will not marry you."

He raised his arm to slap her and she pointed her blade at his throat. He let his arm hang down and smirked.

"I see, the tigress is still untamed."

He was damn fast. And much stronger than her. He grabbed her wrist and squeezed, making her drop her weapon. Then he pulled her into his arms, and tried to kiss her.

"I will have you," he said to her ear, his hands squeezing her body. "I will make you pregnant, so you'll have to marry me!"

"Let me go!" She tried vainly to get rid of his hands and lips. "Khopesh, let me go!"

"Quiet, kitten! I'll tame you," he retorted before closing her mouth with a disgusting kiss. She wanted to scratch his face and bite him, but he held her too tight.

"If you do this, I'll kill you, Khopesh!" she warned.

"And then what, kill yourself out of shame?" His mocking laughter was the worst sound she'd ever heard. "You will be mine, Khanda, whether you want it or not!"

***

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Talwar stopped at Rahul's house and it was another happy reunion with his second sparring partner – this time at the fighting monks' school. Rahul was indeed getting married in a few days and he invited Ajay to the banquet.

Outside of the Guild, he was still Ajay, and it felt good. Maybe he should give up the assassin's name and pick up some other trade. Rahul could probably help him to fit in with the merchant class even though he was supposedly a warrior and a nobleman.

Still smiling, Talwar headed back to the palace. Hopefully his father would come soon and he'd ask for Khanda's hand. Once they were husband and wife, they'd decide what to call each other, and where to live.

As he headed for the upper floor to put the pole-arm in his room, he heard sounds coming from the inner garden. Khanda raising her voice and slapping someone. And then Khopesh's threatening whisper.

Talwar stopped and listened. They were definitely fighting. He changed direction and went to the inner garden, stopping at the door.

Khanda was in front of the fountain, struggling against Khopesh. He had obviously taken all her secret weapons – her dagger lay on the ground – and was trying to force himself on her. To her credit, Khanda wasn't screaming for help, but Talwar didn't think she could stop his cousin.

He stepped into the garden, squeezing the shaft of his weapon and gritting his teeth.

"Let her go!" he ordered.

Khopesh stopped trying to kiss her and rip her bodice off to glare at him.

"Get out of here, Ajay. I told you she's mine."

"I'm not yours!" Khanda struggled again and slapped him.

Khopesh held her even tighter, so Talwar whirled his pole-arm and hit his cousin in the back with the shaft, not the blade. Khopesh groaned and scowled at him. He let go of Khanda and pulled out his double-bladed katar.

"Get out of here, Ajay!" he repeated threateningly.

"My name is Talwar. And she doesn't want you to touch her."

Khopesh swung his arm with a scream of anger, but Talwar jumped back. Instead of using the blade, he used the bottom of the pole-arm to thrust.

"Tum zinda ho!" he whispered, activating the spell of the seal of the Goddess Zindagi.

Khopesh screamed in pain, thrown back by the green magic flame of the seal. He fell on his back and shivered uncontrollably before passing out. Talwar saw that his cousin's tunic was burned and that his skin was marked by the seal of Zindagi, a burning scar that would never allow him to forget.

Khanda had gasped when Khopesh had been hit, but she recovered first. She grabbed Talwar's wrist with both hands and shook him.

"Let's get out of here, quickly!" She picked up her dagger from the floor and they rushed out of the garden and the palace. "What did you just do?" she asked, worried, as they mixed with the crowd in the paved streets of Agharek.

"I went back to the monastery to say good-bye to my teachers and the abbot thought I deserved to take the pole-arm with me, even though I'm an assassin," he answered, still breathless. "The seal of Zindagi doesn't kill. Khopesh will have a scar to remind him that no means no."

"He's not dead?" she insisted.

"No, but the spell hurts more than the scarification rite, obviously..."

"Then we must leave this place," she said, determined, stopping to look him in the eyes. "He will never forgive you, and will make our life miserable. Even if your father and mine agree to our wedding, he'll do everything in his power to destroy us."

"I was thinking we should move away from Agharek anyway," he said. "But I hoped we could do it with our parents' blessing." He sighed. "I guess it's not meant to be. Are you still willing to follow me wherever I go?"

Her smile dazzled him. "Yes, Talwar. I'm yours and I will follow you wherever you go."

"I love you, Khanda," he whispered before briefly kissing her. There was no time for this right now. They had to get out of town before Khopesh came to his senses and the search started.

Khanjar couldn't believe his ears when he heard what happened, but had no suggestions on what to do next. Again he proved to be a member of the Guild to the bone when he said he'd never dare to do such a thing.

"I mean, hitting Khopesh! I know he's your cousin, but he's the son of the Head of the Guild! He's an arrogant bastard who will come after you with all his means! How will you outrun him?"

"I appreciate your worry, but it's not helping," Talwar snapped. "Come, Khanda, let's try someone else."

Rahul proved more useful. He was a merchant's son and gave them all the money he could spare, since neither could go back and get their belongings. Then he sent them to the pier where his father had a ship ready to go upriver to the town of Lakresha. Rahul's money allowed them to pay for passage, hence they sat onboard the river barge while the rowers pushed it in the current and started rowing against it.

Talwar took the blade off the pole-arm. The shaft looked like a walking stick and he could hide the blade in a travel bag when they managed to get one. Maybe in Lakresha he could convince his uncle to give him some travel gear, if he found a good excuse to show up at his door. Talwar frowned, worried, trying to come up with a good lie – something he wasn't very good at.

Khanda nestled against him as they watched the walls of Agharek vanishing in the distance. They had eloped together. Talwar never thought it would end like this. He knew his cousin wasn't dead, and that he'd want revenge. He and Khanda must go far away. Then he could defend life like he'd promised the abbot. And be with the woman he loved.

Her warm body against him helped him relax as the white walls faded away with another piece of his life. Time to start a new chapter. And with Khanda by his side, everything was possible.