The man clutched both of Kush's hands with one of his and lifted him up. Kush couldn't feel his body, so he went straight up into the air. A gentle look was upon that man's face, making Kush wonder if he was really the god of death he saw moments ago.

'Well, you're not without your merits. I don't mind losing,' he said with a smile and tapped the little boy's forehead with a finger. Kush fell unconscious from just that.

'Your monkey's alive,' Bhargava dangled the prone Kush in front of Ashangi until she extinguished the flames and rushed over. She grabbed him from his hands like a mother cheetah grabbing her cub. The man laughed, 'Well, he wasn't able to maintain consciousness from my hit, so I'll admit to only half a defeat.'

'You hypnotized him,' Ashangi said quietly. She was holding her pupil in her arms while kneeling down on the ground. She was unable to stop tears from pouring out.

'Well…so you noticed that…' Bhargava scratched his head awkwardly. 'Still, a deal is a deal. I'll give you the mercenary band, but only for fifteen days each month. You can do whatever you want with it in those fifteen days. You'll pay for your logistics as well, of course. An army has to be fed, don't forget that.'

Ashangi frowned in thought. A single battle in a war campaign can last fifteen days. Considering travel, logistics and all the other details, how can this split in time be possible?

'Can we take credit?' she asked, perceiving the meaning of this person. He was basically saying they were splitting the ownership of the band of mercenaries on a basis of time.

'You may. But only a year's quota. Beyond that, you may recruit men of your own and start your own regiment within the troop. This regiment is naturally yours to use however you please. I will give you one thousand men to start up this regiment.' He smiled again. If one didn't know of this destructiveness, they would find him very pleasing and would feel very relaxed in his company. 'Of course, Little Grass will pay off my investment by fighting exclusively for me for the first one year.'

'Little Grass?'

'Oh you didn't know?' Bhargava hopped after Ashangi as she floated away carrying her disciple. A pale pink speck disappearing in the night. 'Grass here is named after a weed. A very common one that grows just about anywhere. You're a high noble, so of course you wouldn't have heard the name for it in common tongue.'

But Ashangi was not just a high noble, she was a high noble travelling incognito who was also very observant of nature. She knew, of course, what Kush's name refers to. The name literally means a blade of grass. What she was surprised at was Bhargava using a nickname, in a tone that almost sounded affectionate. This person really changes colors too fast. He was going to kill Kush a moment ago, but now his voice sounded like he was doting. At first it looked like he tricked Kush out of his victory, but then he gave the boy access to lead the army for half a year every year. So what was the other half to be used for? To train, to recruit. Which he was again going to help with by setting the boy off with an initial one thousand men. And how was he going to train? By following Bhargava's direction for one whole year, which he calls 'paying off the investment'. This personal involvement will also get his men used to this new 'little lord' who will lead them into conquests now. If this isn't doting, then what is? It was right what Ashangi heard about this person. When he opens his heart, he is generous to a fault.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

'So who's the rootless weed now?' he flipped his eyebrow at her while walking in front of her. Under the full moon, the silver light glinted off his fair face and flowing hair, creating a beautiful halo.

'Like father, like son I suppose,' Ashangi murmured in a daze.

'What's that?' he said, stopping all of a sudden as though he was rooted into that place.

But Ashangi already disappeared into the deep night with a 'Nothing!'

'No, it meant something! Hey wait!' he ran after her, actually becoming breathless as he caught up, his heart pounding furiously. 'You meant we should get married and adopt this boy, don't you? Come on…! Don't pretend you didn't say anything.'

'I didn't mean what you think.'

'But why would you perform The Empress if it wasn't for me?!' he stumbled after her.

'You think too much of yourself.'

'But I find you very cute…Doesn't that count for something?' he asked with sweet honesty.

To this Ashangi turned around furiously, her eyes actually blazingly red. 'You banged my kid around until he's a sack of broken bones! You actually have the gall to flirt!'

Bhargava blinked widely and pointed a finger at the small sleeping figure. 'He provoked me first!'

Ashangi was startled at the outburst. A moment later, she burst into pearly laughter. It was as if the moon itself was jingling in a hearty silver symphony.

Thinking of Bhargava, who was honest, gentle, generous and even fatherly at times, Kush couldn't help but knit his eyebrows facing his army. Most of these men were the elites that Bhargava raised. He trained them from scratch and made them an army that was akin to a violent storm sweeping everything in its path. They were his comrades and his friends. Kush didn't know Bhargava's background, but he knew that while that man was shrewd and decisive when it comes to destruction, he was very innocent in everything else. The day Kush asked for his army, he already knew the boy would lead it to its death. But he still gave it to him when Kush managed to calm his destructive heart and opened the door to its generosity. He even trained it as usual every alternate fortnight, so it would be up to shape when Kush needed it. He taught warfare to Kush in ways that Ashangi, despite her personal level of power, never could. Bhargava was as much a teacher to Kush as Ashangi was even if he spent very little time with him. He didn't know how it would hurt the man if 'Little Grass' led all his men to suicide.

Kush didn't understand why his teacher insisted he must subdue the barbarian army until they were ready to fight for him. She once said vaguely that the mercenaries were an army united by a person and not by a purpose. A king needed an army that is united by a purpose, be it nation or conquest or something else. Only then would it be able to function independently. For example, Rtadhara's army that Kush was just talking about would find it easier to handle the mercenary troop even if their numbers were tripled and they had better strategies. But the barbarians who shared a long history of conflict with would not be so easily dealt because they are united by a single purpose of defeating them. There exists a proper solidarity among them that makes them suitable subjects for a king who doesn't own a territory yet. Rather than the motley group of warriors who have come from different places and joined under a banner as mercenaries.

Kush was very conflicted.