There one hundredth posted chapter. Good lord! I would never have expected a day like this would come even if I said it might but- wow….
If you've stuck around this long then you're probably longing for the ending pretty soon. Like I said before, this would be around the closing for sixty-five percent completion. Long way to go in such a short time, hope things go well.
It was the first time, Vasu set foot upon the Royal Fortress in twenty-six year. Well, technically he'd assaulted the bastion gates back in '98 before his sixteen years of imprisonment. And much had changed since then, apart from the Golden Pagan statue that daunted the parade square in the middle of the courtyard.
Where it was once a single regiment of Royal Guard in his day, was now four divisions of soldiers enlisted with the Royal Kyrati Army. Royal Guard was now either referring to Yuma's private army or special honor guard soldiers like the Fortress Guard, Palace Guard and the mountain alpine troops called the Snow Guard. There were helicopter battalions, motorized rifle divisions and mechanized forces. But most impressive of all was the Royal Kyrati Airforce (KAF), the one element that turned Kyrat into a major power in the Himalayas. It was also the bargaining edge Pagan had in convincing the three states to come together as a political bloc known as the Himavana Pillar Alliance. The four nations represented the pillars that held up the mountains, but the public had stuck to calling it Himavana Alliance instead for convenience.
That being said there was a different air about the place, everyone had been invigorated by the telecast at Papir Republic from the Garud Durbar palace. Having stated the intentions of the alliance to the people and what it hoped to achieve. It meant that interregional business was about to boom. Which meant rise in budgets for education, military, security, industry, infrastructure, housing and healthcare. You name it they call it. That was why everyone was excited, it meant a change from their stagnant times with little to do and low pay wages. This was about to change all that, and perhaps their future as well.
The staff officers in the Army were discussing the latest development in troop deployment via a modern system he'd not heard of before called C4I. Basically, it was a high-technology network between the Command, intelligence and ground forces to coordinate an efficient movement of troops. Coupled to this was a portable battle management system they planned to issue to each platoon of soldiers and every armoured vehicle. What this did for the ground forces was allow them to receive up to date intel on the road ahead as well as access to fire support at a click of a button. It kept sounding their requests off the radio and reducing comms traffic considerably. This system also allowed ground forces to relay info back to Command more efficiently and in a language they understood better. There were currently talks with a certain High Tech South-East Asian country for developing for them this system using the credentials of India and the newly established Himavana Alliance.
Vasu felt out of place and out of pace with the current officers, but it was not as if they gave him due concern. He received more than his fair share of stares at him while his back was turned. Everyone knew who he was, and everyone was not as equally accepting of his place as a Kshatriyan Lord despite Badala's power to appoint three Lords. Two had already been conferred, one went to Arjun's daughter and the other to him. The absolute highest authority in the Kyrati Army under the Marshal and the 1st Lord. It was clear he wasn't deserving of the title, that feeling was mutual with the officers of the Royal Kyrati Army, but they dared not question Badala's judgement of the matter. Considering that it was none other than the 1st Lord that battled with Vasu on more than one occasion, yet he choes to redeem him. It was all a matter of perspective, everyone was entitled to their own views and beliefs.
Vasu just had to believe he was a Kyrati Lord doing good for his people.
"Shall we be on our way, sir?" Said the young officer acting as his liason to the Army forces temporarily.
He did have at least one person that believed in his ability to fight on their side. And that was the young lieutenant Jeevan Hamal. His past with Badala was a whole other complicated story, but apparently he was his apprentice and also the future Commander of the Air Force Specops known as the Jatayu. The Airforces' only ground troops at the moment, in the form of a brigade of paratroopers currently returning back to Kyrat from their two-week long excursion to Yinke. They had already been combat proven with their invasion of Yinke and fight against the Golden Path at Lanka early in their conception.
"Yes, lets." He followed the younger officer to the staff car to be ferried to their next location at Vasu's request.
He sat shotgun to Jeevan who drove off down the hillside that the Royal Fortress was on. The checkpoint guards immediately raised the gates upon sighting him and saluted crisply at him. Jeevan saluted back out of courtesy before moving off.
"The soldiers seem to respect you a lot." Vasu started a conversation for no apparent reason.
"Well, I do have a reputation as the Demon's apprentice to uphold you know, sir." Vasu scanned the kid a few times previously as he'd heard that Sabal had apparently been "killed" again by this regular human. But then again, if he was Badala's apprentice he could hardly be called normal. Perhaps the apex of human lethality, Sabal returned as a half-formed mess due to his body struggling to maintain itself from the grenade that had torn him from the inside. Vasu found his will to be the most frightening thing he had encountered in Golden Path.
To think that none of them knew the real extent of the dangers that Golden Path posed because Badala had kept them in the dark for so long. Yet, they never seem to be at odds with Golden Path. Badala had found himself some rather unique and talented individuals where even immortal flesh could not deter them. It almost questioned the true strength of Golden Path without these supernatural powers and the validity of Mohan's resolve. It was painful, to see that Badala and the Royal Army had taken off where Mohan and Golden Path should have been doing. But one single incident changed the course of the civil war and turned it into a stalemate for two and a half decades.
Vasu sighed.
"I did good considering your first time inspecting the Royal Fortress Command, sir."
"This place doesn't suit me."
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, sir. You're expected to deliver a division commander's worth of paperwork if you intend to go outfield as often as you did in Golden Path."
Vasu sighed again more exasperatively, Jeevan chuckled at his lack of patience.
"Do you know my teacher's workload everytime both of you had clashed?" Vasu turned Jeevan's way slightly interested to know.
"Two stacks, a ruler length high." Vasu's head started to feel giggy at that sort of endorsing of materials via paper authorization. Golden Path had none of that, and that was why the supplies often appeared less than usual because someone had taken some to keep or sell in the Shanath bazaar behind everyones' backs.
"That's only for combat mission, sir. We haven't even gone to management of the Four Arsenals, overseeing his city of Lakshman, endorsing local territory laws and taxes, and when Lanka was still in construction all the material and worker requisitions, the airforce and mercena-."
"Ok! I get it!" Jeevan laughed once more, at least he hoped that Vasu would have an idea of how difficult his teacher's live was besides tutoring him in conditioning the state of mind and close combat drills. He barely had time to be home with his family or at least that was what it was to him. Jeevan had all the time in the world to be with his sister who visited him regularly to hand him his lunch, some officers and grunts mistook her for a love interest of his at one point. When he clarified, they all begun hitting on her that she stopped coming all together.
They drove down to a very familiar abode which it had been year since he last set foot in, Sano Pahada village. What he once called home for fifteen years of his life.
Jeevan parked the jeep at the side of the road and turned to Vasu.
"Do you need me to follow you, just in case the villagers get bright ideas seeing you?" Jeevan patted his holster to express his willingness to protect him on his way home.
"There's no one here left to remember me. I'll be fine on my own, thanks for the ride." Vasu thanked him and rejected his offer politely.
"then, I'll pick you up tommorrow at seven. Will that be alright, sir?"
"Yes, that's pretty late. And from tomorrow onwards you can address me like your teacher does, just Vasu will do."
"Very well, sir. I'll see you tomorrow then. Sir!" He saluted with a bashful face before leaving on the jeep. Noting that he had heard what vasu said but still addressed him as Sir, because it was not tomorrow yet when he could address him as Vasu.
"Cheeky bastard." Vasu chuckled and shook his head. He turned and made his way home, retracing familiar steps towards the House of Khati on the mountain slopes.
He did receive a few looks but mostly because of his uniform that resembled that of staff officers in the Royal Army, the only subtle difference was a crest badge pinned on his left breastpocket which held the Throne's coat of arms. His status as a militant lord.
He walked slowly to enjoy the sights and sounds of the quiet village of Sano Pahada, the charming hamlet of over eight thousand souls. Although, some features like certain stalls or architecture were long gone, some things remained like the river before the Khati Mansion. Vasu took a moment to rest his hands and leaned against the bridge as he looked at the running waters. It sparked, long ago sweet memories he had in his childhood and his young adult life. The affection he held for a certain young woman he would dare to call his sister at one time. What occupied her place was the strong independent woman who singlehandedly managed Badala's Arsenal One in the city.
"Are you lost, mister?" A sweet voice called out from behind him.
Vasu turned around to find a sweet little girl with rosy cheeks standing behind him.
"Well, to be honest…. I think I am." Vasu chuckled to himself as he refered to his thoughts rather than his destination.
"That's good!" The child replied without a shed of restraint.
"Uh…..?"
"Mom says its good to be honest." She said with a smile. Vasu had trouble understanding at first until she completed her last sentence.
"So where do you want to go?"
"Are you sure you should be talking to me? Didn't your mother teach you not to go near strangers?" Vasu warned.
"Mmmm….. but you don't feel strange. You smell a lot like big bro Badala."
"Badala? So you know him?"
"Mm! He's mommy and big sis Maya's boss. Plus, he's very funny." She always put her finger to her lips cutely as she thought before she said anything.
"That doesn't sound like the Badala I know." Vasu voiced his thoughts about Ajay's humour or maybe it was just he who didn't find it funny when he constantly made fun of Golden Path and him in the past.
"So where d'you live? Where? Where?" Vasu had to admit, this girl was energetic.
"I'm looking for….. the Khati household. Heard of it?"
"Is it someone you want to visit there?"
"Family."
"Really? Are you going to take back your child?!" Vasu had trouble understanding this little girl because she only talked about things from her point of view which he wasn't aware of as a stranger.
"No. It's more like I used to be a kid from there, I'm Vasu. Vasu Khati."
"Ooooooh! Just like grandpa and me!"
"You've a Khati as well?"
"Everyone in the home is a member of Khati, or so mom says."
"….." How could he forget, old man Bibek took in children from the streets and allowed them to don his surname. He didn't inherit it because he stubbornly wanted to revive the Sen household despite its apparent fall from the logs of the echelon households. Darshan seemed to have taken the name for his entrance into the Royal Guard Academy and Hunter Fraternity.
"Come, I'll take you there!" She announced excitedly as if she'd established bringing him to the Khati mansion was a mission of hers.
Vasu decided to follow along with her since he was headed there anyway, even if he already knew it was on her mountain slope. He never understood why Bibek chose to live frugal when he was the greatest general alive in Kyrat. Now he did, there was no greater joy than being with family. This was what Vasu had forsaken for glory and had come home with nothing in the end, Bibek must have realized it during his exploits and retired from the field for that very purpose.
"Be careful, the slope is slippery."
"Thanks for doing this, it's great that someone could help me retrace my steps back home." Althoguh he already knew, there was no harm commending her on the effort she put.
"Family helps each other, right? Mmm…. How long have you been away?"
Vasu looked at the mansion that was not too far away up top but because the girl had smaller feet it was several times more difficult, how did she come down and up everyday he wondered?
Vasu reached down and picked her up, placing her on his shoulders. "Weee!"
"You sure are enjoying yourself."
"Go horsey! Go!" She giggled excitedly.
"What? Horsey…?" She kicked his side like a horse to make him move forward. Vasu sighed, it was he who volunteered after all to carry her because he was concerned by her walk up the treacherous slopes.
"Hang on tightly then."
"Yaay!"
Vasu held on to her feet as he scaled the mountain slope with careful steps as he centre of gravity had increased due to an additional weight about his waist. He walked on a familiar path and one each stone as he had walked upon for decades. He was already forty-five years of age, a veteran of many wars and should have been too old to fight in his war where he should have been a staff officer directing men out into the field. But his mind was filled with achieving feats of glory like Bibek once had and to do that he wanted to be out there fighting by the mens' side. That was how his title as a Deva came about, but as the months went by after his release from the Gulag he was beginning to grow weary of fights especially against a monstrous fighter like the younger Badala. His brothers were in the same mind even though they failed to mention it, their era had long past. So this little girl's presence was a warm welcome to the end of Vasu's career out in the fields.
He was sure Badala had appointed him as a Kshatriyan Lord as a way to absolve him of the war crimes against the state and for Bibek-ji's sake. To think that so many would stand up for his mistakes for an immature person such as him, it made him feel helpless of what to do.
"We're here!" The little girl announced before Vasu put her down.
"Nana!" The girl called out to the silhouette of an old man hunching over to inspect his humble vegetable garden diligently.
"Alisha, my girl. Back from your adventure, how was it?" Bibek called out lovingly as he came over and found Vasu to his surprise he had come with her.
The girl Alisha explained her trip to the river to collect unusual stone which she presented physical evidence in the form of small rocks in her satchel bag.
"Ohhh… look at this one, child. You found a gold nugget, now how did you manage that?" The girl shrugged her shoulders.
"I just found it in the water with the fishies."
"My, then it must be a sign that someone is watching over and has blessed you with good fortune. You should treasure it, you might not know when you'll need it." Bibek acted out like a maternal-grandfather would to his granddaughter.
"Mmm… I want to share it with mom." She said in all her honesty." Bibek couldn't help but smile.
"You would choose to share your fortune with others? Remember child, there will be more good tidings coming your way in future."
"Mmm!"
"Now run along, your mother wanted you back ten minutes ago for dinner. Be sure to wash your hands as well, child."
"Yes, Nana!"
Bibek waved her off as he approached Vasu.
"Welcome home, son."
For some reason, it felt like a very emotional moment for him as he tried to get a hold of his expression.
"Thank you, father. It's been a while."
The table was extended as it usually was for dinner time with all fifteen orphans and the master of the house himself with his family. These included Aasha, Elina and Alisha. Elina avoided looking at Vasu ever since she'd been notified of his arrival to the mansion.
"Tonight, we'll be sharing a meal with a very special member of our family. He's been away for a very long time from our home which has been his home too for nearly fifteen years." Bibek introduced him to his newer family at the table.
Vasu straighten himself and cleared his throat. "I'm thankful to share the table with you all tonight, my name is Vasu Khati. The Khati household was my home nearly twenty-seven years ago."
"Ah! This Deva Vasu Sen!" One of the boys recognised that name.
Instantly, the fifteen other orphans didn't seem to have a very good picture of Golden Path. Vasu could see that.
"What is a traitor doing here?"
"Child!" Aasha was called out to the boy who said it.
"Am I wrong?!" The child who had once played ball with Biraj and had questioned Ajay's returned with his ashes inquired.
"No, you're not." Vasu answered his query.
The faces of the orphans and Elina looked at him with astonishment. Especially her, knowing from the past how stubborn and self-righteous he was.
"If you want to know whom I've betrayed over the years I can tell you every one of them. Bibek-ji, Aasha-ji, Elina….. The marshal and all who stood by the king instead of following us. I've done worse that betray them, young man. I've killed more than I can remember for reasons that I've began to question now more than ever. So, if you were to call me a traitor, I wouldn't mind. At least, you're tolerant enough not to shoot or kill me for sitting with you to enjoy the pleasure of sitting with a family and eating. And for that, I'm grateful." Vasu said with a genuine smile as he bowed his head.
This rendered everyone at the tables shocked, he'd instantly defused the horrible mood with a mere exhibition of humbleness. Bibek couldn't help but smile, at least one of Vasu's more stubborn traits had finally vanished with his experience. Or thanks to Ajay for giving him this opportunity to understand this.
"Ah- haha-… nevermind what this silly boy says, Arnav is just very adventurous aren't you. He even did the same to Badala at one point, quite naughty if you ask me. Come- child, apologize for ruining the mood!" Aasha was strict enough to remind him of his manners.
"Ah-…Mm!" He hesitantly nodded his head. "I'm sorry I said some bad things I didn't mean."
"Don't sweat it. I'm glad you were honest enough to bring it up." He said with a smile.
Alisha giggled away as she was reminded about their short conversation earlier about honesty.
"Then, a toast. To the son that returned home, to Vasu!" A more cheerful and friendly orphan girl who was one of Bhadra's friends took initiative by raising her glass of barley drink.
"""Cheers!"""
"Cheers!" Vasu said along with them as they went around clinking cups to pass their good fortune to one another. Vasu chuckled as all fifteen orphans struggled to clink their cups with him before doing so with the rest. Alisha had done so with Vasu were her own drink. Which only left Elina who was directly on the opposite side of him. Both of them met eye contact with each other, his with a serious earnest look, hers of a hesitant one.
"What are you waiting for, girl? You want me to matchmake you or something before you do such a simple task?" Elina's mother joked to get her to move.
"That was uncalled for mother." She whispered to her.
"Then don't waste each other's time. Don't tell me your childhood crush for Vasu is resurging." Aasha grew bolder with her statements.
Elina neither denied it nor agreed. She reached out with her cup. "Bless wishes to you on your new career." She said.
Vasu smiled warmly back to her as he reached out with his own cup of barley tea.
"And may you always treasure the wonderful things you've made for yourself." He made a glance to Alisha happily drinking away the barley.
"…."
(Cling) Their cups clinked, ending whatever hostility or awkwardness they previously had.
Author's Notes:
Think i can safely say I'm the heaviest of all the FC4 fanfics out there, not that i'm proud of it though. If i could make content like Crab Rangoon, The One True King or Tomorrow is Today and Evil Prevails from FC3 which is pretty good as well. In the same quality to my quantity then I would have the confidence to pursue writing as a career, as if that would ever happen.
Its Engineering, History and Soldiering for me all the way, anyday.
