Tejo had understood in the first week of knowing the leaders of Swatan that they were nothing like the teachers or elders of Ambaramanila. They weren’t the same as any of the loud-mouthed and fun seeking but combative people of Jevadhi. Leader Gunshi was as kind as the first rain of monsoon, always repaying a smile with his own and never hesitating from helping any of the students any time he came by. He was smart too, his wide-set eyes sparkling with interest whenever someone asked him a question about anything in academics. She wasn’t particularly sure how he knew all the things he did but Matamahim held his opinion as valuable too so she was sure that he must have had some worthy experience. 

She was a little confused about what Leader Oorja was thinking half the time he came by, but it was a rare occurrence in itself so she didn’t try to dig too deep into him. His rolling chair, or wheelchair as Hasya constantly corrected her, slipped through the corridors of the place always with a set destination in mind and he didn’t pause to greet most people without cause. He was brave though, Tejo knew that from the approval shining in Matamahim’s face whenever he spoke quietly about something important. 

Her favourite though, was always Saanjh. In the beginning she had wondered why people were insistent on that name instead of what she had once heard from her parents, but the story had come out in between classes and open whispers. Tejo had met Saanjh well into her second month at Ambaramanila but she could still remember the way the defense class had gone. Saanjh didn’t interfere in the classes much, unless specifically suggested by the teachers, but the students always looked forward to the days when it happened. 

Tejo hadn’t seen anybody as cool as Saanjh, if anybody bothered asking her. The fact that she didn’t have to call her ‘Leader Saanjh’ and was allowed to drag her around for mini adventures only sealed that fact. 

Now, watching Saanjh walk through the gate of Ambaramanila with an oddly placed arrow in her hair-bun, Tejo was hit by two questions: Did Saanjh know that she had an arrow in her hair and why didn’t Tejo think of this idea before?

“Is anyone hurt?” Hasya asked as she came scrambling out of the healer’s chambers, her skirt tangling between her ankles. 

“We’re fine,” Leader Gunshi replied with that polite smile that adults didn’t often grace bumbling students with, “Were there any other casualties?”

“Two, but they’re being treated now,” Tejo spoke up, eyes shifting towards the strangers coming behind him, “We didn’t get instruction to prepare for guests, Leader Gunshi.”

“But we can handle it,” Hasya said, with a pointed look at Tejo before offering a respectful greeting to the strangers, “I’ll inform the quarters matron immediately, please freshen up while we arrange for everything necessary.”

“You don’t even know us and you’re sure we’re guests?” the one with a bow slung over her shoulder asked, her eyes judging Hasya with a curious half-quirk of her lips.

“You’re - not?” Hasya faltered and Tejo saw her smile drop awkwardly. 

“Nobody said we are,” the archer commented with a dark brow rising expectantly. 

Leader Gunshi let them talk when Matamahim entered, following her as she began asking him questions in a quiet tone. 

“Well?” the archer prompted and Tejo turned away from watching the leaving elders, seeing their non-guest stare back at them with an ease of a rogue in the way her feet were resting. 

“If you were dangerous, you wouldn’t be standing here freely,” Tejo said, ignoring the sound from her friend as she stared down the entrant, “If you didn’t want to be a guest, you wouldn’t have followed Leader Gunshi either.”

“You’ve heard that the whole thing happened because of hunters though, right?” the archer countered, shifting her bow over her shoulder, an amused look on her face even as her partner shook his head beside her. 

“If you were the hunter, Saanjh would have dragged you here. Probably tied with your bow,” Tejo said bluntly and Hasya attempted to elbow her but the archer’s partner burst out into laughter. 

“So, you got off lightly,” he told the archer who shrugged pleasantly, “We’re Leader Gunshi’s guests, young miss. I’m Imay Por and this is my sister -”

“The non-dangerous one,” the archer offered a two fingered salute and Tejo stared back deadpanned.

“- Saakhi Por,” Imay cleared his throat with a suppressed grin before addressing them again, “We thank you for the offer of hospitality and would appreciate the rest, please.”

“How do we know for sure?” Tejo asked, glancing at Saakhi with a scrutinising look, “Leader Gunshi didn’t say anything, as you pointed out.”

“Aren’t you the smart one,” Saakhi commented in glee before turning around and pointing at Saanjh, who was wiping her hands on the towel placed by the entrance bench, “Okay, ask the elephant-whisperer. Hey!”

Saanjh thanked the disciple who had given her the towel and stepped inside, her eyes finding Tejo’s. 

“My new friend!” Saakhi greeted and moved closer to Saanjh, stopping before she could put an arm around her shoulder, patting her back as she addressed Tejo, “You can ask, I’m with her.”

Saanjh glanced at Tejo and Hasya before moving away from the grinning archer, turning towards the corridor that led to Matamahim’s chambers. 

“Oh come on!” Saakhi called out, still talking to Saanjh as she walked away, “Saanjh!”

“Friend?” Tejo asked suspiciously and Saakhi looked at her before pointing at Saanjh again. 

“See, she’s even wearing my arrow,” she said and Tejo looked over at her quiver to see that the fletching colour was the same, “You believe me now, huh? I can see it on your face, don’t worry, no offence taken.”

“Why is she wearing your arrow?” Hasya asked curiously but Tejo grudgingly relaxed, guiding them inside the place. 

“Where are you from?” Tejo asked before they could reply and Imay handed Hasya his satchel with a grateful nod, “Why did you meet Leader Gunshi?”

“Don’t you mean how?” Saakhi asked and Tejo gave her a dry look that only made her seem more amused. 

“He helped us out at Ujwi,” Imay answered, “Saakhi here had just lost her job -”

“Not my fault,” Saakhi interjected. 

“- and we didn’t have any set plan in mind, so we took his offer of travelling to Swatan,” Imay continued, “He said he had to stop over at Jevadhi before we got there, so we decided to come along.”

“Why did you lose your job?” Tejo asked and Saakhi made a face but shrugged. 

“Somebody died,” she commented with an air that said that she couldn’t care lesser, “Besides, Agapura is pretty set on its rules and they wouldn’t really accept a nomadic knight without more proof than some word.”

“You’re a knight?” Hasya asked excitedly but Tejo turned to frown at Saakhi.

“Agapura?” she repeated with a harsh edge to her voice, “You’re from there?”

“Not really, but it was the last place we were supposed to stay at,” Saakhi said but eyed Tejo carefully, “You don’t like the place?”

“No…it’s nothing,” she replied as she turned away, looking forward as her mind churned, “Why was Saanjh wearing your arrow?”

“Because I saved her life,” Saakhi said proudly and Tejo looked at Imay, who rolled his eyes. 

“She took Leader Saanjh’s hair-stick to throw at a stone,” he said and chuckled at his sister, “Leader Saanjh simply took her due with one of her arrows.”

Hasya laughed along but Tejo came to a standstill and breathed out before turning to stare at Saakhi, meeting her eyes with a shocked expression. 

“You threw away the stick in her bun,” she echoed and Saakhi raised her brows but didn’t refute the statement. She - how could - 

“Is something wrong?” Imay asked carefully and Hasya cleared her throat beside Tejo before explaining. 

“The stick, it’s - well, it’s important to Leader Saanjh,” she said and Saakhi frowned lightly, looking unconcerned in a way that frustrated Tejo even more. 

“I’m sure she can get a new one,” she said, “Probably with the same design too.”

“It’s her mother’s,” Tejo said before she could restrain herself, the words sounding aghast because she knew what it meant. 

“Okay,” Saakhi said slowly, still frowning but still not getting it, “She’s a big girl now, I’m sure her mother won’t scold her for losing a hair stick.”

“Lady Por, you don’t know?” Hasya said and Tejo was still reeling from the shock when her sister revealed in a quiet tone, “Leader Saanjh - well, she doesn’t have the best relation with her mother.”

“It’s a hair-stick, girls,” Saakhi stressed again, even though Tejo could see that Imay was gathering that there was more meaning to it than they had revealed. 

“Saakhi -”

“You’re from Agapura, right?” Tejo heard herself say, feeling her heart break for some frustrating reason, “You said someone died. Who did?”

“Paher Mahir,” Saakhi said cautiously, but her eyes were trained on Tejo now, trying to connect whatever clues were thrown her way, “What’s that got to do with -”

“And Paher Mahir’s kids weren’t there?” Tejo asked calmly.

“His son’s abroad on a voyage,” Saakhi replied, her eyes sharp now, “Kid, what’s going on?”

“And the daughter?”

“What?”

“His daughter,” Tejo repeated, ignoring Hasya’s tug on her arm, “Didn’t you ask about her?”

“She wasn’t there,” Imay replied and Tejo turned to look at him. 

“That’s because,” she said clearly, “She was away too. Very specifically, exiled. Or disowned, as some people call it to be decent.”

“Tejo -” Hasya whispered insistently.

“She doesn’t have the ‘best relation’ with her mother,” Tejo continued, on a roll now, “And all she had from her was a hair-stick.”

“ Tejo- ”

“The reason Saanjh’s mother won’t scold her for losing a hair-stick is because she won’t know,” Tejo bit through every word and watched it click in Saakhi’s eyes, “Because Paher Minar doesn’t exist for her family anymore.”

“Leader Saanjh,” Hasya said quietly and Tejo turned, following Hasya’s eyes to see the person standing on the other side of the open courtyard, just outside Matamahim’s chambers. 

Tejo felt the blood drain from her face as she realised just how much she had revealed and how much Saanjh must have witnessed, a trusted friend telling unwanted things to virtual strangers. She really was an impulsive fool!

“If you’re done, there’s food waiting,” Saanjh said calmly, not lingering on Tejo and nodded at Imay before glancing back at Saakhi. Tejo felt herself glance at the archer too and saw her stare at Saanjh with a quietly knowing look, not looking away but not prodding either. 

When Saanjh finally walked away, Tejo turned to run after her but heard Saakhi say to her brother. 

“Turns out Minar is definitely more handsome than her brother then.”

She didn’t bother to stop and kept going after Saanjh, hoping that she could make things up to her before Saanjh left for Swatan in the evening.