Empress Dosha

Chapter 5

"Aim right, focus, free your mind of everything, are you ready?" He asked. She nodded confidently. "Shoot!" Bizo commanded and she shot, but missed.

"Tsk!" She tutted about to give up.

"What did I tell you about giving up too soon?" He questioned loudly making her take a sharp breath. He can be harsh sometimes.

"Never give up." She answered.

"Then, try again." He said handing her three arrows, to shoot.

"I can do this! I can do this!!" She whispered to herself, placing the arrow on the bow and aimed at the point. She took in a deep breath and fired, with eyes closed.

It hit three places, the top, the middle and the end. She gasped in surprise and shrieked. Two children also got it right and were shouting. She smiled triumphantly giving a daring look to her uncle. He likes that.

"Now, do you think you can use the dagger?" He asked holding two daggers.

"I do not think. I can use it."

"Shall we?" Rashid voiced, breaking her out of her reverie.

She looked up from where she sat down to where he was standing, seeing how he hovered her with one leg on a heap of sand and the other on the ground. The morning orange sun kissed the side his flawless face making him look like some royalty.

He wore a light brown dress shirt and milky trousers with brown sewn sandals, and also white crochet cap. It did a great job complimenting his looks.

"Dosha!" There was this way he says her name with a rich accent. She didn't realise she was staring and with the call of her name she broke her gaze looking embarrassed.

He gestured for them to go and she nodded pursing her lips and started walking in front. Wait? She does not know the way, so she slowed down for him to lead the way without missing the smile on his face.

So they started the small journey to their destination. They walked silently, no one said anything, just the sound of crushed dry sticks and leaves in the narrow path filled with tall grasses, which waved at the passerbys.

The morning sun was fully out meaning it was going to be a sunny day. She looked up using a hand to block the view of the sun to see further, using tippy toes. She could see nothing except the narrow path way leading east.

Rashid kept clearing the grasses on the way wondering if no one has ever used it for some time now. The bright sun greeted his face making him to bat his eyes anytime he looked up.

He saw that she was in a really good mood since yesterday night after she vented out all her worries to him. But she was silent behind him wondering what she was thinking, he had not looked back since the time they started walking but felt her presence behind him.

"Can I ask?" She questioned behind him and he gave approval. "Is this place not dangerous? I mean what if a wild animal attacks from these tall grasses?"

"Do you think if I had known that, I would let you come through this way? Do you think I would harm you?" There was seriousness in his tone, they got the wrong impression of what they each meant.

"No, I did not mean it like that. I was just curious. Do you really think I doubt you?" She was loosing her cool, just for what he said.

Silence, then he burst in a fit of laughter, she stood furious not knowing what to do with him, many evil thoughts crossed her mind. The laughter made her angrier. What does he really take her for?

"No offence, do not take it to heart." He apologised and she gave him a hard glare, then stomped and brushed past him.

"Never knew she was stubborn," He mumbled and heard a high pitched 'hmm!' from her. "Hey, are you really angry? I did not mean to sound like that." Now he was sober. Which made her more furious. She stopped and turned to look at him.