Training started right off the bat. As soon as all the trainees arrived Hanuman handed each apprentice a wooden rod then clapped his hands to gain everyone's attention.

"Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns." Aru was not really sure what 'Huns' meant but it seemed to be associated with the Sleeper.

Hanuman then told them to throw a bunch of clay pots at him while grabbing a pole himself. Huh. There was a pile of those vessels made from the earth a little ways away and as she trudged over to grab one, someone tripped her with their pole. Aru hit the ground and looked up to see a Marut with '21' on his breastplate. He smirked at her and went to the pot pile whistling. She scowled, got up, and dusted herself off while taking deep breaths and muttering 'What goes around, comes around' under her breath. 

Once everyone grabbed all the pots and the pot pile was no more, they circled around Hanuman. He gestured for them to bring it on and Aru was the first to comply. She sent one of her cauldron-looking things sailing straight towards the trainer with all her might. Hanuman turned around and smacked it with his pole making the vessel shatter into a couple of pieces. Everything was silent until all the trainees started chucking their pots at the General. He hit each and every one of them.

"Now it's your turn." He stared each of them down and then pointed to Aru. "Arjuna, come forward." Just her luck. She trudged over groaning. Aru caught Aiden looking at her and he winked. She stuck out her tongue. She blew a couple of strands that had come undone from her man bun and said:

"Right, I'm ready." Hanuman grabbed a nearby bucket filled with water and placed it on Aru's head. Aru looked on, dazed, as he then went on about how they would use stones instead of clay pots because they had run out of them. Great. The Maruts all smirked and then as one, flung rocks at her. The other trainees joined them, laughing the entire time. It took Aru all her stamina to not get hit by the stones, flailing her rod uselessly through the air. The bucket on her head had long since fallen on the ground, seeping through her boots and drenching her socks, along with her whole body. She really needed to work out more, and how much water was in that bucket?. She glanced at Hanuman, who was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?" That shut up everyone real quick, Aru stopped dancing like a deranged monkey. The General glared at her. "You're the saddest bunch I ever met, and you can bet before I'm through," He briskly walked over to Aru and grabbed her pole. "Mister, I'll make a man, outta you." He whisked around and clapped his hands. "Training is over for today. Tomorrow we'll start archery."

Aru rubbed her eyes and shivered, she was soaked to the bone and her stupid socks were wet. She couldn't go back to her tent otherwise the ugly brutes she shared a tiny home with had kicked her out of the tent because she may or may not have been playing with fire. Suddenly Aru felt a warm towel wrap around her. She whipped around to see Aiden standing there.

"You seem cold and you can't catch a cold on the first few days you are here." Aru smirked. He sounded like Mini.

"Thanks... Wait, I need a nickname for you!" She mentally smacked herself for not thinking of this sooner as Aiden raised an eyebrow.. "What about... Ammamma!" He did act like a Grandma and 'Nani' didn't suit him. Now it was Aiden's turn to smirk.

"Already taken by my best friend." Aru groaned.

"What about Wifey?"

"How does that even make sense?"

"Well if you prefer 'Snob'..."

"I prefer neither you Troll!"

"Wifey suits you perfectly! I'm not sure why but it just does, so it's a keeper!" Aru grinned. Aiden grumbled.

"Just go back to your tent." Aru looked down sheepishly.

"So the thing is... I was having a bit of fun with matches and now... I have nowhere to sleep?" Aiden stared at her.

"Why are you like this Shah?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll just sleep outside. No biggie."

"And if it rains?" Aru had not thought about that.

"Thought so, I guess you'll be sleeping with me." Aeu looked at him with absolute horror in her eyes.

"Excuse me?!"

"Honestly, I have an extra cot, it's not a big deal and-"

"Nope. No way. Nuh uh." Aru interrupted, throwing her hands in the air. "You can't do anything to convince me otherwise." Aiden opened his mouth then closed it.

"Suit yourself." Aiden started walking off and Aru smiled triumphantly. Aiden turned around and hollered at her.

"By the way, there are spiders and snakes that come out at night!" Aru shrieked.

"WAITTTTTT! I ACCEPT YOUR OFFER, OKAY?" Long story short, she ended up sleeping next to Aiden that night.

The next day at one-o-clock once again, everyone waited for what seemed like hours before the General showed up. True to his word, he led them to an archery range. Hanuman drew three circles the size of the top of a cup on a tree. He then put a plank on a rock like a makeshift seesaw and placed three pomegranates on one end of it. At this point Aru was wondering where in the world he was going with this. 

The General then took his bow and arrow and stepped on the opposite side of the part of the plank where the pomegranates were. The fruit soared up in the air and Hanuman shot three arrows at once, catching a pomegranate and hitting a circle each. Aru's jaw dropped. The General turned to them, looking smug, and said.

"Your turn." Everyone threw their fruit in the air and shot their arrow right after that. The lucky ones missed their fruit by a centimeter. As they were practicing Hanuman walked by each of the trainees reciting.... cryptic suggestions? "Tranquil as a forest," Aru stuck the pomegranate on the arrow instead of throwing it in the air and was just about to shoot when she caught Hanuman glaring at her. "But on fire within." Aru lowered her bow and looked sheepishly at the ground. She saw Aiden looking at her with an exasperated smile and scowled at him. 

After a few more failed tries from Aru, Hanuman herded them towards another field for hand-to-hand combat. Hanuman gave a demonstration with Aiden, who had been observing them and staying quiet the entire time. As soon as they started fighting, it was a flurry of kicks and punches. she was pretty sure they read Karate Kid by the end of the duel. In the end, Hanuman just barely won, and Aru was ready to go home and take a bubble bath. After the battle, both competitors were breathing hard. Hanuman turned to face them.

"Once you find your center, you are sure to win." All of the trainees were partnered with seniors who were of high ranks in the army. And because Aru was very lucky today, she was partnered with the General. Aru raised her fists. Fighting against one of the greatest warriors? Cool, I definitely got this. Aru thought. Wax on. Wax off. Wax on. Wax off. Aru repeated the phrase like a mantra. Hanuman frowned.

"What?"

"What?" She echoed. He looked at her strangely.

"Why are you talking about skin treatment?" Great, her inside voice had become her outside voice. Again. Aru groaned.

"Forget I said anything please." Hanuman gave her another weird look before rushing at her, taking her by surprise. "Wha-?" Was all Aru had time to say before she was knocked to the ground. The General had delivered a blow to her stomach. Massaging her gut, she got up and glared at him. Hanuman raised an eyebrow and attacked her again, but this time, Aru was ready. Which did nothing to prevent her from landing on her butt again. The cycle was repeated until Aru could barely raise an arm due to pure exhaustion. The General looked down at her with a snooty expression.

"You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot," He regarded all the other apprentices, who hadn't done so well themselves. "And you haven't got a clue." Hanuman massaged his cheeks up and down, looking distressed. "Somehow I'll make a man out of you." And with that, the training was over for today. Aiden walked up to her and nudged her leg with his toe.

"You don't look so well." Aru swatted at him. He smirked.

"Go away."

"Not a chance, Shah." Aru grumbled and continued lying down. Aiden walked off and walked back, carrying a silver platter holding a bunch of Indian dishes and fruit infused water. Aru's mouth watered, making Aiden laugh as he saw her greedy eyes. Aru held out her hands and he helped her sit up and they ate in comfortable silence. Soon the Sun started setting and Aru was back to lying on the grass. Aiden put away the dishes before standing over Aru again. "You do know we have to sleep earlier today because of the tiring events that occurred just now, right?" Aru groaned.

"I don't think I can walk without my stomach being in pain." Aiden sighed and crouched down next to her, put her arm around his shoulder and his around her waist before standing up again and maneuvering them towards their tent. To no surprise, he was really strong and easily walked with her leaning all her support on him. "By the way, what was it like, losing to the Monkey General?"

"I could ask you the same."

"Touché." They went inside their tiny tent and Aiden gently set her down on her cot. Immediately Aru went right to sleep with the entire uniform intact. However, right before falling into her deep slumber, she murmured. "Thanks, Wifey." Aiden rolled his eyes but still smiled before falling asleep himself.

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The next day they went to the river to catch fish. With their bare hands. Everytime Aru was about to catch one, the sea creature would slip from her grip. It was super frustrating and Aru had just about had it when she saw something move from the corner of her eye. Quick as a flash she grabbed it and pulled it out of the water only to see that it was... a foot? She looked down to see Marut Number One gaping up at her from under the water. Whoops. Aru set his foot down and walked over to a deserted part of the river to try her luck again. And she still didn't catch anything. 

That's when she felt icy cold water splash onto her and gasped. She whipped around to see Aiden looking anywhere but her and whistling. Aru grinned, two can play at that game. She splashed him and he responded by doing the same with her retaliating again and this went on until they were both fully wet and Hanuman looked at them as if he wanted to give them both detention, but Aru thought she saw a ghost of a grin on his face. 

They were both given towels and were placed next to the fireplace in the main tent. Aru and Aiden huddled close to each other for warmth and Aru was thankful for the fire bathing everything in golden, hiding her red cheeks. They settled into a nice conversation, getting to know even more about each other. The day turned into night and Hanuman found Aru sleeping on Aiden's shoulder and Aiden with his head on her's. They had a towel wrapped around them. The General smiled and put out the fire before going to find a clearing to sleep in.

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Aru ran for her life along with the other trainees as flaming arrows were shot at them. The higher-ups were having the time of their life, watching the other apprentices scramble around as they plucked the string on their bow. Aru stopped for a break, panting like a dog.

"I'm never gonna catch my breath." It was the next day and Hanuman was training them like never before. She watched in horror as Marut Number Twenty Two crashed to the ground with a flaming arrow in his side.

"Say goodbye to those who knew me." He wailed as two people lugged him to the medical tent. After facing the arrows of doom they walked to another field, how many were there? And saw what looked like stone benches. The General explained to them that they were to break the stone. With their heads! Nope, thought Aru, Nuh uh, I'm out. However, Hanuman, to her immense joy, picked on some skinny dude in the back. He looked nervous as he walked up to the bench. Aru could hear him saying in a soft tone.

"Boy, was I fool in school for cutting gym." He took a deep breath and sat down and raised his head. Aru looked on in horror but for some reason couldn't close her eyes. Suddenly everything went in slow-mo and just as Skinny Dude was about to hit his head on the stone, a pair of hands covered her eyes. She immediately knew whose hands those were because he smelled like cooking spices and clean laundry. Aru felt her face turn red but it immediately turned pale after she heard a sickening crack. Even Aiden winced. 

When he took her hands off her eyes, she saw Skinny Dude being lugged away by the same guys who had taken Marut Number Twenty Two. Hanuman looked stony-faced as he watched and everyone cowered away from him. One of the superiors cupped his hand to Aiden's ear, who had walked over to them, and whispered loud enough for Aru to hear.

"This guy's got 'em scared to death."

"Hope he doesn't see right through me." They went back to the river, this time on a different side where wooden poles jutted out and were generously spaced. And, as you have probably guessed, they had to hop from one pole to the next. Aru sighed, then went first with the other guys following her lead. She heard someone whimper.

"Now I really wish that I knew how to swim." Aru jumped from one to the next easily, which was a surprise considering her height, and was just about to jump to the next one when she tripped. She was able to catch herself but the people behind her could not stop in time and fell into the river. Aru winced. She was definitely unpopular now between these manly brutes.

"Sorry!" She hollered to the men bobbing up and down in the water coughing it out of their lungs. All she received in return were glares and death threats, which she knew she deserved. One horizontally challenged man seemed particularly angry. At night time, the final challenge for the day was to set off cannons held up by sticks shaped like an 'X' on a big hill and try to hit the target below, which was a scarecrow. To light the cannon, you had to scrape two rocks together and create friction. Aru thought this would be fun, I mean hey! They got to blow up stuff! But nobody could hit the target. She heard a dude who was very shy and squeamish whimper.

"Be a man!" He told himself. Hanuman's powerful voice drowned him out as everyone blew up the grass surrounding the scarecrow.

"We must be swift as a coursing river!"

"Be a man!!" Smol Dude tried again, this time lowder, but Hanuman's mighty vocals overpowered him again.

"With all the force of a great typhoon!"

"Be a man!!!" Again Hanuman's words conquered Smol Dude's.

"With all the strength of a raging fire!" Smol Dude gave up on trying to comfort himself and walked away. Aru felt pity for him but there was nothing she could do. She lit her cannon and just about to fire, that horizontally challenged man knocked over the stick holding up the cannon. He snickered as it fell and Aru desperately tried to hold it up, only for it to hit one of the tents. That freaking nincompoop! Aru stared daggers at him but he just shrugged and walked off. Hanuman sighed, then made a motion with his hand to call it a day. 

He trudged off and sat on a rock, looking at the pole that had the arrow he had shot at days ago. Aru followed his gaze too and tried to think of a way to get that arrow. An idea started to form in her head when a sound cut off her thinking flow. "Mysterious as the dark side of the moon." Hanuman whispered. She gazed at him for a second before walking off to her own tent to find Wifey already asleep.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Today was the last day for Aru to prove herself. She had failed every single challenge and she knew if she failed this one, it would be the last straw for Hanuman. She knew it when she saw his face as he stared at the moon last night. The General was clearly in a bad mood.

"Today we will run up that mountain carrying sacks of sand. You fail this one and you'll be sent home." Aru winced. She had, like, zero strength and stamina. Hanuman made a fist and hit against his palm. "Time is racing toward us, till the Huns arrive. Keep my every order, and you might survive." Everyone shivered and nodded, looking determined. Hanuman grabbed a bamboo stick, a heavy, black bag full of sand on each end and placed it over his broad shoulders before running up the steep mountain. Everyone copied the General. 

Halfway up and Aru was barely keeping up. Strands had come out of her bun and a shiny sheen of sweat covered her forehead. After walking a few more steps she fell over, unable to walk anymore. Hanuman saw this and came over and grabbed her pole with the sandbags and placed it over his shoulders, glowering at her before walking off. Aru felt her heart plummet. 

She had failed. Aiden came over and helped her up, looking regretful but still comforting her. After reaching the top and going back to the bottom, which had taken the entire day, Hanuman summoned Aru before his tent. After waiting for a couple of minutes, Aru saw Hanuman walking towards her, holding Uchchaihshravas's reins. He looked at her with utter disappointment.

"You're unsuited for the rage of war. So pack up, go home, you're through." Uchchaihshravas looked at her sadly as she looked down, the feeling of failure making her want to throw up. As Hanuman walked off, she heard him say. "How could I make a man out of you?" Making Aru flinch as she mounted her horse. 

After the General was long gone, Aru saw Airavata fly out from behind a cloud and watched with a slight smile as he hovered in front of her and made a cloud that burst into a shower of sparkles when she touched it, making her hand tingle. The elephant had gone on a field trip recently after she became friends with Aiden, but he was now apparently back. He flew into her pocket contentedly and fell asleep. Aru was about to ride off into the night when she heard someone yell the fake name she had created for herself.

"Arjuna! Wait!" Aru whipped around and her breath caught. Aiden. He caught up to her, panting, and handed her something. She looked at it and gasped.

"Vajra?" Aru hugged it to her chest and looked at him gratefully. "Thank you." Aiden nodded.

"You left it in our tent." Aiden was about to walk off when she called to him.

"Thank you, for everything. I'll miss you a lot" Aiden nodded again sadly in agreement and hesitated before blurting out.

"Do you have a sister, by the way? Besides Kara." Aru remembered when she told him about her sibling, and how his nose had wrinkled in disdain. Aru had joked how they would be