The Adventures of Kevalin and Gallika

"What the..", grunted out the young man in battered but beautiful clothes as cold water splashed on his face. Scrunching at the hot sun, he opened his eyes to look into chocolate brown eyes framed within thick dark eyelashes and dark brown eyebrows. His eyes floated down to the mouth opened in a silent "O" edged with red luscious lips. Instantly he pulled the face down and kissed the red lips hard feeling life rushing back into him. A moment of surprise later, gasping, the face pulled back and smacked on his cheek.

"Ouch! Why did you do that?", he questioned.

With angry lasers shooting through the now burning eyes, the face moves away as a long lithe young woman's body comes to his line of vision. Not one, but three of them - each equally beautiful and strong. Shaking his head, he sat up trying to figure out where he was, and then he noticed the wrecked ship; his own Lahiri; broken and splattered on the shore.

Slowly becoming aware of his surroundings; he remembered the storm that rocked Lahiri the night before and the crack of sound she made as she hit something in the churning waters. And that is all. Confused he looked back up at the three maidens, still looking back at him with angry daggers. "Where am I?", he murmured.

Anger in the chocolate brown eyes turn to surprise and confusion before the red lips move. "You are on my island, Zathadwipa. You have no business kissing a stranger without permission. And who are you? A mannerless brute?".

"I am not sorry for kissing you, as it put life back into me. I am not a mannerless brute normally.", he chuckles. "But, I really don’t know who I am or what is my name?", he continued with added perplexity.

Rolling their eyes, the two women next to her whisper softly. Nodding to them, she turned back to him, "We will call you Pahuna for now. I am Gallika, heir-apparent to the ruler of Zathadwina, Devi Sagarika, my mother. You are a stranger whose ship wrecked on our island. We came upon you in our jaunts and tried to wake you up. Now you can follow us to meet Her Highness, and she can perhaps help you get on your way".

Saying so Gallika and her friends with a little spring in their steps, fly over his head, hovering around him; while he jogged along admiring their dainty wings. As they moved through the city enclosed within tall fortified walls, he took in the beautiful buildings, thriving businesses and all of them blending with the surrounding trees and plants of the island. But what caught his attention most was that everyone he encountered along were sporting wings - wings of varied colors, textures, designs and style.

Finally they reach the palace in the heart of the city, the sight of which stops him in his motion. Gasping at the sheer majestic nature of the building, he stepped inside, admiring the large windows, high ceilings and the wonderous items adorning the rooms.

"Wait here!", said Gallika and swished in through large doors. As he tried to step in, two strong bodied men with wings stop him. A little while later, Gallika returned to escort him back into the room, followed by two different guards, leading him up to Devi Sagarika.

"This is the man, Mother, Pahuna. We found him unconscious by his wrecked ship at the south end of the island beyond the dark bamboo forests. He was holding…"

"South end of the island?", Devi Sagarika asked cutting off Gallika. "What were you doing there, Gallika? It is forbidden to go there."

"Yes, Mother! I know. But the storm last night grabbed me. It was telling me something was coming. And I couldn’t stop myself. I had to go and find for myself, Mother! You understand!", pleaded Gallika.

Sighing Devi said, "Alright! We will talk about your little excursion later. So, this..Pahuna..is the one you found there following your premonitions? Him and his wrecked ship?"

"Yes, Mother! And this tusk that he was clutching tightly in his hands.", Gallika gives the tusk to her mother.

Devi took the tusk in her hands, gasps looking it, and turned it round and round before she found the writing etched on it, a single word Vishaan. "Oh My Lord! This is Vishaan, a time travelling tusk", she said , then looked up at him, "Do you remember where you have come from? What thread of time you were traveling from?"

"A time traveler?", gasped Gallika.

Pahuna looks at both of them with bewilderment in his eyes, thinking they were speaking in tongues. "A time traveler?", he repeated Gallika.

"Yes, you are one of them. Only a time traveler can have this tusk. And from what I have heard from people before me, a time traveler visits our island, Zathadvipa, when he needs the aid of someone in his fight against the evil in whatever thread of time he is at that moment. Do you remember now?", asks Devi.

Shaking his head, Pahuna reaches for Vishaan as it glided from Devi's hands into his. Holding it gently, Pahuna, looked into it, driven by some subconscious pull. And jerked back falling down on the floor. He looked up at Gallika and Devi, "I remember now. I am Kevalin in search of one who can aid me in my fight against Lord Dragh who is trying to control the threads of time. I was given this as the description of the one I need to look for on this island", he handed a sheet of paper from the tusk to Devi.

"One who is conceived on the 14th True Blue Moon;

Who is born with Crape Jasmine fragrance floating in the air;

With Wings of two colors - White on one side sprinkled with green within;

Chocolate Brown on the other side sprinkled with yellow within;

And who is strong of spine; brave of heart; kind at mind;

And soul that can feel deep, think hard, and love forever."

Devi reads it aloud and everyone in the room gasp and look at Gallika. Kevalin looks at Gallika and Devi, and others in confusion, for Gallika's wings are golden yellow. After a brief exchange of looks between them, Gallika nods at her mother, takes a deep breath. Spins around a little, jumps up in the air to the high ceiling, opening her arms wide in an arc. A flash of light passes between them surrounding her. And a second later, Gallika glides down fluttering her bi-colored wings - White with green, and Chocolate Brown with yellow; just as the paper mentioned.

"You are the one I am looking for! You will aid me then?", said Kevalin.

Gallika bent her head in silence for a minute, then looked up at her mother, Devi. "Mother! This is my destiny! You know it. You have groomed me for this day all my life. It is time I go with Kevalin."

With a tightened heart and sad eyes, Devi nods, "Yes, it is your destiny. You should go!". She looked behind to her trusted aide, who handed her a bag. She gave it to Gallika, "This contains everything you need for your battles you will fight with Kevalin. May you topple the evil Lord Dragh, and come back to me again to live in peace here."

Eyes shimmering with tears, Gallika hugged her mother, and her friends, bade goodbye to her people. They all follow her to the south end of the city through the dark bamboo forest. To his surprise, Kevalin found his ship, Lahiri, in top shape. "Aah, the magic of Zathadvipa, then!", he whispered.

Together Kevalin and Gallika board the ship. He turned a few knobs to start, and as it accelerated, Gallika waved to her mother, friends and her subjects. The ship soared into the air and then with a speed of light shot into the far beyond, to the thread of time ether in the past or future of when Zathadvipa exists.

Devi whispered into the wind, "Stay safe daughter! Hopefully this time the time traveler will truly fall in love with you and come back to stay here forever. May you have a full partner in life than what I had." With that Devi and her subjects return back into their city while Gallika and Kevalin moving forward on their journey.