Here is Chapter Three guys! I apologize for the delay! Anyway, here is the third chapter and as always I hope you guys like it! I'm thinking that in the next chapter I am going to bring in Ajay, but I am not sure yet :). Let me know what you guys think in the reviews!

Chapter Three

Kamala

I had never held a gun before…and when dad had handed me my first...I almost dropped it right on the ground. I think he could see I was nervous and so he held my hand steady and stood behind me to help me aim at an old, stuffed, dummy that was tied to a wood post.

"This is much cleaner than a knife," he said gently. "Now…it's going to be loud…but you will eventually get used to it. Finger on the trigger…that's my girl…aim for the head…and…fire."

He pressed his finger into mine causing me to force back on the trigger. A loud CRACK sounded causing my ears to ring at first and I watched as the bullet was expelled with great force and smacked into the dummies soft head sending straw everywhere. My eyes widened even further and I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. I had just shot my first gun!

"Excellent!" he praised. "You are clearly a natural…now let's see you try it on your own."

He released my hands and I only now realized just how heavy the gun was. Still holding onto my shoulder's, he helped position me and gently tapped my underarms to get me to lift them up higher. I closed one eye so that I could aim better, and biting onto my lower lip, I fired again. This time I noticed that I felt much more of the force without dad's hands to support me.

"Bullseye!" he cheered. "Oh darling…you are definitely my daughter. Only a Min could be that on point. Let's make this a bit more interesting shall we?"

"Okay…how?"

"We are going to go hunt something a little faster than a stuffed doll."

I really hoped he meant an animal of sorts and not one of the terrorists in the Golden Path. I was not ready to take another life since I had done so with my mother…and because of Maneesh being stabbed on my behalf…I had had more than my normal dose of bloodshed for the day.

"…and what is it we will be hunting?" I asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Well…I know Dholes aren't far down the road. Let's start with them."

He led me towards a metal box that was resting on the table and took back the 8mm and handed me an even heavier compound bow. He, on the other hand, chose to grab a hunting rifle. I raised an eyebrow at him and leaned against the bow as he looked down the scope briefly.

"My dear if you keep staring at me so critically you will get wrinkles." He smirked. "I gave you the bow so you don't damage the skin. You never know when you might need it."

"I don't want to skin an animal!" I gasped in disgust. "I thought being a Princess meant not having to do that kind of stuff."

"IF you stay behind the walls…you will never have to. But since you cannot look me in the eye promise me that you will…I want to be sure you are prepared for anything."

I sighed and dragged my feet as he led me out a wooden door into the neighboring woods. I was going to vomit today…there was no doubt in my mind. Killing my mother had been one thing…I had been in a blind rage…but having to consciously kill and skin an animal seemed like it would be too much. I could only hope that the Dhole was ugly so that I wouldn't feel quite so guilty.

We walked in silence for quite some time until dad placed a hand across my chest to prevent me from walking further. He held a finger to his lips and motioned slowly forward so that I would follow. Staying low to the ground, I continued after him over a small knoll of grass. I could see what I assumed to be the Dhole not far below us and frowned. They looked like adorable, rabid, little foxes.

"Have you ever used a bow before?" he whispered to me.

"In high school…but…it wasn't this nice."

"Well…it's the same basic principle. Get into a nice position that you can aim easily…pull back on the bowstring and then…let it go and hope you hit something or someone."

I swallowed but nodded.

"Well go on…" he coaxed. "There's one that wandered away from the pack. See if you can hit a moving target."

I raised the compound bow and held the arrow firmly as I watched the Dhole…as soon as he stopped moving I held my breath…pulled back on the bowstring, and then let the arrow fly through the air. There was a faint THWACK as it made contact with the Dhole's back and I cursed softly as it started to run away.

"That's quite alright…" I heard dad whisper. "You hit it square in the back…it will slow down and then you can get the money shot."

I nodded and followed him swiftly and quietly around tree branches as we followed the wounded Dhole. I was surprised at how nimble and quickly dad could move...and then I realized that before he was King, he had probably done this for sport in his youth.

"Sh sh sh…" he said quickly, causing me to stop.

I could see the Dhole licking its wounds and without a second of though, I aimed an arrow and shot it right between the eyes. I squealed with excitement as it fell over dead and turned to look at dad.

"I did it!" I exclaimed.

"Yes you did my dear," he smiled. "Well…go claim your prize."

I nodded and went over to the now dead Dhole. There was a pool of blood forming around its head…but I didn't feel particularly bad about killing it. As a Chef, I often had to gut strange animals for certain dishes…in a way, this felt familiar to me. I picked it up by its neck and yanked the arrow from its skull and returned it to my quiver.

"Maybe if you ask nice, Uncle Paul will teach you how to skin it."

"Oh goody…" I said with a slight smirk.

He gently nudged my shoulder before handing me a burlap bag to put the Dhole in. As we walked back up to the castle I found myself wanting to ask more about him. The biggest question being…why did he sleep with my mother if he was clearly so in love with Ishwari? I just didn't know where to begin when it came to asking him.

So we walked in silence for quite some time, until King Min chose to tactfully break it.

"Your face is like an open book; did you know that?" he said with a slight chuckle. "You just…are so easy to read when it comes to your emotions. Don't take it as an insult…it's how I knew you were genuine about having a relationship with me. But right now…you are thinking about asking me something so much that it is giving you a headache…so let's clear the air darling…ask away…whatever you want, I promise to answer. If there is one thing I love to talk about, it's myself."

I blushed faintly but nodded.

"Okay…um…why did you sleep with my mom?"

"Straight to it, I like it…" he said, clapping his hands together. "Right, your mother was still a whore when I met her …and at the time, I was still torn up about Ishwari. Paul thought I needed a bit of fun…and your mother happened to be available. It isn't a pretty story…but that's pretty much the long and short of it."

I frowned and watched my feet as we continued walking towards the palace. I had already known that that was what had happened…but I hoped that my dad had a bit of a more romanticized version of it…apparently not. I really was just a bastard child that occurred as the result of some random man wanting to get his dick sucked for an hour to two hours.

"Don't let it define you, Kamala," he said as we reached the kitchen door. "You may not have been conceived IN love…but I've found myself quite taken with you since you've been here."

I tried to smile, but what he had said still hurt…so I just nodded and fixed a lock of my own hair behind my ear.

"I should start dinner…" I said, with a slight cough. "This will be my first time cooking for you…and I'd like to make a good impression."

"Is that your polite way of telling me to buzz off?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, I wouldn't waste my time trying to be polite," I teased. "But I would like to surprise you with a good meal…so if you'll excuse me."

Giving him a polite nod, I disappeared into the kitchen and closed the door behind me with a sigh. Closing my eyes, I pressed my back into the firm wooden door. I needed to focus and get my mind back to what mattered…food. I didn't need to think of my mother or of what led to my conception…just of what would be the perfect meal for tonight.

I started taking out ingredients for appetizers, the main course, and dessert. Nepal was a pretty simple country when it came to its food…a lot of rice, spice, and hearty meat…so I decided to start off the night with Biryani. I had bought some fresh prawns that would pair lovely with the aromatic spices that were already in the kitchen. This would serve as the main course as it would take the longest to make…while this cooked I would work on getting Mysore Bonda out to the table. Bonda is a simple dumpling that can be either spicy or sweet, depending on the seasonings used. Okay…Kamala…you have all the ingredients you need…now it's time to dig in and get started.

It had taken about about thirty minutes for me to get everything out on the table… and thirty minutes more for me to shower and make sure I didn't smell like fry oil and cumin. I came out now in my more comfortable clothing and sat down, once again waiting for my father. After a couple minutes, I heard the door open and he walked in, chatting happily onto his cell phone.

"Yes, yes, well Yuma, you have your fun and I will be sure to visit real soon." he sat down. "Well maybe I will introduce you to your niece when I am sure you can play nice."

I could hear faint yelling over the phone that sounded, vaguely, like Chinese…all to which Pagan just smiled and eventually hung up on.

"Sorry I'm late darling," he said. "Business and all that…this smells fantastic.I will admit I snuck in a couple times while you were busily cooking away and snagged a Bonda."

"I hope you like it…" I said a bit timidly. "I…um…assumed you liked Indian Food…but I can cook whatever next time."

I had heard what happened to the last cook that worked for my father. I hoped that he would have some kind of leniency towards his daughter. I couldn't touch my food until he started eating…analyzing every feature on his aged face and watching him as he chewed to gauge whether or not I had failed him somehow.

"This is fantastic." he said looking up from his food. "I must say that you far surpassed my expectations. Perhaps you should look into opening your own establishment here in Kyrat once things have calmed down between us and the Golden Path."

I sighed softly with relief and smiled, now able to take a bite or two from my own plate.

"Those are the assholes that were shooting at me today while I was shopping?" I asked, taking a sip from my wine glass.

"Mmhmm, the very same." he said. "They don't so much want to kill you as they would like to kidnap you to get information about me."

"Well, they will be sorely disappointed if that ever happens." I said swallowing some rice. "I don't know anything about you that would be of use to them."

He sat his fork down and looked up at me.

"Well, let's avoid the possibility of you being tortured, shall we? That means you keeping your cooking behind in the palace…unless you are willing to kill one of them in your own defense."

As we continued eating, I sat and thought about what my dad had just said. Taking the life of my mother had been one thing…I had literally no other option for survival and I hated her beyond belief. I could honestly say that she had been the biggest waste of fucking space on the planet that wasn't missed by anyone in the slightest. But these terrorists that my father hated so much…had never done anything to me personally…and I found it hard grasping the concept of having to kill another person. After taking my mother's life it had changed me dramatically…I wasn't sure my personality could take another crippling blow like that. However…something also told me in the long run I wouldn't have much of a choice.

Please Read and Review! But NO Flames!