The call came before sunrise.
A young Nihang rushed through the chhauni, breath quick, eyes alert.
"Jathedar ji," he said, bowing low, "a village to the east is in trouble. Armed men arrived in the night. They are taking food… livestock… and threatening the people."
The camp stirred.
Not with rage.
With readiness.
Jathedar Jasraj Singh turned slowly, his gaze settling on Arjanveer.
"You will go," he said.
Arjanveer's heart leapt. "Me, Baba ji?"
"Yes," the jathedar replied. "Not to fight. To serve."
The Road Beyond the Blue
The village lay beyond fields scorched by drought. Homes of mud and stone stood silent, doors shut tight with fear.
Women watched from behind curtains. Children clutched their mothers.
At the center of the village stood five men with weapons—careless, loud, cruel in their confidence.
Arjanveer felt the old fire rise.
His hand instinctively moved toward the hilt at his waist.
Then he remembered.
Control.
He stepped forward calmly.
Words Before Steel
"You have no right here," Arjanveer said, his voice steady.
One of the men laughed. "And who will stop us? You?"
Arjanveer met his gaze.
"Yes," he said. "If needed."
Silence followed—not from fear, but uncertainty.
The men had expected shouting. Threats. Anger.
They had not expected calm.
"You can leave," Arjanveer continued."No harm done. No pursuit. No shame."
"And if we don't?" another man sneered.
Arjanveer exhaled slowly.
"Then I will protect these people. Fully."
The Moment of Choice
The leader raised his weapon.
Time seemed to slow.
Arjanveer felt every heartbeat… every breath… every thought trying to surge forward.
But instead of striking first—
He stepped between the men and the villagers.
Unarmed.
Open.
Unshaken.
"You will have to go through me," he said.
Something broke in the air.
Not courage.
But cruelty.
The men hesitated.
One lowered his weapon.
Then another.
Finally, the leader spat on the ground.
"Not worth it," he muttered.
They turned and left.
After the Storm
The village remained silent for a moment.
Then a child stepped forward.
"Are you a warrior?" she asked.
Arjanveer knelt to her level.
"I am a servant," he replied.
The elders approached, tears in their eyes. Food was offered. Blessings spoken.
But Arjanveer shook his head.
"Keep it for your children," he said.
Return and Reflection
That evening, back at the chhauni, Jasraj Singh listened quietly as Arjanveer spoke.
"You chose restraint over dominance," the jathedar said."Protection over pride."
He nodded once.
"You passed."
Arjanveer bowed deeply.
"But remember this," Jasraj Singh added."Next time, the choice may not be so gentle."
Arjanveer looked up.
"I understand, Baba ji."
As night fell and the Nishan Sahib fluttered in the wind, Arjanveer realized something profound:
The Khalsa path was not about defeating enemies.
It was about ensuring fewer enemies were ever created.
And that…
…was the hardest battle of all.