In Disguise for the First Meeting 

Check out the theme here: A Retelling of Valli and Karttikeya’s Love Story

This post is a part of BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2026.

***

Skanda descended to Earth disguised as a hunter. With leopard skin as a wrap held in place with a red strip of cloth, he held a wooden bow in one hand and a spear in the other. A quiver of arrows hung on his back. His wavy hair was pulled together with a thin piece of bark wrapped as a band. Another smaller strip of cloth acted as a forehead band. Skanda tucked a few fallen feathers into it to complete his appearance.

Walking through the forest, he enjoyed the chatter of the birds and animals, the hissing of the snakes, and the playful cries of the monkeys. It had been a while since he had been to Earth, and he wanted to savor the moment before he met his would-be wife.

His long and sturdy legs, resembling tree trunks, took him toward the miller fields. Based on Narada muni’s directions, Skanda reached the field owned by Nampi, Valli’s father. He saw her from a distance first, a flash of green, pink, and black. The scent of ripening crops and something incredibly sweet filled his senses. It could only belong to her, he mused.

Valli had left the thatched frame to stretch her legs. She went to a nearby tree, hoping to find more fruit to offer to her little murti of Skanda. Her father and brothers would bring her lunch sometime soon. However, she didn’t want to wait until then to feed the murti.

She was picking up a few saffron-colored ripe berries from the ground when a presence altered her. Valli straightened and was surprised to find a hunter approaching her. Though he was tall, broad-shouldered, and handsome, she wasn’t affected by his looks. She was only curious about a new person in the village, especially on her family farm.

“Who are you, hunter man? Where do you come from?” she asked.

Skanda thought Narada’s descriptions didn’t do justice to Valli. She appeared even more enchanting in person. She looked straight at him, her large eyes fringed with thick lashes, assessing him. Did she recognize him?

“I answer to many names, devi. You can call me Karttikeya,” he replied. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the six stars in the sky twinkle brighter, though they would be invisible to humans in daylight. His mothers loved it when he used that name.

Valli gave a slight nod, waiting for him to answer her second question.

Skanda shrugged. “The world is my home.”

“There must be some place,” Valli insisted.

“Ceruttani,” he replied, and noticed her relax a fraction. She recognized the name.

“Why are you here, Karttikeya?”

Before he could reply, he heard footsteps. From his other vision, he saw it was Valli’s family and stepped back. He didn’t want to meet them yet or let them know about his presence. His goal was to woo her first.

As the sound of laughter distracted her, Skanda saw his chance and transformed into a tree, becoming one of the many that bordered the field. He spied on Valli’s interaction with her father and brothers. They teased her, made her laugh, and fed her the food they brought, sharing stories of the morning hunt in the forest.

A couple of times, Valli looked around, trying not to alert her family, wondering about where the stranger vanished. She didn’t like it, but she also couldn’t tell her father about him without knowing more. She would inform them if he came again, Valli decided. There was no reason to cause them worry when she could take care of herself.

As her family got ready to leave, her friend, Nila, arrived, hopping over the water channel dug to irrigate the field. She waved enthusiastically while clutching a basket full of colorful clothes in another. It was their day for patchwork and sewing.

Meanwhile, Skanda continued to be a tree, enjoying the breeze teasing his leaves and watching Valli.