Winter loosened its final breath over Vyomtara Manor, leaving behind pale sunlight that dripped gently through the high windows. A warmth slowly returned to the halls, and with it, a quiet curiosity began to bloom inside the triplets — the kind that came not from play, nor mischief, but from the hush of stories.
It began one calm dawn when Aryan sleepily wandered into the inner library, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Sarvani sat there, wrapped in her soft ivory shawl, turning pages with a grace that made even the dust motes pause.
The young boy stood silently, watching her.
Sarvani looked up, smiled, and beckoned."Come, little moon."
Aryan climbed into her lap without a word. His tiny fingers touched the open page."Read… like you," he whispered.
Sarvani's heart warmed."One day, you will."
Later that morning, Sasi came in tugging a pillow nearly his size and plopped beside them."I want story!" he announced, cheerful even with sleep in his hair.
Aditya followed last, not because he was late — but because he was busy dragging a chair twice his weight to sit next to his grandmother.
"I read big book!" he declared proudly, pointing at a leather-bound tome far taller than he was.
Sarvani laughed softly."Ayyo, that book is older than the manor itself."
"But I strong!" Aditya insisted.
And so, the mornings of Vyomtara began to change.The triplets, once satisfied with games and chasing butterflies, now gathered around books, their curiosity opening like petals after rain. They traced letters they could not yet understand, mimicked sounds, and listened to tales of ancient skies, forgotten heroes, and little gods who hid in the wind.
Those quiet mornings became the first signs:the children were beginning to grow inwardly.
As the days folded into weeks, the manor prepared for something much larger — the triplets' fourth birthday, a day that was never a grand noble spectacle, but a day of annadanam, the offering of food to all who needed it.
It was Duke Varesh's vow from the year the children were born.
Every year on their birthday, he would feed not one, not a hundred, but the entire town, and every orphanage under Vyomtara's care.
Sarvani explained it to the children the day before the celebration, her voice warm and firm.
"In Sanātana Dharma, giving food is the purest of gifts," she said."It fills the stomach, yes… but it also fills the heart. When you feed another, you give life itself."
Aditya nodded seriously, though he clearly didn't understand the depth."I will give big laddus," he decided.
Sasi beamed. "And sweets for everyone!"
Aryan remained quiet, gently touching a bowl of rice."Everyone… happy?" he asked.
Sarvani kissed his forehead."Yes, my child. Everyone."
On the morning of their fourth birthday, the entire town of Vyomtara glowed with activity.
Long tables lined the streets, covered in fresh banana leaves.Kitchen fires roared.The smell of ghee and warm rice filled the cold morning air.
Children from seven orphanages arrived in groups, walking hand in hand. Their eyes were bright — some with joy, some simply with hunger, some with the wonder of seeing the dukedom up close.
The triplets stood with their parents at the entrance of the grand courtyard.
Aditya waved at everyone like a proud prince.Sasi smiled shyly behind his mother's hand.Aryan held his father's cloak corner gently, observing every small detail with his calm eyes.
Duke Varesh lifted all three children up one by one so the crowd could see them.
"Today, as my children turn four," he announced warmly, "may all be fed, may all be blessed, and may no stomach in Vyomtara remain empty."
A chorus of "Blessings upon the Duke!" filled the air.
Food was served.Children laughed.Warmth spread like sunlight through winter fog.
And amidst that warmth, a small boy stepped forward.
He looked around eight years old — thin, but not weak. His hair was ash-black, his eyes bright and sharp like polished obsidian. He wore clean but worn clothes given by the orphanage.
His name was Nivaan.
He walked carefully through the courtyard, holding a metal plate close to his chest, not rushing like the other children. His attention wasn't on the food — it was on the books he'd spotted from afar, carried by the manor servants for a later storytelling event.
Nivaan froze when he reached the triplets.
Aditya immediately walked up to him."Hi! I am Aditya!" he announced proudly.
Nivaan blinked, surprised. "Hello…"
Sasi stepped closer, smiling. "Sasi."
Aryan looked at him quietly, then touched his sleeve lightly. "A-yan."
Nivaan's lips curved into a small, shy smile.
"You're… the Duke's children," he said softly.
Aditya puffed his chest. "Yes! And today… laddus!"
He shoved a laddu into Nivaan's hand.
The boy looked startled, as if no one had ever given him something so freely before."Th–thank you…"
Sasi tugged his sleeve. "Why you come alone?"
Nivaan looked down at his plate."I… like to watch. People. Lanterns. Books."His voice was quiet, thoughtful."I read a little… our orphanage has old books. I fix them sometimes."
Aryan's eyes brightened."You read? Like… grandmother?"
"Yes," Nivaan replied softly. "Not as well… but I like stories."
Sasi gasped. "He same like Aryan!"
Aditya jumped. "Come play!"
Before Nivaan could answer, Aditya grabbed his hand and ran toward the courtyard garden, pulling the older boy along. Sasi followed with excited hops, giggling. Aryan walked beside them, watching Nivaan with that calm, celestial curiosity unique to him.
The four of them reached the garden, where colorful cloth banners fluttered in the wind.
"Let's run!" Aditya exclaimed.
"I'm not very fast…" Nivaan murmured.
"Then I run slow!" Aditya declared proudly.
They ran.
Aditya fast.Sasi giggling.Aryan quietly keeping pace.Nivaan running awkwardly at first — then slowly letting go.
For the first time in a long while, he laughed.
High. Free. Unburdened.
Later, he sat with the triplets beneath the shade of a flowering tree. Sasi handed him a sweet.Aryan handed him a pebble shaped like a crescent moon — his silent sign of friendship.Aditya lay across his lap, already trusting him entirely.
Nivaan looked down at the three small boys, each different, each bright in their own way.
"Why… are you so kind to me?" he asked quietly.
Sasi leaned against him. "Because you nice."
Aditya lifted his head. "And strong!"
Aryan nodded. "And… you read."
Nivaan felt something warm bloom in his chest — a feeling he couldn't name.
As evening came, lanterns were lit across the town.Children lifted their hands toward the glowing sky.Music played softly through the streets.
Nivaan stood at the edge of the manor courtyard, watching the triplets in the golden light. He knew he had to return to the orphanage soon — but something told him this wasn't the end.
It was the beginning.
The triplets ran to him one last time.
"Come again!" Sasi said.
"Play tomorrow!" Aditya insisted.
Aryan quietly held Nivaan's hand."You… friend," he whispered.
Nivaan's breath caught.
He nodded."I… would like that."
As the sky deepened into twilight, the Duke watched the scene from afar — the three heirs of Vyomtara making their first true bond beyond the manor walls.
Sarvani smiled beside him."Life brings children together in ways destiny itself cannot predict."
Varesh nodded slowly.
And in that moment, beneath the lantern-lit sky, four young souls stood on the edge of a friendship that would someday shape the very heart of Nirvan.