Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

Chapter 101: Towards the Finish Line

Himprayag

Gayatri grinned and raised her hand into the air, silently. Before Rudradev returned from the Saptsindhu-Himprayag border, Ahilya had given him a seal of power in which he was the newly appointed prime minister of his court and was assigned to carry out his executive orders after the successful takeover of Sapsindhu!

The cleaning will begin now..

.

Royal Palace, Chandragarh

Mriga finished arranging everything in the queen's room. His hands trembled and a glitter of sweat adorned his brows even in this cold weather.

Prince Mahendra's private people looked at him suspiciously in their eyes, which further added to his nervousness. One of them muttered to the other's ear and the man came out after a while.

"I'm done with my work here. I'll be back now" he told people in the room.

"wait. The prince wants to repay your efforts tonight. He was coming soon," one of the men answered him, gesturing for him to stand in the corner.

Mriga's face turned white but she lowered her head and stood beside one of the walls.

.

Gouruk

Vindhya has tried to find Mriga and his gang but is unable to find any of them. As per today's order, everyone should return to gurukul until further order. So where did they disappear to?

Were they arrested by chance?

But why would someone catch a harmless student?

He could not believe that he was worried about the girl.

But her bigger headache right now was finding a way out of the situation her brother had thrown her. He still could not understand the fact that Vidyut was a man of supremacy. He grew up in the shadow of the man and never saw anything but his gentleness and understanding.

How could such a man be so ruthless as to go ahead and betray his country just because he did not consider girls good enough to rule the country?

Shaking his head, he said to himself to get a grip. He is not a martyr but he will try his hardest not to become a pawn in the hands of a large group of bullies, including the prince of Sapsindhu.

"Vaishali, can I talk to you for a minute?" he said, walking closer to the girl.

.

.

04:00, Royal Palace, Chandragarh

Prince Mithilesh was fast asleep when he woke up. Usually sleeping very lightly, she succumbed to exhaustion last night and seemed dissatisfied from being woken up this way.

He has managed to keep his alliance with Saptsindhu secret for so long because of the loyal information network he has been forming and nurturing for the past few years across the region. This was not a spy but an ordinary merchant who had a trading relationship with Himprayag.

In return for a good profit margin, they provide the information they hear and see on the streets.

Practically no one knows about these networks and one reason is because these people usually do not have too much concrete information to provide. But in the past, they had proven their wits by helping Mithilesh realize the two-faced Rudradev.

The merchant network was spread across three countries and some or other information was always coming in, making the existence of the network worthwhile for him. It was from there that he realized the weakness of Indrani, the adjutant of the queen's trust, as well.

One of those people had sent the information yesterday to a predetermined location as usual. By the time the message was retrieved and sent to Mithilesh in Chandragarh, there was a one-day delay. That was when his trusted subordinate got the letter and ran to wake him up.

"What's been going on?" The prince asked while sitting down.

His sense of regret disappeared, seeing the pale face of his subordinates.

The man said nothing and handed the message to him.

With a vague sense of trepidation in his heart, Mithilesh picked it up and began to read. After a few seconds, his face lost all color.

"This is impossible. He must have made a mistake!" The prince muttered to himself.

But this nervousness only lasted a few seconds.

He calmed down and began giving orders.

"Go and find Indrani for me. Bring him to me right now. Second, prepare some of our confidants and tell them to be ready to depart in an hour. Most importantly, make sure the Sapsindhu people don't catch us. Do it, "He spoke softly.

The man nodded and left the room. Mithilesh got up from the bed and looked at the still dark sky. His mind is fucked.

"At this time, the sun will rise in Himprayag. Will I be able to see her again?" He muttered to himself, rubbing the state symbol engraved on the golden bracelet in his hand.

His eyes were fixed on the letter he had just received. It is said that Princess Ahilya was seen with several men and a large military force on the Himprayag-Saptsindhu border. Looking back on the events of the past twenty-four hours, he realized that things were going too smoothly for them. The whole process of entering and seizing the royal palace of Chandragarh looks like a staged event?

By who?

Does this mean that Queen Chandragarh is not dead?

Goddamn bum!

Had it not been for fear of revealing his identity earlier amongst others, he would have gone to the queen's room to personally examine her face. Therehewas.

Indrani!

They sent the queen out of the palace and then…

"Greetings to the Prince! Can I help you?" Indrani's sneering voice sounded in his ears.

With a mocking smile, the prince turned away from the window and looked at the beautiful woman in front of him.

.

Royal Palace, Chandragarh

Mithilesh calms down and turns to look at the mysterious woman who seems to have a complicated relationship with her!

Even though he was much older than her, he had never been so interested in someone like her. During the last month of his stay, he had thought at some point that he would take him back to Himprayag with him as part of the spoils of war!

Unfortunately, that's not a possibility now.

"I feel uncomfortable not seeing you. Hence, I trouble you to come here at an hour like this. Forgive me," his slick words made Indrani wary.

He had no idea what game this man was playing right now. Ever since she returned from her home after being told about the life of her brother who was in danger in Sapsindhu and her parents were arrested in their home here, she lives in fear.

The thought of endangering his queen's life had crossed his mind and settled there for several hours.

But then, he reminded himself of his vow to devote himself to the country and Rani Samyukta.

From then on, she did the toughest thing a daughter and sister could do. He knew that by uncovering the enemy's intentions, he was risking his family's life but that was really not an option.

However, that did not stop him from feeling like a failure. He does not know the fate of his family. He was unable to protect them. And the man in front of her, was a reminder of that failure. He could not begin to gauge his hatred for this person and if it was handed to him, he might not hesitate to kill him.

"What do you want?" He asked her with a stone face.

"Beauty me, like this. I've learned of your defection and the ruse you pulled to fool us about the queen's death. Now, regardless of what happens to all of us, there is no way your family will be able to escape. How you feeling? Is being a loyal Chandragarh warrior enough to compensate for unfilial attitudes?"

His sharp question pierced through the darkest part of his heart, making him almost pant for a moment.

"You bastard and I hope you die without anyone even giving you a mouthful of water," he cursed her loudly with glowing red eyes.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't know that you were vulnerable to melodrama. It's okay, as much as I want to find more of this interesting side of you, I'm worried, I'm running out of time. It's a direct deal for you – help me gain access to Chandragarh's vault, and I'll make sure that your parents can live, '" he said in an unreasonable tone.

Indrani looked at him warily. Now, it was clear that he had learned of Chandragarh's counter-plan.

But how? More importantly, if he did not go and confide in Prince Mahendra, it meant that he intended to defect from his fellowship and flee.

"I'm not gonna let that happen! He couldn't escape unscathed" he thought loudly.

"What is the guarantee that you will do what you promise?"

"The people who watch over your family are mine, not the prince of Sapsindhu. Once I get what I need, I don't have to cause unnecessary bloodshed. It's a waste of time and resources for me. Are you willing to make this deal? If it is, then don't cheat like you did during our previous agreement, "he warned her with a threatening tone.

Indrani kept her face expressionless and after a while, nodded in agreement.

"I can get you there but getting you out isn't my problem. If you get caught, you have to think about your own game plan" he said, shrugging.

Mithilesh looked at him and replied with a strange expression on her face,

"You're really mean. Except for the old queen, is there anyone who can move your heart?"

Indrani snorted and did not bother to respond.

.

.

Early morning, Sapsindhu

By the time the sun dyed the entire palace with gold, Shaurya and Abhirath had bid farewell to the princess and were on their way home. Although Shaurya has sent some hidden messages to Prithvi now, due to the control given by Prince Mahendra in the capital, he is not sure if the same will get to Guruji or not. It is now racing against time as the prince will know it in the near future through its source as well.

.

.

Late Night, Royal Palace, Chandragarh

Prince Mahendra was really tired when he arrived at the royal room. Even though it was a joyful day, there were some exits that still needed to be tied up. The queen's body was still missing and it made her uneasy. Also an important member of their spy team has not been caught.

The prince pinched the gap between his eyebrows, trying to ward off fatigue. By the time he reached the door, one of his men opened it and went out to whisper something into his ear. Listening to his words, the prince frowned and walked in.

Mriga stood in the corner with her pale face, nervousness etched clearly on it. Every few moments, his eyes kept darting to the corner of the room. The prince approached her and before she could bend down, he held her from his chin and raised his face.

"Who are you? What's going on?" his stern words caused him to lose his balance and he almost fell to the ground.

Shaking his head, he did not say anything but his body trembled.

.

Royal Palace, Chandragarh

The prince's men caught the skinny boy and made him face the angry-looking Mahendra.

"It took me five seconds to chop off your head, except that moment you told me what you were doing here," he said in a cynical voice.

If he was not mistaken, this weak-looking boy was assigned to harm him by the white-robed master. He couldn't have picked a worse candidate or maybe he ran out of options!

Mriga's entire body jolted in fear as she watched one of the men raise a sword to kill her.

He raised his trembling finger and pointed towards one of the walls of the room.

"My job is to open up that hallway and let a murderer in after you sleep" he whispered.

The people standing behind the prince paled upon hearing this. The place where the boy was pointing, did not look like a crack. But then all the famous palaces had secret roads.

"Do you know that I am your new king? And plotting against your king will lead directly to beheading. Do you want to die, son?" the prince's evil voice made Mriga look at him in horror.

She knelt down and begged him to show mercy. Grunting, the prince told him to get up.

"Show me how the lever works" the prince ordered.

No one saw the glint of satisfaction flaring in Mriga's eyes for a moment before she regained her terrified expression again. With trembling fingers, he tapped on the wall haphazardly and not long after, a small dark hole was seen through the wall.

The prince looked curious and gestured for his two men to enter and inspect the place. While everyone's attention was fixed on the opening, Mriga quietly took out an incense stick from her kurta pocket and threw it discreetly into the light wick placed on the side. Immediately, he held his breath.

.

.

A few feet away in the palace

After Prithvi leaves, Nirbhay and Vandit return to Sharada's room for 'cleansing'. But looking at the scene before them, their faces became bloodless.

They expected the man to die but not beheaded in a brutal manner. The head of the East zilla's head had been cut off from his body and was lying in a pool of blood that froze on one side. But that's not the worst part. The face seemed to have been trampled over and over again for its features to look extremely distorted.

"I.. I think that guruji stamped his face before he cut it from the neck otherwise it would be a difficult task, wouldn't it?" Nirbhay's whisper confused Vandit.

He clarified further, though,

"I mean a decapitated head will continue to move away like a ball when someone hits it versus when it is mounted on the neck."

Vandit was already feeling very nauseous and Nirbhay's attempts at unnatural humor did not help his struggle. He ignored the man and took out a black cloth.

When instructions had been given to them, Vandit did not understand the purpose of carrying such a small cloth, but now he knew that it was to carry Sharada's head.

"Is Guruji planning to use it for some kind of evil craft? Why does he need the dead man's head?" Vandit muttered to himself.

.

In the queen's room

Mriga saw everyone falling down one by one like a swarm of drugged flies, all but the prince. He looked at the boy in astonishment as the fog disappeared from the room after a few seconds. Immediately, his expression underwent a change and he had already unsheathed his sword.

"I'm immune to all sorts of poisons and drugs" he said with a smile.

Mriga was also aware of that now and she stopped her miserable actions as the air started to clear inside the room. Looking at the glittering sword, he lunged towards one of the fallen Saptsindhu men and pulled out his sword.

"You will die at my hands today, little boy," the prince grinned.

Mriga darted towards him with a quick movement, surprising him to take a step back, he said,

"I don't mind giving up my life for my queen. For the record, I'm not a kid, nor a boy."

He looked at her sharply and as soon as he saw the shock in his eyes, he slipped a sharp sword on the left side of his ribs.

The prince felt a sword sting as it passed him and he growled, making Mriga take a few steps back. Surrounding each other, they became silent and alert.

Mriga's job is to make sure that the prince does not escape from the room once he enters it.

Prithvi wants to capture her alive to bring her before the queen and the people of the country. A strong message needs to be sent to the traitors of Chandragarh. This was why he had been acting all this time, to keep him busy until reinforcements came.

"Little girl, you're no match for me, you know that, right?" Prince Mahendra's voice carried a lazy confidence in it.

To his surprise, Mriga nodded briefly and said,

"I agree with you!"

Before he could figure out what he meant, he was surrounded by about twenty people, dressed in black from top to bottom and silent like night.

Mriga had made sure to keep her back to the secret door, distracting her while the royal guards sneaked in quietly.

The prince looked on with a frown as a white-robed man came from behind these people.

"Greet Prince Mahendra, I am Prithvi. I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier to receive you when you entered our gates. I was caught up in some important .. issue," his mocking words did not disappear from the prince.

"My people are everywhere in the palace. If you think that you and this handful of people can defeat me, you have to rethink" he replied calmly.

Prithvi nodded his head and said,

"I agree with you, which is why I brought more people. These people are only here to serve you. To your people, I've prepared another party!"