Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

XVI

Ishani taps her knuckles on Mriga's forehead.

"What's wrong with you? If you feel threatened by the presence of another girl, you should ask her about her, boldly. It's only natural that you feel this way because you really like it. This insecurity will be at its peak now, when you are still in the early stages of dating," he said wisely.

Mriga's tears were flowing in his eyes now.

"Knowing me, do you think I won't ask him? I asked not once but twice. The first time we were interrupted by the arrival of one, err. I asked again while we were eating. Our journey came back but he shrugged indifferently as if it was not important enough for him to answer that question. Instead, he tried to lecture me on how I shouldn't be too friendly with people or trust strangers, if he tried to tell me that I don't have a sense of distinguishing right from wrong," he snorted as he said all this.

Ishani patted her back comfortably as she tried to hide her smile. It's funny to see her normally pragmatic friend acting like a silly girl.

After listening to his rant, Ishani is sure Yash will sail in the same boat.

'Huh! I guess I should take my role as the god of romance more seriously for the next time, otherwise both of them will continue to waste every opportunity to confess their feelings to each other, he murmured to himself.

"Don't worry. I promise I'll take Yash to this first assignment tomorrow," he comforted his gloomy-looking friend.

"NO! There was absolutely no need to say anything to him. I don't want him to think that he is so important that I come and complain to you about him" Mriga spoke with resolution in her voice.

"Uh... just put that stupid arrogance aside and tell me - isn't he actually that important?" Ishani asked very seriously.

Mriga raised her hand in frustration.

"Of course, but I don't want him to know that" he said resentfully.

Ishani responds gently and replies, "Does that make sense? I mean if this is going to be the equation I have to break, I'd say that misery and pride are variables that create an imbalance in harmony and a perfect pair."

Mriga rolled her eyes at his friend's scientific gaze at everything. He got up from there and started walking towards the room.

"Now what's going on?" ask Ishani.

"I want Dad's Laddoos. You want?" he spoke without turning around.

Without answering, Ishani ran after her friend.

...****************...

Putra Dormitory, Gurukul

Yash has been miserable since returning from a disastrous trip with Mriga. Not only did he refuse to agree to what he was trying to explain, he did not even bother to take it seriously.

Because of her pride, she could not ask him about her friend directly and he did not bother to tell her about the man voluntarily.

Sometimes he really knows nothing!

It was late and he knew that he had to go to sleep but he could not sleep.

Pacing the corridor, he was surprised to hear a mutter at a clock like this. Turning around, he saw two people walking towards him. Since he was standing beside the pillar, they were unaware of his presence.

"I saw Mrignayani come out of the gate of Gurukul, today. He looked as reckless as ever. I'm so glad he's no longer there to drag us down with his looks" Abhirath said in a tone similar to the excitement in his voice.

He and Vandit had just finished a strenuous physical training session with Ramanujam.

Since Vandit needed a little boost in his physical talent, he was paired with Abhirath for a while to work out. Teachers believe that training with a partner will improve their performance. Since Ramanujam trained all five of them, different slots have been given to all of them.

In addition, the sports field section used by the Admin section is actually not an official part of Gurukul. It had direct access from the narrow lanes of the dilapidated Admin building. If it should be achieved through a public sports field, then one should jump over bushes and lush-growing foliage that limits the soil.

As a result, it is almost hidden from the main playground and can only be found if someone is looking for it, in particular. It was perfect for the purpose of training this group.

Despite all this, the five of them have been asked to come at odd hours to avoid the possibility of being found further by other students or sports teachers.

Mrignayani trained at 4am which is two hours before the ground was officially opened for the whole of Gurukul.

Chiranjeev and Nirbhay were asked to train for an hour each, after 7pm when it was dusk. Because their talents were found to be more inclined towards decoding and reading maps, their physical training was not as rigorous as the others.

Abhirath and Vandit enter at 9pm and train hard until 11pm.

Mriga is the only one who is trained by Prithvi at night in other skills.

"What's your problem with him? To my knowledge, he did nothing to offend you. Then why are you always so mean to her," Vandit spoke in a sad voice.

"Then let me ask you - why do you always defend him? Do you like it?"

Abhirath's words had been spoken jokingly but seemed to touch nerves as Vandit's expression immediately changed.

Abhirath stopped walking looking at the change in expression on Vandit's face.

In an instant, all the humor had vanished from his tone.

He almost growled, "Wait a minute, do you really like it?"

Vandit looked at him, "I like him but not in the way you've just tried to quip. I identified him because he reminded me of myself in some way. For a long time, I was bullied by people who believed that they were stronger than me. They didn't leave a single chance to try to bring me down. That's why I don't like it when you're being rude or saying bad things about him."

Abhirath's posture seemed relaxed.

"I don't know about you, but this girl is not a shrinking violet, who will let anyone bully her. Actually I'm afraid the opposite will happen in his case. Mriga's problem is she's a little butterfly who thinks of herself as a dragon. He did not realize that he could be hurt because of the attitude of his bull head, "hereinafter in the flow.

After a moment of silence, he realized that Vandit was looking at him strangely.

"So so," said Vandit faintly.

Abhirath's face flushed.

He asked aggressively, "What do you mean by that?"

But Vandit doesn't buy that action anymore. He started laughing hard.

"I've been trying all along to find out the reason for your hostility towards her. Now I know that your heart feels the brunt of its sweat," sage Abhirath.

"What's? What the hell are you saying? Actually, I don't want to stand here and listen to your bullshit. You better be careful for the session on the pitch, tomorrow. I'll fucking beat you up!" he threatened and started walking away.

Vandit called out to his retreating back, "Just an advice. If you like a girl, don't be so mean to her that she starts hating not even seeing you. You'll have a hard time convincing him that you're really like him!"

Abhirath stopped his steps but did not turn around. He waited for Vandit to chase after him before entering the dormitory door.

Yash stepped out of the corner behind the pillar as soon as the two men left. He does not know their names, but suspects that they have been in internment with Mriga.

How dare the burly man think that he deserves to like Mriga.

"Yes God! Is one competitor not enough for today that I am burdened with another? Mrigaaaaaaaaa, you're in a lot of trouble. Wait till I lay my hands on you," growled Yash at himself.

Abhirath lay on his bed, contemplating Vandit's words. Growing up in a household where there were two overly competitive adults, she learned about harsh criticism and performance-based praise before her lettering.

Unconsciously but not surprisingly, he had taken their way of speaking - words laced with sarcasm and without restraint.

He had seen Mrignayani for the first time in an archery competition two years ago. He stood out for two reasons.

One, his height was very short but he managed to hit his target accurately over and over again. Second, while others had fierce competitive expressions on their faces, he seemed to be having fun during the event, laughing at something or the other before and after his turn.

At first he found it irritating, but seeing his consistent and superlative score, the vexation had turned into some partial admiration of jealousy. He realized that it was because he did not burden himself with the burden of results.

Afterwards, she continued to see him at swimming meetings, during debate competitions, and at annual day events. Without him noticing, he had already started looking for her whenever there was a student meeting.

Despite the annual rotation in the section of each class, there is no point, whether they land in the same class. So, he was shocked when he saw her in the Admin department two months ago. He did not know whether to feel disappointed at the potential for the disturbance or give up on the happy leap made by his ailing heart at the time.

From day one, he had performed the tasks given by the department poorly. Every time he saw her lagging behind, he wanted to reach out and shake her, urging her to get up.

Instead, he ended up saying the cruelest things. The way his eyes dimmed after that made him feel even worse.

But the logic for him to behave that way is that if he wasn't meant for the role, he might as well step back early and go back to being the super athlete he used to be. He may not be meant for this field and that is a good thing. He had seen the scars on his parents' bodies and knew how dangerous the world of spying was.

Before his arrival on the Admin team, he sometimes imagined the possibility of him walking towards her during one of his athletic meetings and introducing himself, perhaps exchanging notes about their techniques and if possible, becoming some sort of friend. But he never imagined himself intimately with her.

Then why would Vandit's revelation of his non-romantic feelings towards Mriga suddenly take away the unpleasant feelings he harbored towards the man?

In fact, he did not even realize until now that he did not like Vandit all this time because of his comfortable relationship with Mriga.

And, why has her heart been racing since Vandit's farewell about her liking him? That can't be true, can it?

...----------------...

The next morning comes to her senses with a grumpy looking Yash waiting outside the female dormitory. He came to stand there at 6 a.m.

These days, she does not know Mriga's schedule but assumes that she will not be out of her dorm before this.

After waiting for twenty minutes, he finally saw the woman arrive but he was very surprised, from another direction.

"You?"

"You?"

The two looked at each other in wonder.

"What are you doing here so early" Mriga asked him.

"Where did you come from, this early in the morning?" he asked at the same time.

"Uh. During a long and stressful day, it was difficult for me to find some quiet time for myself, therefore I started my day this way. But why are you here at a clock like this?" he covers.

"I.e., we.I mean yesterday it seems like we went the wrong way and I don't want it to linger in your heart or in my heart. So I just want to come and see you," he said shyly .

Mriga looked at her embarrassed and blushed face as well. His tongue seemed to be stuck in his mouth.

The two of them stole a glance at each other before she gathered up the courage and asked him, "Why don't we make new plans for the upcoming holiday? Deal this time."

He nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes, let's do that. I promise I won't carry any errands."

"Here we go. I'll tell him about my feelings EXPLICITly on that day. There was no need to wait anymore" he told himself as he returned to his room.

They chatted for a few minutes before returning to their respective dorms to get ready for their classes.

"Why do you look like an overripe apple this morning," Ishani corner Mriga in the public bathroom.

Trying to keep his expression indifferent, he replied, "I guess it's because I asked someone out this morning."

The neem stick that was in Ishani's mouth to clean her teeth, fell to the floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked in disbelief.

Mriga's beaming smile gave her all the responses she needed.

"Didn't you spend all night yesterday cursing him and feeling sorry for yourself? Waita minute. We're talking about the same guy here, right? I mean, you're not looking for anyone else for revenge, are you?" Ishani asked, confusion clearly visible in her eyes.

"Arghhh, can you stop reacting like this? Yes, we are talking about the only one," Mriga clarified and explained the incident this morning to her friend.

"so. So love birds can't keep getting angry with each other for more than a few hours. Good, I'm glad you two left your stupid egos and made up. Otherwise, I would have to spend a lot of minutes trying to play love teacher again," she said, melodramatically.

Mriga rolled her eyes at the words of her friend and started walking away.

"wait. Isn't this the full moon this weekend?" ask Ishani.

Chandragarh follows the Lunar calendar to calculate their months and days. It is calculated from the appearance of one New Moon to the next.

A month usually consists of 29 days. So if a person is born on the day of the new moon in a certain month, then his birthday will be celebrated next year in the same month on the day of the new moon.

Chandragarh follows seven days of the week and the seventh day of the new moon day is considered a holiday for that week.

Mriga was born on the night of the full moon almost fifteen years ago and hence by that calculation, it was his birthday on the upcoming holiday.

"Oh! I totally forgot. Umm... should I cancel his plans and spend the day with you?" he asked in an apologetic tone.

Ishani rolled her eyes and looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Are you crazy? You want to cancel a beautifully planned birthday date with the person you like and spend it with me? At this rate, you will never find a man for yourself and will reduce my losses at the same time, too!" he replied with trembling.

Mriga stuck out her tongue hearing her best friend's loud statement.

"Should I tell Yash about his birthday or should I let him know for himself? Umm .. With her poor track record up until now, I think she needs all the help she can get. I'd better help her in this planning otherwise she'll show up not knowing anything that day," Ishani thought mischievously.

...****************...

That afternoon

"Guruji, why don't we play chess today?" Mriga asked Prithvi as soon as he entered the stuffy room.

As was his routine, he expected the table to have a soft cloth with chess marks and pieces of wood on it.

"I'm bored. So we're going to do something different tonight" he said and placed a large tray on the table.

The tray seemed to have some objects on it but was covered with a piece of cloth. Mriga has learned the art of patience from Shaurya and is waiting for Prithvi to give the details.

"I asked Saraswati to put some stuff in this tray. I don't even know what's all here. So all we have to do is - peek at the contents of this tray for three seconds. There are twenty different things stored here. After time runs out, we'll change the cover and start writing everything we see. The winner is obviously the one who sees and remembers more items than others. Understood?" She asked.