Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

XXIII

Mriga nodded in agreement. He had measured the answer, but it was a relief to be sure.

Yash grabbed his hand and braided his fingers with his finger before softly saying, "I am the happiest person in the world right now. I know it's late and tomorrow you have to start early, not to mention I'm depending on my self-control, but before I let you go, you have to promise me something."

"What's that?" he asked timidly.

"Aah! So you can still talk? I thought the cat that had caught your tongue never came back to return it" she said with her tongue on her cheek.

He punched his stomach a little, in response he immediately raised his hand in an exaggerated manner of surrender.

"Don't hit me. I don't think my poor body can take another blow tonight. After all, what I want to say is that you need to make sure that I get to meet you at least once a day, every day, even if it's for five minutes. Can you promise me?" She asked.

His closeness plays havoc with his senses.

Is his voice always this hoarse? He wanted to wrap his fingers into his warm palm and stick his nails into it.

"NO! What's wrong with me? Does lust come as part of a complementary package along with love?" he scolded himself.

Taking a deep, soothing breath, she tells him that she will make sure that she sees him every day regardless of his schedule.

"Then I'll see you in the morning" he told her.

"It's not fair. I gave you a present. Should I get something in return?" he said it needed in his voice.

Mriga's cheeks are hot right now. He raised his eyes for the first time posting his confession, to meet his gaze. There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes showed a hint of vulnerability, perhaps a hint of insecurity within.

Somehow it made her feel even more special and before her practical feelings could stop her, she stood on the tip of her toe and landed a light kiss on her cheek. Pulling his hand from his hand, he saw his surprised expression. With a short laugh, she waved at him and ran away.

Yash walked back to the dorm in a daze, grinning like a fool.

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

Shopping at the Market, same night.

"I didn't mean to get drunk or lose a trainee. Actually, I've never tasted alcohol before. I thought it would smell bad and bitter. I even checked with the server and he said that it was just sherbet. Therefore..." The pale-faced Devvrat was kneeling in front of Shaurya.

"So, over the past few years, we've been teaching you to accept whatever others say, just like that, haven't we? Did you leave your wits at home that night? First, you fail the task within the first half hour. Your makeup leaves plenty of room for improvement. Then when I gave you the opportunity to redeem yourself by doing a simple task of escorting the trainee back to where he lived, what did you do? How dare you take Mri... Brighu, that immature kid with you and make him part of your bullshit? Don't tell me that you don't know that you lost your mind after a while. Why don't you stop?"

Shaurya continued to fire deadly verbal shots at him.

Devvrat almost cried now and said, "I can't bear to stop him. He was very sad because it was his birthday and no one prayed for him all day. And then when she starts letting go and enjoying, I don't want to hold it."

After interrogating her for nearly two hours, Shaurya released her with a stern warning and desk work until her next assessment.

"So, it was her birthday that day. Why didn't he say anything, stupid girl? It must have been sulking silently all this time," he smiled at himself and shook his head.

The next minute, he frowned again. He still could not figure out his whereabouts after he left the drinking establishment until he returned to the inn.

It still bothered him, who did he meet and who lent him his clothes?

'You really gave me a headache, Mrignayani. What am I gonna do to you?' he muttered, not realizing that he had a smile on his face.

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

Gurukul, the next morning

"Uh, hi. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Yash asked, doubt evident in his voice.

Vindhya flicked her hair back and told Gauri to go to the library without her.

Smiling at himself, he thought that the horse had finally been tamed.

He was still deep in thought that it took him a second to realize that he had started talking, ". You know, I just expressed my feelings and he said yes. So, I just thought that I was right to tell you about it and also apologize for I won't be able to say yes to this proposed marriage alliance between us."

Vindhya tried to cover up the shock that was clearly visible on her face.

After a short pause, he said, "Did your parents know about your decision?"

"I'll talk to them about it when I get back during the holidays this semester. But I feel that I need to tell you first, in all justice. You've been nice to me. I'm sure you'll find someone more soita.” his sentence was cut off by the next words.

"Is that the same girl you were with that day at the Gurukul gate?" he asked in an expressionless voice.

Yash understood that he was referring to their first meeting.

He smiled and replied, "Yes, his name is Mrignayani. We've been friends a long time and…"

"Good for you. Good luck," she cut her narrative and walked away.

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

"He really likes to rule. Don't let anyone else finish the sentence, huh!" he murmured before turning around.

Vindhya stood leaning against the Gulmohar tree, trying to regain her composure in her demeanor. He could not believe his courage to come and say this on his face.

How dare he? How dare he pit the worthless girl against him. Is he really going to release her for the hick??

As the semester nears its end, many things begin to happen on campus. In addition to the exam, there are other events coming up and it is a quarterly sports match.

Every year, it is the first time the youngest children, aged nine and ten, participate in the sport of their choice.

To help them, the senior students who excel in the field of sports guide them, as well as receive coaching from sports instructors.

Since Mriga was among the top three archers in his class, he was asked to teach the nine-year-old children. This was the first time he had been given such a role.

After telling Vindhya the truth about her feelings, Yash goes to find Mriga and tells her that for the next time, she must, he would come to see her outside his dorm every morning before classes began and drive her back from the library every night.

In her words, she wanted to start and end her day with him. He blushed loudly, recalling the incident from the previous night.

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

Two days later

"Sorry, have you been waiting here for a long time?" mriga asked while panting after running down the stairs, with his heavy bow.

A few girls passed by the two of them, making them look speculated.

"Morning. No, I just arrived. But why did you bring your bow and arrows to class?" he asked confusedly.

Surprise reflected in his eyes.

He said, "Didn't I tell you last night that I have to go straight to the sports field today and beyond for the next ten days? I'm in charge of first-rate archer training."

Yash became embarrassed and replied, "I, uh .. might not have paid much attention to your words last night. The thing is, ahem .. holding your hand makes me feel like a brain freeze and I can barely remember what was said between us since we left the library, hold hands until we say goodbye to each other here."

Suddenly realizing that he had been staring at her face for a while, he leaned forward and replied seriously, "OK. I'll remember to take my hand off your hand whenever I want to tell you something important."

Yash gave him a wounded look. Trust her boyfriend to remove the romance from any and every one of her statements!

Feeling pleased with himself after that brazen comment, he raised a heavy arrow, containing an arrow on one shoulder and offering a bow to hold it.

"Take me to the sports field...?" she asked.

He took a bow while smiling and nodded his head.

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

The other end of Gurukul

"My only advice to you is to try and not scare the poor kids with your attitude. They were only ten years old and would be terrorized to see this big man scolding them. That would be bad for their morale" Vandit Abhirath suggested in a wise voice as they walked out of the boys' dorm together.

"really? Are you implying that I'm bluffing you?" he turned his head to the side to look at the man who had turned into an unexpected friend of a stranger in such a short period of time.

"I'm not implying. I said it out loud and clear," Vandit said with an evil gleam in his eyes.

Abhirath is currently ranked as the number one player in the Archer group at all levels. Since many years, he has competed with his senior players, due to his outstanding ability.

As a result, he has never competed with Mriga to date.

"Oh, by the way, didn't you take too long to get ready this morning? I could hear some people grumbling in the bath area about a man who took a bath for more than twenty minutes on a school day. Is it Possible, is it because you saw the list of students who will train the juniors?" Vandit.

Abhirath tried to feign indifference and replied, "Of course, I saw the list. I wrote it, so I'll know, right."

Vandit patted his skinny hands on his friend's shoulder, "Aha! I was wondering when I saw the list of why top-ranked archers teach second-rate groups. Didn't you refuse to do it last year by saying that a rank one archer needs to train the hardest and that would be a waste of your time in teaching the basics to newcomers? I know this because I have a lot of friends on the Archery team. I was wondering about what changed this year so that your attitude underwent a complete change . Maybe ... someone else was not qualified to teach the juniors last time but he rose the rankings this year. Could that be the reason? Am I right, brother?"

Abhirath stopped his steps and turned his head to glare at his brash friend. Ever since Vandit found her soft corner for Mriga, she never let go of the opportunity to pull her foot.

"Stop being a pest. You read too much of everything. I just thought that the juniors would benefit from my experience and so I decided to help them. Whoever's on the list, it's none of my business. The sports teacher decided on behalf of the mentors," he said in a self-defense tone.

But Vandit's not done with him.

"Is that so? Then why did I hear someone grumble that the Archery instructor left all the decisions in your hands, because you are better than him in every way. Oh, whoa! The one who told me this, was the one who guided the juniors last year and hoped to be appointed to the same this year as well, because he had done a decent job. But imagine her surprise when she saw the names on the list. Apparently, Mriga has not even applied for mentoring and posting. Wondering why the coach chose her," Vandit pretended to scratch his head.

Abhirath gritted his teeth trying to control his irritation while facing Vandit's silliness.

"Supervising children is not the job you are applying for. The man may have done it last year but the archery team was not so happy with the selection and mentoring of his children. Therefore, we decided to change it and give it to people who we think can do a good job. Not the one who decides. The team assesses the personality of each player and then decides what the strengths and weaknesses of that person are. According to the coach, Mrignayani seems suitable to be the right tutor for young children and hence his name is on the list. The topic is done," he said and started walking away.

Vandit caught up with him and smirked, "As per the coach, yes! Okay, I trust you. Since you're going to head to the ground, I'll come with you. My class didn't start so early today. both come and say hello to Mriga. I haven't seen him in a long time. I'm sure he'll be happy to see me too."

Abhirath murmured a slow sigh but continued walking straight. Seeing the annoyed face of his friend, Vandit smiled.

His goal of pushing Abhirath mercilessly was to make him out of his shell. He could only hope that his frowning matchmate would manage to make friends with the girl he liked, during this period of training these children together.

If not, then there is no hope for him in the future!

"You have to leave now otherwise you'll be late for your college. The accounting teacher is strict, especially when it comes to his favorite student. See you in the evening after 9pm," Mriga stood outside the sports field and told Yash.

He nodded, handed his bow in earnest and then suddenly ruffled his hair.

Before he could scold her, he blew his kiss and turned to leave. Smiling at his antics, he also spun and walked inside the ground.

"OH!"

Vandit could not help but cry out in surprise inside. Then, with a heightened sense of anxiety, he stole a glance at the person next to him. Abhirath's lips were tightly clenched and a radiance of disapproval emanated from him.

"Now look here, to be fair, he doesn't know about ..." Vanit started talking and stopped when Abhirath raised his index finger.

"Don't get a word out of your mouth. I suggest that you keep having a reunion with him for another day. We will be very busy on the first day of training" Abhirath said with clenched teeth and left.

"Mriga, may the Sun God be with you today!"

Vandit sent prayers on behalf of his unsuspecting friend who had no idea what storm was coming this morning.

Mriga was busy getting acquainted with the two groups of children standing there. He bowed to greet the sports teacher who had just reached them. He had not checked the list and asked the teacher about his student friend who was going to teach the ten-year-old.

"Guruji, this is the bow you asked for," Abhirath brought many bows for the new trainee.

Mriga's mouth was agape with anxiety. Will he be his partner in guiding the children for the next ten days?

He had overworked and this task was an additional burden.

He had no complaints about his current schedule, but was it too much to expect a kind friend at least as he basked in the sun with the kids? Not fair…

Still the courtesy demands that he admit it. Who knows, he might have improved since the last time they met?

"Hello Abhirath's. Nice to meet you here" he said neutrally.

To his chagrin, he ignored her greeting and was busy handing out bows to the children.

The teacher is a friendly person and tries to cover up the best but temperamental behavior of his students.

He assumed that Mriga must have known him for his victories in the same sport as his while Abhirath may not have known him.

"Don't mind him. He was a little shy and did not speak freely with people he did not know. But as you know, he is the most talented and ferocious archer in our Gurukul. Actually, we'll send him to participate in an archery competition to be held in a neighboring country soon," he doesn't stop registering Abhirath's winnings until Mriga bows to him and excuses himself to go for the fee.

"Well, I'm more than happy to ignore it. It must have been better than hearing his caustic thorns all the time," he murmured furiously.

"Bring your disciples to the other side of the ground," Abhirath slid towards him and suddenly spoke, scaring him.

He felt like stomping his feet with a sulk but instead took a deep breath and followed him.

The daily session lasts for two hours and is scheduled in the morning because the sun is not too hot at that time.

By the time they finish showing them the mechanics of the bow and posture, the first session is complete.

All the time, Mriga had ignored Abhirath and concentrated on his students. Thankfully, he had also concentrated on his own duties and had not exchanged a word with her all along.

The teachers for both armies were waiting for them at the exit of the field when Mriga and Abhirath led the children there.

Mriga also took steps to leave the post when she spoke authoritatively, "Follow me."

He turned to the side to look at her but he had already walked back inside.

"Basic likes to rule. Who is he to rule me?" he grumbled and stood there hesitating for a moment before following her.