Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

XXX

Abhirath is interrupted by the arrival of infantry soldiers who hand the folded scroll to Mriga and leave.

Curious, everyone peeked to see who sent it to him.

"Come and meet me."

The message was unsigned and did not carry a seal. But out of the four people standing there, three of them instantly knew who the sender was.

"Uh, you guys, I'll see you in a minute," in that hasty sentence, Mriga left.

Ishani looked at Mriga's retreating back, curiously. Abhirath nudges Vandit and says that he needs to distract her from wondering about Mriga's sudden departure.

His friend nodded subtly and bowed to whisper something in his ear. Abhirath did not back down to see his friend charm the girl.

His mind was fixed on the call Mriga had received and it was also right after the announcement of the Queen's contest. That can't be a coincidence.

But he did not expect that Mriga was interested in entering the competition.

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

Administrative Department

"Umm, excuse me.. Is this Prithvi guruji's office?" Vindhya asked Saraswati who looked at the girl from top to bottom with curiosity.

"Who sent you?" Saraswati asked him, without bothering to answer the girl's question.

"I, uh. the dean told me that this is where I should report if I have any questions about the Queen's election competition" she replied, his eyes looked at the gloomy and dimly lit room with rare rickety furniture.

He was not sure what the queen was thinking at the moment, assigning the role of mediator to such a man. Even though he wanted to wrinkle his nose because it was moist in the room, he still had a neutral smile on his face.

Just then, a bastard-looking man appeared beside her, without a sound. He was startled and jumped back a few steps in fear, at his sudden appearance.

Giving a subtle nod to Saraswati, the man passed through the almost invisible door and disappeared.

Vindhya's forehead has a wrinkle line that damages her in confusion. Where did the dean send him?

Before he could ask the receptionist again, he spoke up, "Guruji didn't see anyone without prior appointment. If you want to meet her, please write an app that mentions your details and the reason you're looking for a meeting and leave it to me. If he agrees, I'll send you a notice with the time and date."

Vindhya looked at the tiny woman with fear.

Ever since he entered Gurukul, he was treated like a minor noble. Even the dean knew Vindhya by her first name.

Who was this obscure teacher who behaved so highly and mighty with him?

"I'll send that letter to someone. Thank you for your time," Vindhya maintained her modesty but her facial expression showed a slight demeanor.

Saraswati just looked at the girl and said nothing. As Vindhya turned around, she bumped into another person who had apparently rushed into the room.

This place must have been busy with all sorts of people coming. Before he could finish his thinking, his brain recorded the presence of his rival.

"I'm so sorry. I'm in a hurry..."

Mriga paused in the middle of the sentence when she saw the girl who had been with Yash during the quiz competition.

"Uh .. hi, you are Yash's friend," Mriga called out a polite smile to accompany his words.

Vindhya raised one of her eyebrows and said, "His friend? Is that what he told you?"

With those faint words, he flicked his hair and walked out of the building.

Mriga stood there with a bad premonition crawling behind her neck. Saraswati, who had been watching the wordplay with interest, snapped her fingers to attract Mriga's attention.

"Are you here to meet Guruji?" he asked the girl who seemed lost in thought.

Mriga nodded her head and showed the scroll she had received some time ago.

"I see, he must have sent it to you from the auditorium itself. He's inside with Shauryaveer. Come in" he said kindly.

He hesitated, wondering if he should ask about the reason for the presence of another girl here. But then he stopped himself.

First, it's none of her business, second, she's not sure Saraswati will tell the truth.

Why has life become so confusing these days?

After knocking on the door, Mriga entered the brightly lit room today.

"Ah, you arrived at the right moment," said Prithvi acknowledging his presence.

He bowed first to Prithvi and then to Shaurya before sitting around the table where several sheets were scattered, along with a map of Chandragarh.

Shaurya shook his head quickly towards him, acknowledging his presence. Ramanujam is invisible.

Sitting quietly, he waited for them to finish their discussion.

"I have understood the instructions. I will make sure that communication is sent to all members of Suraksha Chakra today. I'll leave now," Shaurya rolled up the parchment he held in his hand and got up.

"What rush? I've called Mrignayani to plan his training for the next two months. Stay behind and help me hand out your mentee to the appropriate zilla to hone his skills during the school holidays" Prithvi told him.

Since he entered thirteen minutes ago, this was the first time Shaurya had turned his head to look at him properly. She had not seen him since that night when she saw him and the man near the entrance of Gurukul.

He looked radiant as usual except that he was frowning because of something right now.

Does the uniform fit the curves of her body or is it just her imagination?

"Yes God! Why do I think of such things? What's WRONG with me?" He shook himself mentally.

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

"I'm happy to be back, Guruji. But I'm sure that whatever you're planning, it's going to be perfect" Shaurya said, bowing his head after a minute.

Prithvi looked at him through narrowed eyes. Shaurya is rarely so accommodating and almost never shows such subservience. Did he make fun of her, maybe?

Throughout the conversation, Mriga was silent, unlike her spirited self. More than those words, his head was fixated on the girl's expression. There was something he was trying to tell Mriga with that arrogant statement.

"What do you think, Mrignayani? Is your teacher sincere in praising me?" Prithvi asked her, tongue on cheek.

Prithvi seems to be in an unusually happy mood today. Unknown to most, his soulmate had just returned to the country after an extensive tour of the neighboring country with an army of dancers and performers. Due to the nature of his job, Prithvi likes to keep his private life a secret and away from everyone.

His colleagues also did not know the true nature of his work, considering him a unique professor at Gurukul. Prithvi likes that because it helps him decide, even if only temporarily, from the demands of his job.

Mriga smiled doubtfully. He did not know if his teacher was joking or serious. Seeing her confused face, Prithvi pityes her and beckons Shaurya to sit down.

"of course. How can I miss the amazing talk you gave to the competition. You make it sound so exciting that even I'm tempted to participate in it, for a moment," she replied, trying to make an expression and effort to be her usual cheerful self.

"Babbery? Do you mean to imply that I lured the participants?" the combination of her delicate voice and raised eyebrows made Mriga flinch.

He paddled back quickly to avoid scolding from her.

"Tidaaaak, I mean only you deliver the points so succinctly that it is so appealing even to someone who never thought of walking down that path" he explained in earnest.

"So, you mean you're not interested in participating in the competition at all?" Prithvi asked in a calmer tone.

Mriga shook her head negatively and said, "Before starting this semester, I didn't think about what I wanted to do with my life. But the training under you, I've started to find myself and abilities that I don't even know about. Akj has. So, I want to try and be a good spy and serve my country like my mother. Being Queen sounds too complicated."

She pursed her nose as she said the last sentence, making Prithvi smile sadly. He thought for a moment before changing the track.

"You have two months of vacation before the session resumes. I'll send a note to your parents asking for their permission for you to go to the Eastern zilla for a month of apprenticeship. During this time, you will work under a mentor who is stationed in Suraksha's Chakra office there. His name is Amrapali and he's a few generations older than Shaurya. He'll help you take a peek at the lives of our agents and the workings of our organization. You will also shadow him on whatever mission the office will be working on, right then and there. There will be some seniors who will also apprentice with you. But their purpose will be different from yours. You go there just to observe and learn. Any quentions? " Prithvi has returned to his usual serious attitude.

"When should I report to senior?" she asked.

Prithvi nodded in agreement to his practical question.

"Ramanujam will give you proper instructions and methods of communication before you leave for home" he replied.

"What do you think, Shaurya? Is Amrapali a good choice?" Prithvi asked his subordinates who had been staring at the floor all this time.

He lifted his head and said, "He is the perfect choice. I thought they would be a good couple, temperament wise too. Mrignayani was a good soldier but sometimes acted deliberately. I think Venugopal would be no match. He is easily swayed by people."

Mriga glared at Shaurya. He knew that he was annoyed at her for the 'incident' earlier in the exhibition, but he didn't have to bring it up here and now. It means a lot to him.

Wisely, he did not say anything and kept his expression neutral.

"Are you scolding her through me?" Prithvi asked Shaurya in a deceptive soft voice.

Guruji must be in a con man's mood today, thought Mriga gloomily.

He wondered how he could escape from that place quickly and unscathed. But before his mind formed a strategy, Prithvi threw another curved ball.

"That's it. I thought you were allowed to scold him as you wished. He is your mentee. Now, I want you to take some time in the coming days and briefly explain the basic etiquette of how to behave during the summer. Since Mriga is already here, why don't you take a few minutes and brief him. For others, set a time with Saraswati and schedule an informal session" she gave directions.

Shaurya nodded showing his approval and told Mriga, "Meet me at Gurukul's main entrance in fifteen minutes."

Mriga is happy to escape from the room but gets ready for the scolding that comes her way.

Soon, he headed towards the gate. It was better to get there early and wait rather than risk his anger. Although the focus is on the task at hand, some of him is fixated on the sentence uttered by Yash's friend.

"I have to clarify this with him tonight!" he decided.

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

"Now that he's gone, you can tell me the real reason for keeping me back," Shaurya said these words calmly to his teacher and boss.

"Haha, this is the reason why you are already part of the team at this age," Prithvi laughed briefly and said so.

He wanted to continue his discussion with Shaurya when Mrignayani entered at that time. Instead of asking Shaurya to wait for him outside, he instead pulled him into a discussion about his internship. He is impressed to see that Shaurya has learned that there are other reasons to keep him.

Although the tone of the conversation was light, Prithvi really wanted his opinion on the path he had chosen for Mriga. He did not mention it to anyone, but he definitely wanted the girl to participate in the contest.

Too bad he's not interested in her yet. As per official rules, he was not allowed to force her in that direction.

But he has a different way of making it happen.

The exposure in the Eastern zilla will help him pick up the necessary expertise that may be useful during the competition for a while. But until now, there were other important things besides the Queen's contest that was being built and for that he held Shaurya, for discussion.

Shaurya waited for Prithvi to come out of his daydream, patiently. He got used to his teacher who was silent for a long time in the middle of a conversation. Suddenly, Prithvi got up and started pacing around the room. It was an indication that he was ready to start talking again.

"The time will soon come when a peace that has long been maintained may be in danger. It takes the combined efforts of all those responsible to protect Chandragarh, to safeguard our sovereignty. You are one of my key people who will play an important role when the time comes. I want you to be focused and ready to fight" Prithvi's voice was ordinary but his words surprised Shaurya.

He waited for Prithvi to explain further but it seemed like he would not say anything more. He stood up and straightened the dark blue kurta he was wearing.

"I'm always ready, Guruji. I'll wait for your instructions," with that, he bowed deeply and left the building.

Saraswati, who unknowingly overheard the conversation through the door left open by Mriga, pondered on the words spoken by Prithvi.

He knew that in the past few weeks, there had been some sporadic reports coming in about the disturbance at the border, but his words just now sounded resolute as if he knew something that no one else knew.

Also, what does it mean to ask Shaurya to focus? Was it a general remark or was he hinting at something specific?

Sometimes he suspects Prithvi is a psychic who can read people's minds. How else could he know things that most people did not know? And always very vague!!

He could not remember a single time when he answered how and why and who in a single sentence. Always make people guess...

"I think it's karma for a nosy person like me to find a job in a place where everything is an unsolved puzzle. I could never figure out the whole picture" he said.

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

The Gurukul Entrance Gate

Mriga sees Shaurya walking out and waving at him. He wanted to tell her that he was three minutes late but did not dare to open his mouth. If his eyes did not deceive him, he looked even worse now than in the Admin building.

How could he hold a grudge against her for so long? The mistake is not serious, is it?

"Let's take a walk. I didn't want to meet the faces I knew," with that rude remark, Shaurya left with his long legs.

As usual, he gasped for breath after her, trying to follow her steps without looking like he was jogging.

"The atmosphere in Cakra Suraksha's office will be much more serious than the Admin building. They are working on the actual case there and you need to be careful before opening your mouth even to breathe" Shaurya began to speak, as soon as they were a bit away from the Gurukul gate.

Mriga rolled her eyes directing them to her back. This is common sense. Did he think he was brain dead because of just one misjudgment? He's evil.

He babbles about dos and shouldn't do it until he touches his arm after a long monologue fight. Shaurya jumped back into that contact. He looked at her reaction, puzzled but then ignored it as another habit.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I just want to let you know that I have understood the point you want to convey for the last twenty minutes" he said politely.

He turned to the side to face her. Raising her eyebrows, she waited for him to speak more but Mriga understood that he might sound too brash.

Considering his health, he immediately paddled back and said, "I just meant to say that you are a great instructor and have explained everything very well for me to understand quickly."

Shaurya's understanding gaze told him that he had seen his white lie but chose to let it go.

"Remember, you will represent me and the entire Admin department. It's up to you how to behave" he said slowly.