Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

L

East Zila

"At the other end of this hall is a restroom. Everyone who works in the Eastern zilla spy team, lives here, including me. Since everyone was at work, this place was deserted right now. You can sleep on any bed that doesn't keep a bag on it," Lata waved her hand.

Each bed has space on it, making it look like a bunk bed. The space was used to store their belongings.

"I'll be back in half an hour to take you to the cafeteria. After you eat, we'll go see Amrapali, this team leader," Lata said goodbye and walked out the door.

"Stop looking around as if you've never seen a room with a bed in it. We only have half an hour to disassemble and clean. I don't want to give them the impression of being late on the first day. Remember, we represent Gurukul!" Abhirath spurred them on.

The four of them were running around like headless chickens from one end to the other trying to determine their beds. He waited until they all chose their place and went to the bathing area.

Coming to where Mriga put his bag, he looked for a place where he would be seen at all times and put his bag there. He didn't want to be right next to her but still kept her in his sight!

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

West Zilla

"When will Vidyut's brother come back? I had received a letter from him at the same time as father and at that time, I assumed that he was here too" Vindhya asked her father.

Vasudev sighed in dissatisfaction and replied, "When was your brother ever here? He doesn't care about the reputation of our family or business. All he wanted to do was waste time doing charity for the ungrateful poor. What good would his great medical skills be if he was unable to make any money from it? He had written to your mother to tell her about the group of 'Doctors Without Borders' who had invited her to become an executive member. Apparently, your brother is very happy that he is the youngest person to have made it to that position. But I want to know - what a great job without a salary, hmph! Your mother must have told him about the letter b*j*ngan Harshvardhan back then."

Although Vindhya was very disappointed not to see her brother, she was very proud of his achievements. It may not mean enough to their father, but to him, he was and always will be his champion.

He did not say anything more to Vasudev and went to the training arena that had been built at home, especially for his training.

To be honest, the facilities at his house were much better than at Yash's house. If not for his stupid craziness, he would never have sacrificed his precious time before the competition.

"I wish I'd never met him!" he's sighing.

It had been a few days since he had returned home and although a part of him knew better than to expect communication from him, he was still waiting near his father's study every morning when the post was delivered.

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

East Zilla

Amrapali is a stern looking woman, more like the female version of Shaurya. He gave them enough instructions and reprimands in the first few minutes to last for a whole month.

Fortunately, their daily interactions and training were held under the guidance of Lata who looked like a relaxed person.

Also, to their great relief, they have found that the dilapidated appearance is only to keep out curious outsiders and the dirty and gloomy appearance is only limited to entrances and walkways.

At the end of each alley are different halls, including different types of training arenas, foodhall, lecture halls, and meeting rooms. If the training is held off-site, the way there is also at the end of one of these lines, leading to a different exit from where they entered.

By the end of the first two days, the five of them had settled down and tried to adjust to the schedule set for them. The people around them are friendly but take care of themselves. Not much conversation other than general topics.

On the third morning, Abhirath woke up with a note tied to the tip of his toe. More than curiosity about the contents of the note, he felt ashamed that he was asleep during the entire process when it happened.

"Prepare with your teammates for a walk tonight at 12. See you at the exit."

Needless to say, the note was not signed.

Abhirath took the four of them into a small crowd at the breakfast table and took them around.

"None of you can talk about this to anyone. Since we don't know who's behind this, stay alert, now and at night. Understood?" his words were calm but serious.

"So, you mean we're gonna do this?" Chiranjeev asked in a grim voice.

Abhirath also wondered about the wisdom of stepping out of the confines of security into the unknown based solely on obscure records.

It could be from someone who wants to make trouble or it could even be a test for them, who might fail if they come out.

But he nodded small and replied, "I think we need to check it out because we have been specifically targeted."

The four of them nodded like puppets on a rope. But Mriga's mind was already too excited again. Too many unusual things. Who will be interested in the trainees who have just entered the first stage of their program?

He was really tempted to confide in Abhirath with his question but held back. It was not that he did not believe it, but he was not sure what was really going on around him for him to share with him.

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

12:00

"Does the exit have a key? I think I saw him that morning. How are we gonna open it?" Nirbhay whispers.

Vandit placed his finger on his lips to signal for him to shut up. They passed through the labyrinth of corridors before finally reaching the path that would lead them to the exit.

Abhirath had an excellent sense of direction and that was what the group relied on to find their way.

They stood up and looked at the slightly open door. Abhirath turned around to return and peeked into the corridor if anyone was there. But it's still empty. He stood up hesitantly, wondering about his next move.

It was as if Mriga heard his thoughts.

"Stop procrastinating. We won't know anything until we dare to do so," saying so, he passed by, pushed the door open and exited first.

Abhirath's outstretched hand only caught the air following him. This woman!

Since one of them had taken the bull by its horns, there was no choice left in the matter. One by one they all slipped out.

Abhirath made sure that he closed the door before following the others. Suddenly, his eyes widened when he saw Mriga bending over to touch someone's feet.

It was someone they knew! So, no stranger and no one from East Zilla.

But before he could reach them, they began to walk quickly but quietly towards a path that did not light up at all.

On moonless nights, their night vision was tested to its maximum capacity and most of them stumbled across uneven ground before reaching what looked like a cluster of dense trees.

Abhirath was the last person to leave the building and the curiosity of who led them had eaten him in the last fifteen minutes.

Since they were walking in a line, he could not break off the relationship and walk in front. But he trusted Mriga's judgment not to walk blindly behind someone he didn't trust implicitly.

Finally, the person raised his hand, making them stop and surround him.

"It will be heavier to walk in front and we haven't been able to turn on the lantern. So, put your hand on someone's shoulder in front of you" he said.

Everyone grinned at the familiar face in front of them, although the shock of his presence had not completely disappeared.

Even in total darkness, everyone could feel the man's frown, including Vandit who covered his mouth timidly.

"We will speak when we reach our destination" Ramanujam muttered as Mriga placed his hand on his shoulder and Chiranjeev in his hand.

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

Twenty minutes later

The dense trees had given way to the vast open area where the six of them were standing right now. At Ramanujam's instructions, they light a small diya and place it on the ground. Surprisingly, there was no grass here and the ground also looked flat.

"I know that you all have a million questions but I will not waste time answering them. All you need to know is that every night this time, you will gather here to train with me. You must report to this place at a maximum of 12:30 am and leave at 3:30 am, every night until you are told otherwise. If one night, you find the institute door locked, you should immediately return to your dorm and not go there again until you receive communication from my side. Needless to say, you must not say a word about this to another living soul. Any question?" Ramanujam spoke with his usual gentle demeanor.

The five of them were still in a daze when he started to line them up. He told them about the simulation exercise they were going to undergo that night. Besides Abhirath who went alone, he, the others pair up and the three groups need to find their way to the forest entrance from where they started their journey inward and return to this place within the allotted time. The first one to return will be the winner. They are not allowed to take Diya. Mriga and Nirbhay looked at each other anxiously. How could they find their way back and forth in the darkness?

"I was busy trying to focus my attention on Chiranjeev who was in front of me. Where is the time to look around?" Nirbhay grumbled as they began their task.

Mriga told him to be quiet and closed his eyes for a while. Ever since he did that mission with Shaurya during the annual exhibition, he began to notice the landmark every time he visited a new place.

He managed to survive the training on the monstrous hill designed by his mother as well because of the same thing.

In fact, doing simulations there had helped to improve those skills without him noticing. Even though he wasn't actively looking for clues tonight, he hoped he might have picked up something in the process, subconsciously.

Nirbhay initially wanted to tease him out of trance, but he felt his acute concentration and waited patiently.

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

"The forest is getting busier as we enter and then getting thinner as we approach this place. I could feel the air getting cooler as we approached our destination" Mriga said slowly.

Nirbhay looked at him in wonder but did not question his observation. His expertise as a code breaker relies heavily on observing patterns as well.

"But if we go into the forest, shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean fewer trees outside and more foliage when someone gets in the middle of it" he mused.

"You're right but that's if we think of this as a natural forest. If Guruji is here, away from Gurukul and doing simulation exercises, is it too far-fetched to think that this is a collection of modified trees rather than natural ones?" tanyanya.

Nirbhay seemed excited by his question and said, "If that's the case, imagine we're in a labyrinth and looking for a way out and back in the middle."

They grinned at each other in the darkness and closed their eyes to sense the temperature and smell around them.

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

Two hours later

Mriga and Nirbhay almost screamed in excitement as they saw Ramanujam standing in front of them. They succeeded! However, before they could celebrate, Abhirath who had just stood outside the illuminated circle of diyas, stepped in.

"Oh! You got here before us," both of their faces bowed in unison.

"Do any of you really think that you will succeed before me? I'm just surprised that you guys made it back before dawn" his mocking words gently floated towards them.

Mriga rolled her eyes looking at his blatant look of arrogance. He thought of giving her a sharp answer but then self-defense appeared and he decided that it was better to ignore it.

"Guruji, this isn't a real forest, is it? Somebody designed it to look like that, didn't they?" he asked her, wanting to confirm her theory.

Ramanujam seemed pleased with his conclusion and nodded briefly.

"I believe that it was Prithvi guruji's idea many years ago, when he was still a spy. He has recommended creating this training ground in each zilla, offering comprehensive modules to test and improve people's skills. But each training center is disguised differently" he told them.

"Isn't the idea behind the mother's training hill similar? By accident? Or.." Mriga was deep in thought when Chiranjeev and Vandit came in.

Vandit sweated profusely and slumped to the ground, despite the presence of Ramanujam.

"I think this is enough for tonight. At least, you will all be able to find your way here, for the next. The first week of training will be the lightest. Treat this period of time as getting used to fewer hours of sleep. Your reaction time to the activity may also be affected during this time. Be aware and consciously try to improve on the same. Understood?" he looked at them one by one.

Everyone nodded and bowed to show their respect before leaving the place to return to the Suraksha chakra building.

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

Northern Zilla

"I guess we'll stop here for today," Bela put down the thick scroll she had discussed with Shaurya.

He got up and bowed to her respectfully.

He collected the papers and began to roll up a vast graph from the floor. After tidying up, he would step out when he was stopped by the next words.

"If you use heat as a method to open a candle-sealed letter, make sure the mark printed on the seal is not interrupted or you will be caught. Understood?" his tone was relaxed and he did not look at him.

But Shaurya couldn't stop the embarrassment from blooming on his tanned cheek. He was referring to Yash's letter, not wrong anymore. He had thought his efforts were almost perfect in opening and sealing it back but it turned out that due to his haste, he was not careful.

"I'll remember the lesson, Guruji. I'm sorry!" with that he left.

Bela looked at her retreating back with complicated emotions. As her mentor, she was unable to distract him, but she was reluctant to bring up the topic.

Even if she told him to stop thinking about Mriga at the moment, it wasn't as if he would be able to turn off his emotional faucet.

He recognized the letter from the boy Mriga feared. Although he wanted to destroy the boy, he did not bother to open the letter. She would entrust her daughter to take care of the matter herself. Bela kept it safe along with the one who arrived this morning.

There was something more important on his plate at the moment. Love of dogs can wait!

He sighed and took out Prithvi's letter to read it back. He has sent her details of Shaurya's new identity and cover story. As a police officer, he had the ability to draw a new set of identification papers for her.

There was only one week left before he would travel and there was still a lot they had to do.

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

Distant territory in Himprayag

The loud clang of metal on the metal sounded in the morning.

"Ughh! Did he think that by practicing for hours, he would become smarter" Mithilesh grumbled to himself.

Looking through the arched stone window, he could see that the sun had just woken up, forgetting about birds and humans.

But go his half-brother, making enough fuss to show off his warrior skills.