Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

LIII

Northern Zilla

Bela shakes her head at Shaurya's attitude but understands the need to show confidence in his choices. After all, he was the one on the mission, not him. He caressed the head of the eagle sitting gracefully beside him. He has rarely used it these days except for self-training purposes.

But lately, he keeps it around Shaurya to get used to its scent and sound. Shaurya even managed to learn some of the key sounds the bird made as part of its communication.

Perhaps, he himself hitherto did not know that he had the ability to imitate the sounds of birds so quickly and accurately.

Over the past week, Shaurya used these voices to call out to the bird and give orders. The advantage of using this technique rather than whistling or shouting is obviously the ease with which one can call and instruct a bird without anyone knowing it.

Right now, the bird was staring at Bela unblinkingly with its intelligent eyes, as if reassuring to her. Although he was only a charmer and not an active agent, he was nervous about the upcoming task, as if it was his first rodeo. But surprisingly, the closer they got to the start date of the mission, the more the fear began to subside.

All the insecurities and worries of the past were slowly melting away. Apart from the occasional burst, like just a moment ago, he could feel Charulata's calm and confident attitude taking over his mind. And that's good because right now, Charulata is needed on the front lines, not Belavati

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

"Have you found who you're looking for?" Rani Samyukta's questions contain hope and urgency.

And that made it difficult for Prithvi to answer negatively. The people he had been chasing since the arrest of the businessman in the capital, seemed to have simply disappeared. There have been no further hints since his visit to the Eastern zilla as well. Either his disguise had been uncovered there or the enemy had been silent for some other reason.

But in the last two weeks, no activity has been registered from either end. A more terrifying possibility is that a new infiltration method has been discovered by the enemy and takes place right under the nose of the zilla protector.

"Do we have any clarity about the final game plan of these guys?" she asked.

With his head bowed in failure, Prithvi said, "No, we are not. But I had assumed the worst and I was trying to work backwards from there. Also, our plans will run tonight and beyond and hopefully we will start to see an influx of information in the coming days."

Samyukta wanted to urge him to speed up the process, but he believed in his decision-making and believed that he had reason to delay the activation of the plan until now.

"Tell me as soon as you hear something," he rose with a final stance.

As usual, they were in Devyani's room in the brothel. As usual, Prithvi left first and then the Queen.

Rani Samyukta was deep in thought as she pressed the lever to open the tunnel. An arrow shot past him, grazing his cheek. He flinched from fainting and realized his stupidity.

Although the tunnel was secret and only accessible from the hidden brothel rooms and the queen's private rooms, still, there were quite a number of traps set up inside, he said, if any stranger entered it by chance. Each queen was trained strictly about the sequence and pattern of walking, dodging, and running in the tunnel. Even a single misstep can cause deadly danger to the person inside.

When entering, the person should bend at a 45-degree angle. Just now the arrow was about to hit the blood vessels of his neck that caused an almost certain death. Thankfully his body leaned forward, carrying his cheek to the arrow line, not his neck!

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

East Zila

"Why can't we take him to another Vaidya? Don't tell me he's the only one in this whole area who can check his feet" Abhirath grumbled at Vandit.

The shorter man was still exasperated by Abhirath and Nirbhay for causing a crushing defeat in the task for the past two days and did not bother to give any consolation. He did not regret the tasks they had lost in a fair and honest manner, but what about that camouflage task?

Nirbhay shamelessly found some frogs from somewhere and before the task began, he slipped them into the pocket of the unsuspecting Vandit kurta.

The noise had alerted the enemy and provided clues to their hideout. But what was worse was the surprise of finding a slimy creature in his pocket was enough for him to fall off the branch he was hiding in.

Therefore, he was not in a very generous mood right now!

"Why a long face? Uh! You can't bear to see me running away from midday class and going for an examination, can you? Don't worry, the pain and discomfort over the past few hours at least deserves this much in exchange, right?" Mriga came up to them and said mischievously.

It was lunchtime and the cafeteria was full of voices.

"Whatchu mean? Are you telling me that you went alone to look at that? Who said you could? What if you land in another hole? Therefore, your eyes do not function very well. Who will be responsible for the next accident?" Abhirath's harsh words enraged Mriga.

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

East Zilla

Mriga straightened his back and told him, "Can you be more condescending than this? Do you wake up every morning and decide in a new way what you're going to torture people? I have asked Guruji for permission and yes, I will go alone. You might have forgotten that I was also here to practice being a spy, and a capable one at that. That day on the beach was an unfortunate event, something that could happen to anyone. So, don't show off your superiority. Everyone can be wrong. I just came to say goodbye."

With that, he snorted and walked away without looking back.

"Service you properly!" Vandit muttered softly.

At Abhirath's cold gaze, he hurriedly changed his words and asked, "You want another serving of rice?"

Mriga double-checked the paper on which she wrote down directions to the spot. It seemed that was the truth but this land had a small hut and many animals around it, with no one in sight.

Standing there in uncertainty, he thought about turning around. There is nothing like the clinic here.

"Hey, why don't you come in?" a voice shouted from inside the hut.

Mriga was surprised but then walked towards him cautiously.

"H. hello. We meet again," his voice showed the shock he felt.

The inside of the hut hardly resembles a room, forget the clinic. It had almost no furniture or equipment.

Even with his height, it was difficult to stand upright inside. Was Vaidya so poor that he could not afford better facilities? Why didn't he apply for help from the administration?

Maintenance and related costs of the clinic are under the scope of the Queen. One can take out a loan from the government and pay it back easily. He knew all this because his grandfather was a famous Vaidya in Northern Zilla.

"Haha, please don't judge my ability as Vaidya from the condition of this place. I run this facility for the kids who live in the nearest orphanage. The luxury clinic is in the heart of East Zilla which has many medical practitioners aside from me on her paycheck. Since it was only me in this place with the children, I decided to spend the funds for the care of the children instead of making the place look good, "he said as he shrugged.

Mriga was shy about making assumptions based on appearance and scolded herself in silence.

He gave her an apologetic look and replied, "You are very noble. I'm sorry if my expression suggests otherwise."

He waved his hand in the air and said, "Please, there's no need to apologize. By the way, should we see your legs now?"

He nodded his head and quietly searched for a place where he could sit. Vidyut grinned at him and got up from the wooden bench he was sitting on.

"So, you and Lata Guruji? How do you know each other?" Mriga asked while pushing her ankle.

Vidyut smiled and replied, “I am his senior in Gurukul. At that time, he wanted to be a doctor. But after several years of internships in medicine, he realized that he had no talent. So he went back to Gurukul to study business administration this time. And now, as you know, he's part of that organization. Looks like she's okay, doesn't she?"

Mriga shook her head in agreement and then fell silent. After ten minutes, he left the place.

Vidyut has stated that he is fit enough to walk and also asked him to join him for a meal at the upcoming weekend in lieu of his medical expenses. Mriga found it hard to resist when faced with her charming behavior, so she agreed.

Vidyut stared at his departing figure until he was completely lost from his sight. Sighing, he went back to grinding the potion, which he had done before he entered.

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

Saptindhu

"What news?" Raja*Amrendra was sitting on his magnificent golden throne, each of whose skulls were covered in emeralds on top of it.

The king loved this precious jewel and pinned it on his throne, both in the palace and in his private room.

"It all went according to plan, Your Honor. We're on schedule," the head of his spy team stood with his hands folded politely in his room.

They were alone except the king's trust minister.

Sapsindhu is a land of human beings who judge each other by their physique. How wide their shoulders are, how tall they are and how well their muscles form, these factors determine whether a man is man enough or not. Instead, women should have submissive traits, be good at organizing homes, and be skilled in bed.

Men are clearly at the top of the social chain as is the norm of a typical patriarchal society. Homosexuality is a severe offence punishable in the country unlike its neighbor, Chandragarh or Himprayag or even Vayuprastha, where people are free to pursue their sexual orientation.

But that does not mean it is not common in Sapsindhu. If caught, however, the defendant's genitals are taken, regardless of gender. However, its hypocrisy is that it is prevalent in state brothels that are not inspected or terminated by the authorities.

After all, brothels were one of the biggest tax contributors to their economy!

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

Saptindhu

King Amrendra was very large, both high and wide. That's no coincidence. Every time a male heir is born in the Saptsindhu royal family, he is given a special diet that includes powerful herbs to add weight and height to the baby. What's more, would-be kings are made to enjoy exercises and games like boxing and swimming that help further the cause.

The king was pleased. He likes to be in control and his dream is to bring glory to his people by achieving his unfulfilled dream.

"Long live king! Sorry to interrupt the meeting, Your Majesty, but we have discovered the whereabouts of Princess Kritika with her husband," one of her senior generals came in and hurriedly told her.

Everyone in Sapsindhu knew that the king greatly lost face when his daughter ran away with a truly unworthy low-class man. A great hunt has been made for them for the past year, but the princess and her husband, Abhimanyu managed to stay one step ahead of them, at all times.

The king jumped out of his chair despite his large body mass.

"What's? Where's them?" he would not let this opportunity pass him.

“They... uh, that is, our people have been trailing them for weeks and finally they were found in V... Vayuprastha,” the man said, in a frightened tone.

"WHAT?" King Amrendra's frown is fiercer than a dark and windy night.

Vayuprastha is a light and relaxed country with hospitality at its core. But one thing they emphasize is the interference of other countries into their functions.

Vayuprastha is the only country that does not have an extradition policy with its neighbors. That meant that as long as one was allowed by Vayuprastha to stay, no one could take that person away forcibly.

The consequences of the same will result in war. It was not that Sapsindhu was unable to defeat Vayuprastha but it was a headache that the king could not bear at this moment and that was also for the sake of his foolish daughter. One need not cut his nose to hate his face.

"It seems that I have underestimated my daughter and her husband who b*j*ngan. All this time he stayed at Sapsindhu and avoided us. I wonder if it just so happens that they chose to move to Vayuprastha now?" thought to himself.

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

Northern Zilla

"You look lost," Raghu spoke from behind Bela's back, surprising her from his thoughts.

He had been staring at the window without looking for the past few minutes and had not even recorded Raghu's footsteps in the room.

"Well, it seems empty without two kids around. I want to know how they are doing. By the way, did I tell you that I should rejoin work from today. I better go and start getting ready" he sighed and walked towards the bedroom.

He looked at his wife's back who was retreating in confusion. He sounded as if he was unhappy to be back at work which had never happened since he started working there. Is he bored? Does he like being a teacher?

Somewhere on the northern border of Chandragarh

Shaurya managed to reach this point undetected and his journey was quite smooth. But he knows that the hard part starts now. He had to cross his country's borders without being caught by his country's soldiers. Unfortunately, this is the first and perhaps the easiest obstacle of his mission.

There are still a few hours of daylight left. He found an old oak tree and climbed it, looking for a sturdy branch to sleep on. Its entire body is covered in a thick layer of neem oil, making it anti-all kinds of insects and mosquitoes. He was well covered behind the leaves of the tree, disguising his presence.

"Is he okay? Is he thinking about me at all? What if I fail the mission? Will I ..." Shaurya bit his tongue hard to stop himself from thinking any further.

Grimacing due to the coppery taste of the blood in his mouth, he reminded himself to stay focused on the upcoming task rather than daydreaming about useless things. His country expects him to be clinical and ruthless. There is no place for any emotion in his life at the moment.

Chandragarh's northern border is a hilly terrain and rugged mountains well guarded by soldiers. But because of the extent of the area that must be monitored, then the army personnel are spread well. But it's not a big deal.

The geographical location of the northern border is such that the mountains are almost impossible to climb from either side of Sapsindhu or Chandragarh. They stood tall and majestic, looking like straight walls that were hard to measure. Soldiers in this area received special training in mountain climbing before being stationed here.

In addition, due to the altitude and the cold weather, the soldiers climbed in groups and set up bases in the mountain crevices.

To compensate for the smaller number of their guards on all corners of the hill, Chandragarh has dropped various traps along the sides of the mountain, even preventing animals from climbing this 'wall.

This was the reason why the Northern zilla experienced the least amount of enemy infiltration, almost negligible for many years. That's too much trouble.

......................

*King - King