Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

VI

South Zilla

Ujjwala ignored her husband's banter and, as usual, failed to show his emotions.

He never took her or his feelings seriously enough to take them as important.

"Yashvardhan, I want you to listen carefully. West Zilla's head daughter is of the right age and has the potential and the breed to become the next queen. He's one level ahead of you and his specialty is medicine, so maybe yours the path hasn't been crossed yet. Her name is Vindhya and I want her to be the daughter of this house" she announced.

Yash chokes on the food in his mouth. His mind was trying to process his mother's statement. ‘She... she didn't see this coming.’

"Maa, if mama had identified the girl to be the next queen, she would definitely have the potential. But I'm really far from thinking about any girl, from a distance. Right now, my focus is on my studies and career," he spoke solemnly.

He glanced at his father clandestinely in the hope that he would not mention the conversation that took place between them during the day.

His father had a neutral expression on his face that convinced Yash.

"Omong empty! I'm not asking you to marry that girl next year. I didn't even ask you to seduce him. This understanding has been going on between her parents and me. I politely tell you not to waste your time chasing after a useless woman" her mother's voice did not refute.

"Did he know about Mrignayani and how I felt about him? Impossible.I haven't told this to anyone, not even HIM. Maa was just being careful, I guess," she thought in a panic.

"But how do I get myself out of it? If he had already spoken to the girl's parents, then that would have been bad enough. Argh .. I need a plan. Noaaaaak, two plans - one to seduce Mriga and the second, to thwart, what was the girl's name?" his mind is working hard.

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

Gouruk

"Yes God! I thought the holidays would never end. I'm tired of doing chores at home" Ishani lamented.

Mriga and Ishani have joined Gurukul on the same day, respectively from North and West Zilla.

Their bunkers are allocated one above the other. Incidentally, both of their fathers had science backgrounds. There is no other choice but to be friends.

"Why did you say that? I hope the holidays continue" Mriga said sadly.

He recalled the tearful farewell his parents were standing on the river shore this morning.

"That's because my household doesn't run on a schedule and schedule like yours. You know that my mom has her hardware business, right? So, he left home early and came home late. And dad had to do all the homework because in between, he didn't have enough time for his experiments. So, on my day at home, he handed over the responsibilities of the house to me and went to his lair to work on his favorite project" Ishani lamented.

Laughing at his friend's exaggerated narrative, Mriga recalls that Ishani's father is working on a machine that can take you from place to place.

He even managed to convince the local council of his village to hold a meeting with the head of the Ministry of Science about the same.

After that, she had received funding from the queen to work on the project. It was an exciting prospect and Mriga hopes to meet him one day and understand him better.

Ishani belongs to West Zilla and has been postponed today due to unstable sea conditions.

The girls dragged their suitcases and took them to the princess dormitory. There are four wings of the princess dormitory. One wing contains all the girls under the age of eleven.

Those who are twelve years old and above are sorted based on their choice of subjects. Three broad wings are – Arts, Finance and Science.

Art has the most population because of the many branches of study.

Each wing was a large hall with high ceilings and stained glass windows. The ceiling and pillars are decorated with carvings. Beautiful floral motifs, birds keep the place cheerful.

The bunk beds were placed in rows and the walls were filled with wardrobes for everyone to store their clothes and study materials.

Because education is compulsory and free for all Chandragarh children, children are not allowed to bring money or material goods from their homes.

The children, fourteen years old and above, who wanted to earn money, took up internships inside or outside the Gurukul neighborhood.

"Someone's looking for you. He's waiting outside the dormitory door, "a girl comes to tell Mriga.

"If I had to guess, I would say that the Southern Zilla wagon had arrived at Gurukul's courtyard," said the mischievous Ishani.

Trying to keep his expression indifferent, he replied, "Maybe someone from the Administration department where I applied for an internship before leaving for the holidays. I haven't got a reply from them."

"Is that so? Okay then, what about the bet? If it is a school warrior, I will hand over my favorite pair of sandals to you, which you have long sought. But, if the prince of the South has come, then you will give the whole laddoo box to me," he challenged Mriga.

"I disagree too. I have to go now. The man was waiting," said Mriga hurriedly and ran away.

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

Yash had never looked for Mrignayani outside school hours before today, but he missed him so much during this holiday and only wanted to catch a glimpse of him once he returned.

Dressed in a sea green uniform, she looked beautiful walking towards him.

Although all the colors look good for her, but Yash likes to see them in this shade the most.

His hungry gaze looked at his brown eyes and twinkled within them. She greeted him with a shy smile.

"How was your vacation? Are you having fun?" she asked.

"Yes, and you?" he asked gently.

"That's amazing except.." her voice weakened.

Mriga looked at him questioningly.

"Nothing.I mean, yeah, it's nice to be home," Yash finished.

"So.err, see you tomorrow morning," refers to the sports stadium where they should gather for daily yoga and prayer.

He nodded his head and told her to leave with a smile. He saw her walking away.

Still in his fourteenth year, Yash had become taller since the last time he saw her a month ago.

She wanted to tell him that, but as usual, she found herself too nervous to behave as usual at such times.

He could see a nice brown tint on his limbs that he might have acquired while walking through the tea and coffee plantations located near his home.

From what he explained during the previous conversation, it seemed that his parents were way above him, financially.

"Stop thinking about irrelevant things. What difference does it make if your parents are rich? Will I marry her tomorrow?" he scolded himself and then blushed the next minute.

Keesokan paginya menandai awal semester terpenting dalam kehidupan anak berusia empat belas tahun itu.

Before leaving for vacation, everyone has sent applications to various departments, stating the internship program they choose and the reason.

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

Over the next four months, nearly two hundred children would train under their chosen department and test their knowledge.

As per priorities, most students end up in the same field as their internships, then in their careers.

Principals have advised students to recognize their individual strengths and areas of interest before filling out an application.

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

Today is the day when segregation takes place.

"I still don't understand why you chose to apply to the Administration department. There can't be anyone else doing that," Ishani shook her head in bewilderment at Mriga.

Ishani has requested to be placed in the prestigious Engineering branch of the Science department and has been accepted based on her academic grades.

"You're wrong. Five of us were selected for the Admin section. I was worried because I never got a letter from them, unlike anyone else. But this morning, there was a list posted on the dorm notice board. I'm the only girl on the list" Mriga explained.

“I'm surprised there are others too who would like to join that department. Do you take a moment to consider your future? Do you want to be a paper stamp attendant sitting at a desk from morning to evening immersed in the archives? I mean what skills can you take away by joining them?" Ishani insisted on her argument.

"I just want to live a peaceful and carefree life. After fainting from Gurukul, I might go home and help dad farm. Did you know that the main function of the Admin department is to convey all kinds of communication from one place to another? This way I will get enough exercise to improve my athletic skills before the next sports meeting as well" Mriga explained with a twinkle in her eyes.

Ishani shook her head hearing her friend's logic, “Already. I'm glad if you're happy. Now, I'm gonna run and change before I report to Engineering."

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

"Where are you thinking of enrolling in the next semester?" ask Bela.

"Whether it's the finance or sports department, I haven't decided yet. What do you think I should do?" Mriga wants her mother's board.

"If you're not too attached to one of these, then you suggest you consider applying to the Administration department" her mother said very seriously.

Mriga looked at her mother in surprise but waited respectfully for her to continue.

"Mama is very aware of your abilities and based on that mama thinks you are the best fit for the Admin team. Mama will leave the decision in your hands. You know you have my support in whatever you choose," Bela finished vaguely.

Returning to the present, Mriga observed his appearance in the mirror.

As per the notice, he should report in civilian clothes and not school uniforms.

After much deliberation in her head, she decided to follow her mother's advice simply because she felt that her mother would not go wrong guiding her.

So before leaving for this semester vacation, he had applied to the Admin section.

"Good morning, my name is Mrignayani. I was asked to report here" he said.

It took him over half an hour to find the building. No one seems to know exactly where the Admin office is located.

He had run from one end to the other before finally finding an inexplicable opening into this rundown building.

"You're five minutes late. Please make sure this never happens. Everyone has gathered in the room to your left. Quickly enter," the receptionist said firmly.

She was a petite woman with a fierce expression.

While nodding apologetically, Mriga rushed to open the door.

It was a narrow room with minimum illumination and papers were stacked everywhere. Five pairs of eyes stared at him from the table located in the middle of the room.

"You're late. Get in and shut the door safely behind you" said a voice.

Mriga followed the voice to find the person who had just walked out from the farthest end of the room. Everyone sitting at the table stood up to greet him.

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

"My name is Prithvi. I'm head of operations here. Please hand over your letter of recommendation," he spoke unhurriedly but rudely.

He seems to be in his mid-thirties. Dressed in a flowing white robe, with a belt around his waist, his eyes were laden with wafts.

Her jet black hair was as long as Mriga's and tied with a red ribbon. He was the first man in his acquaintance whose hair went beyond his shoulders.

While he was lost in his assessment of her, the other four students had finished handing over their letters to him.

The teacher sitting with the students walked towards Mriga and extended his hand.

"I didn't bring any letters. I didn't know that there were such requirements," he spoke confusedly.

"Who exactly are you and why are you applying to this department," Prithvi appeared right next to him without him noticing.

"Uh.that's, I just want to.." she's so nervous for no reason.

"Don't bother with excuses. I just want to know who told you to propose here," he said in a soft voice.

Although she was seen speaking very politely, there was something dangerous about her that made Mriga feel uncomfortable.

"My mother.she didn't give me a reason for that. But just asking me to apply to this department and so I did," she blabbed.

"And you followed his orders without knowing the reason behind it. How interesting! What's your mother's job?" his voice became sharp.

Grain of sweat had formed on his forehead now. He doesn't know why.

"He's the police chief in North Zilla" he tweeted.

Prithvi frowned and started pacing around.

Suddenly, he turned around and spoke to the five students, "You will be given an assignment every morning. Your goal is to carry out the instructions appropriately and as quickly as possible. For today, there are five bundles of letters set aside for you. You all have to choose one each and go across the length and breadth of Gurukul to share this. Remember to hand these over to the assigned person ONLY even if you have to wait for them."

The five of them rushed to pick up the weight piles of each and immediately exited the room.

"Who's the Chief of Police in North Zilla?" Prithvi asked his subordinates, as soon as the students left the room.

"Ahem..you seem to have forgotten, Guruji*. After his injury, Charulata moved to North Zilla, sixteen years ago. As his identity is revealed in a bankrupt operation in West Zilla, the head of the operation wants him geographically far from the scene and North Zilla has been chosen as his hiding place" Ramanujam, his assistant, said, with low voice.

Ramanujam is an undescribed man, who has a far-flung brain than any human being could possibly do.

Until now, he had competed against various scholars, experts, but they were unable to defeat him.

His analytical skills and memory are legendary among those who are aware of his existence.

"You mean this girl is Charulata's daughter?" Prithvi asked in surprise.

The administrative department is the biggest secret in the kingdom of Chandragarh. It was a recruitment agency for a secret ministry called – 'Suraksha Chakra'*.

It was also a place where information from all the Zillas was collected, decoded, and assimilated.

Since this was located at the location of Gurukul, outsiders did not have access to it, keeping it away from unnecessary supervision of people.

The main reason why the organization survived detection for decades is due to two reasons – one, their existence is known only to the Queen and the people working in this ministry.

Even the families of these people are unaware of the true nature of their work.

Second, there is no record of the activities and operations carried out by this ministry. The official ministry tasked with protecting the kingdom's borders and war preparedness is the Ministry of Defense.

They have coast guards, border troops, police forces and mountain guards under their watch. But even they were unaware of the existence of this ministry.

The sole purpose of the Cakra Suraksha ministry's existence is to be aware of the ongoing anti-national activities inside and outside the kingdom.

Chandragarh has a comprehensive spy network in all neighboring countries. These spies are under the supervision of this ministry.

The same foundation was laid during the reign of the first queen, Rani Damyanti, 99 years ago.

It is because of this network that Chandragarh, despite being a weaker country than many, managed to avoid war in recent decades.

The ministry also helped thwart the entry of illegal immigration into the queen's territory.

They provide covert support to border military forces through their information channels but are unaware by military personnel that they are spies working for the country. They often disguise themselves as civilians or criminals.

The recruitment team currently in Gurukul consists of four members of Prithvi's – team as the leader, Ramanujam as the new recruit coach, Saraswati, who is prima facie, receptionist.

Actually, the roles are diverse. He was responsible for keeping the facade of the administrative department intact.

He has a list of people he employs cyclically to do day-to-day admin work.

On the other hand, he was responsible for arranging clandestine meetings between Prithvi and the other members or team leaders of the Cakra Suraksha service of the four Zillas.

This fourth member of the recruitment team was a new addition as their workload increased and also, after finding someone with outstanding abilities.

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

* Guruji - Teachers

*Suraksha Chakra – The literal meaning is Protection Circle