Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

LXI

Himprayag

Bela took out some lumps of gud* from her pocket and offered them to the horse. The competing arenas have been divided into ten lanes with obstacles in the first half of the track and flat plains for the rest of the lanes allowing riders to demonstrate their skill on horseback.

The contestants had been divided into three groups and the score would eventually be calculated based on each person's appearance.

Bela is quite confident about the latter part of the competition as riding skills have been established and proven long ago in North Zilla. Also, she has been practicing and polishing her acting since her youth until now.

The hard part is the obstacle course as many depend on the horse and not just the rider. Since he had known the beast not even a full day, he was not in a position to know its disposition on the field.

As per his observations until now, it seems quite obedient and quick to respond but it is a different game once they are on the track with the rider and other animals right beside them.

Soon it was time for them to take their position. Bela recognized the two horsemen in her group as people who had entered early and hence, riding a horse, was far superior to her.

Bela leaned over to whisper in her horse's ear, "Come buddy. It's time for you to shine. I was told that the best horse in the contest got a bag full of stuff. Don't you want an endless supply of carrots and gud instead of just straw and grams all year round?"

By doing this, he tries to calm his own nerves and hopes the horse feels the same positive vibes as well.

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

Half an hour later

Bela slid off his horse and slumped right next to him. The contest had begun with the other leading clearly over him in passing the hurdles. His horse neighed and raised its hind legs when facing the first obstacle, itself.

Internal unrest, Bela had spent precious seconds trying to calm her nerves before finally complying and jumping over the first fence.

Thankfully, the track length was long enough for Bela to bounce back and reach the second half of the track in only third place. He was panting and so was the beast. He knew that he needed to catch his breath again and quickly. Closing his eyes for a moment, he drowned out the noise and whining around him and practiced Pranayam*.

Before reaching the end of the track, the horse and the woman almost became one. As he lay horizontally on the horse's back in perfect balance, he could not stop the grin on his face.

Her partner has more than covered up the resistance and reluctance shown during obstacles by being the perfect bearer when she stands on it or is hung around her neck.

It was as if it had aligned its heartbeat with his heartbeat and responded to his simplest touch.

There are still more rounds before the winner is announced. But Bela was not interested in seeing the competition. He knows he has given his best. Now the rest depends on the competitors. There was nothing more he could do.

He took his horse to a nearby drinking establishment. While the horse was sipping thirstily, he also picked up a glass of water to wet his dry throat.

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

East Zilla, Chandragarh

Mriga bored. His group had come out for another task again but he was trapped inside the institute due to the dictates issued by Guruji Amrapali.

"Hey Mriga, will you help me with my duties?" Lata's haunting voice reached her ears.

Raising his head from the table, he stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Of course, I'll be very happy" he replied politely.

Anything is better than sitting in a library with lots of books. He could see his father's disapproving look in his head at that thought. Lata smiled and handed the wrapped parcel to her.

"It's gotta go to Vidyut. You know where the clinic is, right? Can you help me get him?" she asked.

Mriga was excited at the opportunity to get out of the institute. It gets better in seconds. He replied firmly and picked up the package, moving it in his hand curiously.

"These are some of the herbs he requested. I don't know if you know that he runs medical services out of his own pocket for the continued care of orphans, beyond what the administration provides. So, we want to help him in any way we can" he said with a smile.

Mriga nodded and told him that he knew about his efforts and it was great that the institute also helped. He tells her solemnly that he will deliver the package safely and return soon.

It was already afternoon, so the sun was no longer bright or scorching, making the trip a pleasure for Mriga who had been confined inside the building for too long in the daytime. After arriving at the dilapidated warehouse, Mriga did not wait to be invited in, like the previous time but went straight in, only to freeze his steps.

"STOP! RUN NOW!" Vidyut's voice sounded urgent and rightly so.

He sat on the ground with his knees folded. There were four people surrounding him and holding small knives in their hands. Hearing the sound of the door being opened, the five of them turned around and were now staring at Mriga.

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

East Zilla, Chandragarh

It took Mriga a few seconds to see the frozen tableau in front of him. Seconds later, he recovers and reacts to Vidyut's warning, but finds himself caught in a dilemma of whether to leave him alone or not.

As his training begins, the rational part of his brain tells him that he is not helping him in this way. There was no way he could defeat that burly man.

So, he spun and ran as if his life depended on him. Turning around once to see if he was being followed or not, he did not know whether to feel relieved or worried that no one was following him.

He remembered that the orphanage was nearby and it was there that he went to seek help. Arriving at that place, he did not stop at the gate or entrance but directly entered into the long corridor, looking for some kind of office where he could find the head of the place.

Security officers chased him inside the building. Finally, he saw the door marked 'Administator' and barged in without ceremony.

"Group of thugs ... Vidyut .. hurry up", he tried to compose a sentence but his words came out indistinctly.

While calming down, he told the woman sitting there about what he saw a few minutes ago. Thankfully, the woman asked nothing but to ring the gong hanging by the window.

Several girls and older men ran to the door.

"Vaidya we're in trouble. Let's save him" he told them.

Mriga followed them out the door.

At the sight of asking the woman, she said firmly, "I'm coming with you."

There is no time to worry or argue. One of them handed a long wooden stick to Mriga.

"Sign to************** or nose. Don't waste time on anything else" the girl suggested as she ran beside Mriga.

Despite the difficult circumstances, the two share a grin. By the time they reached Vidyut's clinic, there were no signs of the men but Vidyut was already lying on the ground, covered in blood and unconscious.

Dropping the sticks together on the floor, all the girls from the group fell beside him and started to fuss.

"Go from him. Let's get him out. You crazy fool," one of the boys muttered the last sentence.

Vidyut's face was badly damaged, and his arm was drooping by his side, dangerously. Even Mriga who barely knew him, felt a sense of unease in his heart, seeing his terrible condition.

By the time they arranged for the train to take him to a large medical facility, it was already late at night. The orphanage administrator told Mriga to return. He told her the address where he was taken and she could visit him later. Mriga nodded and bowed before leaving.

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

Midnight, Forest

"Guruji, I feel like I failed. Had I stood there and fought those people, maybe that person would not have been seriously injured," Mriga had just finished recounting the incident to Ramanujam.

Hearing the worry and guilt in his voice, Abhirath scowled but said nothing. Part of him wanted to shout that everyone's well-being wasn't the problem. That guy's alive, isn't he?

Because of that, she had not recovered from her actions in the brothel from a few days ago and now she was involved in a gang fight. What's wrong with this girl?

In their first meeting alone, he knew that the man was too cunning. He must have been involved with such an ominous character to put himself in such trouble.

Mriga remained silent and internalized his words. Slowly but surely, her rose-coloured glasses began to come off. He needs to train his emotions to listen to reason.

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

Saptindhu

"What are you still waiting for? Why haven't you sent information to your superiors in Chandragarh about the man's death? You must immediately claim his credit, "reproved Ratansingh.

"Senior, I think there's something wrong about the whole scenario. I am not entirely sure that he is dead, "Ratansingh replied with a hint of doubt in her voice.

The handler's nostrils widened in annoyance.

"Just to satisfy the 'conspiracy theory' - you, I have two of my men serving twenty-four hours on that damn hill for the past few days. But not even a dog dares to go out there, forget about humans which means that there are only two possible scenarios. One, that he's holding on to something and waiting to climb back that hasn't happened yet. I don't think anyone can hold on to a fucking tree and survive without water or food for forty-eight hours. The other option was that he fell and survived the fall. Now, unless he turned into a bird and flew away, I guess even a human made of iron would not be able to escape that fall, alive. So, stop wasting my time and do what I tell you to do" he said.

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

Saptindhu

At that reprimand, Ratansingh stiffened and nodded respectfully. He wrote an official letter to be sent to his handler in Chandragarh.

In the message, he explains that Shauryaveer has approached the spies in Sapsindhu with the intention to defect and Ratansingh knows it through his network.

He had confronted Shauryaveer and tried to persuade him not to do so.

He further went on to say that despite his advice and warnings, Shauryaveer went to meet with an agent from Saptsindhu which resulted in a fight.

Unfortunately, Shaurya is killed in this encounter, and Ratansingh is unable to capture him alive for interrogation.

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

Capital city, Chandragarh

Prithvi receives a note from his partner, informing him of Shaurya's death. He smiled grimly and looked at the dark sky, deep in thought.

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

East Zila

"Vidyut has been moved to another facility. His injuries were worse than they first appeared. Alleged internal bleeding," Vaidya tells Lata and Mriga, who came to the facility where she was taken at first.

The two looked at each other with worried wrinkles on their faces. Mriga, especially, felt very bad.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, soon. His parents must be on their way to take care of him. Given her background, she would be given the best treatment. Don't worry too much" Lata comforted him.

Mriga turned to look at his senior curiously and asked, "You mean he belongs to a rich family?"

Lata nodded and replied, "It's not only the rich family but also the influential family. His father is the head of West Zilla."

"WHAT??? You mean.." his voice disappeared when he realized what he was going to say.

Lata waited for him with raised eyebrows but Mriga closed her mouth.

"Do you know that family?" Lata finally asked.

Mriga argued about how to answer and then replied with a complicated expression on her face, "I've met her sister in Gurukul. He was my senior but I didn't know until now that they were related."

"Ah, the famous Vindhya kumari," Lata nodded.

"You know him?" ask Mriga.

He shook his head in a negative manner and said, "No, but I've heard enough about him from Vidyut's mouth. He loved his sister very much. Apparently, she was touted as the next queen. So, how's it going? as personally? Good enough to be Chandragarh's next head of state?"

Mriga lowered her head so that Lata could not see much emotion flashed across her face.

"I don't know him enough to comment on that. I've just met him a few times" he replied faintly.

But his head was shaken by that information. How could siblings be separated?

Vidyut is truly the epitome of kindness and everything that is good. But he couldn't say the same about his sister. Or perhaps his gaze was colored by his personal experience with the girl.

Regardless, she didn't think that the girl was the right choice to become the next queen, but everyone around seemed to treat her as a foregone conclusion.

"I've filled out the form but haven't thought about what I should do to beat this very popular candidate" he mused.

Fortunately, the election of the queen was not done through a public vote, otherwise she or anyone else would not even have a chance.

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

Himprayag

"Congratulations on winning the competition. I was told that you managed to spur the horse to shape itself to your liking and it made a beautiful sight. I wish I could see it for myself but urgent matters make me leave" Gayatri said politely to Bela.

Bela tilted her head in return, acknowledging her praise.

"I'm sure you're wondering about the purpose behind this lunch," she said leaning back in her chair and gesturing for Bela to sit across from the small dining table that had been prepared for two people.

Surveying the woman in front of him, Gayatri recalled that she was not a young woman like her first impression.

His registration form indicated he was thirty-eight years old, but he did not look that old. What was surprising was that with such talent, he had never applied to their contest in previous years. Then, there was his unique weapon that caught his attention, along with several other army personnel.

"I think my arrow has guaranteed this honor" Bela said politely.

Gayatri hid her shock but she was impressed by the woman's answer. He's definitely not an ordinary person. His calm demeanor was very different from the reactions of normal people invited to eat like that.

Most of them tend to be amazed at their surroundings even to understand the question, forgetting to be able to do it right. But this one is as cool as a cucumber!

Leaning his head to one side, Gayatri admitted the fact, "Yes, you are right. Some of my colleagues believe that we can use your current design and make it better. Are you willing to sell us a prototype ?"

Bela smiled calmly and replied, "I gladly gave it to you, but in return I want to meet personally with Princess Ahilya."

Gayatri's entire body suddenly became alert. He leaned forward, a friendly expression missing from his face in an instant.

"For what purpose?" he demands.

"I have a proposal for him but I will share it only in his presence," Bela's attitude did not change in front of the hostility Gayatri showed.

"And if I refuse?" ask Gayatri.

"Then he and I will miss out on a great opportunity," Bela replied with a faint tone of regret.

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

* Gud - Jaggery

* Pranayam - Yoga breathing exercises