Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

LXV

Chandragarh

"Guruji," Mriga quickly stepped further forward and bowed to him.

Prithvi stood upright from the trunk of the tree, where he was leaning.

"I'm sorry. I will remember it and work to improve it in the future" he said politely.

Even though he said the right words, he was still shaken from the shock at the turn of events. Why did Guruji ask her to meet him off campus when he could easily call him to the office?

To get out of Gurukul, one needs permission from the dean's office. Not only did he take pains to obtain it, he even hid his own identity from others.

What is the need to meet in such a stealthy way? Waita minute! Is he being sent on a big spy mission???

His face was almost smiling thinking about it.

"You need to stop focusing your energy on finding answers to questions that are not important right now. I can see them falling out of your brain right now. Take this map. I want you to study it thoroughly. In three days' time, you should be able to draw the exact replica for me, including all the gaps and gaps with names and distances. Any question?" He asked rudely.

Mriga looked at him suspiciously. Whahuh? Is this his job?

What he asked her to do was almost impossible. Not only did he suck at understanding maps, being able to reproduce maps that were so detailed and complicated, would be a huge challenge for anyone. What's more, he hopes he finishes it in three days?

Has he chosen the right person for the task or is this his punishment for something he has done before?

"Uh... Guruji," he started off hesitantly.

"It's important that you do this. There must be no fault on your side, do you understand? I know you have other duties during the day. So, use this time every night to practice. I assume that you can find your way to the store where Shaurya usually lives" he asked.

Confused, he managed to nod his head.

"Good, go there now. You will practice drawing a map there. There are enough art supplies in the store for you to use. Remember to crush every scroll you use before you return here in the morning. It's yours to slip permission to go out for the next two nights. Just show the warden tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, okay?" he became impatient as Mriga stood there with a blank look in his eyes.

"Mrignayani! Why are you still standing here?" his rather sharp voice made him out of a daze and he immediately acted.

Bowing to him in a hurry, he began to walk away with unsteady feet. When exactly was he expected to sleep?

And why this task was given to him, it was also at the time when he had to prepare for the upcoming prestigious contest.

He rubbed his eyes hard, trying to drive away the fatigue from them.

'Oh my God! Why did I join the Admin team and if that wasn't enough, why did I enter my name for the competition? Is it too late for me to step down from one or both? Mamaaaaaa, this is all your fault, ' she cried in her heart.

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

Himprayag

Bela wakes up earlier than usual, perhaps due to a new environment or a bone-chilling cold.

Peering outside, he realized that it was still dark.

But since he was already awake, he had better start the day early. Up until now, he had only heard about this incredible ferocious beast but had never seen it for real. He was happy to see one, close and personal.

Slightly shivering, he immersed himself into a wooden tub filled with freezing water and rubbed his limbs firmly using a loofah made from tree bark.

Although she was told that warm water could be taken from the kitchen located nearby, Bela preferred a cold shower. That would ensure his body remained accustomed to the temperature outside.

In fact, when he reached the log cabin located a little far away, his body felt warm and comfortable in a new uniform.

"I'm here to report for duty" he told the sleepy officer, holding out a small slip bearing orders from Gayatri.

The attendant looked at him with a frown and muttered, "Too excited to get to work, right? Can't even wait for the sun to rise, eh? Well, good luck! The beast must have fallen asleep at this hour as well. For now, go ahead and start with cleaning the complex. As soon as the big bear starts to fall, we don't know when you'll get a chance. Also, clean their uniforms that are stored in the storage room. The trainers are very particular about all the bears who wear them during the training sessions. You'll see some boys inside. Just wake them up and have them show you the cleaning supplies."

Bela was surprised to find out about the livery. Back in Chandragarh, the animals used by the army did not wear any shields or ornaments. But there seems to be something different in Himprayag.

A few hours later, Bela was drenched in sweat, and her limbs were sick from transporting heavy metal protectors from the warehouse to the fenced yard outside. His armor was large and large, seemingly made to be the size of a bear. They needed to be cleaned with some kind of oil that had been given to him by one of the boys.

Before leaving, he said, "Rub the oil until the armor starts to shine."

Each armour was larger than its length and Bela could not wait to see the bear that would wear it.

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

Capital city, Chandragarh

"Prince Himprayag has sent a request to visit us in the coming week. He wanted to visit as a peaceful representative of the king and had a proposal to make," the foreign minister spoke to Rani Samyukta at the royal palace.

"Do we know his intentions? What kind of proposal?" she asked.

"We don't have much detail except that he came here from Vayuprastha not from Himprayag. Apparently, he went to Vayuprastha with a business offer as well" the minister said.

The queen raised her eyebrows and asked, "Then, before making this request to me, shouldn't you send people to find out about the proposal?"

The minister bowed and replied, "We have our foreign officials who are already investigating the matter. But I haven't heard from them."

The queen nodded and instructed, "Send a reply, accept the prince's request."

He turned to the finance minister and instructed, "I want to see our trade records over the past five years with Himprayag. Give me details in terms of how much we have spent to buy their stuff versus them buying our stuff. I need this tonight. Send it to my room, with someone who can explain the numbers to me, especially the person who will compile all the data."

The minister smiled awkwardly and lowered his head on the receipt.

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

Half an hour later

"Can't you be a little more polite? Bad people skills, huh! If being queen would require a poll of people, you would fail again and again" Indrani said as she walked back to the Queen's private room with him.

Rani Samyukta stopped and asked in surprise, "What am I doing this time? Am I not good to everyone?"

Turning his eyes towards his blunt friend and boss, Indrani said, "You basically told the finance minister that he was not capable and that too in front of everyone. Can't you say something like - bring in someone who can help explain minute details or something like that?"

Samyukta thought about it for a moment and then replied seriously, "We are in the royal palace only a few hours a day. During that time, the first priority of all those present in the room was to do the utmost work to keep the welfare of the people as the top priority. I guess none of us need to worry or even bother stepping on each other's fragile egos there. When I look for an explanation, do I not also acknowledge the fact that I need it? someone to explain it to me too."

Indrani shook his head and gave up debating the matter.

"Oh, before I forget. Call Prithvi and have him find out from his Vayuprastha-based spy network about the deal that took place between Prince Mithilesh and King Shaligram. If the details are not possible to access, at least find out about the nature of the deal. Four days time limit. I didn't need that information when the prince was already here, "command Rani Samyukta.

Indrani bowed and immediately left from there. It would be easy to send a message to the man, once he managed to find his whereabouts. That is the biggest task of all!

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

Saptindhu

"Prince Mahendra is seeking an audience, Your Majesty!" the officer came in and announced.

The king nodded abstractly.

"Tell me!" he said when his son came in and saluted.

"It may be nothing, but I. think that I need to tell you about the same thing," Mahendra began in a hesitant tone.

"Why do you hesitate every time before you speak? Stop wasting time and get to the point. Are you free to think of things like a stupid young girl?" the king lost his patience.

A red color bloomed on Mahendra's face and he struggled for calm. Although he had great respect for his father, he hated him when the king showed the same rudeness towards him as against any ordinary peasant.

Swallowing his pride, he said, "A few days ago, a spy from Chandragarh came to us with the intention of defecting. He had just been expelled by the government there and might have been irritated by it."

The king frowned and said, "So, what's the problem? This is not the first time that has happened. Don't we already have enough of them on our payroll?"

The prince hesitated again before saying, "Although that person came to us voluntarily, he died in battle with our people. Apparently, he was one of their best spies and had headed for bigger things before his disguise was dismantled by one of them as ours."

The king looked at his son in wonder. None of this is a big deal, so why is Mahendra being so nervous?

"Does the coming task make you see a shadow when it's not there?" ask King Amrendra.

"It's not so, dad. Pawang had no doubts about the situation and closed the matter. But the former senior spy who died was working for us as a double agent. He insisted on meeting me today and made a separate report about it. According to him, the entire episode seemed staged, like a tactic aimed at distracting. He has no concrete evidence but claims he knows the defector well and the man is an ardent soldier in his homeland. Under normal circumstances, this wasn't a problem but the timing of the episode made me wonder about it," she finally said everything.

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

Saptindhu

Strengthening himself for his father's scolding, Mahendra waited but the king seemed to have sunk into a contemplative silence.

"Grow into it and find out everything you can about what really happened. The spy network in Chandragarh is a big reason why we have not been able to get into the 'woman-ruling' country until recently. Report the findings to me as soon as you find out, tell the double agent to personally conduct an investigation" the king's voice was firm and serious.

"Understand me, dad!" Mahendra pampit from there.

Miles away from the Royal Palace, Sapsindhu

Shaurya thought that he had managed to break the communication barrier between him and the tribe successfully, but unfortunately, that was not the case. He had asked them for an apple, and they had given him a cucumber.

Standing at the foot of the cold mountain, he wanted to bang his head against the snow-covered rock out of frustration. At this rate, his well-conceived plans would be chaotic one by one.

"How am I supposed to get out of this shit, now? Should I just die or wait for Guruji to kill me?" he muttered to himself.

Unaware of his dark thoughts, the man who had led the way, turned to grin at him. He felt very proud at this moment of having found this path from his childhood memories. Cueing Shaurya to keep going, he moved forward.

Right at that moment, the Shaurya eagle, precisely the Bela eagle, landed on his shoulder.

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

Gurukull, Chandragarh

The next few days Mriga was like a watermelon cut into exact slices. All participants and their teams have been given time off from schoolwork. There was no limit to the number of people one could have on his team to help him.

Some had chosen to go with just one teammate, but the girls who considered themselves to have good chances, most of the higher classes, had a close battalion following them.

Mriga could not handle four of his team-mates, he wondered what the fate of those who had troops was. The day begins with a session designed by Chiranjeev that takes him through a modified version of the physical exercise personally tweaked by him.

If Ramanujam guruji were here, he would be proud of the surge in his student growth charts. Exercise seems to have only one motto. Keep him!

Next was Vandit, who brought it through various state-related laws and policies.

Since this was his first time guiding someone, he took the role too seriously. He was too unforgiving and unreasonable, hoping he learned and remembered the law in an instant.

If that wasn't enough, Nirbhay had a series of code and games that shut off the mind and waited for him, that too with a timer. It was really torture. Abhirath has chosen to be the last and purposely does.

He dueled with her, beat her during archery, fought using a sword and when she was ready to die, she would start a heated discussion with him on topics related to good governance.

Mriga wanted to die at the end of two days but he was unable to. He still has to burn the midnight oil and study the damn map and its contours for the upcoming exam.

"I will fail! Not in one thing, but in everything. How could they all expect me to develop a photographic memory, become a skilled fighter and a good administrator in two terrifying days. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, "he shouted, standing in front of the Gurukul Gate of entry.

It was four o'clock in the morning and he had just returned from the store after bleeding from his eyes looking at the damn map.

In three hours, Chiranjeev will be waiting for him on the hidden ground behind the Admin department.

He wondered if he should go through the torment of sleep and then wake up after those very short hours or should he just apply glue to keep his eyes open all day.

Birch bark is an effective adhesive used throughout the country. The maximum that could happen was that he himself turned into a piece of wood.

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

Somewhere in the capital, Chandragarh

"Can you at least try and offer some resistance? What's the point of arguing with you if you let me win in the first five minutes of the fight?" Vindhya threw her sword in disdain.

The boy, despite being his senior, stood to the side with his head bowed in shame. As per the rules, no participants were allowed to take help from outsiders, only fellow students were allowed to take part in the training.

"I need Yash" he muttered to himself.

Whether it was a genuine reason or a genuine reason, he did not stop thinking about it. Writing on a scroll quickly, he gave it to a junior and asked him to go and look for Yashvardhan.

"T .. but, Senior, it's 4 in the morning. Is he not sleeping?" said doubtful.

Everyone present in this hall, did not doubt Vindhya's ability but her emotions were like boiling curry. You never know when it will erupt!

Vindhya was about to give a biting answer but then realized that it might be politically incorrect. He did not want to give the impression of being too friendly with Yash.

"Thank you for reminding me. I forgot the time during the rehearsal. Please find him for me, after breakfast," he said and took his sword again.

If Mriga's schedule is exhausting, Vindhya's schedule is almost inhumane.

The only difference is in this, Vindhya is driving it. This was the time where he spent most of his childhood preparing. He has to work very hard.

If he did it right, he would have the next twenty-five years to rest.