Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

VIII

The unkempt man stood up and came forward threateningly towards the five of them.

Sturdy, Abhirath came and stood in front of Mriga to face the newcomer.

"Why are you here? Who do you want to meet?" he asked without fear.

A small smile showed the stranger's stained teeth. He closed the distance and loomed over Abhirath.

Immediately, the four of them approached, forming an arc that surrounded him.

"Impressive! Does the 5:1 ratio give you a false sense of courage?" challenge the stranger.

Regardless of his lethargic posture, there was an aura of danger emanating from him, similar to that emanating from Prithvi.

"Don't scare them, Shauyra," Ramanujam said.

He appeared silently from the room to the reception area and was taken to the tableau in front of him. The students took a respectful attitude and immediately bowed to him.

"I see that you've met your new teacher. He is four years older than you, his name is Shauryaveer and you will train under him for the next one" he instructed with his usual attitude.

All the children looked at him in wonder. Although curiosity almost exploded from them, they all held back and waited for Ramanujam to explain further.

"From today, you will be training off campus with Shauryaveer until the end of this month. Your performance evaluation will be done at that time and if any of you want to leave this department, you will have to tell us about it at that time. You have half an hour to go to your room, pack your bags and report at the Gurukul gate. The one who arrived late did not have to bother coming," he said the last sentence, staring intently at Vandit and Mrignayani.

They both were embarrassed.

"Didn't you hear the teacher? What are you waiting for," Shaurya slightly raised his voice.

The room was empty in a matter of seconds with the five of them coming out in a hurry.

"Don't be too hard on them, otherwise we won't have a single volunteer left at the end of these three weeks" said Ramanujam, his former student.

"Guruji, you've become soft in your old age. Have you forgotten the fear you instilled in me and the others on the first day we joined?" Shaurya asked.

They started to slowly walk towards the meeting point.

"What's the situation at the border? Any new developments?" Ramanujam asked calmly.

"No news is good news but my gut feeling is that it has been too long peaceful and quiet. We are expecting reports from our spies stationed on Sapsindhu beach. Perhaps, it will contain some updates," Shaurya mused.

"So, tell me about these new trainees. Is there someone I should look for?" he asked his teacher.

"Well, as always, at least one parent of each of them has been part of our network in the past. Abhirath, the tallest man, is the only one whose parents are spies and is now part of the Ministry of Defense. As for each other's potential, it's too early to make judgments and we know that we don't like to make a hasty impression about anyone. They're usually proven wrong" he shrugged.

"Initially, Mr. Prithvi wanted them to complete physical training in Gurukul during this month before sending it to you for an actual skill test. But last night, he asked me to turn it around. Since you came here to observe them, he asked me to tell you to first check if they have the necessary talent before we torture them with physical training. Have you prepared a plan of action?" ask Ramanujam.

Nodding around, Shaurya began to work out a schedule for the next few weeks.

Mriga gasped again as she reached the Gurukul gate. Everyone is present.

"Had you come a minute later, you would have escaped the tribulation that lay before all of you" Shaurya grinned at Mriga.

Mriga has been a good athlete from a young age. If not higher, his skills were on par with those he had competed with, in various athletic encounters.

This was the first time in his fourteen years of existence he had almost failed at any point.

The five bow to Ramanujam before following Shaurya out of Gurukul. They reach the market and enter a store that looks inconspicuous.

Shaurya asks them to explore the neighborhood before disappearing through a door located behind the shop.

A man entered the store a few minutes later. Ignoring the five of them, he browsed through the myriad of items stored in the dusty closet.

Not sure what to do, Mriga stepped forward and asked, "Are you looking for something special?"

The man looked at her and said, "What are you selling? What are the features of this shop? Show me the best there is."

Abhirath is annoyed with Mriga for walking up to the customer without knowing the place.

He always ran into situations quickly. He would not let her humiliate him along with himself.

"I'm afraid the shop owner is not there. If you can wait or come back one day, he will be able to help you" he said apologizing to the stranger.

As soon as the man was out of hearing, Abhirath fired a verbal shot at Mriga.

"What's your problem? You always move forward without thinking twice. Do you know why we're here? No wonder you are the worst player in the group to date. I don't care about the reason you joined this team but I won't let you affect my performance" he towered over it.

Mriga pushed him back in full force and replied, "Are you asking me to intervene in the conversation? First, you interjected without permission and then you had the courage to lecture me?"

Vandit comes and stands between Mriga and Abhirath to separate them.

He takes her to one corner of the store while Chiranjeev and Nirbhay look at the tableau without giving any reaction.

"There's no reason to argue. You guys barely know each other to show so much hostility. Lest we give the new teacher a bad first impression of us," Vandit persuaded the two of them.

"It's too late for that now, unfortunately," Shaurya entered the room without anyone noticing.

Everyone glares at him. The transformation from a thug to a gentleman took less than ten minutes.

Wearing a clean white cotton kurta* with a pair of straight white pants, he was not at all similar to the villain who accompanied them from Gurukul to the store.

Not only her clothes but also the way she held back. He had walked all the way with a bow but was now standing upright.

Mriga. He was drenched in his facial expression, his mannerisms. He is a completely different person.

"Magarling is my hobby. I like to experiment with new looks in my spare time" he offers this as a means of explanation to the gaping juniors.

Chiranjeev was the first to recover from his shock and said,

“This is so cool. Will you teach me how to do it?"

Shaurya looked at him with a straight face, "Sure, but after you finish your task today."

Moans were emitted from the five of them.

"There was a pile of pamphlets stored outside the store. Each of you should hand out these twenty pamphlets and return within ten minutes. The person who returns last will be subject to punishment" he ordered.

They all ran out of there after hearing the instructions.

The four of them had returned within the allotted time and were waiting for Mrignayani's arrival.

"I thought he would be expelled from the apprenticeship even before the month was over. He obviously wasn't meant to do this," Abhirath thought unkindly.

Gasping for breath, he reported back nearly twenty minutes after the allotted time. Vandit gave him a sympathetic look while the others grinned.

"You're late. Was the task given so difficult for you to do so badly?" Shaurya asked softly.

He bowed his head in misery. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Your punishment is to clean this room thoroughly. You can't rest until you're done. Letters with addresses have been kept out for you all. Make sure it gets to the right receiver" he said.

With everyone gone, the room became quiet except for the sound of Shaurya's legs being shaken. Mriga could not look him in the eye.

"Go through the back door and pick up the cleaning supplies. L'm out. Keeping the shop is your responsibility as well," with that, he left as well.

He had never been humiliated like this in his life. The growling in his stomach added to his misery.

"How can I feel hungry in the midst of so much disgrace?" he was angry at himself.

Stepping into the room located at the back of the shop, he was amazed by the stark difference between the two places. The floor was clean, as was the single bed in the corner.

The small kitchen shines under the sloping sunlight that enters through the window. Nothing looks out of place.

Shaurya managed to track down the four boys in different places and observe them silently. By the time he returned, it was already noon.

The shop was sparkling clean when he entered. Head down, Mriga was busy cataloging the items stored in the closet. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

"Uh, you're back. I'm done cleaning up so just thought about updating the item records stored here. I couldn't find such a list, so I started making it.." his voice weakened, seeing his expression.

"Let's go, '" he said briefly.

"Where to?" he asked carefully.

His clothes were dusty and sweaty. Also, he was pretty sure that some of the cobwebs had moved their living quarters from the wall to his hair.

So, he was reluctant to step out in his current state.

"Well, I'm planning to have lunch. If you are not interested, then you are welcome to return," he said indifferently.

Mriga jumped off the floor, spreading out the notebook that was on his lap.

"Let's go," she beamed at him.

Shaurya was surprised by the brilliance of that smile. The dust had formed a brown mustache above his lips.

The remains of a spider web hang on the side of its head. But at that moment, he looked!

Mriga followed him, trying to follow his long steps.

Living in Gurukul has not given him much choice to explore the market in recent years. He absorbed the sounds and smells from the small restaurant they went to.

"This place is famous for its meat delicacy. Do you eat non-vegetarian food?" Shaurya asked as an afterthought.

Giving her a mischievous smile, she said, "I can eat anything that walks on land. Not very fond of sea creatures."

He was a little confused by her smile again and was looking for someone to take their food order.

"So, what should I call you? You are too young to be called Guruji. I've checked before and you don't have a strand of gray hair. Calling you by your name is impolite. Should I call you big brother?" he asked as his eyes went from table to table, enjoying the delicious food they had ordered.

"Consider your food. You don't have to worry about stupid things like this. Instead of pondering how to improve your performance," Shaurya said rudely.

Mriga stopped eating and looked at him gloomily,

"That's a discriminatory statement. The criteria for judging the task were extremely unfair."

He left his food and leaned back in his chair.

In a deceptive soft voice, he asked, "Is that so? Please explain."

His throat suddenly dried up. He didn't expect her to ask him to explain.

Until now, she had not expressed her dissatisfaction about the evaluation of the task to anyone, even to Ishani.

He cursed his fuzzy tongue for saying it out loud in front of the person he barely knew, who was also a teacher.

Tasks and assignments are prepared by the teachers and departments after doing a lot of research and thinking behind them.

So, if anyone points out a mistake, it is taken very seriously.

"I'm waiting to hear your argument" Shaurya reminded him.

"Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not complaining. It's just that you gave us a pamphlet promoting the opening of a new clothing store for women. Therefore, I tried to find people who would be relevant targets for the information. I don't want to hand the sheets over to busy-looking men who don't want to bother with storing the parchments until they get home at night and meet their families. I avoid giving these to children who might be making drawings of the painting. Because the filtering process in my head was delayed," he gulped down a glass of water after saying those words.

With eyes down, he waited for his response. After a moment of silence, he looked up to see his attention entangled elsewhere.

Following his gaze, he saw a beautiful young lady entering the restaurant.

"It's money to pay for lunch. Finished and returned to the store. See you there," with that, he's gone.

"Very want to hear my story" thought Mriga grimly.

That night, he had finished cleaning things up by the time the boys returned from their duties.

He also explored nearby shops and befriended their owners. No sign of Shaurya since lunch.

"You seem to be good at cleaning and mopping. Maybe you should apply to the housekeeping department" Abhirath said cynically in front of everyone.

He ignored her and sat down next to Vandit, "How was your day? Do you have to travel far?"

Before he could answer, Shaurya entered the store and greeted them,

"Because the four of you returned within the allotted time, all of you have completed the task for the day. Let me show you your inn where you can go and relax. You need to report back at exactly 6am tomorrow."

Mriga looked suspicious, hoping she would invite him along too.

"Wait for me here," with that sudden statement, he left.

"Does this mean I was kicked out of my internship?" thought sad.

He was trying to brace himself for whatever would happen next.

"No matter what, I won't cry. I can always go and apply to the finance department as Yash suggested. I'm good at numbers. I'll be greeted with open arms there, "he's trying to keep his spirits high.

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

"Where are you missing?" Shaurya had returned without him noticing and looked at him with a hint of annoyance.

He stood up in a hurry.

"I have an important task to do tonight. I need an extra pair of eyes for that. Are you ready to come?" he asked rudely.

It took him a minute to realize that he did not ask to pack his bags and leave the place. He nodded his head eagerly in agreement.

"Follow me," he walked into the room behind the shop.

"This outfit may be a little bigger in size but I want you to replace it immediately" he ordered.

Standing in the tiny bathroom, she rolled up the long sleeves of the kurta. Despite pulling his pyjamas, the pajamas were threatened to come off at any moment. He's out holding it at the waist.

Shaurya looked at her and gave her a belt to tie. He managed to change into the same clothes as the morning, except fortunately, it did not smell.

Finally, his clothes seemed to remain in place.

"Stand upright and make no sound," with that, he took out a piece of charcoal and began to dye his face, fingers, nails, and feet.

Next, she tied her hair into a tight bun and gave her a dirty looking cloth to wrap her head around.

She rubbed her hands into a pot of mud and soiled the dusty hands on her clothes and hers.

"After we leave the confines of the store, I want you to follow my instructions strictly. You will not speak a word to anyone we meet .. Remember, not a single syllable. Second, you will use your eyes and ears to observe all the activities that occur around you. You must follow my directions, sit as I sit, walk as I walk. Understood?" tanyanya sharp.

The excitement has made him mute. She was full of questions but did not dare to ask him so that he would not change his mind to take her along.

Nodding his head excitedly, he gave her another dazzling smile.

"Let's go" he said suddenly.

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

*Curta – Long shirt, usually full sleeve up to knee