Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

Chapter 96: Litmus Test

Royal Palace, Chandragarh

The coordinator finished with his instructions and asked the three contestants if they had any questions. The three shook their heads and a conch was blown to signal the start of the event.

The three teams exited the tent and walked to the park area. They had heard the instructions while sitting inside and were preparing to leave.

Mriga glanced at his team's depleted strength but straightened his shoulders with a smile.

He spoke to them in a calm voice,

"You guys start picking our resources from the bowl while I'm going to go and say hello to our 'people. I'll take Ishani with me."

Nirbhay noticed the eyes on them and their behavior.

He muttered in a low tone,

"Now is not the time to race. We're racing against time."

Mriga shook her head and said,

"In the same way that I trust you to choose the best resources, you also have to trust me to make the right decisions. After all, I'm the leader in this task, remember?"

Yash placed his hand on Nirbhay's shoulder and directed him away from there gently, giving Mriga a spirited smile.

Pride shone in his eyes. In the past few weeks, he was largely relegated to the position of outsider and as a result, he could see the slow transformation in Mriga's character more clearly than anything else. He is fit and ready for this task.

Ishani is asked not to ask for help, but mainly because for Mriga, the presence of her best friend during her most important exam is crucial, regardless of the 'value' she brings to the team.

Since coming here, Ishani has been overwhelmed, first with her palace and surroundings, then with strategic discussions taking place in the group. As a result, he was not like his usually carefree self and looked a little frightened.

Mriga took a large bundle of files stored beside her and whispered to Ishani,

"Today's success will depend a lot on how you look."

Ishani who had been nervous became even more pale when she heard her friend say that. He knew that they missed Abhirath and Chiranjeev, but he couldn't possibly fill their boots!

"Your social skills are the best among our group and hence, I have chosen you for this task" he told his friend in a calm voice.

After that, Mriga gave him instructions for what he wanted him to do and walked to the place, where the people who would be part of his 'kingdom' were sitting. He greeted them politely and talked a little about himself.

"I'm here to seek your help and guidance. My communications minister, for today, explains the rest to you in detail. I thanked him in advance." with that, he pushed Ishani forward and left from there.

Mriga did not bother to waste a single moment to see what the other two teams were doing. That's none of his business. When he reached his team, Yash and Vandit were having a heated argument. On the big ship, many plaques have been placed with different titles in each of them like –

Rich in agriculture/Mineral abundance/Strong Army/Welfare Economy and more.

Mriga immediately understood the problem. They are fighting over which resources to choose because each of these components will be an important basis for the type of country they end up building.

After half an hour of vigorous argument, the three teams were ready with their options and they handed the chosen plaque to the royal retinues.

The event coordinator instructed the removal of three ships from there and asked officers to bring in new ones. Both the contestants and the people, were shocked.

"In real life, for every positive thing, there is a negative thing. Keeping that principle in mind, right now, your job is to choose your country's two weaknesses from the big bowl that is next to you. Since this is a simulation, we have given you a choice of three advantages and two losses. In the real world, it can be reversed or worse. It is up to us to organize and change it for our good. Good luck, "the guy standing on the podium beckoned for the team to start.

Everyone present and even the delegates were amazed by the change. Had the positives and negatives been offered together, it would have been as easy as picking cherries for the contestants, but now they would have been limited by the choices they had made.

On this winter morning, the sun had decided to appear in its full splendor, as if offering its support for the event. Indrani approached the podium where the queen and the delegates were seated. He looks better than what he had in the morning.

He was followed by a long line of servers that brought drinks for everyone. Taking a glass of pomegranate juice, Indrani walked to the seat of Rani Samyukta.

Like the queen's routine, she wouldn't eat anything at this kind of hour.

With a puzzled smile, the queen took the carved cup from her hand and muttered her thanks.

"Please keep yourself hydrated. It will be a long day" whispered Indrani.

Rani Samyukta nodded and waved at him,

"You're blocking my view."

Indrani bowed politely and muttered an apology before walking to the back of her chair to stand up. After a few minutes, his eyes wandered and were fixed on Prince Mithilesh, who was seated one step below the queen's throne. He gave her a small nod as a token of gratitude and Indrani's lips formed a tight line.

Unfortunately, the interaction was missed by Prithvi, who no longer stood in groups near the stairs. On the contrary, there were people of similar height and appearance who could be considered as Prithvi, at least from a distance. He was wearing the same clothes and his long hair covered half of his face.

.

The Royal Cage, Chandragarh

Chiranjeev and Abhirath had not managed to catch their breath since Prithvi first searched for them this morning. 'The 'old woman' they took, walked faster than them.

They had found out that the woman was undercover but they did not dare to ask her about it.

Without making small talk, he began to talk when they reached the same place where Prithvi first gave them instructions,

"Each of you will be given a mission. Treat this as a matter of national security and give more than the best. Time is the core here. So let's get to work. I will speak to you one by one so that none of you will know the mission of the other."

With that, he brought Abhirath aside first and spoke to him in a low tone. Chiranjeev observed them from the corner of his eye. Whether it was a trick of the light or something was wrong with his eyes, but he felt that when Mriga grew old, he would look exactly like this.

.

On the other side of the park

While the contestants jostled among their respective groups, the queen began to feel nauseous. Usually seen with an expressionless face, he looked uncomfortable at the moment. Holding his chest, he stared at Indrani who looked away for a moment while biting her lower lip.

Then, calming down, Indrani called a group of escorts to help the queen return. He also sent a message to the royal physician before whispering something to the event coordinator and hurriedly following the queen's stretcher.

Many eyes were on the busyness of the movement but before any of them could react, the coordinator spoke,

"Consider everything! Rani Samyukta has retired for today but the event will continue uninterrupted. Ask ministers and officials to be ready with their questions for the contestants. Thank you." Thank you."

.

Himprayag

Shaurya was in the military camp when he received the letter. Reading the scroll, he frowned but nodded his head at the envoy. Half an hour later, he suddenly fell to the ground and fainted. The people training with him were shocked and he was taken to the barracks where he had been staying lately.

The physician was summoned and since this person was close to the royal family of Himprayag, a message was also sent to General Gayatri. By the time she entered her room, Shaurya looked pale and tried to stand up. Seeing him, he staggered towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder to take support.

Gayatri was fed up with him in such a close distance and was about to push him away but she tightened her grip and whispered in his ear,

"Speak to me as you do under normal circumstances but watch what I write on the ground."

Saying so, she fell to the ground and heard him say in an emotionless voice, saying,

"Are you pretending to be sick now?"

He groaned and said,

"No, I've been diagnosed with acute food poisoning. Maybe I ate something that didn't fit my constitution."

While he was speaking, his fingers were working fast on the soft muddy surface. Gayatri's face paled as she read the message but she continued to speak in a flat tone,

"Then, rest. We don't want Chandragarh to feel aggrieved and unable to let anything happen to you."

He walked out of the room with unhurried steps and into the military camp, telling them about Shaurya's condition. Only when she reached her room did she lock the door and sit on the chair, without a sound.

The man's words were still visible before his eyes,

"deadly danger. Ask the Princess to meet at the place we first met, at dusk. Come in disguise."

Who's in danger?

The princess?

From whom?

Gayatri did not like the man, no. she hated the man but she could not think of any reason for him to do such a trick.

Had he expected the princess' presence, he would have gotten it much earlier and through easier methods that imply this elaborate charade was not made for Ahilya.

While standing, he wiped any and every expression off his face before walking out of the door in his calm and unhurried manner.

.

Somewhere down the road

Abhirath cursed quietly now. Put into the carriage filled with old men and women, he was wedged in the corner. If seeing decayed teeth was not enough, the after-breakfast smell in everyone's breath would definitely make him vomit immediately. In accordance with the old woman's orders, she found an inconspicuous carriage that was heading to Himprayag.

Dressed in the clothes of a laborer, he had the queen's stamped covenant affixed to his clothes. He was on his way to meet Shauryaveer there.

There were a million questions in his head but thinking this was his first official mission, Abhirath felt as if he had already sensed heaven. Her only regret is not being able to see Mriga before leaving but then she will be back soon.

"Maybe I should call him 'Your Majesty' or something when I get back. It would definitely give him the biggest kick," he snorted, imagining the scene.

Suddenly, someone let out a large burp, telling the whole carriage about his greasy food containing onions.

That's her!

Abhirath decided to stick his face out the window. It was better to let his nose freeze in the cold air than to let him die from asphyxiation due to the poisonous smell.

Because the people in the carriages belonged to the lower economic range, the carriage puller let go of his horse to go at very high speeds, throwing passenger safety to the wind.

After all, a shorter time meant an opportunity to turn around faster. Holding the window to his beloved life, Abhirath focused his mind on the next part of the task.

.

Gurukull, Chandragarh

Prithvi stands in front of Saraswati who says goodbye to her father, old Vaidya. After a while, he walked out and his attitude changed completely.

They went to the Admin building and from there to the underground tunnel leading to Prithvi's house.

Once inside, Prithvi helps Saraswati change her appearance. After half an hour, a festively dressed player came out of Gurukul and sauntered towards the famous brothel in the market.

There, he meets Prithvi who manages to reach out faster and stands inside, waiting for him. He takes her to a secret room that was once the meeting place between her and the queen. The three people who had been waiting for them looked up as Prithvi walked into the room, followed by Saraswati.

Saraswati bowed deeply to the queen, but Prithvi had already started to speak in a low tone to Chiranjeev, who was not a woman,

"Have you managed to manage everything?"

Despite the very unusual circumstances, Chiranjeev seemed calm and alert. She had experienced one of the most thrilling moments of her life a moment ago when she came to this room through a secret tunnel whose entrance started from the queen room.

He nodded his head at Prithvi's question and spoke,

"Music instruments are already loaded in the carriage waiting at the door of the brothel."

Prithvi looked at the queen, who had also changed her appearance, matching Bela now.

"Remember! All of you are a group of singers and musicians who accompany Saraswati to a performance in South Zilla. Make sure your names and stories match each other. Chiranjeev, the driver is my trusty old brother. You will act as his henchman. Do you remember your map formation well? You'll be a guide, helping him with directions. You have to take the least traveled route" he said.

Chiranjeev replied with humility but he sounded confident,

"I won't let us get lost."

"Once you get there, Saraswati will rise to the next stage. Bela didi, your duty is only to protect the queen and nothing else. Trust the team around you. I have trained them personally" said Prithvi to be a icebreaker for a group of strangers who suddenly gathered in this extraordinary circumstance.

Without saying much, everyone began to shuffle out of the room. The queen walked towards Prithvi and said,

"I'll wait for you."

He lowered his head deeply and replied,

"I won't let you down. Please be safe until then."

Bela who had remained silent until now, walked towards Prithvi and said in a low tone,

"Mriga…"

He put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. No words were exchanged as he followed the queen out.

.

Himprayag

"You're here? I just came to the palace now to look for you. An important letter has come for you," the old man said to Shaurya as soon as he entered the inn.

An ominous feeling ran through Shaurya's back as he opened the sealed message.

Taking out a quill pen and paper, he sat down to decode it. After a while, blood completely spilled from his face. Seeing his expression, the old man inevitably asked him, saying,

"What's going on?"

But he didn't get an answer.

"Do you have a detailed map of this region?"

Shaurya asked him after a while.

By region, he refers to the entire landmass consisting of the four major countries – Himprayag, Sapsindhu, Chandragarh, and Vayuprastha.

The man wasted no time and went to his room. After a while, he returned with a few rolls of sheepskin rolls and placed them in front of Shaurya.

Looking at the gloomy look of the young man, he said,

"You may not have been told about me but I completed the last ten years of my ministry under Rani Samyukta. Due to my excellent track record in the army, I was handpicked by a young 'then Prithvi', who had just taken over the Cakra Suraksha team in the Western zilla. He approached me not only because of my abilities but also because of my background. I had no one left in my family when I was ready to retire and he wanted to put me as a sleeping agent in Himprayag. He managed to weave an elaborate background story that made people in this place believe that I had lived here forever when in fact I had only come to Himprayag in the last decade. I'm telling you this because I think you might need my help right now."

Shaurya was silent for a moment before handing over the letter he had just deciphered his code.

.

Royal Palace, Himprayag

Ahilya listened to Gayatri with an expressionless face as the latter told her about the incident in Veer's room. After he finished speaking, he saw Ahilya's reaction.

Although he did not suspect the man, all of this made him uneasy. For him, nothing else mattered except the safety of Ahilya. If he was in danger, then Gayatri would be hated to let him go to the inn where he was out in the open and vulnerable.

"Make preparations. We'll be leaving in half an hour. Lately I haven't done cosplay*. What am I supposed to be today?" he looks at himself.

Gayatri bit her lip before saying,

"But safety…"

"I'm taking you with me. What's problem?" Ahilya cut in half and said so.

.

The capital's border entrance, Chandragarh

Both of them got off their horses. They had been driving non-stop for hours now. As both are still recovering from their respective injuries, it has been a painful journey for them, but the timing is important and they cannot delay.

"You don't look so good. Did the wound reopen?" ask the little boy aka Prince Mahendra of Sapsindhu to the person.

Sharada held onto the abdomen where Ramanujam caused the near-fatal wound a few hours ago. As Ramanujam stumbles upon the presence of Prince Mahendra, there is no way there will be any further delay of their plans. It was fortunate that the prince had almost recovered from the deadly snake bite!

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

*Cosplay - The Japanese term, Kosupure, is translated as Cosplay, which is a portmanteau of the English word costume play. One of the goals of cosplay is to portray a character. You can do this 'accurately' by copying the exact look of the characters, down to the details. You can also use your own creativity through a mix of costumes, wigs, accessories, and props.