Getting Ready
Getting Ready
"But your safety is first and foremost for us," he implored.
"I am Rani Samyukta, the ruling queen of Chandragarh. It is my dharma* to lead my people from the front. You concentrate on bringing your plan to fruition. My well-being doesn't fall under your purview," with those cold words, she turned her back towards him, indicating that this meeting was over.
Prithvi sighed inwardly and stepped out of the room. As was the norm, it was he who was supposed to leave first. Instead of leaving immediately after him, Rani Samyukta picked up the broom which was kept on the side and started to sweep the floor. Since no one was supposed to know the existence of this room apart from the spy chief and the queen, there was no one to maintain and clean it.
Since her days as the QIT, the previous queen had taught her to come and clean up the place. A young Samyukta had done it out of politeness till the purpose of it became clear to her when she started coming here alone. It was a therapeutic experience.
After spending fifteen minutes in tidying up the place, she pressed the lever to the secret opening and bent down to step in.
Prithvi reached him home and stripped off the clothes which he had been wearing. He flung them down on the floor in annoyance. He was a result driver person not to mention a controlling one. He knew that he couldn't make the queen walk the path which he wanted her to but the situation was frustrating him right now especially since it had been exacerbated by the recent obstacles which he was facing.
Despite the cold weather, clad in only a long robe, he walked to the communal bath area nearby. He stepped in the small pool and went underwater holding his breath. He wanted to sift through the useless chaos and find the clue which had been evading him all this while. Soon the pressure on his lungs became too much and he came back to the surface. It was time to bend the finger and take out the ghee*!
Next morning, Gurukul
Stage two was all about evaluating the candidate's knowledge which was not just restricted to what had been taught in the Gurukul. A QIT needed to have the holistic overview of the country and its surroundings. The competition had three components to it. But due to the format being such, the contestants could actually prepare for only one of the three components - the multiple choice question paper. The topics in this would encompass everything which should be known to a QIT, including Chandragarh's administrative policies, laws, financial system, foreign policies, details about the neighboring countries and more.
The second component was going to be an open-ended question with no right answer. The contestants would be adjudged on the basis of the logic or explanation behind their responses. The problem with this format was that if a contestant answered the question trying to guess the intent or inclination of the judges, she could go horribly wrong. Hence the only way to respond would be by staying true to what the contestant personally believed. There was no way to prepare for something like this. And the last component was the quantitative feedback and scoresheet from the teachers and peers.
Vindhya was sure that the assessment from the teachers and batchmates would be completely in her favour. In fact, she had maintained the façade of being a gentle and caring person for years because of this. Unfortunately for her, the weightage of this section had been reduced from 50% to 20% in this competition. She couldn't stop cursing the Queen for doing this and introducing the stupid 'open ended question'. The MCQs were also something that she knew she would ace. After all, this is what she had been preparing for in her growing years.
As long as she had the entire 60% under her belt, how bad could she really do on the last bit. With that, she smiled to herself and waited outside the Gurukul gate for her brother.
She couldn't help but think about the strange coincidence of yesterday when those two contestants along with their partners, had come and volunteered to help her in the maze. After they successfully finished the level, the two girls had told her that they would continue to offer help as long as they could in the future, as well. She didn't know whether she should be suspicious of strangers being helpful or just take the aid quietly. Were they trying to curry favour with her already?
"I will discuss this with brother Vidyut today. I wonder why has he asked to meet me in the middle of the competition though. He is not the kind to cause any disruption unless its urgent," she mused, rubbing her hands on her arms, trying to stay warm.
In a few minutes, Vidyut's charming smile was visible to her when he alighted from the horse.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting for long, did I? C'mon, let's go for a small ride. I got your favorite horse along," saying so, he took the reins of another horse from the lackey who had ridden alongside him.
Vindhya was pleasantly surprised at her brother's actions but didn't question him and expertly climbed on the horse.
"Let's head towards the outskirts. At this hour, the lanes towards the city would be crowded," he told her before spurring his horse on.
After half hour, they pulled their horses to a stop. They were at the edge of a small stream. Getting down, Vidyut patted his horse which was glistening with sweat and took him to drink water. Vindhya followed suit. She was waiting patiently. She was well aware of her brother's habit of speaking when he was ready.
*Dharma - An aspect of truth or reality.
*Bend the finger and take out the ghee - Idiom meaning deviating from the rules to get what one wants.