Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

The mother-daughter duo had worked on their respective weapons, Bela preparing for the Himprayag event, and Mriga for the QIT. Surprisingly, they had both started their projects initially for academic purposes without either of them knowing that this would become an important instrument of their success in the near future.     

Mriga bowed to the crowd and took a step backwards to get down from the performing area.     

"Wait a minute. We want you to explain the functioning of the weapon a little before you go. I believe the audience would also like to know about it," said one of the judges.     

Actually a message had come from the queen asking the judge to do so.     

Mriga beamed and replied, "I will be happy to. As I mentioned earlier, this instrument uses the same principle as a catapult. Its original adaptation was done by my mother who developed a crossbow which yields arrows. My version, which you see here, shoots metal pellets which can be extremely effective. The speed and accuracy of the target improves with its usage in a close combat versus an arrow. Also, this can be used stealthily since the opponent won't see it coming during night. I am still working on improving the pace at which it is released. I believe that the extent of damage would improve significantly if the speed can be increased even by a bit."     

With that, she pulled the instrument apart and put it together in smooth motions to show them how it had been assembled. During the entire process, her body language was extremely confident and relaxed.     

There was a strong murmur arising in the tents holding the rest of the contestants. No one had been asked to stay back by the judges till now, except for this one. Also, no participant had presented something which could possibly have a practical application. Till now, Mriga had been an unknown entity but as she walked back towards the holding area, she could feel a sea of gazes on her, some hostile, some curious, some impressed.     

"Ask the army commander stationed in the capital to have a look at this instrument. Also, start with a thorough background check on this girl, along with the other names which I have shortlisted today," the queen instructed her team before getting up from there.     

The three boys were grinning ear to ear as Mriga entered her allocated area.     

"Should we start packing up now?" Vandit asked no one in particular, smugly.     

He had been feeling the pressure standing in the arena while Mriga looked cool as a cucumber.     

Abhirath came forward at that moment and engulfed Mriga in a bear hug, irrespective of the many eyes watching them. Mriga stiffened for a second but then relaxed in the comforting warmth. She could feel her spine give way as the tension seeped out of her. She let Abhirath's broad, strong hands support her in that moment. Just for those few seconds, she could close her eyes and empty her mind.     

Contrary to how she looked out there, she had been extremely nervous and was praying that her hands didn't shake when she took the aim. All that training with her mother in wee hours of the morning and late at night had helped her managing to identify her targets in dusk in the arena today.     

"Ahem, if you guys are done, can we make a move? This is not time to celebrate but strategize. The next stage guidelines have been announced," Chiranjeev said, causing the others to snigger.     

Yash, who had been clenching his fists tightly, forced himself to relax. He bent down and started to collect the things and putting them in the trunk. Unknown to himself, there was a quiet hurt visible on his face.     

Gurukul     

The five of them were sitting on the floor in a circular formation in the Admin department's reception area after a noisy reunion had taken place with a tired looking Saraswati. She had been delayed in her arrival from Southern zilla and hadn't made it to the tournament in time. So, she was being told about it in an exaggerated manner by Vandit.     

Yash had excused himself when they arrived at the Gurukul gate. He told them that he would see them the next day before they were to leave for the venue.     

"I believe tomorrow will be a tough day. I don't think it will be as smooth and easy as it is being made to look like on paper," Chiranjeev's voice rang out in the room.     

"Uh huh, this is my cue to leave you all. As a part of Guruji's team which is overseeing the competition, I am not supposed to take part in any such discussions," Saraswati said and got up from her seat.     

Once she left, Abhirath spread the instruction scroll on the floor and everyone leaned ahead to have a look at it.     

It read like this –     

Details of Round two of Stage one:     

- Participant is allowed to choose one partner for this dual event.     

- Venue will be informed in the morning on the day of the event.     

- Participant should report at the Gurukul's entrance gate with her team member sharp at 4 am.     

- Do not bring any personal belongings.     

Duration – Entire day     

"Is it only me who thinks that the information is a little sketchy? They haven't said what kind of contest is it. Will there be any hand-to-hand combat? Why aren't we allowed to bring any equipment or weapon?" Nirbhay asked, looking at everyone's faces.     

"For now, the most important bit is to decide who will go with Mriga?" Chiranjeev interjected.     

All four pairs of eyes swung towards Mriga who had a calm face at the moment. She had had a nervous day and didn't want to fret over something now, which was going to happen tomorrow irrespective.     

"Abhirath, would you do the honour of being my partner for the event?" she raised her gaze and asked him in a neutral voice.