Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

Mriga knew that she was late for her session with Chiranjeev but she still returned to the dorm in order to be by herself and collect her chaotic thoughts. Before climbing up to her room, she was handed a letter by the dorm's attendant.     

Seeing her father's handwriting, she tore it open quickly, without waiting to reach her room. Her father was not the kind to write her letters. But inside the envelope, the scroll held another, more familiar set of handwriting.     

My darling daughter     

Have I ever told you that I have been blessed to have you in my life? The day you were born, you held onto my finger, even with your eyes closed. And till date, you have continued to show that kind of unwavering faith in me.     

I, as an imperfect human being, strive hard every day to remain worthy of that trust. I know that you are unsure about your suitability or merit as a candidate to compete in the upcoming tournament. But as your mother and your first teacher, I believe that you are not less deserving than any other girl out there to be a participant, and if possible, the winner.     

Just believe yourself and if you find that not being enough, believe in my belief. I can easily visualise you as the girl who can become the 'Queen In Training'. Remember, the winner of this competition is not someone who is going to become the perfect Queen, but someone who shows the promise of being one.     

I know that you have that potential and much more. Wrapping my love, strength and conviction in this letter and sending it you. Use it when you find doubts crawling in.     

Always your proud mother~     

Mriga - Your mother left this note to be sent to you a week before your competition. I may not be as eloquent as your mother but I agree with what she has written. You have our love and support. Do your best!     

Your father~     

Mriga leaned against the wall outside the room and shut her eyes, trying to stem the tears which threatened to spill out. She didn't know whether this was some sort of magic or an intervention from the heavens that she received such words from her parents at the time when she needed to hear them the most.     

She sniffed and wiped her eyes, before folding the note carefully and pressing it against her chest.     

Himprayag     

As Shaurya entered the semi lit place, he saw a woman clad in full military gear standing close to a horse which was pushing his snout near the woman's neck, trying to get her attention. Looking at the horse, he was suddenly reminded of the scene from this morning, making him tug at the collar of his kurta, uncomfortably.     

Shaurya took stock of his surroundings while the commander went ahead and murmured something in the woman's ear, making the latter turn around and walk towards them.     

The past eight years of training was what kept Shaurya from jumping back from where he was standing.     

So, his morning naked sojourn had been accomplished with the princess of a damn country.     

Way to go Shaurya!     

If the princess turns them away either because of his earlier cheekiness or maybe because she didn't like what she saw that morning, how was he going to explain it to his mentor? In this moment, he understood the absolute meaning of mortification.     

Busy with keeping his thoughts away from his face, he kept his head down and failed to notice the mirroring fret splashed on Ahilya face, as well. The next few moments felt long to both Gayatri and Bela, who looked at the white-faced princess and the shy young man.     

"Ahem, Princess Ahilya, this is Bela's son, the one whom she had mentioned to us about," Gayatri brought her lover out of the stupor with her words.     

Without raising his eyes, Shaurya bowed his head in respect, "Greetings, Princess. I am honored to be here this evening."     

He was fervently hoping that she would take this as his way to apologise for the impudence shown by him earlier that day. He should have just let her stare at him while he got dressed. As it is, she had seen whatever was there to see. Why did he have to utter those words to her?     

"Umm, yes. Bela tells me that you are quite an intelligent person, good at identifying people and their traits. As your mother, she obviously would think the world of you. But in your own opinion, are you worthy of the praise?" Ahilya asked him pointedly.     

She had recovered from her earlier embarrassment when she realized that he didn't intend to call her out on it. Shaurya grimaced at her haughty words which seemed to hold a deeper meaning, as expected with reference to the incident from the morning.     

He had spent three exhausting days in collecting information about the princess which would help him get a clue into her psyche. He had intended to dazzle her with his insights into her character but now, he dare not say a single word about her. It was sure to backfire on him.     

He could feel Bela's questioning gaze on him. But he didn't make eye contact with her, either. Maybe there was still a way to redeem himself.     

He turned towards her general, who seemed to have sensed the undercurrents in the room, as well.     

With a disarming smile, he started to speak to her, "Please do not be offended with anything I say next. I am only trying to keep my mother's faith in my abilities alive."     

With that, he came closer to the lithe woman and said, "The youngest general in the country, you come from a long, illustrious line of military personnel who have dedicated their lives to Himprayag. You have managed to surpass all of them with your achievements in the shortest span of time."     

Ahilya wasn't the most patient soul to begin with.     

Adding to that, the embarrassment from this morning, she snapped at him, "I don't think there is anyone in Himprayag who doesn't know that."