Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

Standing at the food stall, Shaurya forced himself to stop thinking about the past. Maybe it was watching the proximity of Mriga and her beau which had triggered these memories after so long. Irrespective of the reason, he ruthlessly pushed the feelings into the black box in his head and channelled his thoughts towards the upcoming meeting which was to take place in a market fair set up at the outskirts of the city. It was important that everything should happen discreetly and without any hiccups. The one thing which was most critical to him was the accounting of variables in any situation which he entered into. He liked to plan and think ahead about even the simplest of tasks.     

"We have a fair bit of walking to do tonight. The place that we are going to is sure to be crowded. Make sure you stay close and vigilant. Do not get entranced by the distractions. I shouldn't have to worry about searching for you instead of concentrating upon the task," he instructed Mriga, who was in the process of licking the food remains from her fingers.     

Giving him one of her trademark dazzling smile, she simply nodded her head. She loved good food and it was visible on her face every single time. Shaurya looked down quickly and emptied his bowl of grub.     

"Umm… uh, I mean, guruji…actually, can I just call you big brother? The title of Guruji doesn't become you. I don't mean it disrespectfully, just that with your young looks… I know I asked you this earlier as well but we never settled the matter," she prattled on.     

"Just call me by my name. Can we leave now?" he said impatiently.     

"What was her fixation with titles?" he thought to himself, irritably.     

"Nooooo, I mean I was looking for a way to address you because I wanted to ask you a question. No scratch that, I want to ask you manyyyyyy questions," she said in one brave breath.     

"We are short on time. Let's walk and talk," he responded curtly.     

"She may have the making of a good spy but her non-stop chatter is nerve wracking and would be an impediment to her career, if she chooses to pursue this path after completing her education," he thought, only half listening to what she was saying.     

"So basically all these questions come down to the one basic but most important one – what exactly is the purpose of the Admin department?" she finished, nearly out of breath after speaking non-stop for the past few minutes.     

Since she had decided to risk his ire and ask the questions, she might as well vent out her entire curiosity. Who knows when would she be able to get such an opportunity again, especially with his 'monosyllabic personality'. So she puked out everything.     

Having caught only the last question properly, he turned to look at her, "if all the previous questions could have been condensed into one, why did you choose to ask so many? Do you love listening to your own voice so much? Have you realised that your cacophony attracts attention. Even if you are not aware of the exact operational details, you do know that we are supposed to be as unobtrusive as possible. Or do I need to repeat the same instructions over and over again to you?"     

Mriga looked up at him in surprised dismay. Till date, he had been cold but polite. But tonight, his tone was piercing and he seemed to be in a terrible mood. She had not received such sharp lashing from him, even on the first day that she had fought with Abhirath in the shop. Deciding that it was wise to stay quiet, she simply lowered her gaze down and walked besides him.     

Shaurya was aghast at his own behaviour. He never lost his cool, especially with the trainees. He had been able to build a strong team of agents due to his ability to lead without reprimanding anyone. It was his knack of not getting aggravated even under extreme circumstances which had led to his quick rise in the network. But he had berated an apprentice for simply talking too much. Maybe he needed an overdue break from work.     

He stole a glance at her, trying to gauge her reaction to his verbal whiplash. But the dark surroundings and her downturned face gave him no idea about what was going through her head. Raking his head for a suitable way to reach out to her, he spoke after a few moments.     

"If I ever have an important question in my head, I try and seek the answer to it myself rather than depending upon someone else to provide for it. The starting point should be examining the facts which are known to me. From there, I would add the clues and inferences that I can draw from the situation. In most cases, the answer which I will arrive at, would be closest to the actual truth. Alternatively, if you always try and seek or depend upon others for solutions, how can you be sure that the answer provided by someone would be accurate? Won't the biases and motives of those people colour the reply that they give you? I have realised that it is best to rely on myself for most things, especially for the questions which bother me the most," he said in his usual mild voice.     

Forgetting the recent scolding, she looked up at him with admiration. He truly was a wonderful teacher. In the past few days, she had consciously, sub consciously learnt so much from him. She was really grateful that he had chosen her for these nightly assignments.