Architect
Architect
"Remember, this stage is really critical for us and we can't afford to go back empty handed. The princess is close to and dependent upon her close aid, Gayatri. We need both of them to look favourably upon us," Bela's words held some sort of an underlying meaning.
But Shaurya didn't ponder over it for long and said in straightforward manner, "I have no intentions of using any unscrupulous means because they have a tendency to come back and bite you. Just give me three days before I present myself to the royal court. I want to try something out."
"Time is not a luxury for us and I know that you are aware of it. Send me a message when you are ready," saying so, Bela started walking towards the snoozing bear.
Midnight, Saptsindhu
Prince Mahendra walked into his father's chamber and sank down on his knees in front of him. The king looked at his son's bowed head and lifted him up from the shoulders.
For the first time, his eyes had a touch of moisture in them.
He tightened his grip on his forearms and said, "Vijayi bhav".
After a solemn moment, the king stepped away and asked in a gruff voice, "Is everything set? Preparations complete?"
Mahendra nodded his head and replied, "I have checked everything twice myself."
King Amrendra cautioned him, "Check it for the third time, then. Do it this time as if you know that a loophole exists. Find it. Fix it."
Mahendra knew that his father's words were a reflection of his concern but he didn't let impatience filter through his countenance. He nodded his head respectfully and assured him that he will do the needful.
Gurukul, Chandragarh
Prithvi finished scrutinizing the map which Chiranjeev had drawn and just submitted.
"Henceforth, you will be the one in-charge of testing the skills of the other four. Make sure that you judge them as harshly as a soldier defending the inch of the land which he is standing upon," Prithvi told him.
The younger guy allowed himself a tiny smile upon receiving validation of his performance.
At Chiranjeev's respectful nod, Prithvi continued, "How are Mrignayani's preparations going? What is your objective view on it?"
He stood quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
"She has come a long way since she first submitted her nomination to the competition. There is no doubt that she is working hard towards it and giving it her best, but I feel…" he stopped, as if unsure whether he should continue speaking.
At Prithvi's encouraging shakeof head, he said, "I don't think that she is doing it for the right reasons. I don't claim to know her mind nor am I casting aspersions on her motives but I feel that the zeal which one should have towards wanting a particular thing, is missing in her. For example, if she was to get disqualified in the first round itself, she would not particularly mind it."
There was complete silence in the room. The two of them were seated in the lodge where Chiranjeev and the other three boys had stayed during their internship with Shaurya, outside the gurukul.
As the silence stretched in the room, Chiranjeev wondered if he had spoken out of turn. Prithvi who had turned pensive few minutes ago, smiled at him now.
"I am glad that you shared your viewpoint with me. Like you said, we have no insight into a person's mind. But in my opinion as the architect of this particular competition, I think the person who will succeed here is someone who is not strongly attached to the end goal. We are not looking for someone who needs to show her passion towards the throne but who can display that she has the right tools to become worthy of that throne. To view it pragmatically, being a queen is also a job, maybe the toughest one in the country but, still a job. And to put it crudely, we need to hire someone with the best skillsets. Their attachment or the lack of it towards the position is not a requirement or a qualifier," he explained.
Chiranjeev was taken aback once again at his teacher's perspective. It seemed that he had been looking at the whole picture from the wrong end.
He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for sharing these thoughts with me. I will try and ensure that I provide the right assistance to Mrignayani, henceforth."
Prithvi patted his shoulder and left from there.
Gurukul
Mriga was exhausted. She had just finished a hand to hand combat session with Abhirath. It wasn't her strong suit and the brutal truth had been visible all through the session.
"W… why are we doing this? If I have clearly mentioned in my form that I am trained in archery, why would they test my fighting skills?" she asked him in a breathless voice.
"If I were the architect of the test, I would surely want to test a person in an area which was out of their comfort zone. Why would I need to check you on your strengths? The QIT is not going to participate in competitions. She would need to adapt herself to new challenges every single time. So, you need to train your mind and body to acclimatize itself to the idea of constant change. Do you understand?" he explained patiently.
Mriga sat down on the ground with her legs crossed and folded her hands in the form of formal greeting.
"Please accept my heartfelt salute, Master. I have chosen you as my spiritual guru for the rest of my life. Continue to guide me," she said cheekily.
Abhirath squatted down in front of her and replied in all seriousness, "I am not interested in being your spiritual guru. But if you are willing to be around me for the rest of your life, then we can explore the options for that."
*Vijayi bhav - Be victorious