Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

Prithvi hoped to hear the latest report from Ramanujam soon. The good news was that Saraswati had finished her mission and was on her way back. Tomorrow onwards, the administrative tasks could be handled by her.     

The weather was nippy but with the sun shining bright, Prithvi didn't mind the cold breeze. He made his way to the backside of the arena where huge cloth tents were being given a final survey by the team responsible.     

These tents were going to hold the contestants, their teammates and their equipment before and during the competition. As of now, the length of tents was covering the entire courtyard but slowly they would start to reduce as the elimination rounds took place. Prithvi had deliberately not arranged for any security to guard these tents, despite Indrani's repeated reminder for the same.     

He fully expected the contestants to try and harm the opponents through different means and he wasn't going to stop them. If a person couldn't even take care of her team or belongings, how was she expected to manage the whole country??     

Mriga had not slept even a wink since the night before. Abhirath had declared a holiday on the last day of prep. He wanted her to take a step back and catch her breath before the start of the 15-day long marathon. But as the day dragged on, Mriga felt that it would have been better had she been busy with the tasks instead of being left alone with her thoughts. It was not even dawn but she couldn't remain on the bed any longer. Getting up, she went to the bathroom and stopped short at the sight in front of her. So many girls, some of whom were familiar faces and some not, were all milling around the place.     

Immediately she felt better. It seemed that the anxious butterflies had not visited just her. She murmured a polite greeting as she went past a few of them. An hour later, she was ready and went back to the dorm to retrieve her bag. She tiptoed to Ishani's bed and tucked a note next to her pillow before slipping out of there.     

Before making her way to the Admin department, she stopped to look at the Sun which was just coming up from east. She closed her eyes and offered a quick prayer, seeking positivity from the god of energy and strength.     

The event was supposed to start at 8am and the contestants were to report an hour earlier at the venue. Mriga still had more than an hour before she needed to leave. So, she intended to use the time to clean and polish her tools which were to be used today, one more time.     

Today's event was the first part of the dual physical evaluation. It was a solo event and the participants were required to showcase their talent or expertise in a particular field. Thankfully, this was an event for which Mriga had been preparing for a long time, unknowingly.     

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realise when she reached her destination.     

"See, I won!" Nirbhay's gleeful voice broke her chain of thoughts and she looked up in surprise.     

The five boys stood there with varying expressions on their faces.     

She grinned at the sight. It seemed that they were as nervous as she was.     

The thought warmed her heart and she said, "What did you win? Isnt it too early in the day for any sort of competition?"     

Vandit scowled and replied on Nirbhay's behalf, "He lured us all into betting on your arrival time at this place. His was the closest bet. So now we all owe him."     

Mriga tut tutted and laughed at their antics.     

"Since all of you are here, you might as well help me clean and pack my equipment," she said.     

Abhirath stepped ahead with a nod, "That's a good idea. It is better that we don't open the box before your turn in the competition. Even though it's last minute, I don't want anyone sabotaging our game."     

Mriga wanted to counter by saying that everyone would be busy doing their own thing rather than look at the opponent, but she knew that it was a distinct possibility and it didn't hurt to be cautious.     

"Mriga, I know that you are not the kind to cower down in front of the competition, no matter how strong is the opponent. But be wary of the pressure tactics which some may employ. The contest won't be played out only on the field. Like Abhirath warned you about safeguarding your equipment, you need to brace yourself for the mental attacks as well. Show of strength can be displayed in many ways and it can affect the other person's equilibrium. Do you understand what I mean?" Yash asked her.     

She gave him an assuring smile in return.     

"Ok, if we are done with the gyan session for now, let's get to work," Chiranjeev brought everyone back to the task.     

Gurukul Entrance Gate     

"Oh! I didn't expect to see you here, big brother. But I am so glad that you made it. How are you feeling now? Do you know how worried I was when I heard about the attack on you," Vindhya exclaimed in delight as Vidyut met her at the entrance gate.     

"Did you really think that I won't make it to the event for which my sister has been preparing for the longest? I am fine. It wasn't a big deal. By the way, I have volunteered to be a part of the team of vaidyas who would be on standby during the entire competition. But I don't want to see you coming there during the contest. You must be very careful during all tasks, understood?" he said lovingly.     

She smiled at him and promised that she would be cautious. Her team walked out as well, carrying the necessary things which they needed to take to the stadium.