Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

"I never imagined that we would meet again and that too like this. Looking at your expressions though, I don't think you remember me, right?" Vidyut asked Mriga when they were alone again.     

She looked at him with some trepidation and then glanced in the direction of Abhirath who was walking away from her.     

Vidyut seemed to understand her thoughts and said with a soft laugh, "It seems that you have no memory of me. I don't blame you, though. The last time we met, you were dressed in a garb much different from this one and seemed to be under heavy influence of alcohol and singing at a raucous party. I took you to a tea stall but you vanished before I could…"     

"Ohhhh! So, you were the one to help me that night. Thank you and sorry. I pulled that stupid stunt on a dare. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I would be highly obliged if you didn't mention it in front of my friends here. You see…" she babbled hurriedly in acute embarrassment.     

Vidyut shook his head halfway through her speech and cut her off, "You don't need to say anything more. Don't worry. By the way, my name is Vidyut and I am pleased to make your acquaintance, finally."     

She smiled in relief and answered in the same vein, "Hello, I am Mrignayani. Thank you once again for that night and also for coming to my rescue today."     

Vidyut's eyes crinkled as he recalled that memory.     

"Oh, what are you doing here, Vidyut?" Lata's surprise was evident in her voice.     

The others had also reached the place.     

"I came here few days ago. The missionary work at the border finished earlier than I thought it would," he addressed her with an easy smile.     

"I see that you find yourself a patient wherever you go," she laughed, pointing at Mriga's foot.     

The boys' attention was fixed on Mriga's condition instead of the seniors' talk. Nirbhay was busy scolding her for it in a low voice.     

"Here's the stuff you asked for," Abhirath and Chiranjeev came huffing with the vinegar and a clean cotton cloth.     

Vidyut sat back on his haunches and picked Mriga's foot tenderly. He dipped the cloth in vinegar and soaked it completely before tying it around her swollen ankle.     

"She needs to keep the foot elevated for the next couple of days and retie the cloth in the same manner, morning and evening," he said to no one in particular.     

"Come and see me at the clinic after two days. Lata knows where it is," he finally looked at Mriga and instructed.     

Abhirath's gaze swung between the two of them in surprise. Was the guy being over friendly or was he being extra sensitive? His sixth sense was giving him a strong enemy alert!     

Mriga nodded and thanked him. Then she turned to the group and apologized to everyone for causing trouble. Her main worry was that she would have to miss the drill for the next few nights. No matter how much she cribbed, she loved being in the thick of action and the thought of staying back was making her more miserable than even the pain.     

While Lata was busy bidding farewell to Vidyut, Abhirath swooped Mriga up in his arms and started to walk.     

"Argh… what is the hurry. I didn't even say bye to the Vaidya," Mriga said, trying to maintain balance as he walked in long strides.     

Breathless and near tizzy due to such close proximity to her, Abhirath spoke in a laboured manner.     

"Didn't you already thank him? Is he your friend that you need to wish proper farewell to the guy? He seemed overly familiar with you, as is," he grunted.     

Noticing his breathless state, Mriga was embarrassed and said in a small voice, "You seem to be getting tired already. It's a long way to the institute. Let me walk with your support, instead."     

"Well, you are definitely not featherweight but luckily, I am used to walking around with bulky things in my arms," he said, tongue in cheek.     

It took her a few seconds to realise the import of his words and when she did, she landed a punch across his jaw.     

"Put me down right now. I will rather crawl back the entire way than take your help," she said furiously.     

"You both fight like kids. So childish!" Nirbhay came up from behind and teased them.     

Identical scowling expressions from two pair of eyes greeted his words and he reeled back under their gaze.     

Himprayag     

"Hello, sister! Are you also here to see father?" Mithilesh's mocking voice jarred Ahilya's ears when she entered her father's private chambers.     

She kept her expression neutral and ignored him. But her heart started to beat uneasily. Raja Indraditya was well aware of the animosity between these two and usually didn't deal with them together. So, what was the reason today?     

She stood erect in one place while Mithilesh roamed around the room, touching different things, as if he already owned the place.     

"I won't let him get under my skin. He is doing this to provoke me. I won't be foolish enough to fall for it the second time round," she reminded herself.     

Few months ago, during a council meeting with the ministers, Mithilesh had behaved in such proprietorial manner in front of her. But he had cleverly hid his actions from the others. Ahilya had unfortunately lost her cool in front of everyone, making her actions look immature. Not only had she been admonished by her father, she could also see the prejudice against her firming up in the minds of all the old and croaky ministers.