Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

0Ishani didn't want to lie to Mriga but also didn't want any misunderstanding to occur just before they left for the long vacation.     0

"Huh? Oh, you are talking about Vandit. No, we didn't fight. Why would I fight with him? Wait a minute! What are trying to imply?" Ishani glared at her friend.     

She had belatedly understood the intent behind Mriga's casual sounding statement.     

Mriga raised her hands in surrender and replied, "I didn't mean anything. It was an innocent enquiry. It is just that you were frowning when I saw you. Knowing Vandit a little, I think his demeanor is too calm for him to have done anything to deserve that frown. And knowing you for the past few years, I am fully aware that you can be a little, umm… handful. That's all."     

Mriga was backing up as she was saying these words but she picked up the speed when she saw her friend chase after her with a fierce scowl on her face.     

"You dare say mean things about your best friend!!! So, between him and me, it is he who has a better personality? I didn't expect that you would betray me so quickly and move to the other camp," Ishani panted and said so once she caught up with Mriga.     

Reaching the beds in the dorm, the girls flopped on Ishani's bed. The girls continued their conversation in hushed tones as most people around them were asleep.     

"So, how was the walk? Did the cold weather penetrate the warm aura of the person walking next to you?" Mriga asked her friend, mischievously.     

Ishani rolled her eyes at her friend's changed countenance.     

"Aren't you asking the opposite? The question should have been whether the person was warm enough to conquer the cold around us," Ishani explained with exaggerated patience.     

Looking at her friend ponder over her remark, Ishani gave a smile. Not long ago, Mriga had been the shy one and used to be at the receiving end of Ishani's teasing. Thinking of that, Ishani was reminded of the scene from a little while ago. She was not the kind to hold back things inside for long, especially from her best friend and her next set of words confirmed that.     

"Umm, Mriga, that is… don't overreact but just now when Vandit and I were returning from the walk, I saw Yash enter the Gurukul. He, uh… he wasn't alone. That snobbish girl from the quiz contest was also with him. They were dressed as if coming from a celebration or something. I didn't want to confront him in front of Vandit. But you don't worry. We will question him first thing tomorrow morning," she said all this in a rushed whisper.     

Mriga tensed up after hearing the words from her friend's mouth. Ever since that girl had spoken to her condescendingly at the Admin dept, she was feeling uneasy. This was why she had looked for Yash this evening, to ask him and clarify the matter. There was definitely something amiss. She could feel it in her bones. Knowing that she won't be able to sleep after this, she got up from the bed and told Ishani that she wanted to go for a run.     

"At this hour? Wait, I'll come with you," Ishani told her.     

Shaking her head, she said that she was just restless and needed sometime alone.     

"Anyways, you won't be able to keep up with my pace," Mriga uttered the words with a forced smile.     

Ishani could see her friend's hurt but didn't want to point that out. So, she stuck her tongue out at Mriga's words and let her go.     

Even though the capital region was surrounded by all plains and didn't receive any snow, it tended to get pretty cold during the winter season. This was the reason why the school shut for the longest period during this time. It was the end of autumn and the air had a sharp nip to it, making Mriga shiver a little. Cupping her hands in front of her lips, she rubbed them together before doing some stretches. As a senior student, it wasn't forbidden for her to step out of the hostel after late but she had to inform the dorm head about the destination and reason for the same.     

After filling out the necessary form, she headed towards the deserted and nearly pitch-dark ground which was used by the Admin team, exclusively.     

She knew her way well around here and after a few minutes, her eyes could make out the contours of the place with the help of the faint moonlight. Starting slowly, she jogged till her heart rate got used to the pace and then she increased her speed, running barefoot on the smooth ground. By the time she stopped to catch her breath back, three quarters of an hour had passed. Finally, her mind was blank enough to not think of Yash and the girl, atleast till the next morning. She was contemplating whether to head back or push herself a little more when she heard the sound of footsteps.     

Someone was here at this hour!     

Thankfully, she was resting against the bark of a tree and was hidden from whoever was here. Wondering whether to give into curiosity and take a peek or wait for things to unfold at their pace, she didn't even realise when her training kicked in automatically. She looked around and found a broken tree branch. It didn't count as a weapon but could be used as a distracting tool to gain a moment's advantage.     

Even though she was inside the premise of the Gurukul and nothing untowardly could happen here, she still shrunk deeper inside the shadows of the tree and tried to regulate her breath while waiting for the footsteps to come closer.