Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

Shaurya came closer and surveyed her from head to toe.     

"Stand still while I turn you into Brighu from Mrignayani. That's your name for the next thirty hours. You need to remember how to walk and talk like a guy, as I taught you, few weeks ago. Irrespective of who comes in front of you, your façade shouldn't slip," Shaurya instructed while tying a turban around Mriga's bound hair, expertly.     

In this moment, she realized that she had missed this, terribly. The thrill of getting ready before an unknown adventure gave her an immense adrenaline rush.     

Trying to survey his handiwork in the moonlight, Shaurya said, "this will do for now. We are going to walk from here to the place where the fair will be held tomorrow. We will check out all the exits and entry points and do a thorough survey of the place. We have received a tip that a spy from the neighboring country would be meeting his comrades at the fair. Our mission is to identify him and follow him undetected to where he is staying. The end goal is to capture him and hand him over to the interrogation team."     

At her comprehending nod, he continued, "as always, you will stick by my side like glue. Your job is to observe, learn and if you find anything out of place, to inform me immediately about it."     

Mriga desperately wanted to ask a question at this moment but was scared of the backlash. She cleared her throat noisily to try and hold herself back.     

"Spit it out. You will get indigestion otherwise," he said wryly.     

By now, he knew almost all of her quirks and nuances.     

Grinning in relief, she said, "what if you are not around and he is slipping away. Should I wait for you, go look for you or follow him?"     

"That would never happen. But incase that it does, you wait for me. I will come find you," he replied in all seriousness.     

"Ok, understood," with that she bent forward slightly and extended her arm, indicating that he should walk ahead.     

He could feel the onset of a grin forming on his lips looking at her theatrics. But he suppressed it with a scowl and started walking in his usual long strides. By the sounds of her footsteps behind him, he could figure out her struggle in trying to keep up with him. He shortened his strides and adjusted his pace, almost subconsciously.     

It took them about forty-five minutes to reach the place during which he pointed out various landmarks which would help them identify the path.     

"You better pay attention to these markings. On the way back, you are going to be in the lead and finding the place would be your responsibility. So, stop yawning and open your eyes wide," his voice held censure.     

"How the hell did he get to know? Does he have eyes at the back of his head as well? The yawn was noiseless, I am sure," she thought in grumpy fear.     

The path was illuminated only by the weak light of the moon that night. What Mriga didn't realise was, that Shaurya was walking diagonally in front of her, and if he turned his head even slightly, he could see her very well from the corner of his eye. Looking at the surprise on her face was making it nearly impossible for him to hold back his smirk.     

He cleared his throat instead and said gruffly, "stop trying to think about useless things. Focus on the task ahead."     

Her hands flew to her mouth, "now he even knows what I am thinking!!! Is this place haunted or has he acquired some mystical skills?"     

By the time they reached the ground, she was tired and hungry. But she dared not make a sound. Pointing at various exits, they slowly surveyed them one by one, so as to familiarise themselves with where all did those paths lead to.     

It was nearly two hours since they had been doing this and the sky had started to lighten.     

"Let's go back before the dawn breaks. I don't want to encounter anyone on our way," he told her.     

Nodding her head, she gathered her wits and prayed that she would be able to recall the way back to that hut.     

Gurukul, early morning     

One of the hostel's attendants came to Vindhya who was in the middle of her yoga practice at the building's rooftop.     

"Your brother has arrived and is looking for you," the attendant told her with a smile.     

Vindhya was not only popular amongst the students but also with the staff of the Gurukul. She thanked the lady and picked up her belongings before heading downstairs in a hurry.     

"Happy birthday, baby sister. Or maybe I should stop saying baby now since you turn sixteen today," Vidyut said as soon as she reached the door of the girls' hostel.     

"Thank you, big brother. Please continue to call me your baby sister else I will start to feel old suddenly," she replied with a grin.     

"Here's your birthday present," he gave her a gaily wrapped small package.     

Vindhya took it and started unwrapping it right there.     

"You haven't changed a bit. Still so excited about your birthday as you were in the childhood," he said, fondness evident in his voice.     

Right that moment, Gauri came down and turned red discovering the man of her dreams standing in front of her. Cursing herself for not being dressed in her uniform yet, she acknowledged him politely before hugging her friend and wishing her a happy birthday.