307 Chandragarh, a new beginning

Northern zilla, Chandragarh

"When are you going to stop sulking? It's been more than a month now that you have been roaming around with a black face. I said that I won't go missing again like this without keeping you in the loop ever. What else do you want me to do?" this cajoling side of Bela was an absolutely strange phenomenon.

Never in her two decades of marriage, had she behaved like this. But this time, due to her actions, she had ended up giving a lot of heartache to Raghu. With no news about her during her undercover operation, and the violent happenings in the capital, he had been bracing himself for the worst possible outcome. Even after peace was restored in the country, he had received no news about either his daughter or his wife for long. In deep pain, he had tried to keep faith and waited patiently for either them or news regarding them to arrive. Finally Bela showed up two months after the whole thing and Raghu had managed to start living again. His daughter was apparently well and undergoing strenuous training in the capital.

With the mother-daughter duo showing so much apathy towards him, it was no surprise that he didn't want to let go of the grudge so easily. Was he not important enough for them?

What was worse, Bela had now been officially inducted back into the spy network, though on an administrative role as the Northern zilla Suraksha Chakra chief instead of being an active agent. But this meant that she would no longer be living a peaceful life.

"Well… you have left me with no choice but to use the ultimate weapon!" Bela's soft voice trickled into Raghu's ears, making him freeze momentarily.

What did she mean?

Before he could react though, she had launched herself onto him.

Pinching a soft nerve on the side of his collarbone, she whispered, "I have recently been learning this mystical art of pressure points. By pressing this nerve, I have temporarily paralysed your limbs. This means I can do whatever I want, without facing any resistance from you. Since you have been depriving me of your gorgeous body and its warmth for so many weeks now, I have decided to forcibly take it from you. I intend to torture you till you give in…"

An hour later

Bela's face glowed in the post-coital haze while Raghu was burning with embarrassment and helplessness. This wife of his had become so shameless without him even realising it???

"I am going to get even with you, just you wait. I have managed to translate that strange aphrodisiac formula which I found in one of the eastern region's foreign books. It claims to make the afflicted person become a s*x slave while under the influence of the potion. I had been wondering all this while whom to use it on. Now I know…" he muttered to himself.

Southern zilla

Ujjwala devi was a different person ever since she came back from being imprisoned by Prince Mahendra. Even though the Saptsindhu prince hadn't caused any physical harm to any of the zilla heads, the humiliation and scorn of those two days had left her pride and bravery in tatters. The prince had finally been given the capital punishment but in the end, she had failed in contributing anything towards the reclamation of the country.

Instead, her husband had been a major catalyst in stabilising and helping in reinvigorating of the financial arm of Chandragarh. Known to her as one of the most docile people, he was now a publicly known powerful finance magnate and was involved in overseeing the smooth amalgamation of the broken Saptsindhu region with Chandragarh.

He had just returned from a long tour and was seated at the dining table.

"I am thinking of resigning from my zilla head post," Ujjwala's words caused both father and son to look at her in surprise.

"I find myself incapable of contributing much to the zilla, even lesser to the country. I think it would be…" she wasn't allowed to finish her sentence.

"Do you know what you excel at?" her husband's quiet words interrupted her.

At her questioning gaze, he continued, "Rising from the ashes. When you lost the QIT that year, you didn't run away and faced everyone head-on despite the loss of face which you felt acutely. Not only did you build a network worthy of praise, you increased your capabilities in the field of administration to compete and win the post of the Southern zilla head. The zilla has been on a meteoric rise ever since you took over the command. Why then would you want to throw away the hardwork?"

Ujjwala's eyes watered at her husband's quietly intense words. She hadn't seen this kind of passionate display ever from him. In this moment, she could feel the warmth of his love putting the balm over her bruises.

"Thank you," she said in a mellow tone and went back to eating.

"God! No one cares about this single soul who is being overexposed to middle-aged mush. I better go back to the Gurukul, even if it is shut at the moment," Yash's grumbles made his parents go red in the face momentarily.

Adopting a stern voice, Ujjwala said, "Nonsense. Under the new order issued, all fifteen year olds and above are to compulsorily undergo basic military starting next week. We won't be able to see you for six months post this. I know why you want to go back to the capital but even if you go there, you won't be allowed to meet her. So might as well use this time constructively to make yourself worthy enough to catch her attention."

Both father and son looked at her in surprise again. This was the first time that Ujjwala was admitting that there was someone superior to her family and that too, a girl who had been rejected ruthlessly by her a year ago.

But Mriga had caught fame during the past three months with her actions. Not only had she been at the forefront of action at the time of insurgence, she became a part of the task force which was formed to weed out the traitors from the entire country. For the past many weeks, she had travelled the length and breadth of Chandragarh with other spies. They managed to capture a lot of people whom Saptsindhu had turned against their own nation. After coming back last month, she had been invited by the royal palace and since then, she was in rigorous training.

Yash's lips turned down at the reminder and he lamented the fact that he hadn't been able to meet her since the time of the tournament. While she had been busy fighting the invaders, he was assigned to work under his father, learning the financial nitty-gritty, with the blessing of the queen.

"I will work hard, Maa!" he said resolutely.

Royal Palace, Capital

Rani Samyukta pinched the bridge of her nose. She was exhausted… no, she was heartbroken. It had been ninety days now since she lost Indrani. That woman sacrificed herself in order to prevent Mithilesh from evading. Not only did she lose her life, that conniving prince managed to eventually escape. Even though there were guards in pursuit of the man, there had been no trace of him since then.

The sense of victory seemed hollow without her best friend cum confidante's presence. The queen felt as if she had aged by a decade. The only fervent wish of hers was now to ensure that the new queen became worthy enough to take on the mantle of taking Chandragarh to glorious heights. She was quite satisfied with the progress made by Mrignayani in the past one month but they had a long way to go before she could become capable enough of the throne.

She could almost hear Indrani's lilting voice telling her, "One step at a time, my impatient queen!"

During this period, Prithvi had come out of his role as the Suraksha Chakra head and joined her in the royal palace officially. His subordinate, Shauryaveer was currently undergoing a gruelling training to become the youngest Suraksha Chakra chief, instead. His role in the alliance of Chandragarh and Saptsindhu along with his contribution in the conquering of Saptsindhu palace had made him gain a lot of respect from both Prithvi and Rani Samyukta.

There also had been a major shuffle in the cabinet of ministers post the attack. A few of the older ministers had been found guilty of treason and the queen was personally hit hard by their disloyalty. She felt that she had failed in her duty to inspire her people to follow her.

"Greetings to the queen. Vindhya, daughter of the Western zilla head, is requesting an audience," an attendant came and informed Rani Samyukta.

Once order was restored in Chandragarh, the three contenders had been summoned by Rani Samyukta for a discussion. Since the final stage of the QIT selection was hindered by the arrival of the Saptsindhu prince, the decision of the QIT had been left hanging.

During the interaction with the three girls, Vaishali had volunteered to withdraw from the competition, citing her willingness to join the military instead. She felt that she would be better suited to a life of a soldier than a monarch, looking at the events which took place.

But more surprising was the attitude of Vindhya, who had been one of the strongest contenders and a favourite for the throne. She had informed the queen that in the light of contribution made by Mrignayani during the emergency, she seemed to be the better candidate between the two. And hence, she wanted to abdicate as well.

"What is it that she wishes to discuss with me today?" the queen wondered.

"Greetings to the queen. Thank you for agreeing to see me," Vindhya bowed politely.

After an exchange of pleasantries, Vindhya finally spoke up, "I am here to put forward a request with the hope that the queen will not misunderstand my intentions."

At Rani Samyukta's nod, she continued, "Even though Mrignayani is currently more capable than me of the throne, I want a chance at challenging her at the end of the first year of QIT."

The queen was taken aback at the girl's request and asked her for the reason.

"I was ashamed at my incapability to contribute towards the country at the time of distress. But I believe that given a chance, I would prove myself to be a worthy challenger. If nothing else, the queen will be able to fairly evaluate the competency of the QIT in this manner," she said humbly.

Rani Samyukta was grave when she spoke next, "I think that you are well aware of the consequence of failing the challenge."

Vindhya showed a resolute face and replied, "I will be happy to accept the capital punishment if I do fail. My entire existence till now has revolved around this aspiration and I believe that my life will have no meaning if I can't achieve this."

"You are too young to have only one goal in your life. There are multitude things which one can aspire for. Don't throw away your life on a whim," the queen cajoled her.

But Vindhya was resolute and didn't move from her position, making the queen reluctantly concede to her request.

As Vindhya came out of the palace, she turned around to look at the majestic building in front of her.

"I will come and claim you as mine, soon… wait for me!"

Her reason for withdrawing from the competition hadn't been Mriga's brilliance. Instead, she had been left with no choice.

Unknown to everyone, including her parents, it had been her brother's plan to burn the inn. That fateful evening, Vidyut had received intel about the palace undergoing a reverse in power yet again. One of his moles had seen the congregation of people in the royal stables and gotten to know partly about Prithvi's plan to defeat the Saptsindhu prince. Vidyut had realised that if the prince was defeated, his involvement would also come to the front and he would be captured eventually.

In order to save the situation, he went back to Vindhya and told her to take some people along to burn the location where he would be waiting with his group. He told her that this was the only way to escape her getting married to the prince and saving her brother as well. She found herself with no alternative and as a result, walked the path which he wanted her to. She knew that he would have figured an escape plan for himself but since then, he hadn't shown up in front of her till just before she was summoned by the queen to discuss the QIT competition. Even though she hated him for tricking her into doing his bidding, he told her that this way she was able to prove her loyalty to the country and the black mark caused by him wouldn't affect her in the future. After showing her the logic behind his actions, he told her to withdraw from the challenge and then ask for a chance later. He promised her that in a year, he would ensure that the throne and the crown belongs to her!

Unknown location, capital

Mriga wiped the sweat off her brow. She had just come off a long and strenuous combat session which lasted for an hour. Prior to that, she was engaged in a detailed policy discussion with a few experts, who were all out for her blood. She had been getting devoured by these 'lessons' every single day for the past month now. Apart from the instructors, she had barely had any interaction with anyone in the outside world, including her mother.

Apparently, this plan to train her had been devised by Prithvi and was an upgrade from the previous system. She was to undergo this training for three months before going over to the queen's side in the role of an observer for the next three months. For the remaining six months of her first year as QIT, she would be taking on an active role in the country's administration.

Suddenly, the sole lamp in the room flickered. Becoming alert, she looked around but couldn't see anyone in the dimly lit room.

Before her hand touched the sword kept next to her, a voice whispered mischievously, "Still slow, I see. You haven't made much progress in the past one month…"

Mriga's breath hitched in her throat at the familiar voice. When she was chosen to be a part of the national task force, she had found herself coming face-to-face with Shaurya. Not having seen him for the past few months, she had taken note of his chiselled looks and sharper countenance. But he had surprised the hell out of her with his complete change in behaviour. Gone was the strict and expressionless teacher, instead, he was replaced by a scoundrel who didn't leave any chance at teasing her.

In the initial weeks, Mriga had been too nonplussed to even understand what his actions meant but slowly, much to her embarrassment, she reached the realisation that he was 'interested' in her. She didn't know till date how to react to his advances.

Through Nirbhay, she got to know that Abhirath who had ably accompanied Shaurya on the adventure in Saptsindhu, was thrown mercilessly in training. Apparently, Abhirath had let him know about his liking for Mriga and the fact that he was pursuing her. Post that, the poor guy was sent to one of the remote border area, undergoing a stringent module. Coincidentally, Vaishali had been sent to the same location, after she expressed her willingness to undergo military experience.

As per Nirbhay, it was Saraswati who was helping Shaurya in this. Mriga had refused to believe that either of these two would indulge in something so childish. She had not seen any of her teammates apart from that one chance meeting with Nirbhay. Chiranjeev, as per him, had pulled connections and asked for posting to the same location as Ganga for their six months mandatory training. As for Vandit and Ishani, they had gone to visit Ishani's parents before embarking towards their respective locations.

Was the Cupid extremely focussed on the Gurukul these days??

"Why are you here again? If you are caught, both you and I will face unimaginable consequences," she said coldly.

But Shaurya wasn't perturbed by her words and replied, "What if I told you that I have the official permission from the queen to court you?"

Mriga's sharp intake of breath was accompanied by a look of mortification on her face, "No… tell me that you are joking. Have you lost your mind?"

"Shhh, do you want both of us to face 'unimaginable consequences'? Why are you so loud? Don't tell me that your sense of humour has also become as slow as your reflex actions," his teasing made her feel really agitated.

Leaving caution to wind, she pushed Shaurya against the rough muddy wall and said, " You stop playing these games with me. I don't have time for this nonsense. Just go away… are you listening to me?"

Shaurya shook himself out of stupor and replied in a hoarse voice, "I never knew that you would be the dominant type… but I like it!"

Mriga was not sure of his meaning but caution told her to stay shut at the moment.

"I didn't see you for a few months and you managed to build a harem behind my back. I have had a tough time trying to remove those thorns from your side. But I am worried that if I don't keep visiting you on regular intervals, more such pests would accumulate around you. Isn't it my duty to protect my interests…" his tone was completely helpless, as if he was the wronged one in the whole process.

Mriga was exasperated by his behaviour but was too tired to respond to him at the moment. She moved away from him, only to be captured in his arms the next second.

"Don't fret. I am not going to distract you from your goal. There are many things that you and I need to achieve before we can enjoy the bliss of togetherness. But I can't help stay away for too long. For my sanity, can you please let me visit you once in a while?" his magnetic voice caused goosebumps to appear all over her neck.

Without even realising it, she nodded her head, making his lips curve upwards.

"Thank you, your royal highness," as he said that, he turned her around and expressed his gratitude in a long and passionate manner, which didn't require words!!!