Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

"Ok, I'll be going then. See you around," Mriga said and hurried away.     

Shaurya frowned at her abrupt reply. Had he said something to upset her?     

Instead of going home, she found her feet turning towards the hill where the police station was located.     

Bela was informed that her daughter was here to visit and she got up to see her standing outside the station.     

"Did you come rolling up the hill?" she asked, taking in her daughter's muddy appearance.     

It took Mriga a second to realise what her mother was talking about. She had completely forgotten about her fall on the muddy ground and its effects!     

Shaking her head, she said, "It's nothing. I slipped on the ground before coming here. Are you too busy right now?"     

Bela indicated that they sit on the wooden bench kept on the right side of the building.     

"Sit in the sun for a while. Your clothes are not only dirty but also wet. You'll catch a cold this way. Let me wrap up a couple of things which I am in the middle of. Wait for me here," she admonished gently.     

Mriga had been meaning to speak with her mother ever since she had come back from the Gurukul but there hadn't been any appropriate moment for the same. With that in mind, she waited till her mother came back to where she had left her.     

"So, what is it that you want to tell me that couldn't have waited till tonight," her mother started without a preamble.     

Mriga grinned at her words and pouted.     

"It is tough to live in our house these days. Shaurya hardly sleeps and is in and around the house at odd hours. Rest of the time, dad and his grumbling overcrowd the place. Where is the time for a peaceful conversation?" she responded, tongue-in-cheek.     

Bela reminded her, "If you don't want to slip in front of your father or others, you need to call him Veer and not Shaurya for the time being."     

Then she sighed, "You are right. Your father has turned into a petulant child. That reminds me. I have received a note from your school. The Admin department wants you to concentrate upon your areas of improvement and they will be sending me a detailed missive about the same. So, let's draw out a plan. We'll ask Veer to join in as well. It will keep him engaged productively."     

Mriga nodded her head enthusiastically, recalling his words from some time ago.     

"That's from my side. Now it's your turn," she looked up at Mriga.     

Mriga drew in a deep breath before starting to recount all that had happened between her and Yash during the past weeks. After she finished, she peered into her mother's face to gauge her reaction but there was none to be found. Bela was staring into space with a serene expression and seemed to be contemplating something.     

Unknown to Mriga though, Bela's hands were tightly clenched into fists, hidden below the table's surface. She was taking time to bring her emotions under control before she said something.     

"I think you did the right thing by breaking it off with him. As for the past, I believe that our mistakes make us stronger. So, learn from it and move on. I know it will take some time but you can use the angst that you are feeling and channelize it into something positive. If nothing else, take it as a test of your ability to compartmentalize things. That is one quality which is needed the most in a good spy," she told her, in a neutral tone.     

Mriga didn't know what kind of reaction had she expected from her mother but seeing her unruffled, her own agitation reduced a little. To be honest, she was glad that Shaurya had accompanied her home. His presence and the consequences of the same had kept her heart's turmoil under a check these past couple of days.     

But after listening to her mother, she realised that it wasn't nowhere near the end of the world for her as her emotions had made her feel and she definitely had other things to look forward to.     

"Oh, mom. I completely forgot to tell you. I have been asked to intern at the Eastern zilla during the break. I need to leave in the next couple of weeks. Did someone from the Admin department reach out to you for consent yet?" she asked.     

Bela was still thinking of ingenious ways to make the life of that Southern zilla boy difficult. Even though she had given 'gyan* to her daughter about moving on and focusing on other things, she herself was nowhere close to forgiving or let him go scot-free.     

"Mom, did you hear what I said?" Mriga squinted her eyes against the sunlight and tried to figure out the expression on her mother's face.     

Why was her mother zoning out?     

"Mmm… hmm. Yes, someone did. I'll help you prepare for it," Bela said after a moment's silence.     

"Ok, I guess you are preoccupied with something. I will see you at home, tonight," Mriga said and got up from the bench.     

Bela got up as well and said, "I need you to go to the store room after helping your father with the afternoon chores. Bring out all the exercise equipments from there and oil them properly. Also, get both the chess sets out, the metal and the wood one. I will bring rest of the things with me when I come home."     

In confusion, Mriga asked, "Are we preparing for some competition? And why two chess sets?"     

*Gyan - sermon or knowledge, especially spiritual.