Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

Bela had received a missive from Prithvi's team requesting her to help with Shaurya's temporary lodging that same afternoon when Mriga had been informed about it. As per the procedure, once they got to the bottom of the case, it would be determined whether his identity had been exposed or not. If not, he would be allowed to go back to work else he would have to look for a new identity.     

It reminded Bela of her own situation so eerily that she hadn't hesitated in agreeing to the same. From what she had gathered in the past few minutes, it seemed that Mriga was not fully aware of the facts surrounding this relocation and Bela chose to follow the lead. She belonged to the same school as Prithvi where one was told what one needed to know.     

"Mriga, come with me to dadaji's* room. Veer, help Raghu in tidying up the kitchen. Raghu, make sure that you don't tire him out," Bela instructed everyone as soon as they finished breakfast.     

"Bossiness seems to run in the veins of females of this house," Shaurya thought to himself as he bowed respectfully to Bela.     

Half hour later     

"Make sure that you fill the urn twice a day. Drawing water from the well may be a little strenuous for him right now. Also, introduce him to the Vaidya when he comes to open the clinic. I will be at the station by then. Make sure that your father doesn't bully the guy too much," she told Mriga while they were returning after cleaning the room.     

The place was only a few metres away from their house.     

"You are being mean, mom. I have never seen my father bully anyone," Mriga said unhappily.     

Her father was the mildest person alive and even though she loved her parents equally, she couldn't accept even a single word spoken against her dad. Bela snickered but didn't explain herself. She knew that Mriga wouldn't be able to distinguish between Raghu as a person and Raghu as a father.     

For any man, a stranger close to his daughter's age would be viewed as worthless and a potential threat to his baby. Even though there was nothing romantic between Shaurya and her, Raghu would still be wary of the guy, she could bet her life on it. This was the reason that Bela hadn't told Raghu about Mriga's boyfriend also till now. She remembered belatedly that she had not asked Mriga about him since she arrived.     

"Your family seems really nice," Shaurya said as he entered the assigned room.     

Mriga paused mid-way in the process of arranging his belongings at that time. She could hear the longing in his voice. Most probably, he himself wasn't aware of how wistful he had sounded. She was glad that her back was turned him at this moment. She didn't want to look at the vulnerability on his face nor did she want him to see the comprehension on hers.     

Straightening, she replied, "Well, you may end up eating your words after a few days. My mother is really strict and my father is slightly eccentric. Don't tell me later that I didn't warn you."     

He grinned at her words and said, "Thanks for the warning. I will keep it in mind."     

She turned around to look at him finally and said, "Try and rest now. You must be exhausted. I am going to the market to fetch some supplies. Will be back soon."     

She was standing next to the window, facing him as she said this. The sun's rays fell on her shoulders, forming a halo around her body. After arriving home, she had probably washed her hair and it hung around her face like a curtain. His fingers curled in his palm, fighting the urge to wrap themselves around her cheeks. He nodded and sat down on the cot.     

After she had gone, Shaurya relaxed his body and willed himself to sleep. He needed to heal soon. Under normal circumstances, he didn't require more than three to four hours of rest. It was partially because of his profession's demand but another reason was that he was scared of his dreams.     

For as long as he could remember, he had had nothing to look forward to in his life. At least during the day, he would persevere and keep himself immersed in various activities. But when his mind relaxed, the demons of insecurity and loneliness came out to play. Whether it was his solitary growing up in the orphanage or the betrayal by his first love, the memories ran in a nightmarish loop. As a result, he usually went to bed when he was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally.     

Suddenly he got up and started rummaging through his stuff which Mriga had arranged for him. Finding what he was looking for, he went back to the bed.     

Wrapping the shawl around him, he sniffed it and smiled to himself, his eyes shutting off their own accord. While on the boat, he had put the shawl around her when she had fallen asleep. It still carried her fragrance.     

After receiving the report from the night police officer, Bela sat at her table and started going through the pile of correspondence which awaited her.     

"Chief, this just came in with the pigeon courier. He is waiting outside for your response," her assistant came in hurriedly.     

Pigeons were usually used to send across urgent information and hence were treated as top priority. Once their handlers retrieved the messages, they took them to the intended recipients. Bela took the scroll and dismissed him from the room.     

*Dadaji - Grandfather