Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

After Prithvi's saying so, the men captured Prince Saptsindhu and dragged him to the side, making space for a long fleet of similarly black clothed people coming in from the passage.     

Mriga came in front and folded her hands in front of Prithvi, "Kindly allow me to go along with these men on a clean-up drive, Guruji."     

Prithvi's face cracked into a tiny smile at her words and he gave her a quick nod.     

"Then, I am putting you in charge of this clean-up. Also, I have left a little gift with your two friends. Make sure that everyone outside the palace can have a look at it," he told her cryptically before she stepped out.     

"My army is marching here from the border. It won't be long before they reach here. If you acknowledge your mistake at this moment, I may let you live and serve under me. But once my army reaches here, this option will not be available to you!" the prince bellowed at Prithvi.     

Prithvi didn't bother replying and told the men instead, "Make sure that he is tied up well. Put him in the underground cell till my further orders."     

Gurukul     

Vaishali looked at Vindhya with growing horror and disbelief as the latter told her about the situation.     

With a grim face, she said, "What is it that you want to do? I can help you hide in the orphanage till we figure out a better plan."     

Vindhya felt warmth trickling in her frozen heart but she shook her head, "I want to do something which is a little more 'impactful' under the current circumstances. Can you help me find Ganga, the senior who was on Mrignayani's team? Also, make sure that you don't tell anyone else about it. My brother seems to have his spies all around this place."     

Vaishali was curious about what this girl wanted to do but she didn't prod her at this moment. She was currently without her usual arrogant demeanour. Vaishali had never seen this 'golden girl' look so broken as she did now.     

An hour later     

"How sure are you about the correct location? What if those people aren't there at this moment? Are you sure that you are not taking us on a suicide mission? Just because you don't want to marry the prince and die instead, you want us to come along for company?" Ishani had run into the three girls when they were about to step out of the Gurukul and she had been extremely suspicious of their behaviour.     

As a result she had badgered them till they told her about the whole thing.     

Not surprisingly, she had demanded to be taken along as well. Ever since the capital went under the siege of the enemy, there had been no news of any of her friends and Ishani had been going crazy with worry. Even though she hated Vindhya, this was a good way to distract herself.     

"Shh… you will wake up the dead with your loud monologue," Vaishali chided her as they slipped out of the Gurukul through one of the secret openings, known only to the students.     

The Saptsindhu guards were roaming around the capital at night, plundering and causing havoc all over the place. As a precautionary measure, the Gurukul gates had been sealed shut to keep the students safe and sound inside.     

Standing in front of the dimly lit inn, the girls debated upon the wisdom of their decision.     

"What if they are not in here?" We can't randomly light up the whole place," said Ishani.     

Ganga, who had been quiet all this while, spoke up, "Though I agree with you to some degree, you have to remember that the innocent ones who have nothing to gain from the new regime, won't be staying at an inn at this moment. But we still have to confirm that this is where the male supremacists are right now. In order to do so, I will go inside with Vindhya on the pretext of meeting her brother while the two of you wait for our signal. If I give the go ahead, you will need to do it ASAP and not wait for us to come out. We will find an exit but you shouldn't be distracted by it. Understood?"     

Vaishali gave a brief nod. Even Ishani was quiet. All of them understood what was not being said but they also knew the importance of this act. People with such a sick mentality couldn't be allowed to live on, especially when they had caused a havoc to the country simply because of their foolish notions. Unfortunately, no one else knew about it and there was no other person whom they could rely upon at this time.     

Vaishali and Ishani took over the heavy oil cannisters from the other two girls. They had purchased this from a shop not far from where they stood right now. Vindhya seems to know about this place because she remembered that her brother frequently held his 'meetings' in this particular inn every time he came to the capital. She was hoping that this nondescript place was the den for Vidyut and his cronies.     

Devyani's brothel room, Chandragarh     

"Guruji, someone has burned down one of the inns in the marketplace. Our people have confirmed that it wasn't done by the Saptsindhu army. We are trying to find out the perpetrator but unfortunately, all those people inside, have died," one of the subordinates came and informed Prithvi.     

He didn't show any reaction to it but nodded his head in acknowledgement.     

"What is the status of the Saptsindhu army in and out of the palace?" Prithvi asked him.     

The person grinned and said, "The leader of the team whom you assigned, is a blood thirsty girl, not to mention, a conniving one. She started running around the palace, crying loudly that she was one of the spies under the protection of the Saptsindhu prince and was currently being chased by the Chandragarh spies. By simply using this juvenile method, she managed to hook and kill many of the clueless Saptsindhu warriors. When the team was done with the palace, the royal guards' leader asked the girl to stay back inside while they went to the city. But she begged and pleaded to be taken along for 'fun'. I am told that the team is now keeping a tally of who has captured how many people from the enemy, dead or alive. Oh, and she instructed the palace staff to climb up on the highest wall facing outside and hang a dead man's face there. She swore that this was being done as per your orders. "     

Prithvi let a satisfactory smile spread on his face. He hadn't bet on the wrong mare after all.