What Must be Done
Yodhika stared at the floor, pacing from one wall to the other of her bedroom. Her movements were tense, uneven. She stopped near the calendar hanging beside the door.
One date was circled in red.
A week ago.
Her breath hitched. It grew heavier with every second.
This is impossible, she thought.
She pulled on a loose T-shirt and sweatpants, stuffed two black kerchiefs into her pocket, and left the room without looking back.
She returned an hour later.
Without hesitation, she went straight to the bathroom.
Ten minutes passed.
When she stepped out, her face had changed—drained, resigned. She walked to the table, lifted her trembling hand, and dropped something onto its surface.
A pregnancy test.
Positive.
Her legs gave way. She sank onto the bed and covered her face with both hands. Time slipped by unnoticed—minutes stretching into nearly half an hour.
Finally, she lowered her hands.
Her eyes were dry.
She stood up.
The softness vanished as she changed into her combat suit. She opened the drawer of the table, took a thin notepad from it and kept it in her pocket. From the wall, she took her rod—her weapon—secured it into the holder on her pants, and walked out of the room.
Site A was quiet when she entered.
“Hey! What took you so long?” Rudhra called out, waving from a distance.
She inhaled deeply and walked toward him. When he looked into her face, she forced a smile.
“Are you scared I’ve grown too powerful?” Rudhra teased, swinging his sword through the air with a grin.
“Don’t get cocky,” she replied coolly. “You only came close to beating me twice. That too because I let my guard down.”
“You? Let your guard down?” Rudhra laughed. “Ha! Anyway, I have good news. We managed to gather about fifteen members.”
“Really?” she asked. “Are they trustworthy?”
“They seem to be. More importantly, they understand how serious this is.”
“That’s good,” Yodhika said, pulling her rod from its holder.
Rudhra studied her face. “Why do you look so gloomy?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Before he could say more, she clicked the buttons on her rod and lunged forward.
“Let’s start.”
Rudhra drew his sword just in time, blocking her trident as it extended. He deflected it to his left. Yodhika immediately swung toward his face.
He leapt backward, parrying again—this time with a frown.
“You’re not using your powers?” he asked.
“I don’t need them to beat you.”
She thrust forward. Rudhra bent sideways, narrowly evading the strike, and countered. Yodhika slid the trident back into her grip, grabbed it beneath the joint where the prongs met, and slammed its base into the ground to block his swing.
With a sharp twist, she spun around the weapon and kicked his hand.
The sword flew from his grip and hit the floor.
Rudhra staggered, breathing hard, and bent to retrieve it.
Too late.
Yodhika drove the trident forward, striking his shoulder, then twisted it to lock his arm. In one fluid motion, she brought the weapon behind his neck, grabbed his other arm, and wrenched it back.
She forced him down.
His face hit the ground.
Stepping on the trident with brutal force, she pressed him into place.
“Y… yield,” she said.
Rudhra gasped. “Yield?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not cutting my head off or something?”
“Yield.”
Her voice hardened as she pressed down harder.
“O-okay. Okay. I yield,” he said, struggling.
She lifted her foot.
Rudhra pushed himself up slowly, rolling his shoulders. “What’s gotten into you?”
“N… nothing,” she replied, retrieving her trident.
He stepped closer and gently placed his palm against her cheek. “Are you sure?”
She looked at him—really looked at him—and her expression softened. She stayed silent for a moment, breathing deeply.
“You know you can tell me anything,” he said.
She exhaled. “Okay. Here it is.”
Another breath.
“I… I’m pregnant.”
Rudhra froze.
Then he stepped forward to kiss her.
Her fist slammed into his chest.
He flew backward, skidding several meters across the ground.
“Oh,” he said, rubbing his chest while sitting up. “I forgot. The cameras.”
He stood and grinned. “Pull me and throw me into a cab.”
She smiled
Walking over, she grabbed his collar, dragged him toward a doorless car, and hurled him inside. She jumped in after him.
Rudhra wrapped his arms around her instantly and kissed her deeply, then kissed both her cheeks.
“I’m assuming I’m the father,” he said lightly.
She punched his face. “Who else would it be, idiot?”
He rubbed his cheek. “I know. I was joking. Are you okay with this?”
“I wasn’t,” she admitted. “Not until I felt your hand on my cheek again. I didn’t know how to proceed. But now… I’m okay.”
“Is that why you haven’t been using your powers much lately?”
“It’s not that I didn’t want to. I couldn’t.”
“Even today?”
“I found out today,” she said quietly. “I was scared to use them.”
Rudhra smiled. “It’s your baby. It wouldn’t have been a problem.”
She smiled back. “It’s our baby, idiot.”
They looked at each other in silence for a while.
“Did you tell your parents?” Rudhra asked.
Her face darkened. “No. Not yet.”
“They’re going to find out,” he said.
“Yes. And I’m telling them today.”
“T-today?” His color drained.
“Yes. It’s better this way. I plan to use this pregnancy to our advantage.”
Rudhra stiffened. “I don’t like how you said that.”
“I know,” she replied calmly. “But that’s what I’m going to do. We have to think about your clan now. If I play my cards right, we may be able to delay their attack on the Amirthyas.”
Rudhra studied her, his brow furrowing. “How?”
“It’s extremely rare for a Pranvar woman to get pregnant,” she said. “When it happens, her status rises above even the king’s. And I am a critical part of the future plan. If they know I’m pregnant, they will be forced to delay the attack.”
She paused, letting the weight of it settle.
“At least until the baby is born.”
Rudhra listened without interrupting. After a moment of silence, he asked quietly, “Are you going to tell them I’m the father?”
She stared at him. “Are you crazy? No. I’ll tell them the father is a Pranvar noble—and that I want the father’s identity kept secret until the birth.”
“Aren’t they going to be furious?” he asked. “An illegitimate child… especially for a princess?”
“Maybe,” she admitted. “But they won’t act on that anger immediately. They’ll wait until the child is born. And before that happens, I’ll find a way to escape with the baby.”
She met his eyes steadily.
“It would be best if my escape and your attack happen on the same day.”
Rudhra’s jaw tightened. Worry flickered across his face.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly. “Nothing will happen to me. Nothing will happen to the baby.”
Slowly, he exhaled. Some of the tension left his shoulders.
“This may be our last meeting before your attack,” Yodhika continued. “You and your team will have to finalize the details on your own. Will you be okay?”
Rudhra didn’t answer immediately. His thoughts were elsewhere.
“Will our baby have your powers?” he asked suddenly.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “A Pranvar man’s child may or may not inherit powers. But a Pranvar woman’s child always does—right from birth. Why do you ask?”
He shook his head lightly. “Just… thinking about the baby.”
She smiled.
“Since I might not get another chance,” she said, pulling a small notepad from her pocket and handing it to him, “this contains the structure and activation steps for the Wamon weapon. Learn it thoroughly. Make sure your comrades do as well.”
Rudhra nodded, gripping the notepad carefully.
She leaned closer, then pulled him toward her. Smiling faintly, she kissed him.
“I don’t know when we’ll meet again,” she whispered. “Stay safe.”
She stepped out of the car.
As she walked away, a single tear slipped from her eye. Inside the car, Rudhra watched her disappear into the distance. His vision blurred. He wiped his eyes silently and sat there for a long moment, holding the notepad like it was something sacred.
Karun G Nath 
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