Heya friends! How are you? I am so excited to start this chapter!!! Hope you would enjoy it!

By the way one clarification. Guruji means teacher.

Princess Adiya's POV

"Come on Diya you can do it!" Encouraged Sahil as I tried to beat my classmate in the game of archery.

"The Bow is too heavy" I complained but Sahil would not let me go unless I would beat my classmate Rishabh into the archery.

"If I win, you would have to carry my woods for the next fortnight." Laughed Rishabh as he knew I wasn't strong enough to even lift the bow leave the thought of aiming the target.

" hey both of you stop this competition and put down the bow Guruji is coming!" Someone from my class whispered so I put down

"Pranam Guruji." (Greetings to the teacher) We all greeted our teacher while he sat on the stone platform that was build around the bark of the giant peepul tree.

"Sit down kids" said our calm teacher and we sat in front of him, beneath the shade of the very same peepul tree.

I mentally heaved a sigh of relief as I was saved from that gruesome bet. I looked at Sahil. He looked at me with a disappointment in his eyes. He badly wanted me to win.

Hi, I am Adiya. Princess Adiya. I am 15 years old. I study in a Gurukul that's situated in a forest, surrounded by the mountains. It's located outside the kingdom where my parents are the rulers.

I am the next heir of the throne of Harsha kingdom as well as Kshitij Kingdom. Maybe that's why my parents wanted me to be trained by the finest teacher who could teach me everything. From the basics of war, to the way of living a simple life and surviving the harshest situations. Staying in forest gives you an open mind since you stay close to the nature and you are required to live a life full of discipline and focus more on physical and mental strength.

Initially I felt lost and confused. And why wouldn't I? When I was 10, my parents left me here to study for next 6 years. Partly disconnected to the world. Without any comforts of the palace.

I was the only female student in the premises. Thankfully Guruji's wife Guru ma is a blessing. She taught me about the things that girls require to learn when they attain certain age. Example how to deal with periods, how to stitch our own under garments while living in the forest etc etc

Our Guruji believes in giving equal opportunity to everyone and treating everyone equally. So there are students who come from all kinds of castes and backgrounds.

I requested him not to tell anyone about my family background. Already I was facing  a lot of pressure of ruling my kingdom successfully so while I stay here for a few years, I wanted to be treated as a normal person.

"Your idea is very nice. From today onwards I would provide every pupil an individual name and no one is allowed to mention from what castes or background they belong to."

He made it compulsory for every student from my batch to have a separate name. And not to tell anyone about their real family backgrounds. We all were made to take vows that we wouldn't disclose our identities during our lifetime. Until we get the permission from our Guruji.

"Your name here is Diya." He said lovingly.

Sahil and others were my seniors. Even their names were changed. Since they joined a year earlier than me, they knew each others' backgrounds but they were not allowed to discuss any of it. So my classmates and me were unaware about his or his group's background.

Which meant technically no one knew that I was Princess Adiya.

The best part of staying here was, since I was the only girl, the boys were completely well mannered. No one called me ugly.

Initially I was clueless about what to do and what not to do. But Sahil, my senior (who was assigned the job of volunteering his juniors by our Guruji) was a constant support.

"You might feel lost here. But after a year, this would become your family. Trust me." He said. And it turned out to be true. Though I missed my parents, Gurukul turned out to be the best thing that my parents could have done for me.

All my classmates and my seniors were like my brothers. Of course, for some reasons I found Sahil... very.... I found Sahil's company very pleasant.

He was a confident young man who commanded situations wherever he went. However he was as cold as ice. He would never ever get angry or have moments of emotional outbursts. He was that cool calm and composed person that could easily lead any tense situations.

"What's your real name?" I asked him once.

"Guruji has told me that I can never tell anyone about it. So I am sorry you would have to do with this name." He chuckled.

"I am sure you must be a prince or something. Because you are physically very fit and are a great leader." I complimented him shyly

"I am sure you must belong to a family of poets because you are very good at learning scriptures and mantras by heart." He complimented me.

And I had grinned to myself. I am a Princess. A real one. Who will take the world by storm one day. That's what my parents told me many times before I had joined the Gurukul. Maybe they are right. Maybe.

However I have always been doubtful. I lacked leadership abilities which was the biggest flaw any ruler could possess. I would easily get tensed and had moments of angry outbursts when not required.

Okay back to the present.

"Does anyone know here whats the Brahma Muhrat " Asked Guruji.

Sahil smiled knowingly. Ofcourse he knew because he was my senior.

"Brahma Muhrat is a time of the morning when the sun has not risen. It's the best time to study or sharpen your skills . It is because you grasp everything quickly at that time." He explained.

After the class was over, we all students were asked to the fields and  fetch out buckets of water from the Well. The water would be used for cooking purposes.

"You are not strong." Said Sahil as he came close to me.

"I am strong!" I almost shouted.

"Your hands are like pins. And you look like a sack of bones.You need to exercise and increase your strength. Today we didn't lose our bet because of our sheer luck. Tomorrow morning I would come outside your hut and knock the door. You need to be ready by dawn time." He instructed me.

"But why? At dawn time?" I asked.

"That's the time of Brahma Muhrat. It's the most auspicious time to learn newer things." He smiled at me and went towards the direction of his friends.