Chapter Twenty One
Naina's promotion is announced three days after they return.
She is given the official appointment letter, and it is fitting that Colonel Sakshi does the honours, pinning Naina's new rank to her uniform as Naina stands proudly to attention.
"You have more than earned this, Captain Ahluwalia." Colonel Sakshi addresses her, "And I know that you will have a long and distinguished career ahead of you.
Naina salutes her, waiting for the appropriate count before she turns to where Rajveer has been watching the ceremony, a proud smile on his face.
"Congratulations Captain Naina 'Ah' Singh." He tells her, coming forward after having waited his turn. "I couldn't be prouder of you."
Naina smiles, blinking back tears. She is the same rank now as her brother was when he died, one day in the future she will likely surpass him. Naveen's life was so tragically cut short, and here Naina is with everything that he once had. She wonders if somewhere he's watching over her, happy to see her achievements. She wonders if he would be proud of her as well.
"Shall we go find the others to celebrate?" Naina asks and Rajveer nods, gesturing for her to lead the way. She does, continuing to collect good wishes as she does so. Naina may not have realised it, but she has won the respect of many on the base and her previous record is well known. There may be some who object to her presence basis her relation to Naveen, but they are in the minority. She has made her own place, even without having proven her brother's innocence.
All Rajveer can hope is that the day they do so is close at hand, with Abhimanyu currently tracking down the red box. They have agreed not to speak on the phone until he has, not wanting to alert anybody that they are still searching for it. They are relying on the authorities believing that they have given up their mission years ago to be able to do so safely.
"There's our Captain!" Huda announces cheerfully as they walk out, and Naina is soon enveloped in handshakes and hugs, not only from her friends but the fellow soldiers who had accompanied them from the old base. Rajveer stands back, watching with a grin on his face. He's known since the beginning that Naina has the power to bring people together, that others would follow her gladly. This is what he always wanted for her, and she has done it all on her own.
They've organised an informal party for her in the mess, one corner taken over with a cake to cut and drinks. Naina is laughing at something Aalekh has said as Riddhi goes to fetch another drink for herself, reaching the table only to find Colonel Sakshi there pouring one for herself.
"Cheers, Colonel." Riddhi greets her superior happily. "It's a wonderful occasion."
"It certainly is," The Colonel agrees, clinking her glass with Riddhi's. "And very well deserved, most of us wouldn't be standing here today if not for Naina."
"Are you sure that's the reason? Or is it because she's smart enough to sleep with her superior officers; does she think nobody knows what's going on?" Riddhi turns sharply, to see a bitter looking Captain has walked up to them, his lips twisted into a snarl.
She has no idea who the man is or what his problem with Naina is, but Riddhi sees red, remembering that day, even as she fights against her own fear of returning to those memories.
"Oh yes, I'm sure that Naina sleeping with a superior officer really made a difference. It certainly wasn't what helped us after we were left without a commander and she had to rally us. I'll never forget what she told us, she said 'I know we're all scared and we're most likely going to die, but I swear to all of you that if we do then we'll die like soldiers not cowards and we'll take as many of them with us as we can'." Riddhi walks forward, locking gazes with him, hers burning with righteous anger. "It didn't help either during the final fight, when it was close quarters and I'd lost my weapon, and one of the terrorists pulled out a knife to gut me. Naina didn't hesitate, she charged him, knocked him off me and when he sliced her neck I thought she had died to save me, but she grabbed the knife right out of his hand and stabbed him in the heart instead."
Riddhi is breathing hard, chest heaving. It's the first time she's ever spoken publicly about what happened, the only other time a few words exchanged with Aalekh. She still has nightmares about the man looming over her with the knife, nightmares about Naina dying as she fights him. No matter what, she will never allow anyone to speak ill of her friend.
Colonel Sakshi places a comforting hand on Riddhi's shoulder.
"Your comments are unbecoming of an officer, Captain Duggal." She addresses the young man, her voice kept purposefully low, aware that they've begun attracting attention. "And if you were referring to Captain Ahluwalia's relationship with Major Shekhawat then I'm afraid there's no basis to those allegations. Their engagement has been on record long before Captain Ahluwalia joined this base, and their commanding officers have always been aware of it."
Captain Duggal stares at them both, swallowing before he ducks his head slightly "Excuse me for the misunderstanding, ma'am. I'll be on my way."
They watch him go, and Colonel Sakshi pats Riddhi on the shoulder once more and then turns to pick up her abandoned drink.
"You knew about Naina's engagement, ma'am?" Riddhi asks curiously.
"Oh yes, I met Major Shekhawat when he visited Naina after her injury, it would've been obvious even if he hadn't told me. As they both seemed to want to keep it private, I never brought it up with her. Do you know if they're planning to marry soon?"
"I certainly hope they are," Riddhi comments. "Otherwise they might just be setting a record for the longest engagement in history."
Colonel Sakshi laughs and raises her drink to Riddhi. "Well, shall we rejoin the party?"
/
A day later, Rajveer sits with his commanding officer to request two days of leave.
"Didn't you just come back from leave, Major? Last year I struggled to get you to take any, and this year you're requesting to go away twice in a month."
Rajveer knows that his Colonel is joking, but he still feels the need to justify himself. "I promise it will only be for two days, Sir. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
"Why do you need leave?"
"To organise my wedding."
The Colonel almost does a double take and then nods. "That's right, you're engaged to Captain Ahluwalia aren't you? A very promising officer as well."
"Yes Sir, she is." Rajveer doesn't even try to keep the pride out of his voice. "We need to visit her parents in order to start making the arrangements. We'll take a day to do so and then be back."
"Is there any hurry though, Major? Could it be put off until next month?"
Rajveer shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "We've been engaged for almost three years now, Sir. Now that Naina... Captain Ahluwalia, I mean, is on the same base as me I feel it would be best if we were to make things official as soon as possible. Well, more official."
The Colonel nods, and Rajveer swears that he's hiding a smile. "I can spare you on Wednesday and Thursday next week. I'll pass along the approval to Colonel Sakshi as well so that you can travel together."
"Much appreciated, Sir. You'll be one of the first to receive an invite."
"I look forward to it, Captain. Just one question, why do you need to visit Captain Ahluwalia's parents to do this, couldn't you do it over the phone?"
Rajveer gives a wry smile. "They've been waiting so long for us to get married that I'm not sure they would believe us unless we tell them in person."
/
The next week finds them in front of Naina's house, preparing to enter. Rajveer realises he's nervous, which is ridiculous. What can possibly go wrong, when they'll be telling Naina's parents what they've always wanted to hear.
All Naina has told her parents is that they're coming for a two day visit, wanting to conceal the reason until they arrive. She rings the bell, and the door is opened only a few seconds later by her mother, who promptly throws her arms around Naina.
"My little girl, and you've already become a Captain! Oh Naina, your brother would have been so proud."
She ushers them in and they greet Mr Ahluwalia as well, soon settling in the living room with cups of tea once their bags have been put away.
The story of Naina's bravery and subsequent promotion has been told and a lull has settled on them. Mr and Mrs Ahluwalia look at them expectantly, as Naina opens her mouth and then looks towards Rajveer as if to request assistance.
"Actually Ma, Baba, there's a reason we've come to see you."
Rajveer continues. "Many years ago I had assured you that Naina would make a name for herself in the army, that her reputation would be above reproach and she would gain her own honours. That day has now come, and so we can finally take a decision about our future."
Mr Ahluwalia sighs sadly. "We suspected that might be the reason you were coming to see us, to break it to us in person. I won't pretend we aren't disappointed, but in the end it is your lives and your decision. We'll respect your choice."
Naina and Rajveer share a confused glance. "Baba, what are you saying? You're not happy?"
"How could I be, Naina? We were hoping that in time you could see what we did, and realise that this was always the best choice for you. I don't know if it's my place to speak, but I always thought you were at least fond of each other."
Understanding suddenly dawns on Rajveer and he reaches out to touch Mr Ahluwalia's hand, stopping him. "Uncle, we haven't come here to break the engagement. We wanted to tell you in person that we're finally ready to get married, we want to set a date." He pauses, slightly self conscious. "Preferably as soon as possible."
Mrs Ahluwalia claps her hands in delight and pulls Naina into a hug, laughing this time as they laugh along with her.
"We could get you married tomorrow morning if you like." Mr Ahluwalia jokes. "I'm not quite certain I want to give you the option of delaying further when we've finally got you in agreement."
Rajveer gives Naina a hopeful look but she shakes her head. "Our friends would never forgive us."
He acknowledges her point with a regretful nod, it looks like he'll have to wait a month or two more for a proper marriage to be arranged.
"But tell us, after all this time how did you finally work things out?" Mrs Ahluwalia asks them. "We had almost given up hope."
Naina turns to smile at Rajveer, reaching out to take his hand. "We just had to be honest with each other, that's all it took."
Rajveer smiles back at her, unable to help the warmth that rises in him. "That, and years and year of effort on both of our sides to get to the point where we could be."
/
That night as they settle down to dinner, Rajveer's phone rings.
It is the temporary number that Abhimanyu has taken, in case he needed to communicate anything about their mission. He picks up quickly, hoping that his friend is safe and nothing has gone wrong. "Is everything alright, Chauhan?"
"More than alright, Raj. Turn on the television, and see the evening news. We've done it my friend, we've finally done it."
Rushing to the living room, Rajveer turns on the television, turning it to the channel that Abhimanyu has named. Naina enters behind him, having guessed what is happening and calling her parents to join them.
"It was in KMA's mail room all this time, can you believe it? Only Naveen could have planned it that cleverly, he gave us everything we would need to prove him innocent, knowing that he wouldn't be around to see it."
As the news report starts, Naina reaches out for his hand and Rajveer clutches it tightly. With Naina's parents beside them, they watch the report in rapt attention as it outlines the conspiracy that Naveen had uncovered, naming powerful figures and finally exonerating his best friend. Hearing Gehlot's name mentioned, Rajveer feels a pang at the betrayal, and is relieved that he hadn't encouraged Abhimanyu to take the evidence to him.
The programme finishes and they turn to each other, expressions of amazement on each of their faces.
"After all of this time..." Mr Ahluwalia starts, before breaking down in tears. He is not alone, they have all borne such a burden of grief and pain for so many years, that it must be released now.
Today, Naveen's lost honour has been returned to him.
Their promises have been fulfilled, everything that they had vowed to do.
It may have taken longer than any of them had wished, Naina's mission when she entered the academy only fulfilled almost two years after she had left it. Maybe this was the only way that it could happen though, when the spotlight had been shifted from them and the conspirators no longer believed there was a chance they could be caught.
They embrace each other then, as each of them sheds tears, and Rajveer is incredibly glad that he and Naina could be here for this moment. He calls Abhimanyu back once they are all calmer, knowing that there is more his friend wants to share.
"We'll hang his photo back on the wall of fame together, just like Naina promised she would all those years ago." Abhimanyu tells him, and Rajveer can clearly hear the happiness in his voice.
"We'll be there," Rajveer promises him. "We'll change our flight back but we wouldn't miss this moment for the world."
They try to convince Naina's parents to come, but Mrs Ahluwalia is adamant. "It's enough for us that he has his honour back, Naina. If I'm correct then we'll have our own visitors to greet here tomorrow, now that everyone has heard the news. We trust you and Rajveer to see it done properly."
It's already night by then but they have only one more day before they need to rejoin their duties and they take a decision to head to Ambala while they can. They hire a car and driver, driving through the night as Naina speaks to her friends, accepting their congratulations and thanking them.
They take turns to sleep along the way, not wanting to leave the driver as the only one awake. Dawn has already broken by the time they arrive, the first drill of the academy in progress. Abhimanyu stands by the academy's entrance to greet them, and the moment the car stops, Rajveer heads towards him, hugging his friend tightly.
"I'm glad you're safe, Chauhan." Rajveer tells him. "We finally did it, and it was all thanks to you."
Abhimanyu shakes his head. "We all had our parts to play in it, Raj. I was just the one lucky enough to get to put the finishing touches into place."
He escorts them inside and towards Brigadier Chandook's cabin, knocking on the door and waiting for the commandant's permission to enter.
Naina and Rajveer both stand to attention as he stands from his desk, making his way forward to greet them. "Major Shekhawat, Captain Ahluwalia, I'm glad that you could both make it on such short notice."
"We wouldn't have missed it for anything, Sir." Naina tells him, "I've waited a long time for this day."
"I understand, Captain, and I am sorry for ever having doubted your brother's innocence. He was an excellent officer and he deserved far better."
Naina nods, unable to speak, and Brigadier Chandook suddenly looks at them critically. "Last time you were both here with me in this room we had conducted your engagement. I had expected you to be married by now."
Rajveer clears his throat. "We're working on it, Sir. As soon as we've set a date you'll receive your invitation."
He realises suddenly, that they never had gotten around to picking one with Naina's parents.
/
The ceremony is everything that they could have wished for, simple yet heartfelt. Brigadier Chandook gives a short speech, then Naina steps forward to place Naveen's photo on the wall of fame as they watch her, her smile quietly triumphant as she does so.
All of those years of pain, and the final result is finished in less than ten minutes, the cadets soon dismissed and sent back to their classes once the ceremony is concluded. Shalini and Suriji remain behind once the others are gone, congratulating them all warmly. They make their way to the mess, where Suriji's assistants have laid out some food and drink for a small celebration together.
"I was so happy to hear of your promotion when Shalini told me, Naina Putar." Suriji tells her. "And now today Naveen's soul can finally find rest. He would have been so happy to see you all here together, and you and Rajveer Putar looking so happy together too."
Rajveer belatedly realises that he's taken Naina's hand once again, in front of them this time. It's become a habit when they're off duty, the need to touch her in some way as if to reassure himself that he can, that it's finally alright to. Despite his self consciousness, he holds it all the tighter, they have nothing to hide from anyone now.
"Speaking of which…" Shalini starts.
"If you're about to ask when we're getting married, we still don't know." Rajveer breaks in. "But as soon as we're back at our base we'll request approval for leave and set a date once and for all."
"It's about time," Shalini tells them, "By now Huda must have collected at least a lakh worth of bets on when it will be."
Naina laughs, and looking across at her, Rajveer is struck by the joy that is so obvious in her expression, no longer tinged by any trace of regret. They have truly laid Naveen to rest today, the ghost that has always haunted them now at peace.
In that moment, he can't help but be glad of the time it has taken them to get here. Would they truly have been ready for it, if they had managed to find the evidence while Naina was still at the academy? Would they have managed to escape from it unscathed or would one or more of them have paid the price in their quest for the truth?
They have each had their own journeys to reach here, each with their own challenges and battles. Naina truly has grown into her own self, both as an officer and as a woman. Rajveer has found his own way too, has learned to believe that he deserves happiness, that it is alright to dream of a future in which he has everything that he wants.
Impulsively, he raises the hand he holds to kiss it, not minding their audience or the reactions he will receive.
Naina turns to look at him, her gaze soft, and he knows that she doesn't mind it either. "What was that for?"
"For everything." Rajveer tells her. "For all of the years ahead when I can do that as often as I want."
Years and years of happiness, and he's finally ready for them.
A/N: Only one more part to go and we are done!