Prologue
"I don't want you placing yourself at any risk, you don't know these 'll trap you just like they trapped me, and if they harmed you..." He took a shaky breath, his hands clutching her more tightly. "As long as you're alive it'll give me the hope I need to survive. I'll live and fight on that alone."
"That might be enough for you but it's not for me. I promise that I'll be careful, but I need to try. I want to fight for you, and I won't stop until I've proven you innocent."
"Naina..." Her name was like a prayer from his mouth. "My brave Naina."
She had known then that she couldn't fail him.
/
Naina wakes with a start, the dream fading abruptly. Months later and the memories are still as stark as on the day they had occurred.
She looks towards the corner of the room, where her bags already stand packed and ready to go. They will need to leave in a couple of hours to make it on time and Naina knows that her parents will try to dissuade her once again.
They don't understand, how can they when she can't tell them the truth?
She prepares quickly, her clothes already ironed and hung up in preparation the night before. Making her way to the breakfast table, Naina smiles at her parents. "Good morning, Ma and Baba. I'm ready when you are."
She doesn't have to wait long for her mother to start. "Naina, are you certain? I know that after what happened, things have changed for you... but there's no need to do this, you just need to give yourself time for things to go back to normal. And your brother..."
"This is my decision, Ma, and Bhaiyya should be happy that I've made it. I know you're worried about what will happen, but you need to trust that I'll be fine."
"Meera, you've tried to persuade Naina, now it's time that we respect her decision." Her father speaks up, "I think we should leave now so that we reach on time."
Naina is going by bus, unwilling to have her parents drive all that way only to need to return. It is seven am when they farewell her by the bus stop, her backpack already over her shoulder and one suitcase to stow in the undercarriage.
Naina is prepared for where she is going and what she must do, she knows she won't need much with her. A photo of her family, some clothes; a token of remembrance on a chain she wears under her shirt.
The miles disappear beneath the bus's wheels as Naina stares out the window at the scenery passing by.
She knows exactly what she risks in taking this decision.
Everything that Naina does from now on will need to be done with a great deal of thought and planning. She must ensure that she does not come to their notice, that she can escape attention while she searches for the truth.
There is more than just Naina's own safety riding on it.
/
Naina pauses by the eternal flame, saluting it, before her eyes drift to the photo on the wall.
They haven't removed it. It's almost too much to hope that she could have him watch over her as she completes the mission they'd jointly planned. It must be some type of a sign.
Looking hastily away, Naina makes her way towards her interview.
/
The Brigadier looks at Naina, at her lack of makeup, simple clothes and hair tied back in a neat braid, and nods in approval.
"I'm glad to see that you're aware of what's required in the academy, Cadet, otherwise half of the recruits turn up looking like they're headed to film auditions. You won't find the training easy, I warn you, you'll need to be prepared to work hard."
Naina is glad then, that she'd been warned beforehand on how she should appear.
"I will work hard, Sir." She promises him, "I aim not only to complete my training successfully but to be the best cadet to pass out from this academy."
The Brigadier's lips quirk. "I'll be watching to see if you do."
/
Naina isn't quite sure what to make of her roommate, or the rest of the cadets she's met today. Pooja doesn't seem to understand just what life at a military academy means, and Naina finds herself wondering if the other girl will even last a month.
Pooja might surprise her though, after all Naina has surprised herself with how much she's been able to endure.
Ali seems to be both serious and honest, and from their brief conversation, Naina knows that becoming an officer is his dream. He will work hard and Naina doesn't doubt that he'll make it.
Of the other two she met, she's less sure. Yudi had rushed off after his meeting with the Brigadier, full of energy but perhaps not of confidence. Meanwhile the only words Naina has heard from Aalekh were to tell them where Pooja had landed after her fall from the room. Looking at him, Naina gets the feeling that Aalekh isn't looking for friends here, that he's taken the decision to close himself off from others a long time ago. She doesn't know the reason why, but Naina understands that impulse a little herself.
With Pooja now rescued from the terrace, Naina leaves her in Suriji's capable hands as he calls for some water to revive her, and makes her way back to the entrance hall.
She is free until lights out, and she thinks that if she pretends to be examining the hall of fame, she can take one more look at his face, to give her strength.
Entering, Naina realises that her thoughts from earlier have turned out to be true. It was too much to hope for that he might watch over her in her time here. She bends down to pick up the photo, the frame now shattered, staring down at his features.
She cannot fail him, she will not allow herself to.
"Fresher?"
Naina whips around, startled, taking in the man who has spoken to her. While he wears casual clothes and his hair is not regulation length, she guesses that he must be faculty here. "Yes, Sir!"
"Name?"
"Cadet Naina Singh Ahluwalia, Sir."
The man pauses, looking at her strangely. "Ahluwalia? But you must be..."
They are interrupted by another man rushing up to the first, a grin on his face. "Chauhan! I just found out you were posted here too, what luck, I wasn't expecting to see a familiar face."
The man referred to as Chauhan tilts his chin in her direction. "You might be surprised by how many you see here."
Naina's heart sinks, she wasn't expecting this. Her mission has just become twice as complicated.
The man turns around, quickly doing a double take when he sees her. "Naina, what on earth are you doing here?"
Deliberately, carefully, Naina places the photo frame back down, and turns to face her brother.
"I've joined the academy, Naveen." She tells him calmly. "Aren't you happy to see me here?"
On the ground beside her, the photo of Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat stares up at her.
The photo of the man she has come here to save.
A/N: Well here it is, the next story I've been working on. I had planned to post it only when it was finished, but I thought that with everyone under lockdown/quarantine it would be good to have some more reading available! I am currently writing chapter 25, and hope to have the full fic finished soon.
This one starts from a rather different premise, and I'll have an explanation of what is different after chapter 3 when things are a lot clearer.
Dedicating this one to crackedarkness whose love for a particular pairing inspired some of this and for being my partner in crime on tumblr!