Princess and soldier

Chapter 9

"What happened? Are you fine?" The figure asked Rhea.

"Kichu?" Rhea recognized the voice. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"Thought someone could use my help. And it seems to be true." Kichu told as he came forward to sit next to her." I can't help it. It's all again like before. I can't..." Rhea sobbed. Kichu pulled her into a hug. "Ri, don't cry. I know it's hard but you have to fight. You are the daughter of one of the toughest women I knew. You can't mope around. People are waiting for you to break down. You can't Rhea... If you will then it's just forgetting all your mom prepared you for all these years."

"I can't I just can't... Without either of them I am nothing."

"Rhea... You have gone through worse... You stood strong..."

"Shut up Kichu. The last thing I told my father was that I hate him. And never wish to return to him. Now I don't even know whether he is alive or not. I fought with my mom and lost her forever I never got to say a goodbye to either of them. You have everything your mom is fine. You got to spend every day of your life with your father. You had a family. I am jealous of you. I might be the Stark heiress but I am the poorest person in this Earth. I don't have my family I never had one."

Kichu kept quiet. As he let his friend let out her mind. He held her closer. The girl in his arm is no longer the one he knew. The one who left India. She has gone far down the road. For the first time he found himself at a point where he couldn't help his friend, his little sister, his life line. All he could do was hold her. Soon the two friends drifted off to sleep.

Pepper slowly peeped into Rhea's room. She found the two friends curled up together. She smiled before pulling the covers. She knew the boy can help Rhea. She can't let her go down the path her father went when he was her age. She had promised herself that. She pulled out her phone. "Hey Rhodes, may be we can help her out. The boy can do it."

The next morning Rhea woke up to find Kichu sleeping next to her. Last time they slept like that was when her mom died. She remembered refusing to let go of him hugging him tighter. She remembered begin afraid that she would loose him if she let him out of her sight. Rhea felt so bad that she yelled at him the other night. She slowly slipped out of the bed she rubbed her eyes while going to the bathroom. She felt something greasy and black in her hand. She ran to the bathroom to check upon herself. Aargh! She screamed. She saw her whole face was covered with grease. "Mr. Iyer!" she bellowed. "What did you do to me?"... She roared as she ran back to the room. Kichu looked like a deer caught in the lights. Rhea looked at him venomously before lunging for his throat. Kichu ran for his life.

Rhea followed him to the hallway. She threw the first thing she could put her hands on which was a screwdriver it missed him by an inch but went straight to land on Rhodey's head who was coming into the house. "Ouch!" He exclaimed. "Oh god" Rhea ran towards Rhodey. "I am sorry Rhodey it's this idiot I was aiming for." "What happened to your face?"

"This idiot thought it would be funny to give me a greasy face." Rhea glared at Kichu while he took a step back to hide behind Rhodey. "Haha!" Rhodey laughed as he hugged his stomach. Rhea looked at him with her mouth open. "Here is a boy bullying your one and only niece and you are laughing at her." She accused Rhodey. "Stop being a drama queen Ri." Rhodey chided her. "I'm telling the truth. You are laughing instead of defending me. If you can't I will do it myself." She looked scathingly at Kichu."Thought you could escape didn't you Mr. Iyer." Rhea went around Rhodey for the boy like a predator hunting it's prey. Kichu ran for his life to the work shop downstairs with Rhea at his tow. "Stop there you ass." She screamed as she ran after him.

"J instruct Dummy to be at standby this is war." As soon as Kichu entered the lab he was welcomed by Dummy spraying water straight into his eye. He heard Rhea's menacing laughter behind him. "You have entered my territory Mr. Iyer now there is no way of escape. Surrender." Dummy went towards Rhea. Rhea patted Dummy as if it was a dog. "Good boy"she cooed at it.

"Don't tell me you just cooed at a robot. That too one that looks nothing more than a school project." Just then Kichu got another round of water spray from Dummy. Rhea doubled over with laughter. "Just a school project. Huh?" " I take back my words." Rhea went to the nearest the drawer an took out a box of tissues and started wiping her face.

Rhea came out of her room to find Obie sitting with Kichu. He had thrown his arm around Kichu's shoulders. Kichu was visibily uncomfortable about it. "Hello ." Rhea said as she went over to the couch. She pulled Kichu's arm as she sat down. Obie took his arm from Kichu. "How many times have I told you to call me Obidiah or Obie."Rhea just smiled. She turned to Kichu and whispered "he is just a fox." He nodded.

"So Mr. Iyer is your friend?" " Yeah mom was friends with his mother. By the way what brings you here?"

"Just wanted to show you some paperwork about the company. I would be running SI till you are major."

"Excuse me. I don't think my dad is gone from the face of Earth. And I think we can talk about it with Pepper and Rhodey. They're basically my guardians. So without them me going through these papers doesn't make sense."

"But..."

"No buts. You may leave. And leave the papers here. I would like Pepper to go through them. Just because I am a minor you can't manipulate me ."

Rhea saw that Stane was seeing red. Obidiah controlled his emotion. "You are so mature. Future of SI is safe in your hands."

"Thank you Mr. Stane." With that he left. Are you fine? She heard Kichu.

"Yeah, what was he doing to you?"

"Just asking why I was here. The depth of our relationship."

"What?!"

"Yep he thought I am your boyfriend. I told him I am not."

"He is a double faced ass. I am cent percent sure he is behind Dad's disappearance. See how fast he came with the papers. I want Rhodey and Pepper go through it."

"Hey let's go to the lab." Rhea told as she collected the papers and put them in her closet. "J remind me to scan them. "

"Yes Miss Rajput."

The duo setout for the lab. They were going through many of Tony's things. When Kichu pulled out a book and proceeded to read it. Rhea observed that her friend was too deep in the book. Suddenly he started to search the nearest cabinet for something. "What are you searching for? A pen and paper." " Dummy bring them in. What is so interesting in the book."

"For the ass your father is he is bloody brilliant." Rhea swated his head. "Language, the man you called an ass happens to be my father."

"Just go through these, you will realise what I am saying."

"I know it's a Herculean effort to make sure he has food in his system and enough sleep. Because once wheels star turning in his head he never stops he reaches it. This something I found out in my stay here. He was a child prodigy."

"Now I realize how the seven year old you could cover high school portions. You had him in you always and will always have him in you. No one can ever change your identity Ri. You are Rhea Durga Rajput. Nothing can change that."

Rhea hugged Kichu. "Thank you."

"What's our major rule?"

"Friends say thank you. Siblings never. It's the duty of the other to support the one in need."

"So just take that back. I would always be there for you Ri. No matter what happens. Love you to the moon and back."

Meanwhile somewhere in the East Asia a man was yearning to see his daughter and he knew he would and all of this would be just a bad dream.