His friends -2

" So you started hitting the other boys in class now", said the king toRajeev.

Raj smiled. He knew the boys would snitch.

Dr. Sumeet Khurana came with the complain. Solly gave him a murderous look.

" Solly I am really disappointed", said Salman.

" Why did you do it", asked his grandfather.

" Ohh I didn't like his face", shrugged Solly. " I didn't like Dr. Khurana's face too", he sneered. " But he is an adult ". Solly punched his hand.

" What are you saying"?

" Daddy", said Rajeev. " Dr. Khurana gets a poor girl pregnant and leave her. Poor Ro is his son. Now he lets his other son and nephews hit him".

" They hit him", Sumeet sank to the ground.

Rajeev showed the video.

" I call three hitting one bullying. So I evened the field", he said.

" And he got his nose broken", shrugged Solly.

" Its my fault", said Dr. Sumeet." Gayatri asked me to do the right thing. But I was silenced by my elder brother."

" Then do the right by him now", said king Ranbir.

" I second that", said the crowned prince.

Dr. Khurana adopted Rohit making him a legal heir. The bullying stopped.

HIS METHODS WERE UNCONVENTIONAL BUT FUTURE KING WAS A JUST ONE.

He met Maddy when he was 9.

Madhav Shashtri ( nee Pundit) a.k.a. Maddy Gautam's fraction and Dheeraj's reincarnation

Raj, Ro and Solly were playing ball in the mud. Their faces and clothes were all muddy. It was raining heavily. But he loved storms and rain.

At that moment a speeding car almost hit him. Solly pulled him back at last moment.

" Appa. You hit him", said a worried boy inside the car.

" Damn". Alok Shashtri braked. And came out.

Raj hated speeding vehicles. One took his mother away from him.

" You nasty old man", he said to Alok. " You have eyes or buttons? Can't you see us"?

Alok was in a hurry. He was called by Salman urgently for a case. This insolent boy p*ssed him off.

" You homeless rat. You play in the middle of the road to get hit by our posh vehicles so that you can rob us out of our money", said Alok." You worm. I could just crush you. But I am in a hurry".

Raj's demenor chilled.

Ro was about to speak but he silenced him.

" So if I am homeless, poor and weak I am as good as dead", he said.

" Look we both know you want money", said Alok as he thew few hundreds on the boy. " Bugger off. Shoo".

And he drove the car off.

" Appa you were rude", said the boy.

" He was too", said Alok. The boy shrugged.

Raj was smiling a chilly smile.

" Its going to cost you way more you rich old man", he said. " Solly".

" Yes Raj".

Next evening the three rebels were standing in front of a posh house.

" Advocate Alok Shashtri", said Solly.

" For being a lawyer he discriminates justice based on class", said Ro.

" Time to teach him a lesson", said Raj.

The boys climbed over a mango tree near the house and jumped over the wall to reach the housed compound. A shiny new Pulse stood under a shed.

" Start the practise boys", said Raj. " That's the goal.

Solly took the first shot at the window. He had a perfect aim. They waited for the sound of glass shattering. But it did not come.

" Boy did I miss", said Solly.

They looked in the direction of car. A boy their age stood smiling at them.

" You did not", he said to Solly. " But every goal has a goalkeeper and I was faster than you".

Solly smirked. " I won't miss next time", he said.

" Please forgive my Appa", said the boy. " I know he was rude but he was tensed. I apologise on his behalf".

The trio immediately liked him. He was very well behaved.

" Its not your fault. Besides he is the adult not you", said Raj.

" Plus a lawyer. A speeding car means penalty", said Solly.

" And in kind not cash when you think human lives are not important", said Ro.

The boy sighed.

" Its his favourite car", he said. " He is my father".

" Tough", said Raj.

" Then take a shot", said the boy. " I will defend".

All the three of them took shot one after another. The boy saved every goal. He turned all muddy, sweaty and tired but carried on. By now he earned Raj's respect. Suddenly he slipped and fell. Solly was taking the shot. He stopped mid air. They all ran to him.

" Are you fine", asked Ro.

Maddy nodded.

" You win braveheart", Raj picked him up. What is your name?

" I am Madhav Shashtri ", he said.

Raj picked up a stone and broke a window. His friends followed.

" Justice", said Raj.

" Maddy what happened "? At that moment his parents came out running.

" I fell", shrugged the boy. " Its slippery".

" You need to be careful", said Laxmi. " This place is new".

" And the window", asked Alok.

" I came to lock it", he said. The wind was strong but fell".

" No worries Maddy", Alok said hugging him..

" Be careful next time. Look there is a scratch", he said. " I'll put medicine".

The boys were hiding behind the car.

" What about that door at the backyard", asked Madhav.

" I put the latch", said Alok. " Now come".

" Okay Appa", he said happily.

The boys escaped through the door.

Next day the boys met Alok at a house warming party at his house. They were impeccably dressed and on their best behaviour.

Alok curtsied to Raj. " Your highness", he said. The other two controlled the laughter.

Raj nodded. " Advocate Shashtri", he greeted. As Maddy greeted him Raj's smile was genuine.

When the adults left Maddy whispered to Raj,

" You left your ball here your highness. Want to practice some more".

All the boys laughed out loud.

" I am Raj for friends", said Raj.

" Maddy here".

He joined the group.

He met Parry when he was 11.

Paresh Gupta nee Aniket Joshi a.k.a. Parry

The boys were all rebels. They were headache for their parents. Fights, tricks and disappearing on their parents was too common.

One night

The boys sneaked into the forest. Ro has smuggled his father's cigarrates.

" Ready for the first smoke", said Raj.

" Hell yeah", said the others.

They started smoking AND COUGHING.

" This tastes like smoke and ash", said Maddy taking a pull.

" I wonder how he can smoke too many", said Ro. " Maa says he will smoke himself to death. Well good riddance".

Rohit still hated his father but Dr. Gayatri became his mother. He loved her.

Suddenly they heard footsteps.

" Somdone is here", said Solly. " Be prepared.

The boys took out their revolvers and removed safety. They were rebels not fools.

" Thats Paresh Gupta from our school", recognised Ro. " He is a scholarship student. One year our senior. Whats he doing here?"

" Lets find out. Follow him", said Raj.

Paresh entered an abandoned trailer. Two goons were waiting for him.

" Did you bring it", asked one of them.

" Sure did", answered rhe boy.

" Show", said the other one.

He took out a gum from his pocket and seven bullets.

" Aah mine", said the first goon as he tried to pick the gun up.

But Paresh took it back.

" Hey you", they hissed.

" A thousand bucks for the gun 20 each for bullets. 1140 bucks and this is yours.

The goons laughed wickedly.

" Listen boy for your payment we are sparing your life. Leave the gun and leave."

" Then you get nothing", he said.

The men surrounded him and attacked but he was ready. He ducked and jumped. Spreading his legs he kicked both of them hard on face. " Boy that will hurt", said Solly. " Bro has a great kick".

Paresh had a revolver in his hands in five minutes. He held it on one goon's head removing safety.

" 1140 bucks", he said.

Needless to say he got the money.

" Solly", said Raj. " I want everything on Paresh Gupta. You have two days".

Two days later

The boys cornered Paresh in the playground.

" I believe we need to talk Paresh", said Raj.

" Aren't you the crowned prince", he asked.

" I am", said Raj.

" I have nothing to say to entitled b*st*ds like you so move your royal ass your highness", he sneered.

Raj smiled. It was dangerous.

" Oh but you should talk Aniket Joshi. Or you want police to find out that you deal in guns", he spoke in a chilly tone. " Or who your father is"? His father was a wanted terrorist. Solly was good at hacking. His uncle Numaan was teaching him.

Paresh lost the colour.

" What do you want"?

" Start talking. Why do you deal in guns? Which illegal activities are you involved in? And why?"

" The answer is simple. Money", he said. " Not for the fees. I have a full scholarship. But for my mother. She is admitted in a facility."

" Which facility"?

" She has Amnesia and sometimes get self destructive. My father is a terrorist. He killed his best friend and disappeared. He tried to kill me and my mother. She suffered a shock. Her brain disintegrated. I want to bring him to justice. So this I thought could be stepping stone", he said. His eyes smarted.

" Your secret is safe with us", said Raj.

" And you are going about it all wrong Aniket", said Maddy.

" Yes there are better legal methods to search him.", said Solly.

" The police had been searching for years", he said. " They found nothing. He is always two steps ahead."

Raj said,

" Then we are not ready. Lets learn and prepare ourselves. I will help you. But keep in contact with these people. Solly you need to go rogue on web. But not now. Now we learn. Maddy you learn laws and way around them. Ro you the nitty gritty of medicine."

" Are you preparing for a war", asked Ro.

" Yeah I have a hunch we all will fight one. Probably more", he said.

" Then I am in", said Paresh.

" Friends Aniket", Raj gave a hand.

" I need to hide my identity your highness so its Paresh or Parry", he replied taking Raj's hand.

" I am Raj Parry.

The boys became brothers for life. They shared all their delights, pleasures, happiness and stood with each other during miseries.

They were his lieutenants in the war he was going to fight.