Vasudev Shree Krishna came to Hastinapur as a peace messenger from the Pandavas for negotiations.

Bhanumati was hopeful upon hearing this since this might have meant that they could, in fact, avoid the disaster after all. She had thought it would be impossible after the Dyut Sabha but here was their chance!

But as always, it seemed that all sense always left her husband whenever it came to the Pandavas.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bhanumati was absolutely stunned. Five Villages! Five Villages! That was all! But no.

"I will not give a needlepoint worth of land!"

And then he had attempted to bind the Lord of Dwarka in shackles!

It was sheer insanity.

She--she simply couldn't believe it. Firstly, rejecting a peace offer that was so--so favourable for them! Bhanumati had thought that the minimum requirement would be returning Indraprastha, which would have been absolutely understandable, but Vasudev had been willing to negotiate up to a mere five villages!

Everybody in the Palace was flabbergasted. Pitashree Dhitarashtra wouldn't speak to anybody as he seemed to have gone into a state of shock, Pitamaha Bheeshma had had a massive argument with Duryodhan and then he and Kakashree Vidur had gone off somewhere together, perhaps to vent their grievance.

It was so bad that even Mama Shakuni lost his temper with Duryodhan!

Even Bhrata Karna looked like he was ready to tear his hair out in frustration and he was always ready for a fight with Arjun.

"I'm going to go apologise to Vasudev. This was truly deplorable behaviour! No one should treat a peace messenger like that!" He told her and rushed off on a chariot after Dwarkadeesh before the latter could leave Hastinapur.

And she stormed off to their quarters to have a chat with her husband.

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"They say people lose their minds when they sense that the end is near! Is that what's happening to you?" She snapped at Duryodhan, who turned to glare at her.

"Mind your words, dear."

"Or what?" She challenged. "You have no right to ask me to mind my words after you have acted so foolishly!"

"I have done nothing wrong--"

"How can you say that?!" She shrieked at him, completely losing her cool. "After everything, how can you even utter those words?! If you hadn't done anything wrong, we wouldn't be at the brink of war!"

Duryodhan fell silent and just looked at her for a while.

"I have not done anything wrong by denying to give my Kingdom to the Pandavas." he finally specified.

"Indraprastha is not yours to begin with!" She exclaimed. "Hastinapur is yours! But not Indraprastha!"

"It is mine." Her husband growled. "I won it. It was infinitely foolish of Yudhishtir to bet his Kingdom. That's not my fault!"

He twirled away from her, his angavastra swishing. "Yudhishtir could have got up and left the game at any point of time, had he wished to do so. Until he lost himself, he was still the Emperor. No one could have stopped him. That he didn't, is entirely his fault. And now, Indraprastha is mine and I'm not going to give it away."

Bhanumati stared at his back helplessly. It was like arguing with a massive brick wall.

"This is not about Yudhishtir and his foolishness! This is about you and your ludicrous actions."

He turned another fierce glare at her but she of all people wasn't going to be cowed by him.

"Even when you refused to return Indraprastha, Vasudev Krishna offered an alternative. Five villages. Five villages, from your vast empire. And you couldn't even give that much?!"

"Why should I give any part of my Kingdom to them?"

"Oh I don't know," She said sarcastically, "Maybe to avoid the utter destruction this war will bring? Your brothers could die, your son could die, your nephews could die, your friend could die!"

"No." He said.

"What do you mean ' no '?" She asked incredulously. "People die in a war. Surely you do not expect that all your family will be perfectly alright after this war?"

"As long as Pitamaha, Guru Drona, Mitra Karna and even Mitra Ashwathama fight on my side together, the Pandavas cannot defeat me and Bheem cannot fulfill his vow of killing me and my brothers. So why should I be afraid?" He asked defiantly.

"You cannot be certain that everything will work out in your favour!" She said plaintively. "What if something happens to Lakshman? What then? Will you be able to forgive yourself?"

"Nothing will happen to Lakshman." Duryodhan said, refusing to budge.

"You don't know that! " She screamed. "You can't know that. There is still a chance. Agree to the proposal of the five villages. Bhrata Karna has gone to apologise to Vasudev, so he must still be in Hastinapur. Send an eagle with a message. Call him back. Apologise. Stop this war." Bhanumati pleaded.

Duryodhan stood silent with gritted teeth. For a moment Bhanumati thought that there was still hope that her husband would see sense.

But then he said, "Mitra Karna should not have gone to apologise on my behalf."

All her hopes were dashed.

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Then whose son am I?

You are Queen Mother Kunti's first-born. Surya Dev himself is your father.

*******************************************

Do you not desire to rule all of Aryavarta?

I have never done so, and I will not start now simply because I know the truth of my birth. Besides, Duryodhan is my best friend and I would never abandon him, not because of fear, bondage or death and certainly not because of greed for a Kingdom. It is true that at times I have done and been part of things I would have otherwise never participated in just to please him, but I love him and I will not be another Vibhishan.

*****************************************

You alone could stop this war and still have Dharma prevail in Aryavarta under your rule. Arjun would be your charioteer, Yudhishtir will fan you, Bheem will be your flag bearer, Nakul and Sahadev , knowledgeable in the Vedas, will act as your Royal Priests, and I myself will ride behind you!

I do not care for any of it, Keshav. If you gave the Kingdom to me, I would merely give it to Duryodhan to pay back the debt of the Kingdom that he gifted to me.

****************************************

If you become emperor now, Draupadi would be your wife and visit you at the sixth turn of the year. You once wished to marry her, did you not?

Do not lower my respect for you by offering me such a thing Keshav! You would say such a thing, you would offer me your friend even after how terribly I insulted her? I could not even look her in the eye now for how much I regret it. And besides, I am married and I love my wife. I do not desire or seek anyone else.

*******************************************

You have been insulted all your life and you have been denied your rights as a Kshatriya. Do you not seek them now?

I have been a Sutaputra now for my entire life Keshav. My birth mother abandoned me and then I was lovingly embraced and raised by my Suta parents. My naming ceremony was conducted the Suta way. I have a Suta wife. All my sons were born and named according to Suta traditions. We are not a mixed family. We are a Suta family. After bearing insults all my life and accepting that I'm a Sutaputra, I have no wish to suddenly claim the title of a Kshatriya. And I would never do such an enormous disservice to my parents Radha and Adhirat by changing my caste and all but disowning them. Till my death I wish to be known as Radheya.

***********************************************************************************************

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For some reason Bhrata Karna did not return to Hastinapur at all after he had gone to apologise to Vasudev. He had gone straight back to Anga and now Duryodhan was fretting.

"He didn't even say anything!" Her husband exclaimed as he paced around. "Surely he could not be so upset with me about insulting Vasudev that he would just leave!"

Yes, that would be very out of character. What on Earth had Vasudev said to him?!

But she didn't say anything because maybe if Duryodhan thought that his friend was that upset with him, he would see that he had been wrong. (Not likely, but hope was all she had now. For everything. If she didn't hold on to it, she would shatter.)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bhrata Karna returned a week later at late night unseen by anybody and the very first thing Bhanumati saw from the top of the staircase next morning, was him walking into the palace looking like he was returning from his morning Surya Puja with Kakishree Kunti of all people!

Well it could just have been that they ran into each other outside(though what the Queen Mother would be doing out so early in the morning, she couldn't begin to imagine)and Karna had decided to escort her back but they both had red eyes and blotchy faces like they had been crying!

And then as Bhrata Karna turned to go his way, Kakishree Kunti grabbed his hand to stop him. Bhanumati found herself gaping. What on Earth was happening?!

There was some furious whispering before Karna pulled his hand out of the Queen mother's grasp and decidedly walked away. The old woman was still for a moment and had a miserable expression on her face before she wiped her eyes and walked off in the opposite direction.

Bhanumati felt like she had witnessed something forbidden.

Later Bhanumati didn't dare ask about what was going on but Bhrata Karna tightly embraced Duryodhan to his chest as if he never planned to let go. Duryodhan happily held on(especially since it was clear that Karna wasn't upset with him) but shot her a bewildered look over his shoulder.

"You are my best friend." Karna whispered fervently. "I will always be by your side. I'm never letting you go."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Yadavas were bound to help them as well as the Pandavas due to Lakshmanaa's marriage to Samba. Mama Shakuni had been inordinately pleased about this, going on about how he had known some good would come of her kidnapping. Bhanumati resisted the urge to fantasise about smacking an elder in the face.

Duryodhan was to go meet Vasudev Krishna with Arjun and they were to negotiate the terms of the alliance. It felt entirely shameful to Bhanumati to seek help from the man after what had transpired in their court just a few days ago. How Duryodhan could bear to face him and ask for his help in the War, she did not know. She was certain that they would receive only the bare minimum of help that the Yadavas were obliged to provide due to their family relations, if even that, for no matter the fact that Mahamahim Balram was said to be fond of her husband.... surely he would be enraged at Duryodhan as well after his younger brother was insulted?

As such, it would be a major understatement to say that she was shocked when Duryodhan returned with the promise of two whole akshauinins of army from the Yadavas to fight on their side, whilst the Pandavas would receive Krishna himself and select few warriors like Satyaki who wished to fight with them. What was more, apparently Vasudev Krishna would only help them strategise and not pick up a weapon himself in the war. Apparently Arjun himself had made the decision to not choose the army.

Surely, it had to be a trick?

Duryodhan seemed happy enough at this massive addition to their army, but Mama Shakuni seemed rather disgruntled. Almost as if he would have preferred if they had received the Pandavas' end of the bargain.

When she asked him about it he told her, "Putri, Vasudev is not a normal man. He has never been normal. He has these.... strange miraculous powers. What child can so easily defeat Rakshasas? What ordinary baby can kill a Rakshasi? And even a few days ago, you saw how no bonds were strong enough to hold him, how he entranced everyone in this very Palace. He is very cunning and his tricks are deadly. He is not a foe I want to face."

And she realised that the man was right. Some people said that Vasudev Krishna had a strange divinity to him. That he performed miracles wherever he went. And was it not true? Had he not protected Draupadi''s dignity in a manner that could not possibly be natural? And if Mama Shakuni was acknowledging someone as cunning....

Well, Arjun was close with Krishna. He must know the full extent of his friend's powers. Perhaps it was not a trick after all. Perhaps it was what Duryodhan and certain others who did not like Vasudev simply did not like to acknowledge. That the man was extraordinary.

And instead of sharing in Duryodhan's jubilation at the added strength of their army, she shared Mama Shakuni's worries.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The date of the war was set a month later in the battlefield of Kurukshetra on land of Syamantapanchaka. It felt so final to Bhanumati. It felt as if she had already been destroyed.

Soon the time came to mobilise the army and to gather the troops from all the Kingdoms to the battlefield.

And there was no way she was going to be sitting in Hastinapur when all the men she loved were going to be out there, preparing for the greatest Mahayudh of all time. She was certain that most of her sisters in law also would not wish to spend what might be their last moments with their husbands and children, away from them.

"But battlefields are not a place for women!" Duryodhan exclaimed for the tenth time.

"Battlefields are not a place for anyone! " Bhanumati fired back. "And besides, none of us will be stepping into the Battlefield proper. We will be in the camps!"

Duryodhan shook his head helplessly and shot a beseeching look towards Karna, but the older man was staring listlessly at a wall. Often these days, he had been looking kind of lost.

"I have heard that the Pandava women will be in the camps." Vrushali di said quietly, from beside him. "Would you all deny us the same? Are we not as strong as them?"

Duryodhan gaped at her. But she had trapped him. Bhanumati smirked. Bhrata Karna was still looking unfocused.

"But Bhabhi-- are you certain you all will be able to live with the stench of death, with the sight of all the blood and gore and the wildness that comes with war camps?"

"Don't doubt us women, Dury." She said with a smile. "Except perhaps physically, we're just as strong as you men in all ways."

Karna abruptly got up. "Let them do what they want, Duryodhan. Whether they wish to accompany us or not is their choice."

See, this is why Bhrata Karna was usually called the sensible one. Mind you, usually.

"It is up to every individual, exactly where they want to be in this war." And with those strange parting words, he walked off and his wife looked at him sadly.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Three weeks prior to the war, when all the armies of all the Kingdoms participating in the war had assembled their troops in Hastinapur and Panchal for the Kauravas and Pandavas respectively, ready to begin their journey towards the Kurukshetra, Yuyutsu decided to switch sides.

Her husband was understandably apoplectic and they all felt the sting of betrayal. Bhanumati had not spoken a word to Maduri when she had come to seek her blessings. How could she think that Bhanumati would offer her blessings when they were switching over to the other side?!

She knew that her husband had done wrong things but.... to betray one's own brother like this?!

"How can he do this?! How can he do this? !" Duryodhan sobbed. He had punched Yuyutsu before he had left. It was a first, for outside of the training grounds, Duryodhan had never raised a hand against his brothers.

Dusashan and Karna stood on his either side, each with a hand on his shoulders as a show of support, but Bhrata Karna's face was strangely blank.

"This is the greatest war this world will ever witness, my friend. Which side to stand on can only be chosen by an individual. A person can do only what he believes to be right."

Bhanumati could not believe her ears.

"But Bhrata!" She exclaimed. "To fight against one's own brothers?! "

Karna turned that unsettlingly impassive look towards her.

"If one believes that it aligns with his Dharma to fight against his blood brothers, then that is what one must do."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The moment they reached Kurukshetra and somewhat settled in, Bhanumati immediately made her way towards Kalinga's tents.

Rushing inside, she embraced her brother and shared greetings with her sister in law and nephew and then dragged her brother aside.

"What is happening Jyesht?" She sighed and her brother wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they looked over at all the soldiers moving around and setting up training fields.

"Destruction." Shrutayudha said. "We are all just walking towards our destruction. We can see it coming towards us and instead of trying to run away from it, we are only hurtling closer to it."

"Some people are still content to pretend that it's glory and not destruction that lies ahead." Bhanumati muttered darkly and Bhrata Shrutayudha squeezed her in a show of support.

"There's nothing we can do anymore." her brother sighed. "Vidarbh, Manipur, Kashmir, Udupi and Dwarka except Krishna's Narayani Sena are the only Kingdoms not participating in this war. But at this point, even those who don't participate are going to suffer. Aryavarta's economy is going to fall so drastically, that the winners of this war will have absolutely nothing to enjoy."

"Economy?!" Bhanumati scoffed. "The number of men in Aryavarta is going to fall so drastically that the whole empire will turn white with the Widows' Sarees."

"At least not our Lakshmana." Bhrata Shrutayudha said and Bhanumati flinched. "Despite everything, at least she will be safe from an early widowhood."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A week and a half before the war was due to start, Bhanumati was sitting with Vrushali di at the edge of camp, watching their sons train with the soldiers. Duryodhan was supervising the whole thing.

Vrishasena was barking orders for the different formations. As crown prince, he would have to lead part of Anga's battalion as Karna would be at least one of the major commanders of the whole army, if not the Commander in Chief(though the latter was most likely to be Pitamaha Bheeshma).

Suddenly though, the young man stopped as his eyes focused on something far behind.

A moment later, he was off, leaving his men with a cry of "Pitashree!" on his lips.

Everyone swivelled around and horrified gasps rang out everywhere.

Karna's upper body was all bloody, his gold-bordered white dhoti was drenched with bright blood at the waist, blood coated his ears and streaks of blood ran down his arms as he walked unsteadily towards them.

The rest of his sons, Duryodhan, Lakshman and the two of them rushed towards him at once and Vrishasena managed to catch hold of his father right as his knees gave out.

How on Earth had he gotten injured so badly?!

That too, on his upper body?! Bhrata Karna had never been injured anywhere on his upper body because of his Kavach and now it seemed like all his skin had been flayed off!

As they all clamoured around him and tried to drag him to the healers tent, he choked out a laugh and spoke in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine. There's no open wound left. This is just blood. It can merely be washed off. The pain is still there, but there is no open wound."

What?!

Right then Sushena caught onto something the rest of them had missed.

"Pitashree--Pitashree, where are your Kundals?! "

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bhanumati felt numb. This level of interference from the Gods?! Krishna was expected, but this?!

Karna's generosity was famous all over Aryavarta. Apparently it was famous amongst the Gods as well, for Devraj Indra had taken advantage of that very generosity.

Knowing that Karna never turned down anybody who came to ask him for alms, he had disguised himself as a Bhrahmin and asked for his Kavach Kundal as daan.

How could the Gods do this? Weren't they supposed to be impartial? For his son's sake, Indra Dev made another warrior mutilate himself?!

Your generosity is going to get you into trouble one day when someone asks for something outrageous.

It seemed ages ago now, that she had uttered those words to him. It was ages ago, when things were good and they were young.

The King of Gods had healed Bhrata Karna later apparently, but though the wounds had closed, the pain still remained. Bhanumati had no idea how the man was still alive and conscious after cutting off his body parts with his own hands. Even if Devraj Indra had healed his wounds, if the pain still remained, it must be unbearable.

Everyone gathered in the tent had tears in their eyes, except of course Karna himself.

He took Vrushali's hand in his. "Don't worry, I've been promised I'll remain unscarred, so you won't suddenly end up with a disfigured husband!" He attempted to joke, but it felt completely flat.

Vrushali di shot him a tearful glare before continuing to carefully wipe the blood clean off his tender torso.

"What is the point of this, Mitra Karna?" asked Duryodhan, wiping his eyes.

"What is the point of fulfilling your Dharma by sticking to vows that cost you everything? If some scoundrel ," he snarled, "had asked for your right hand in daan, would you have given it away as well?"

After a long time, Bhanumati found herself in complete agreement with her husband on something.

Bhrata Karna sighed but didn't say anything in response.

He finally spoke once his body was free of all the dried blood.

"There is one thing though. After committing such a grave injustice with me, Devraj Indra seemed to feel surprisingly guilty. He promised to give me the boon of any weapon I asked him for, for a single use."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"What did you ask for, Baba?" Prasena asked. "The Vajra?"

"No." Karna said. "I asked him for a weapon that would allow me to kill my enemy if I only spoke his name once and that not even divine intervention should be able to stop it . He gave me the Vasavi Shakti and told me that I could use it only once and that too, when my enemy is in front of me."

Everyone's breath caught as they realised what this meant.

A terrible grin spread across Karna's face. "Once will be enough. If Indra thought taking my Kavach-Kundal from me would be enough to keep his son safe......"

Welp, so that's the longest chapter I've ever written in a Mahabharat Fanfic. And this makes sense, because it involves so much of the important stuff. The War begins next chapter. Only two-three more chapters left to go.