"Your brother is not here yet Sushen!" Suthanu was panicking. They had left the mahal long ago,and there was no sign of Shatrunjay. Sushen who was standing beside Pragti, slowly approached her."You need to trust him! He will be here... For sure." These words were supposed to confront her, but it seemed as if he was trying assure himself that Shatrunjay was alright.His mind raced with the possibilities of whatever could go wrong.The Pandavas caught him?Was he successfully able to knock down the prince?Did Karna recognize him?...

Just then,the sound of a twig being broken was heard and the bushes moved vigorously. Suthanu and Pragti took a step behind,and Sushen gestured them to stay behind him. It could be anything.A wild animal, soldiers or their parents.Sound of footsteps were heard and Sushen slowly reached out for his cutter, his eyes locked on the invisible target.A sweaty Shatrunjay walked out,he was exhausted. Sushen's let out a soft relieved breath,and kept his cutter back. Suthanu immediately ran to Shatrunjay and gently held the end of his fingertips.

"I am sorry for keeping you waiting for so long, my dear." He gave her a sweet smile,and pulled her close to him. "Never leave me again.."She said, her voice almost inaudible."I won't." Shatrunjay promised and then turned his attention to Sushen.

"Let's leave from here." Shatrunjay said, in a commanding voice. Sushen nodded and revealed two bags which they had hidden behind a bush. Pragti and Suthanu exchanged glances. The brothers were hurriedly unpacking and checking their clothes and ornaments while whispering.

Pragti," What's going on Sushen? Why do you both have so many clothes and basic needs with you?"

Sushen while packing replied, "We will need this for a few days."

"What do you mean?" Pragti questioned and guessed what the answer was going to be. But she hoped that they had some other way out of their current situation. Shatrunjay sprang to his feet.

"We will be living in the forest till our parents anger subsides." Sushen got up as well. "Are you saying that we are not going back after getting married?" Suthanu asked with disbelief.

"Going back right after getting married is stupid Suthanu!Anything can happen! A war can be waged, any of us can get killed! We are not worried for ourselves, but for you both. If something happens to either of you,we will spend the rest of our lives regretting and shattered." Shatrunjay tried to explain them,while Sushen agreed.

"Wouldn't the situation be even worse if we do not return? Firstly, there will be chaos,once they figure out that we both have eloped with you,they might attack each other on the spot and-" Pragti seemed to be hyperventilating, as she recalled the curse. She feared that Sushen will be affected by it. He slowly came close to her, placed his hand around her waisted and allowed her to rest her head on his chest.

"The war is inevitable. It can happen on the spot or within few days-"

"What about Vatsala?" Suthanu suddenly spoke while staring at the kingdom. "She helped you? Right Shatrunjay..." She turned to him. "What if someone saw her. What if someone gets enraged on her? What if something bad happens to her or the baby because of us? Will we be able to forgive ourselves?" Suthanu questioned.

"But didi should we really?" Pragti asked,still hesitant. Suthanu nodded, while Sushen whispered,"She is right. Vatsala has always selflessly helped us. Took the risk to convey our letters to each other. We should go back once we get married." He placed a kiss on her forehead and eyed the temple which was situated in some distance.

Shatrunjay nodded. Before they were leaving for the temple, he felt an uneasy feeling. A really unsettling one.

***

The palace was a mess. The girls were missing and the Nepa king felt angry as well as embarrassed. The guests were uttering weird possibilities,and he hoped that they would turn out to be false. The Upapandavas were frantically searching the palace,while Vatsala stood far away from the scene. Sweat could be seen on her forehead, and she was visibly tense. She was wondering about the consequences of her actions,and it was freaking her out.

"Vatsala," She almost jerked when she heard someone calling her name. It was Chitrasen,with Pradyumna in his arms."are you feeling alright?" He inquired with squinted eyes. Vatsala nodded and tried to put on a fake smile, which did not work on him. He came extremely close to her, his tone filled with seriousness.

"Tell me Vatsala. What are you hiding from me?" He asked.
"Nothing." She lied.

"I saw you closing the door of Nityansh's chamber from outside. Why did you do so? Right after you left,no sounds were heard from inside,it was just silence.What happened in there? Both, Pragti and Suthanu are missing while the grooms are nowhere to be seen. Tell me,what's going on?"

Vatsala took a deep breath before whispering the entire situation to him. Chitrasen tried to control his expressions throughout the conversation. The two things,which he was worried about were. Firstly,how would their parents react and secondly, Vatsala's safety... His eyes lingered on her swollen belly for a fraction of second,before he placed his hand on it.

"Don't worry about anything. I will take care if something happens alright?" He assured her, and Vatsala slowly nodded. Just then,a bloody Saarujan, showed up,his brows furrowed with anger.

***

A smile spread across Shatrunjay's face as he saw Sushen and Pragti complete their seven pheras around the holy fire. He looked at Suthanu and placed a kiss on her forehead,she was finally his wife.His to cherish,forever and ever.

Sushen and Pragti took the pandit's blessings,and joined them. The sisters were extremely happy.Their dream had finally come true.They looked at the direction of Nepa kingdom,and starting their journey back to the kingdom, they wondered what the situation must be there.

***

The Nepa king almost ran to his younger son,whose nose was bleeding. His wife,was shocked and placed her hand on his nose and muttered, oh my God. The king cupped his son's face and demanded to know what happened.

"I was heading towards Pragti's chamber. She was almost ready,and was setting her jwellary. I talked with her for a while,just then a man entered.He seemed young as well and closed the door.I was alert and shielded Pragti,from potential harm.The other guy and me had a hand to hand combat, that's when my nose started bleeding.I had successfully managed to pin him down,and he seemed to be losing control.Just then, I felt something strong hit my head.It felt like wood, when I turned around I was shocked to see Pragti standing with a wooden vase in her hand.I think that they were somehow connected."

After speaking that Saarujan whispered something to his parents,the Pandavas and Upapandavas were shocked they exchanged glances while Vatsala stood almost like a statue.Chitrasen was also alert,ready to interrupt,if needed. The Nepa king turned to Yudhisthir and asked in a stern voice,"Were your daughters having an affair with some other princes?"

Karna quickly kept the glass of juice away and looked at the king.He wondered if this was somehow connected with his sons.Yudhisthir, Arjun and Draupadi were silent.The Nepa king started laughing like a maniac.

"Now I get it. You all were in such great hurry to get your daughters married to my sons because they are probably in love with someone else!You opposed it, and now they have eloped before marriage!Your fear has turned real,and because of that we have faced great humiliation. My son here is beaten while Nityash- wait where is Nityash?"
The Nepa king looked around,and so did the others.Just then Shrutkarm,got to his feet.

"I saw Vatsala closing the door of his chamber from outside."He spoke. Vatsala tensed,while Chitrasen stayed close to her.Prativindhya stared at her in disbelief and slowly placed Pradyumna on a chair. Draupadi was about to approach her,but then stared at the majestic gate with horror. Karna's eyes widened, at the sight of Shatrunjay, Suthanu, Sushen and Pragti. The girls wore mangalsutras,all four of them had a garland around their neck,and they stood in pairs.

They were married.

[A/N- How will Pandavas,Upapandavas and Karna react on this?Will the Nepa king be enraged? Is the curse,which Pragti saw in her vision,going to come true? Stay tuned,for the next chapter!]