The corridor felt shorter than usual. He slowed his pace even further letting himself indulge in this short rare interval of his life. Faint sweet music reached his ears from the gardens outside. The air contained the fragrance of various flowers.  With sparkling diamond pillars and gold bedecked walls encrusted in precious stones all glimmering under the sunlight, Vaijayanta was the heart of Amaravati. Yet it felt bleak to the King of the Gods. Most of the gods, goddesses, celestial nymphs and sages were on Bhulok (earth) playing different roles which left Swarga almost empty; devoid of its general liveliness. It was for only a short while. Time flew differently in Swargalok than Bhulok afterall.

"Praise be to the King of the Devas," a nymph greeted Indradev folding her hands in reverence. Generally he would stop to exchange a few pleasantries but today other important things demanded his attention. Forcing his lips to curl in a polite smile, Indra gave a nod of acknowledgement as he walked past without pause. The nymph looked confused before her eyes widened in surprised. She scurried away to share what she had seen to her friends. Devraj was walking around without his crown!!!

Indra rolled his eyes. It looked like he was going to be the subject of gossip for another 100 earth years. He wondered what exaggerated version they would come up with this time. He would never admit it out loud but Maharishi Narad's exuberant narrations about the current gossip in Swarga did amuse him tremendously.

His light-hearted train of thoughts were cut short when a familiar door came into sight. He started feeling jittery all of a sudden. Indra came to a halt before the door. Placing his palm over it, he tried to push the door open but his strength failed him. He stood there staring at the intricate carvings for sometime.

"Sakra," her eyes held an unexplainable melancholy. "This is how things have been."

He hastily removed his hand and stepped back. Another pair of eyes flashed in mind.

"Sakra," there was an esoteric contrast of confusion and knowledge in her eyes.

He hadn't ventured to this part of his palace in years much less this chamber. Perhaps all this could have been avoided if only he had listened to her then. But he knew he had acted as he was supposed to. There had been no other way. Indra took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. He needed answers. Last time the doors had been an impenetrable wall when the King of Devas had come. This time a son came to visit his mother. Indra knew in his heart he would not be denied today for his head was not high with arrogance but low in surrender. He moved forward and the door swung open on its own.

His step faltered momentarily in astonishment. No one has been able to enter this room since the door was sealed by his mother. His gaze settled on the lone figure sitting on the floor of the vast vacant room.

If one were to observe keenly, then they would find her floating 3 fingers above the floor. Seated in lotus position, her dainty hands were laid one open palm over the other on her lap. She had her almond shaped eyes closed in meditation. Her lengthy dark tresses flowed down unrestrained over her shoulders until they kissed the floor. Her figure was wrapped in a plain red bordered white saree. Despite the absence of accessories, her warm honey complexion was radiant. From the vermilion bindi on her forehead, arched eyebrows, curled lashes, lotus petal like soft lips formed into a slight smile to her straight spine, broad shoulders, narrow waist, red mahavar painted feet, she was beauty expressed in the simplest form.

The absolute silence amplified his footsteps as Indra walked closer to the Goddess. Behind him, the door closed with a muffled thud. He felt overtaken by long buried emotions all of a sudden. With shakily folded hands and uneven breath, he fell on his knees before the Goddess and whispered," Maa."

His voice echoed through the chamber yet the Goddess remained unmoving before him. The stillness was uncanny. Her chest did not rise or fall. It was as if Vishwakarma himself had carved a lifelike sculpture from stone.

"You never do anything without reason," Indra said out loud after some time. "Yet you never provide us with any reason. I never had to look for answers about your actions before but you have perplexed me entirely this time." He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Forgive me, Maa. This time your son does not understand your motive. Why? Why the need to incarnate twice? Your incarnation as Devaki along with Pita as Vasudev was pre-destined as per the desire of Narayan himself. Yet you chose to incarnate as another woman in Kaliyug and come to Dvapar. What is it that the gods and goddesses are missing?"

Indra drew his eyebrows together trying to line up all circumstances sequentially and understand the purpose of his mother's actions. The Tridev had spoken of the girl from Kaliyuga when she had appeared in this time initially. Later Devi Ekanamsha told them about the dormant deity who had chosen to remain hidden from the Tridev and Tridevi within Abhijishya. It was a mutual decision to leave her unbothered as she would remain under the protection and observation of Shree Krishna.

"What are you planning to do Maa that even the Tridev are unaware of your motives?" he murmured thoughtfully. Indra felt the familiar gentle weight of his mother's palm over his head. His eyes snapped open to find an unmoving Devi Aditi as before. A warm feeling seeped in his heart making a small content smile bloom on his face.

Indra got up. "This son of yours shall be waiting eagerly to witness the leela of Devi Aditi, Maa." He said reverently before walking away leaving behind the unmoving figure with the chamber whose door was sealed once more.

Krishna smiled in his sleep. Only time would provide answers to the mystifying actions of the Goddess of Past and Future.

====================================

"You came earlier than expected," there was light shuffling of feet and a murmured order for privacy. The dasis standing outside the hut left. Moving closer to the figure lying on a bed of stacked hay and leaves, Abhijishya sat down on the floor before his feet.

"It seems I won't be getting any replies tonight," Krishna opened his eyes. "I assume you are angry and disappointed in-"

"Such is the nature of wrongly placed expectations," Abhijishya remarked sharply while undoing the lid a container she had brought along with her. "It always causes disappointment. Then again I believe the fault is mine. I crafted my expectations on the basis of a misguided assumption that I know the nature of someone having only read a few lines and heard legends about them passed down generations which are sure to have been distorted."

Krishna sat up before letting down his feet on the ground and faced her. "You are terribly displeased that we do not match the image of Krishna and Arjun you have formed in your mind," he inclined his head looking into her eyes. "Yet you came here."

Abhijishya scowled back momentarily ceasing to unroll the cotton bandages. "You did not leave me any other choice."

"Oh? Didn't I?" The lit diyas arranged throughout the root illuminated Krishna's innocent face but the satisfied glint in his eyes suggested otherwise.

"You were roaming around with an untreated burn wound on your foot. At least Arjun had the sense to get his blisters and cuts treated. It could get infected," Abhijishya said heatedly but her touch was gentle as she took Krishna's injured foot in her palm and carefully cleansed it with water. Krishna watched her apply a herbal paste then bandage it in silence.

She stared at his feet even after she was done. It was astonishing that the soles of an adult man could be blush pink and soft. Abhijishya placed his foot down. "It was not right," she said quietly. Getting no answer, she glanced up. "It was not right," Abhijishya said; this time louder while staring into dark eyes unflinchingly. "The burning. That pain," her eyes teared up recalling the screams she had heard. "That cannot be dharma."

Krishna calmly kept looking at her. "Sometimes some actions become necessary even though they are not right."

Abhijishya scoffed. "When did slaughter become a necessity? And to attain what? A divine bow and chariot for Arjun? Or is it because a god asked you to do so?" She hissed in anger.

"Neither, dear sister," Krishna replied softly. "The cosmos follows an order that makes life possible and anything that defies that will face divine intervention. Dharma, in essence, is balance of the cosmos. Of life and death. Of creation and destruction. Khandava had to be destroyed for the same reason."

"I do not understand," Abhijishya said in confusion. Her anger had subsided considerably hearing the gentle tones of Gopal.

"Devraj Indra promised to protect the land Nagraj Takshak resides in when the later gained his friendship. Indirectly, he had promised to protect the forest from all destructive elements, disease and death. Neither Yamdev nor his Yamdyuts could enter the forest. All creatures residing within the forest have been alive and living there since mid-Tretayuga. Life had become stagnant with increasing population. The surrounding regions were left barren due to rain showers only on the forest tract. It was time to resume the balance of this land. Hence, destroying Khandava became a necessity," Krishna explained while gauging Abhijishya's reaction.

She let out a breath in an attempt to get rid of the choked feeling in her throat. "Why promise such a blessing in the first place? It turned out to be a curse. I understand why you had to do it but it still doesn't justify the agony of the burned."

"Everything happening is either someone's action or the consequence of their actions. The burning of Khandava is an accumulation of many such actions and consequences. It was IndraDev's dharma to  protect his friend just like it is my dharma to protect Parth in his peril," Krishna said as he placed an affectionate hand over Abhijishya's head. "We shall also get the consequences of our actions dear."

Abhijishya looked keenly into Gopal's dark eyes. Why hadn't she noticed how his eyes seen to churn with opposite emotions all at the same time? She rested her temple on her brother's knee and murmured,"Tomorrow Dev Vishwakarma will  be building Indraprastha over the soil that has soaked blood and tears. It is a swamp, Bhrata. It will swallow us up."

Krishna hummed as he caressed her head. "You know how this story ends."

Silent tears rolled down from her eyes on his dhoti. "Our karma, Gopal." She too had been a silent spectator afterall.

"In the end, only dharma shall prevail," Krishna murmured his gaze seeing things far away from the present.

"Only dharma," Abhijishya echoed as she curled her hand around her abdomen. Her heart trembled at the thought of the terrible things that the future holds.

She felt a gentle tap on her head and looked up at Krishna. "The future does not exist, sister. To ponder on it so much will make you careless about the present. You are going to be a mother soon. Rejoice in that."

Abhijishya lifted her head from his knee. "I... I don't think I am ready to be a mother. I am only twenty and," she sighed. "What if I fail to be a good mother?" The doubt and fear were apparent in her voice.

Krishna smiled. "That fear of failing will make you try your best to be a good mother. This is a new experience of you. You might make mistakes but you must amend them after you realize it. You will make a fine mother," his knowing tone erased Abhijishya's uncertainty.

She smiled. "I hope I can be good mother."

"You will." Krishna reassured. Then he said with twinkling eyes," Now I believe you must leave. It is late and someone has been avoiding my brother-in-law for the past couple of days."

Abhijishya blushed and smiled sheepishly. "I was uncertain about being a mother and couldn't get rid of the turmoil in my heart. Now that they are gone, I guess I should take your leave." Placing the container and bandages on the plate she had brought, she took it and stood up.

"Subh Ratri, Bhratashree," she said. Krishna got up and replied," Subh Ratri." He came closer and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. Placing a hand on her head, he blessed,"Susantan Bhava."

Abhijishya stared at him silently too overcome by love to be able to say anything. "Bhratashree..."

"Go on. Or else Nakul would be waking people up trying to find you," Krishna chuckled. Abhijishya smiled and nodded. She walked away having restored the faith in her brother and friend once again.

Perhaps terrible times awaited them in near future. She just knew that her Krishna would be their boatman and deliver them from the turbulent waters of endless strife. (Such was the nature of faith.)

~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~

A.N. - HAPPY DIWALI EVERYONE!!! 🤩🎆🎇✨

SUBHO KALI PUJO TO MY FELLOW BONGS!! 😍😍🤩🤩❤❤ DIPABALIR ONEK SUBHECHCHHA ROILO 💓💓❤❤✨🎇🎆

This chapter is dedicated to AASHIYANA__ Happy belated birthday baccha. 💓💓💓I planned to update on your birthday but the chapter was just not coming together.

So now you know that Abhijishya is Devi Aditi. Shoutout to DrKanu. She was the first person to guess it right so she gets a prize from me (still dunno what prize.  Suggest me smthing ppl)

Recs - The Blindfolded Majesty by nerd_positive

It's new but do check it out. You'll like it.

Now onto serious business. I have one question. Knowing and Making history and Dying Embers are chapter 57 and chapter 58 respectively. Ch 57 has 96 votes while Ch 58 has 65 votes. The views are 600+ in both.

Was there any shortcoming in my writing? I want honest answers pls. Be straightforward and harsh, I don't mind. I just want to know the reason becuz this has been bugging me for days and was the reason I wasn't able to get this chapter together properly.

So, do comment what you think about this chapter as I spent days writing it.

And don't forget to vote as well.

About Update - I won't be updating before 27th or 28th Nov.

Now I am going to publish a 50K celebratory part.

So see you peeps there.

Bye for now ;")