10 years later: Panchal

It had been 10 years since Panchal's greatest day and it would be many more years until that day came again. Panchal was given an heir 10 years ago from this date and to the excitement of many, (and to the little disappointment of one), it was a boy. 

Young Drupad ran around in the castle looking for his mother; the Queen. It was his birthday after all! But he couldn't find one of the most important people in his life to ask for their blessings. In reality, the young heir only wanted his mother and father's approval and blessings, but he knew that his father would make him greet everyone in Panchal today. As he ran around asking every maid whether they had served or saw his mom, he found himself eves-dropping on all of their conversations. He quickly ran from maid to maid, receiving birthday wishes but none knew where his mother or father were. 

Now the Panchal maids were known for their gossiping, but this one conversation Dhrupad overheard made him stop with fear. 

"Did you hear?" One maid spoke. Dhrupad tried to recall her name but he came up with nothing. 

The other maid replied, "If you're talking about the new prisoner then yes I know! This talk is all around the castle!" 

Dhrupad stood straight and tried to put on the "King" pose that his father always put on when talking to his prime ministers. He said, "What prisoner are you two talking about?"

The second maid quickly bowed and replied, "Prince Dhrupad, we mean no disrespect but we really aren't authorized to be telling you these things. Besides you are young, go play! You should not matter yourself with these sorts of affairs."

Dhrupad replied slightly enraged, "My father began my training as soon as I turned 6! I may not know how to pick up a weapon yet but I do care and know about this kingdom and its rules. And besides, as your future King, I order you to tell me in detail about what you have heard about this prisoner!"

The maids quickly stood still with fright. The young prince was known for being kind and smart, yet they had not expected him to have such authority at a young age. 'He really is fit to be King' they both thought. They shared a look and sighed. 

The first maid spoke, "Young prince, I will tell you all I know. But I give you no guarantee that it is true." Dhrupad nodded as an approval to continue. "Hastinapur, a kingdom rival to ours just appointed a new King." The second maid cut in, "Vichitravirya is his name. He is known for having very bad sicknesses all over his body. He is the son of Queen Satyavati and King Shantanu". The first maid continued, "Panchal and Hastinapur had made an agreement that they would not go on each others land so that the two kingdoms would never have any issue. This was a way that they could be civil towards one another. King Shantanu had agreed when our King Prihas, your father, made this rule. However it seems like after King Shantanu's passing, the young King violated this rule and came on our land for hunting. People are saying that King Prihas captured King Vichitravirya and now he is to be executed in front of all Panchal citizens. This will make Queen Ambika and Queen Ambalika, newly wedded wives of Vichitravirya, widows with no children and therefore, Hastinapur will be Panchal's for taking. 

Dhrupad's eyes widened. This would mean that every kingdom would fear Panchal. No one would ever set their sights on making enemies with such a powerful country. 

The second maid now spoke, "That is if, King Shantanu and Mother Ganga's son Bhishma allows it. It is said that he was taught the warrior ways by the Gods and the powerful Sage Parshuram himself. He promised to always stay dedicated to Hastinapur's throne and who sat upon it. He also was granted a boon by his father that he would be able to pick the time, date, and year of his death. He was given this boon because he forsaked the throne for his step-brothers when his father fell in love with Queen Satyavati. Queen Satyavati's father also ensured that Devrath, (that's what he was called before his oath) never had any kids, as he made him also promise that he would never marry. His oath was so harsh that from then forward everyone started calling him Bhishma, which means fierce oath. He is un-defeatable, divine, and feared by all so therefore while he has been alive, Panchal has never been able to take over Hastinapur and will never be able to. 

Dhrupad didn't wait to hear what the first maid had to say. He ran to find his father. If what he heard is true then, this Bhishma would not hesitate twice to kill his father upon finding that his step-brother is dead! His Kingdom would fall under Hastinapur and he would loose one of the most important people in his life. He ran to the open court in the green back lands of Panchal, where prisoners were taken for public execution. 

As he entered the lands, he saw guards stationed everywhere, probably to stop anyone against Panchal from freeing King Vichitravirya, the thought. Looking forward he saw, his mother and father, in full Queen and King mode, at the top stage seated on their respective thrones. He passed the guards and went up to the stage to warn his parents and convince them not do this. He silently prayed that the kingdom ministers would agree to what he had to say. But before he could say or do anything, he heard a terrifying sound that made everyone stop with fear. 

The people of Panchal started screaming and young Dhrupad could not understand why. All he managed to catch from the crowd were the words Ganga, Son, Sound, Bow, Powerful. He began to put two and two together and realized that this meant that Bhishma was here to free his King! 

The worry in his heart threatened to come out as tears in his eyes as he realized that he had been too late. 

A/N:

Hey Guys!!!!  I hope you enjoyed reading that part. I'm really just setting the stage for the birth of Shikhandini/Draupadi. I'm hoping I'm able to do that in about 3-5 chapters, so be patient with me. I promise I'll make filler chapters like this, as interesting as possible so bear with me. I love you all for taking the time to read my books!

Comment share and vote if y'all support me!!! <3

Lots of love,

Krupa