• Sometimes, you want have to smile to hide the pain. Laugh so that no one can hear you scream. And lie so that they won't know how much it's hurting you •

Magadha

"Prince Keechak?" The minister whispered, stepping back.

Subhadra looked at Keechak, who was mounted on his horse, his gaze fixed on her. Bhargavi, who had been playing with the horses, instantly ran to Subhadra when she noticed Keechak.

"Have you forgotten the rules of investigation, Varma?" Keechak asked, dismounting his horse. Subhadra glanced at the ministers who lowered their gaze, clearly embarrassed.

"Prince-" One of them began, only to be cut off by Keechak.

"If you are to investigate a woman, it must be done during the day, before sunset. However, if the circumstance requires you to carry on the investigation after dusk, at least one woman from the royal family must accompany you." He reminded the ministers, his gaze briefly shifting towards Bhargavi, who was hiding behind Subhadra.

"I apologize Prince, but-" Varma began, only to be interrupted by another minister.

"We did not come here with the intention of investigating her, Prince. We happened to pass by and observe how this woman failed to adhere to your orders." He gestured towards the house. Keechak's expression hardened as he gazed at the house before turning back to Subhadra.

"This tradition has been in place for years. What do you want us to decipher from your act of disobedience?" Keechak began coldly, stepping closer to Subhadra, trying to assert his dominance.

But to his surprise, Subhadra held his gaze steadily, wearing a confident expression. Keechak's lips parted in confusion, was he wrong to expect her to have bowed before him in fear? Wasn't that how a woman of common birth would behave when confronted by a royal?   

Keechak briefly shifted his eyes to rest on Bhargavi to mask his surprise. Under his gaze, Bhargavi could not help but huddle closer to Subhadra, her body trembling at the unfolding tension. 

Subhadra, on noticing her daughter's fear, wrapped her arm around Bhargavi's shoulder, all in the while glaring at Keechak. The other ministers, too, exchanged astonished glances. To take control of the situation, Keechak pretended to regain his lost composure, and looked at Subhadra for a reply.

And as though she could read his mind, Subhadra began, "I believe I am not obliged to answer that question, Prince."

Keechak frowned, raising an eyebrow in confusion while the other ministers exchanged quick uneasy glances.

"What does that mean?" Varma was the one to break the silence. "The Prince has just outlined the rules for investigating a woman." Subhadra began confidently.

"Yet, here we are, my daughter and I, being questioned by five men at night, with no royal women present. Doesn't that violate the rules and render this investigation invalid?"

Keechak smirked, "If that's the case, call your husband. We'll discuss with him."

"My husband lives in another-" Subhadra began when Keechak's mock laugh made her pause abruptly, "Ah, so he lives in another city! What a shame!" Keechak retorted.

Subhadra frowned and glanced at the other ministers who had insensitive smiles plastered all over their faces, "What do you mean, Prince?"

"What a shame that despite being so skilled with words and having a personality so magnetic, you could not even keep your own husband by your side." Keechak paused, deliberately looking at his ministers, all of whom burst into mocking laughter, except for Varma.

"Perhaps, our ancestors weren't wrong when they said that with time, a woman's beauty and charm eventually fade away in her husband's eyes.." Keechak taunted cheekily. Subhadra's composure faltered as her face flushed with anger.

"Tara, get inside!" Bhargavi heard Subhadra instruct, her voice cold and emotionless.

The intensity of her mother's tone sent a chill down Bhargavi's spine as she quickly nodded, taking a step towards the door. However, Keechak stepped ahead blocking their path, an unruly grin spreading across his face.

"Why the hurry?" Keechak purred in an spiteful tone. 

"In all possibilities, she is afraid of her truth being exposed in front of her child." One of the ministers suggested with a sly grin.

"Oh I understand now!" Keechak's voice echoed again as she leaned in towards Subhadra, "Does your daughter even know who her father is, or did he not even wait till her birth?" He asked, flashing a malicious smile at her.

Bhargavi instinctively glanced up at her mother whose face had flushed deep red in anger, her form vibrating as if a storm was rising within her.

"Minister Varma-" She began, her tone cold with fury as she stared at Keechak who let out a chuckle, clearly enjoying the discomfort he had just caused.

"Kindly take your Prince away, before I make him regret his words-" Subhadra said, glaring at Varma who shivered under her tone. Keechak's grin wavered as the tension in the air thickened.

His face darkened, his jaw tightening as he pulled his sword ready to strike, before Varma rushed towards him.

"Prince, we have a council meeting early in the morning, tomorrow. It's time we leave." Keechak shot a furious glare at Varma.

"I'd rather be dead than leave this place without putting an end to the audacity of this woman!" Keechak shouted, his voice rising with anger.

Varma glanced at the other ministers, silently pleading them for support. To his luck, none of them could muster the courage to speak up against Keechak and remained silent, exchanging scared glances.

Bhargavi's eyes widened in horror as Keechak shoved Varma aside, now charging forward towards Subhadra. Without thinking, she shut her eyes and jumped forward, outstretching her arms in a desperate attempt to shield her mother from Keechak.

Subhadra gasped in shock at her daughter's sudden movement but before the matter could escalate, Varma's voice cut in, "Prince Keechak! Please stop!"

Keechak paused, glancing at Varma.

"Do you even realize the consequences of this act on your claim to Magadha?" Varma got out. Keechak's eyes softened, the realization finally dawning on him. He shifted his glance from Subhadra to Varma, his mouth stifling a deliberate sigh.

In no time, he loosened his grip over the sword allowing Varma to seize it from his hand.

"You're right, Varma. The throne is more important." Keechak replied, his voice barely a whisper.

Subhadra looked at her daughter rooted to her spot, her body shivering under the weight of the danger that they just escaped. She swiftly pulled Bhargavi into her arms, whispering words of assurance in her ears.

"You will regret this!" Keechak vowed, casting a vengeful glance at Subhadra before turning and walking away. Varma briefly glanced at Subhadra and Bhargavi, before motioning for the others to follow Keechak. Within minutes, the entire group mounted their horses and rode off, towards the palace.

"What just happened, Ma?" Bhargavi whispered in fear, as she clung onto Subhadra, tears flowing down her face.

* * *

The night fell and Bhargavi found herself curled up against her mother who had been rhythmically patting her back to help her fall asleep.

Sleep was however miles away from Bhargavi, as her mind kept replaying the events that had just transpired. The sight of Keechak drawing his sword and rushing towards her mother kept flashing in her mind, each time as real and terrifying as when it first happened.

She glanced up at Subhadra and saw her lost in thought, likely replaying the taunts that Keechak had hurled at her. Since that incident, Subhadra had been mundanely going through the motions of daily chores, but there was a noticeable distance reflecting in her eyes. Over the years, Bhargavi had never seen her mother falter like that.

The Subhadra she knew had always worn a gentle smile on her face, irrespective of the situation. She still remembered how few months ago, someone had stolen her mother's footwear from the fields where she had left them while working.

For the next month, Subhadra walked barefoot, yet never complained. Bhargavi often wondered and asked Subhadra how she maintained her composure despite facing the discomfort and pain of walking barefoot. In return, her mother would simply smile and tell that perhaps someone needed the shoes more than she did.

This time, however, it seemed that Keechak had struck a nerve, stirring all the painful and unwanted memories Subhadra had long buried. Bhargavi let out a soft sigh and snuggled closer to her mother, her mind searching for a way to comfort her.

"Ma?" Bhargavi began hesitantly, her tone uncertain.

"What Tara?" Subhadra asked, without looking at her.

"Why are we living alone, Ma?" Bhargavi asked, looking at Subhadra. Subhadra glanced at her for a moment, before saying, "What makes you think we are alone Tara?"

"Ma.. I've seen every kid live with their mother, father and siblings. Why don't Brata and Pa live with us? When will they come back?" The girl asked, softly.

Subhadra froze for a moment, her face unreadable as she glanced at her daughter, eagerly awaiting an answer. Her mind scrambled back to the past, to one of those moments that had changed everything.

"A message from Uncle Vidur. What is it?"

...

"Come on, do you think this is the situation to play a prank!"

"Ye- yes, let's us decide on what we were already talking about. What do we name this one!"

"Um.. the kids must be hungry. What do we have for dinner?"

"This emblem- this message is indeed from Uncle Vidur."

"So does that mean..."  

...

Silence.

* * *

PS: Hola! How are you all doing? I'm so annoyed today as I wrote the whole chapter of My Days in Indraprasth and it just got deleted.

Anyways, I can't trust Watty with my draft anymore, and that's why I have published this chapter before the target is completed.

The next chapter will be completed only after the targets on both the chapters are done.

And yes, I was so angry with myself when I wrote the insult dialogues. I know you guys would be upset too but I needed something to really provoke Bhargavi and bring her to ask questions to Bhadra.

It will take some real time to unravel and learn about the past but she's finally started the journey.

What are your guesses about the last few dialogues?

How was the chapter overall? I published this in a hurry, may as well edit parts afterwards.

Target: 22 votes and 45 comments.

Take care guys!