2 days later -

Karn had just finished his last meeting with the elders of Anga, and was finally heading back to his chambers after long hours of debating over seemingly useless things. It was extremely late, and when Karn looked out the window, and then towards his sundial, he realized that there was only about an hour left until the sun rose. He hadn't realized the meeting had gone on so long, but he had already sent food for his queen the second he realized that he wasn't getting out of the meeting anytime soon. Now, he tiredly walked through the halls of his large palace so he could sleep off his exhaustion until another day's light beat down on his face.

Suddenly, Karn heard a loud boom, a crash sounding seconds after. Karn looked in the direction of the noise and saw that a large dent had been made in his palace wall, about two hundred meters away. His eyes went big as he realized that the explosion had made such an impact on his tightly guarded palace. He ran to the area just to see that before the explosion, the attacker had shot an arrow which was now stuck in the wall next to the damaged one. Karn unwrapped the message from the arrow and read.

"Duryodhan,

The Palace of Anga is now under attack

Come out and surrender in the next 2 hours and we shall spare you

For now, we will only blow one wall down

If you do not show yourself, the palace and the rest of Anga goes down with you"

Karn was shocked. How could the attacker think that Duryodhan was in Anga? Hadn't they heard of how Karn had broken all relations with Duryodhan on that day in Hastinapur's court? He would never surrender his palace to unknown sources. Karn had to do something to avoid the attack. Before he could think of a solution, Karn heard another boom. This time, the bottom of the wall was sporting cracks and crevices.

Another boom crashed into the top of the tall palace's wall. Karn's eyes widened in fear. He thought of what was up there. Who was up there. The staircase a few hundred meters away from him, led to an upstairs corridor, and if he went straight down that corridor and looked to the left, he would see his own bedroom chambers, chambers in which his wife laid. Karn turned and took off running upstairs so he could get the Queen of Anga to safety. She was his everything, and she was the only one running through his thoughts.

Karn took 3 steps at a time as he quickly climbed the stairs and turned down to the corridor. He twisted and turned his body as he managed to roughly avoid the falling objects that previously decorated his walls. Finally reaching his bedroom chambers, Karn pulled the curtains apart from the entrance. When he walked in, his heart dropped. The huge chambers were in pieces. Draupadi could be anywhere from the bathroom, to the dressing wing, or even stuck in the chaos before him. Karn called out her name as he tried to step over the fallen pots in front of him, but due to the oncoming booms, his voice didn't reach her ears.

While Karn started to search for her in the bathrooms, Draupadi was stuck in the other far corner of the bedroom. She had been peacefully sleeping, when her ears had picked up a loud boom from the wall behind her. In order not to be crushed under the headboard of their heavy bed, Draupadi had had to dive to the floor. However, she wasn't completely safe. After the first boom, a second had immediately come rattling the large pots and pillars around her. Before the two large pillars of the far corner crushed her whole body, Draupadi had crawled to the crevice between the two perpendicular walls, but the pillar had caught her heel, and it was now painfully twisted and bore more pain due to the heavy weight of the pillar. Holding back her tears, Draupadi tried to pull away her ankle, but to no avail. The pillar was too heavy for her to move.

A crash sounded from the opposite side from the attacked wall making Draupadi instantly glanced up. It wasn't as loud as the booms coming from the wall on her right, but it was loud enough for her to think that something was wrong. Or maybe someone was coming to help. Draupadi didn't think it was Karn, because she knew that he was engaged in an important meeting. She didn't realize that he cared enough to come help her, but she was in need, and in times of need, she could only call out for the one that held her heart and soul.

"Karn!" she shouted. Draupadi tried not to sound so desperate so he wouldn't think she was in a dire situation. "Karn! Help me. I'm stuck between the dressing wing and bedroom walls. Karn!" she shrieked.

This time, Karn heard her. It was a high pitched shriek and it sounded as if the girl was in immediate pain. Karn's whirled around and ran back the way he came from. He heard it again, "Karn, help me!"

Karn barged through everything in his direct pathway and made his way towards Draupadi in a fit of both rage and worry. He ran in the opposite direction towards the shrill voice of his queen. His heart was rapidly beating as he panted and shoved his way across the destroyed chambers. Finally, he stopped. He was stuck between a totaled couch, a large piece of his great wall, and in front of him two pillars crossing each other.

"Draupadi!" he yelled, "Can you hear me?"

"Karn?" he heard, "Karn, help me!" she shouted back.

The voice had come from behind the two pillars. Karn ran straight over to pull it apart and save the girl who had captured his heart. Karn groaned in frustration. There was no way he could lift both pillars by himself. The first was lighter and was easier to grip, due to its sharp corners, but the second was the heavy and rounded pillar that kept his dressing wing from falling apart. He quickly climbed over the shattered pieces of his glass windows and put all his strength into pushing the first pillar into a position so that it was leaning on the other side.

"Draupadi?" he shouted questioningly. "Draupadi, I'm coming over to the other side, okay? Don't worry, we will both get out safely. Karn took a running start and gracefully leaped over to the other side. When he looked over, he saw the girl hunched over in a corner with just her foot sticking out. Her face was streaked with tears and she looked like she was in extreme pain. Dust from the walls coated her cheeks, and stray pieces of glass surrounded her small frame. He ran over and took her in his arms, giving her the warmth she needed from him, careful not to injure her anymore.

"Draupadi, my love. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Oh Lord Kanha, your foot is under the pillar! We need to get it out," he said as he started fretting over his queen.

"I'm fine, Karn, but we need to get out. The wall behind will get hit soon," she said trying to put on an act of bravery. Karn, realizing that he didn't have much time, got to work on trying to remove the pillar.

"I can only lift the pillar so you can pull your foot out," he said. "Can you do that?" he asked, hoping that she would remain brave.

"Yes, I'll pull it out when you lift it," Draupadi replied.

On a mental count to three, Karn used all of his might and power to lift the pillar up, high above her leg. Fortunately, his physical attributes were very well trained, and he was able to lift the pillar off of her small foot. When Draupadi pulled her foot to herself, cradling it, Karn set down the pillar and rushed to inspect the half of her foot that had gotten caught under the heavy object.

"Can you walk?" he asked, looking into her eyes. Draupadi nodded slightly. However when Karn slowly pulled her up, tears rolled out of her eyes and she let out a small shriek, stifling it as soon as she realized what her brain automatically told her to do.

"You can't walk. We'll just have to figure out another way." Realizing that there were no other options for the two, Karn quickly took her waist and lifted her up. Draupadi, not expecting that from Karn, let out another small shriek. Karn just glanced down at her, shrugged and walked back the way he came from. Unfortunately for the two of them, the large pillar still trapped the two inside the corner. Karn slowly backed up with Draupadi in his arms, then taking a running start, he leaped over the pillar the way he had the first time. Draupadi's eyes closed in fear of falling, but when she opened them, she saw that they had landed safely in a crouch and now Karn was making his way out of their chambers.

Karn once again ran down the stairs, his queen still in his arms, and made his way to the large gates that led outside. Pushing through the large masses of destruction, and ignoring the servants and other people passing to help each other, he finally reached the large gates. Karn and Draupadi walked out the front gate to see the attacker and apparent enemy of Duryodhan that they were facing. With shock on both faces, they looked to each other. On the other side and about 300 meters away, stood the Pandavas and their army, ready to attack the Palace of Anga and the people inside.

Coincidentally, the shock on Draupadi and Karn's faces matched the shock on the Pandavas faces. They quickly looked to each other and glanced at Draupadi and Karn, repeating the process until Karn finally spoke up.

"What gives you the right to attack my palace? You have damaged our kingdom's treasures and people still reside inside!" he shouted angrily. "My servants and advisors are stuck, injured underneath the damage you have caused. What gives you the right to murder my people?" he asked. The Pandavas looked to each other again.

"Lord Krishna sent us here. He said Duryodhan is hidden inside. The war is over and we have taken Hastinapur, but Duryodhan escaped." Yudishtir said, confused to the occurring events.

Karn, astonished by the Lord's lie, finally set Draupadi down in order to decipher the tangled situation. He started to pace, as he usually did when he was thinking of the solution to a problem.

"Why would Mahadev send you here if he knew that there is no point? Duryodhan does not reside in the palace, and you all know that due to our broken friendship," Karn said thinking aloud.

"How do we know you that what you say is true? What if you really have kept Duryodhan in hiding?" Sahadev, the smartest of the Pandavas, questioned.

"I have kept Draupadi here, haven't I? You may think me as the enemy, but at least trust the girl that all five of you married. Do you really think that she would allow Duryodhan of all people to enter the palace? The man who almost took her honor?" Karn yelled, shaking with rage. Draupadi standing on one foot, due to her injured heel, put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Then she spoke up.

"Do all five of you really think that the man who protected me when the five of you couldn't, would let my attacker get to me again? I've spent weeks thinking of the incident, and making sense of what happened. I've thought of every single reason why you couldn't protect me, and every single time I've come back to square one, just to realize that there was no reason. All of you chose your vow as servants to Duryodhan rather than to choose to help me. You all thought that you were following your dharma, but did you not think that by failing to help me, you were really breaking the vows you made when we were married?" Draupadi's speech had started out quiet, but by the end, she was screaming at the Pandavas, tears running down her face once again.

The Pandavas were quiet, ashamed to be reminded of the awful incident in which they had failed to help their wife. She was supposed to be their everything, but they had failed to protect her honor. An awkward silence ensued between the Pandavas and the two leaders of Anga, until a loud shout from Arjun pierced the thick air.

"It's a trick. She isn't Draupadi. She's Duryodhan. Mahadev was right. He is hidden somewhere in the palace. He's taken the form of our former wife," Arjun shouted. His words confused everyone. How could Duryodhan take the form of Draupadi, and if he did, where was she? This was not possible. That couldn't be Duryodhan, because if it was, he wouldn't have just given the Pandavas a lecture about protecting their wife.

Karn was confused as well. Had his enemy finally gone crazy after the days of war with the Kurus? Karn had heard that the Pandavas and Lord Krishna had conjured up an army, but after winning, had Arjun gone mad with power?

Out of the corner of his left eye, Karn saw Arjun start to lift his bow, ready to strike. Realizing that the arrow knocked in his bow wasn't pointed at him, he turned to look at who it was pointed at. On his left, he saw Draupadi looking down, hobbling on one foot, as she tried to ignore the pain. The arrow was pointing at Karn's queen.

The world slowed down for him, as he ran the three feet that distanced them from each other, in a whizz of a few seconds, Karn had pushed her to the ground, ready to follow, but even he was too slow as an outwards force struck his chest, just a few inches away from his heart. The world seemed to speed up again as he fell to the ground, wincing in the process. He heard a shrill scream from the girl next to him as she realized that he had just taken an arrow for her.

"Karn? Karn, stay awake please," she pleaded. Karn just smiled at her. The Pandavas came running to the two, except for Arjun who lagged behind in shock. As they reached him, Karn and Draupadi heard him say, "I don't know what happened. I knew that Duryodhan isn't Draupadi, but my brain was confusing me. I don't know what came over me and I shot the arrow."

Suddenly, as the Pandavas reached Karn, the ground began to shake. Crevices appeared in the Earth under them and lightning, as well as thunder, began to strike the sky. In the midst of it all, the Lord himself appeared, smiling at the reunited family, watching over Karn. As Krishna took a few steps towards them, they all automatically turned, questioning the Lord's appearance.

Before Lord Krishna could speak, Arjun piped up, eager for answer. "Mahadev, yeh kya ho raha hain?" Krishna just smiled.

"Waiting for answers can bring out surprises worth our waiting, Arjun. However, I have come to give you answers to the questions you may have," he said, the smile intact on his face.

Before answering anything, Krishna knelt down to look at Karn. The Pandavas spread apart to make room for him. All except for Draupadi. She stayed by his side, tears running down her face faster due to the arrow piercing her husband's chest.

"All 6 of you wonder why these events have happened. Arjun, you wonder why you believed that Draupadi was just an exterior of Duryodhan, and why you couldn't stop yourself from shooting an arrow at a fellow comrade. Sahadev and Nakul, you two wonder what strategy I am using, and what I hope to accomplish. Bheem, you are the mightiest of all five Pandava brothers, and yet you wonder how Duryodhan escaped your hands. Yudishtir, you would like to know why I am here and why you could not stop these events from unfolding. Finally, Draupadi, my dear sakhi, you only want to know why your husband has been hit by an arrow, and how you are going to heal him in this chaos of events." Krishna finished the address to his pupils, astounding, yet not surprising the 5 brothers and their former wife.

"I am here to answer all questions, but first, I will answer the one who does not ask anything. He is the one who wishes for only a small right of his own. Karn." Karn turned his head slightly to look up at the God who was both his friend and guru.

"You do not ask questions, as you think that you deserve it. It's not your fault Karn. Doing something sooner, would not have prevented these problems. You may believe that what you wish for is not yours, but remember, it is already there. You just need to claim it as yours. I talk of both things, Karn. The one who lives, and the thing that is just an idea, yet matters to every living being in society." Krishna smiled, his playful tricks finally coming into place.

"Do you remember the curse put on you by the Brahman Parshuram?" Krishna asked Karn.

"Yes, Mahadev, of course I do. When I failed to tell Parshuram that I had a King's blood inside of me, he cursed me that when I need my Brahmastra the most, I will forget my knowledge of it, leading to my ultimate downfall," Karn replied sadly, remembering the incident. "What I didn't understand was where the King's blood came from. All my life, I have been a Sut. I've never had a King's blood touch me, except for the fact that I own golden armor that protects me no matter what. I do not know where my golden armor and earrings come from, but only that they protect me no matter where I go. I always thought that it was a boon given to my mother, Radha. I also do not know why my armor did not appear to me. How have I been hit with this arrow? Should my armor not have reversed the arrow from its direction?" he asked the Lord.

Krishna smiled, finally ready to explain the events. "The curse put on you by Parshuram has been broken. You are free of its doing."

"But, Mahadev, how?" Karn asked.

"Wait, Karn. Patience is key to getting your answers." The Lord continued, "You do not remember this, for I have altered your memories. A few months before you married Sakhi, you prayed to Parshuram again, and asked if your curse could be reversed. The great man told you that it had an important role to play. If your curse had been removed, you would have partaken in the war preparations against one of Duryodhan's rivals, and you wouldn't be able to be at the court assembly in Hastinapur 7 months ago. Our story would have been completely different. Your original destiny was to defeat Arjun. However, Arjun shot an arrow at you. The arrow was a Brahmastra." Krishna explained the story.

"Karn, still confused to the incident, asked again, "How am I still alive? How does that reverse my curse? And what divine sources forced Arjun to do so?"

The Pandavas and Draupadi, still listening to the conversation let out an audible gasp. They themselves were questioning the Lord's words, confused still.

Krishna chuckled, knowing that everyone was internally questioning him. "I was occupying Arjun's mind at the time. This was the only way, or else dire circumstances awaited you in the future. The arrow that struck you was a Brahmastra and you were cursed to forget its knowledge. When a Brahmastra strikes one, one is given the knowledge of its power and its use. You, Karn, are protected. Your armor did not leave you. It protected you to its utmost ability. When the Brahmastra struck, it protected you from being completely destroyed. The armor was destroyed after the Brahmastra's impact, but it kept you from immediate death. The arrow inside of you is a form of Brahmastra, but only at its weakest point. It's not a normal arrow so it is not so easily healed, but it will not completely destroy you. Only you can decide your fate."

Finally understanding, Karn nodded his head at lord Krishna, but there were still many questions left unanswered. However this time, it was Draupadi, who had been completely silent throughout the exchange, who decided to ask the next question.

"Lord, how do I heal him? He's slowly dying and the longer the arrow stays in, the worse his chest is getting," she explained, her fears getting worse by the second. "Shouldn't we get him to a healer immediately?"

Krishna shook his head. "No, there are a few more unanswered questions that he must know before his fate is decided. He needs to know where he comes from, but I am not the one who can answer this one. Only a mother can tell her child the truth of his existence and today, it shall be revealed."

As if a faraway sound had been engaged, the brothers, Draupadi, and Karn heard chariot wheels coming closer and closer to the front of the palace. The seven were not surprised to see that Karn's mother, Radha had arrived, but they were astonished, when they realized that Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, had come along with her. They both hurriedly climbed down from the chariot, and ran to the dying King, lying on the ground. Radha immediately knelt down in front of her son, tears already slipping down her face.

"My child," she said. "How did this happen to my child? He never wronged anyone," she cried.

"Radha, it is time. Tell him everything. Karn must finally know the truth of his origins," Lord Krishna said to the mother.

The five Pandavas, Draupadi, and Karn listened intently as Karn's mother spoke. "Karn, my child, you have always been a loving son to me, and I believe that I have fulfilled my duty as a mother to you. However there is something that you must know." She stopped, glancing up at her son. Karn's breaths were coming out hard and heavy now. He was almost panting for a single breath of fresh air.

"Karn, I am not your birth mother. When Brahman Parshuram cursed you because you had a king's blood inside of you, he was correct. You are a king's son, and I only found you on the banks of a river with your armor wrapped around your chest. I've always known, but I never had the courage to tell you." Radha finished telling her side of the story, and a hushed silence fell over them.

     Karn was shocked beyond measures. All his life, people had made fun of him for being a Sut. Now they were telling that he was a Kshatriya. How could this be possible? All he always wanted was respect for his skills. Karn knew that he was a good archer, second to perhaps Arjun, and that his diplomatic skills were unbelievable. All he wanted was respect and honor from the people. He was so confused. If he had a King's blood in him, who was his father? Who could his mother be? Perhaps, he had a whole entire family just waiting for him.

      "Kunti, it's your turn now. The right time has come. You must face the consequences of past decisions," Lord Kanha said turning to the Pandavas' mother. The Pandavas looked up at their mother along with the dying King and his worried wife. What could she have to hide, and why did it matter now, when Kanha was answering questions?

     Kunti, who had been standing farther from Karn than anyone else, walked up to them and almost fell to the ground with tears in her eyes as she saw him lying there with an arrow protruding from his bleeding chest. "My son. You are my son. Karn." Shocked silence filled the air and Karn gasped, though it was not clear if it was because it was getting harder and harder to breathe or if it was because he finally knew his origin.

     "My mother," he gasped. "You, you are my mother?" he said, not believing her words. "My brothers are the Pandavas?

     "Yes. A long time ago, before I met Pandu, I was given a boon, that I would receive a deity's child. The deity was Suryadev. After hard years of penance, I could not refuse the boon, but I never thought of when the child would be born to me. According to society's rules, I could not give birth to a child before I was married, but I couldn't refuse you either. So, I," she was crying now, unable to speak.

     Karn finally realizing what happened, finished the story. "So you put me in a basket with my armor and sent me down the river, just hoping that I would live. Fortunately, I found a home with my mother, Radha." Karn finished. "You left me so that you could live by society's rules, but I am not angry. I had a beautiful home with my mother, Radha, and the rest of my family. I'm only disappointed that I will not be able to spend time getting to know my other family, the Pandavas."

     Draupadi let out a small cry and said, "You will live, Karn. You must live. For all of us."

     Karn just smiled and said, "My fate may not allow me to do so. I am happy that I had such a peaceful life, yet sad that I cannot be here for much longer," Karn said sadly.

     "I've shot a Brahmastra at my own brother, my own flesh and blood," Arjun said, his voice breaking. Tears slipped down Arjun's face. "I'm sorry, Karn. All my life I've stolen everything from my own older brother. First, it was archery, then Draupadi, and today I've stolen his life," he said shocked beyond his wits.

     Karn only smiled, knowing that he couldn't leave if his brother's soul was lost. "Kohi baath nahi, Arjun. Your ability is far greater than mine, and by being better, you forced me to strive as a human being. I thank you for everything you've done." With that final word, Karn drifted off into unconsciousness.

     As Karn drifted off, Draupadi let out a cry, while the others had tears in their eyes. Draupadi repeatedly asked Karn to wake up, but he would not. Almost wailing now, she was shaking his body, but Lord Kanha held her, and she silently wept in his arms for her husband.

***

4 days later -

He heard voices, speaking. The world was spinning, and a blinding white light hurt his eyes so he kept them closed.

"He might not wake up, Jyestha. Some do not recover from their wounds. It only depends how hard he fights to stay alive," he heard someone say.

The other voice replied, "He must wake up. She is expecting him to wake up, and I don't know what I will do if he doesn't. Karn has to stay alive. For all of us."

He started to realize that he was lying on a cot. Something was stinging his right arm, and a searing pain came from his chest. Karn slowly opened his eyes, seeing the blinding light once again, but he ignored it as he forced his eyes to fully open. He looked around the room. In front of him stood Arjun and Nakul facing the opposite direction. He was surrounded by several white cots full of the injured people of Anga. As he took in his surroundings, Nakul and Arjun realized that their long lost brother had finally woken up.

Arjun ran down the hall, shouting, "He's awake. Our brother is awake!" In about 30 seconds, in came 5 sprinting Pandava brothers and a heaving mother. Bheem ran over and helped Karn sit up. The Pandavas walked over to Karn. Arjun and Kunti stood back, both silently watching the exchange, too afraid to move forward.

"You're awake. My older brother is awake," said Yudishtir, the words seeming foreign on his tongue. Karn only nodded at his younger brother.

"Forgive me, Jyestha," Bheem said getting right to the point. "We have all treated you like you were nothing. We always thought of you as a Sut, though today we know that we should have treated you with our utmost respect."

"I'm ready to give up my throne for you, Jyestha. You can have Hastinapur and all the land that we have conquered from the Kurus. We will give it up happily," Yudishtir said, ready to give up everything in order to fix his wrongs.

"I am ready to help you take as much land as you want. My diplomatic skills will come in use. I can help you take everything you desire, Jyestha," said Nakul who planned on giving his brother everything.

Finally, ready for his turn, Sahadev spoke up. "I can help you learn the future, Jyestha. I have the ability to divulge the future to anyone, though my curse prohibits me, for if I do, my head shall split in two," he said, ready to give up his life.

Before anyone could go on, Karn spoke up, saying his first words in days. "I do not want anything from the 5 of you. I have my own land, Anga. She already has a King and I only want to serve this land. I do not need Hastinapur. My younger brother, Yudishtir, you can keep, and rule it for years to come. I do want to conquer more than I have, nor do I need the ability to see the future. I am happy the way I am. All of you do not need to apologize for treating me the way you did. You did not know, and neither did I. None of us can change what has happened, but I only ask one thing," he finished, wanting to know if he could get what he asked for.

"Of course, we will give you anything," said Yudishtir.

"I only ask that you treat the rest of the people as your brother. May one be a Sut, or a Kshatriya. Treat everyone alike. You cannot judge someone before meeting them, and so, you should keep everyone you meet in your highest regards."

The Pandavas nodded, understanding what their brother had said. Arjun, still watching over everything, stood still. He was only embarrassed for he had treated his own brother as an enemy for the longest of times. Kunti, walked up to her child.

"You are truly the most humble man I have ever met in my whole life, Karn. I know that what I did was wrong and that you most likely hate me, but if you ever find it in you, please forgive me. Leaving you was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life, and today, after so many years, I'm almost happy to know that you were not with me. For if you were, you would not be the man you are today, and that would be the greatest loss to the world," she finished, starting to turn and walk away.

Karn took her hand as she was leaving.

"I have always thought of you as a mother to me. You do not know, but as a child, I would watch you play with my brothers, and I would hope that you would play with me. Under Duryodhan's influence, it never happened, but know that I still think of you as a mother, whether that fact is real or not. I had said that I forgave you, outside when I was struck by the arrow, and I can still say that that was the truth." Karn let go of her hand, and Kunti nodded, hugging her long lost child.

Soon, after catching up with their long lost relative, the four Pandavas and Kunti left, each patting Arjun's shoulder as they did. It was finally his turn and he didn't know how to approach the situation. Arjun walked to the cot Karn sat on, and sat down on the stool next to it. He looked at his hands, silent for a few minutes.

Finally after a long few minutes, Arjun started to speak. "All my life, I treated you as the enemy. First, it was only because you were better at everything. Then, I found out you were a Sut, which made the fact that you were better, feel worse. Next, I unknowingly split you up from the one you truly do love. Finally, I stuck my most powerful weapon inside of your chest. Look at my luck, "Arjun said laughing bitterly. "The next thing I found out was that you were my own brother. I shot an arrow in my older brother's chest. If you would've left us, I would've been the cause of two people's deaths, and I would've left the land of Anga without a leader. I do not deserve to be forgiven, but you do deserve an apology. I'm sorry brother, for everything."

Arjun got up quickly, and walked, almost reaching the entryway, when he heard a voice say, "Wait, Arjun." Arjun slowly turned around.

"Come here."

Arjun walked back to Karn, and sat back down.

"I always used to strive to be the best around you. You were amazing at archery, and I used to work extra hard just to beat you. I never thought of you as the enemy until the day you married Draupadi. Today you are neither competition, nor an enemy. You are my younger brother, and as an older brother, it is my duty to forgive you. We may not act as brothers at first, but you can at least consider me a distant friend," Karn explained, smiling at his shocked brother.

"How can you forgive me so easily? I have ruined almost your whole entire life, from making fun of you, to treating you like an enemy. If you forgive me so easily, how will I face the consequences and suffer what I deserve?" questioned Arjun.

Karn only laughed, and said, "Dear brother, I am not that forgiving. I just do not wish to continue a feud between two brothers. I have forgiven you with a whole heart, and I do believe that you have suffered enough in your life. I think we both deserve a break from enemies."

Arjun finally relaxed in front of his older brother. "Speaking of enemies, I know that Duryodhan was a dear friend of yours, but I am truly happy to say that we found and well, we defeated him in battle."

"It's fine. Duryodhan was never the best at hiding out. He was a great friend though. He helped me survive days of humiliation being a Sut, and he gifted me his kingdom. As a friend, I am sad that he is no longer here with us, but I can never forgive him for what he did to Draupadi," Karn finished, remembering his days with Duryodhan.

"I am sorry for your loss of a friend Jyestha, but happy over the conquering of our enemies," Arjun said. Karn only nodded, and a peaceful silence fell over the two brothers who were already warming up to each other. Arjun soon left to get some food, and when he came back, he offered it to his hungry brother. After Karn had finished eating, Arjun spoke again.

"Jyestha, there is one other who has been waiting for news about you. She has not received any new reports of your progress. She does not know of your well-being.

Karn sighed, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Arjun answered.

"Did you or any of the others ever really love her?"

Arjun sat up in his chair. "To be honest, Mahadev was the one who sent me to marry her. Lord Krishna and his playful tricks never make sense to me. Anyways, when I brought her home, a misunderstanding occurred, and she was forced to marry all the others as well. She always seemed distant. She was always stuck somewhere else, never truly with us. I think it was you she thought about. None of us did anything with her. She was more of a caring sister than a wife. We could never truly get her back to us, and she never wanted us to. She was happy thinking of you, and I believe she was happier in these last few months than she has been her entire life," Arjun answered truthfully.

"Thank you, brother, for answering me truthfully. I believe it is time to sort things out with her now," Karn said, starting to get up and leave.

"Jyestha?" Karn turned around.

"Am I welcome to an archery competition anytime soon?" Arjun asked.

Karn laughed and said, "Just wait, brother, as soon as I'm done sorting things out, the first thing on my mind is going to be to beat you in your prime."

Karn walked out before Arjun had the chance to answer. He made his way back to his chambers, just hoping that his queen would be there to welcome him.

***

Meanwhile -

Draupadi had been praying for days. Ever since Karn had been shot, Draupadi had been praying to Lord Kanha for his well-being. She was ready to give up everything for him. She only wanted him to heal quickly. The royal healers all said that there was no chance for Karn to wake up. They all believed that the arrow had hit too close to the heart and the Brahmastra's effect was too deep to be healed from. Draupadi did not believe them. Krishna had said that it all depended on Karn's fate, and she was never going to give up on him.

"Oh Lord Kanha, you call me your friend, but how can you take away my husband? He is my everything. It has been days since his own brother shot him with an arrow. Will you not give him at least a fighting chance to live? All his life he has been criticized by everyone only because of his status as a Sut. Now that he finds out that he contains the blood of a King, you take his life away? Yeh kya anyaay hain? Doesn't he deserve the right to live in peace?" Draupadi shouted at her life size statue of the Lord. She was full on sobbing now, just hoping for her husband to live.

Suddenly her shouts stopped, and she dropped to the ground. Folding her hands, Draupadi looked up at the statue again. "It is my duty as a wife to protect my husband. If you take his life, you take mine as well. If you save him, I swear I will be indebted to you in every life I live. However, if you cannot take that offer, then I give up my greatest treasure. I will give up Karn if you give him his life. Then, when I'm far away, you can take my very soul away from my body." Draupadi had stopped crying. Her words were all serious. She was ready to give up anything and everything for Karn.

I am ready to give up everything, my treasure, my things, my world, and my li-

A hand clamped over Draupaudi's mouth, muffling her next words. Draupadi turned around to gaze into those familiar chocolate brown eyes.

"Never. Never, ever, say those words again. No matter what happens to me, you are bound to live on until it's your time to go. It will be me who goes first. You will always live on ahead of me," an all too familiar voice said.

Karn. Karn, you're here. You're alive." Draupadi turned around to the statue of Lord Kanha. "Oh dear Kanha, thank you, thank you so much. You have given me my world back. I have everything. I do not ask for more." Then she threw her arms around her husband's neck, and hugged him, forcing him to fall from his knees, down to the ground.

"Karn, I missed you so much. I thought you would leave me forever. You scared me half to death!" she exclaimed.

"I'll live. I live only for one reason now. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," he said slowly caressing her hair.

"Karn, I need to tell you something." He nodded.

"I've always wanted you. The first time we met, I had to. I'm so sorry. My father was adamant on me marrying Arjun, and I did not think that about you. I would've married you no matter your status, but in order to stop you, it was the only way. Those words hurt to say just as much as it hurt for you to hear them. I'm so sorry. I do not care about your status. I only want you."

Karn smiled and started to speak but she held her hand up.

"Let me speak or this will never get out Karn." She started to speak again. "When I married Arjun, a misunderstanding led me to marry all of the Panadavas, but nothing ever happened. I always only thought about you. Those few minutes at the Swayamvar meant a lot more to me than I thought they did. You could call it love at first sight," she laughed.

"Anyways, things with the Pandavas felt more like a brother sister relationship than a married one, and so, we kept it that way. Then, I heard that you were marrying Vrushali, and I was so angry. I thought that you still remembered me just like I had. I thought those moments together meant more to you as well, and I was so frustrated, so I just brushed off thoughts of you until that day in Royal Court." Karn was staring at her intensely now.

"You don't have to talk about it, I-", he started.

"No," she interrupted again. "I have to get it all out. I honestly didn't think you would come, Karn. I stared at you anyway, just wishing that you would understand and forgive me. And you did. You helped me when no one else did and married me. At first I was so humiliated that no one had helped me, and that all those people in the court could do such a thing, but then I stayed here and I realized that I was so grateful that you married me. I was so happy to be here with you, but that day when you got hit by the arrow. Karn, my heart had stopped. I thought I lost everything. I am prepared to give up everything if I have to, but Karn please, never leave me again. You are my world. You can take my li-" she rambled until Karn had had enough.

He was done listening to her apology, so he swooped in to show her how he really felt. He captured her lips in a kiss. Shivers ran down her spine as Karn's hands traveled down her back onto her waist, pulling her closer into his arms, and deepening the kiss. He finally pulled away, gasping for air. Draupadi stared into his chocolaty eyes.

"I've always wanted to do that," he whispered in her ear. Karn pulled back and rested his forehead onto hers. "I love you. I love you, and I'll never stop."

Draupadi took a deep breath, in and out, satisfied to the fullest by his words. She gazed into his brown eyes that made her insides melt, and glanced farther down to see his slightly crooked nose. Finally, her eyes took in his soft pink lips, and with electric chemistry building between them, she made her move, and kissed him again. This time, while his arms wrapped around her waist, her arms wrapped around his neck, and into his hair as she felt his soft, dark locks.

Pulling away, she said, "I've always wanted to do that," copying his words. "I've loved you since I first laid my eyes on you. I just couldn't say it, because I was too afraid of the truth. I could never see the love behind your words, and now that I can, I'm never letting go."

Karn smiled, and took her in his arms. Draupadi shifted so her head was lying on his stomach. They looked up at the stars, resting in a peaceful silence. Draupadi and Karn finally understood. Their love had been hidden behind harsh truths put up by unknowing people, but they had gotten over it. They had finally found each other. They had finally shared their feelings. Both were in a happy bliss, and with that knowledge, the boy and the girl fell asleep in each other's arms, knowing that their love for each other would never be hidden again.