Grand preparations for the wedding were made, everything was decorated. The pandavas on the other hand felt no such happiness and joy as they walked where the ceremony would take place.

The five brothers stood, waiting for the bride to come, their hearts thundering nervously in their chest, as anxiety built in their stomach, this all felt wrong, completely wrong. They shouldn't be forced to marry, they shouldn't be doing this to her, they had taken away enough happiness, not this too.

The pandavas breaths hitched as they watched their bride walk down towards them, her beauty had stunned everyone in a silence. Her beauty had put everyone in a trance, like an angel or better yet a goddess was walking down the aisle.

Different emotions warred in the heart of the pandavas, love, hate, anger, sadness. Their mind was in a great turmoil, they were all binding her in a way to them that was the holiest, the bond that was the purest. Their eyes kept on gazing at her, willing her to look up, to meet their gaze, to talk to them, to be the free spirited girl that they knew she once was.

Slowly the marriage proceedings began, Draupadi's eyes stayed glued to the ground, the pandavas on the other hand were a completely different story as they kept staring at her, they weren't able to look away from her. Though the circumstances were different, they finally had her as theirs. They didn't know what future would be like but to gather they vowed to do their best to keep her happy.

First Draupadi married Yudhisthir, as he was the eldest son of Kunti, followed by Nakul, the elder son of Madri. Than Bheem married Draupadi as the second eldest son of Kunti followed by Sehdev as the second eldest son of Madri. Last was Arjun, so far he had noticed that Panchaali had not once looked up at any of them, not once.

Arjun had given up all his hopes when Panchaali's hand was placed in his and their eyes clashed. Arjun didn't smile, uncertainty fluttered in his stomach, not sure how to react. However his heart sizzled with pain when he noticed the pain and agony in her eyes, his throat closed up as he sat there looking at the fire as the rituals continued on, binding them together, fabricating their souls as one.

Panchaali's breath hitched as the chudamani was brought, it unlike any normal chudamani had five stones, her heart hammered in her chest painfully as she looked at it, her fate from now on would be officially sealed, her heart hammered in her chest making it difficult for her to breath, from the corner of her eyes she saw the Pandavas hands move towards the chudamani.

Tears filled Draupadi's eyes, but she didn't let them fall down, the fear, the pain, the uncertainty about her future all were revolving around her mind making her heart hurt.

Her heart beat rose as they lifted the chudamani and put it on her head, her eyes shut as she felt the headgear take it's place. A lone tears tracing down her cheek, she was now the wife of pandavas, the murderers of her family. . .

***

Panchaali sighed as she began the preparation for the pooja, the wedding had gotten over and she had not seen her husband's after that, for which she was thankful. She didn't want to face them all so early.

She took the pooja's thaali in her hand, her eyes focused on the beautiful marble statue of lord Krishna  she began to sing.

Hey mann mohan..hey mann mohan..
Hey mann mohan..

Krishn lay in the balcony of the pandavas guest house, her head resting on his hand as he had his eyes closed, his sakhi's voice reached his ears, as he could feel the warmth of the diya that she had lit in front of the statue a smile appeared on his face as he heard her sing.

Hey muralidhar hey damodar
Krishana muraari hey natnagar
Hey muralidhar hey damodar
Krishana muraari hey natnagar

The pandavas heard the melodic voice singing from the temple of their home, the words wrapping around them like a warm blanket of lobe, caressing them, they felt like they were hypnotised as they moved towards  the melodic baritone, her heart skipping its beat as they saw her, her long dark curls were wet and left to air dry, she wore a beautiful, simple red odhni around her body, her plain yet elegant red lehnga suited her well, she wore no jewellery. Yet she looked the most beautiful.

Bhul gaye kyaa binati sunkar
Bhul gaye kyaa binati sunkar
Hey mann mohan hey karunakar
Hey muralidhar hey damodar
Krishana muraari hey natnagar

Andhiyare mein gire hue hoon hey gopala
Jyotipunj bankar raah dikhaao hey nand lala
Kaise paar karungi tum bin
Kaise paar karungi tum bin
Jeevan saagar hey karunakar
Hey muralidhar hey damodar
Krishana muraari hey nandnagar
Hey muralidhar hey damodar
Krishana muraari hey natnagar

Kanhaa..krishana..hey kanhaa.

Panchaali opened her eyes and joined her hand, from the corner of her eyes she saw a hand move towards the bowl of butter that she had kept for the lord, her hand shot out and wrapped around Krishn's ear.

"Aah! Sakhi! Krishnaa let go! It hurts!" He whined as she pulled her ear harder, "How many times have I told you Krishn to not touch the butter that is kept as bhog!" She chastised as she looked at him letting his ear go, "First you call me here by singing my bhajan, offer me butter but than when I go to eat it you pull my ear! Woman what's wrong with you?!"  He whined as he looked at her, rubbing his ear, "That is for lord Krishna not you. Who even called you here?" She teased as she rolled her eyes, "Who called me? Excuse me?! You're the one putting fake accusations on me, bhool  gaye kya binti sunkar? When did I forget you? Excuse me miss, I left my Vaikuntha for you, my sixteen thousand one hundred and eight wives! And don't forget Radha, all for your friendship and you can't even give me my butter, that you kept there for me in the first place!"  He whined dramatically, she gave him a bored look, "are you done with your story telling?" She asked bored. He gasped in mock horror as he looked upwards, "Did you hear that Rukmini this woman, this my friend, for whom I did so much doesn't even believe me! Ghor Kali Yug!" He shouted dramatically looking heavenwards, Rukmini laughed seeing her husband's antics.

He looked at his friend who rolled her eyes, as she gave him a fond smile and pinched his cheeks, making him roll his eyes and huff childishly, she put a tilak on his head, "Join your hands Krishn and pray." She said making him look at her weirdly, people prayed to him, he didn't pray, how was he supposed to do that? "Pray to whom?" He asked quizzically, "To the god!" She said like it was the most obvious thing, he rolled his eyes, he couldn't believe he going to do this, how does one pray to their own self, she gave him a glare daring him to say no, he shook his head dejectedly as he huffed, he joined his hand in front of the statue, "Properly Krishn!" She ordered, he rolled his eyes as he shut his eyes, "Things I do in friendship." He muttered as he pretended to pray.

Krishn felt her shut her eyes, as she prayed to him,"forgive him lord Krishn, my sakha is just mischievous, he is a good person at heart. Give him all the happiness of the world and keep him always safe. And keep my husbands safe too, show them the right, I might hate them but at the end of the day they are my husbands. Forgive all their sins. Bless my sakha." Her prayers rang through his mind, she hadn't said it aloud but he heard everything clearly, his heart warmed up at her selflessness, at her care.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, she gazed at him and smiled as she picked the pooja's thaali and held it out to him to take the aarti, "Really sakhi?" He asked rolling his eyes, "Krishn Vasudev Yadav!" She said sharply making him gulp, "God sakhi! You're worse than maiya!" He whined as he took the aarti, she smiled, she picked a ladoo from the thaali and placed it in his hands that he had held out, he smiled widely and moaned as he took the bite of the ladoo. "Yum Sakhi, no matter how much you manhandle, my poor helpless self, I forgive you! All for this laddoos!" He said dramatically making her giggle, Krishn and his antics, he will never change. . .

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