He warmly welcomed me into his home and introduced me to his family, instantly making me feel at ease. I had such a wonderful time, sharing laughter and joy with them, and I learned so much from Karna as well. His mother, Radhai Ma, truly embodied kindness and generosity. She graciously let me stay with them and looked after me as if I were her own.

As I prepared to leave, I turned to Radhai Ma. "Radhai Ma, I'm leaving," I said softly.
"Where are you off to, my dear?" she asked with a gentle smile.
"I'm just going to play with the kids nearby," I replied, returning her warmth.
"Be careful, Dhaksha!" she cautioned.
I couldn't help but ask, "Where is Karna, my guru?"

"Oh, you don't have to call him that. He sees you more as a sister, or maybe his best friend. Besides, it's not like you're practicing Archery with him very seriously. You seem to enjoy playing with the bows and arrows more than anything else!" Radhai Ma chuckled.
I laughed along, "Okay. But where's your son? The great warrior Karna?"
"Karna isn't here at the moment. Just enjoy your playtime until he returns. You know he would prefer you stay indoors," she replied with a knowing smile.

As I joined the children nearby, nostalgia washed over me, and I was filled with joy. The games we played brought back such sweet memories.

"Dhaksha ka, let's play with your arrows and bow!" a cheerful child exclaimed.
I hesitated, "No, I can't use arrows and a bow to play. Karna would be furious if he found out."
"Please, just try! You can shoot, and we'll just watch. Is that okay?" he begged, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Oh, I can't imagine what would happen if Karna knew I was playing with a bow. It would be disastrous," I laughed half-heartedly.
"Alright then, which one should I aim for?"
"That fruit over there, in the tree," suggested Gokul, the most mischievous yet endearing boy, reminding me so much of my own Kanha.
"Fine. Just wait a moment."

I drew back my bow and released the arrow, watching as it hit the tree. I dashed over to retrieve the fruit for the children. To my surprise, I noticed two arrows stuck in the fruit. As I looked around, I spotted five men approaching from a distance.

"Wait a moment. Those five men... Could it be? The Pandavas?" I thought, my heart racing. One of them was moving towards me with incredible speed.

"Lady, that fruit belongs to me. I shot it first," he said, his tone surprisingly gentle yet firm. The sunlight filtering through the trees set his jewels aglow, making him seem almost ethereal.

His striking dark features and flowing dark brown hair caught my eye, his presence captivating. His deep, exquisite eyes drew me in, and I noticed the defined muscles beneath his radiant white garments. It was hard not to be mesmerized by this sight.

"Lady, excuse me. That was my target. I never easily give away my targets," he declared, his voice cutting through my reverie.

I snapped back to reality. "I shot it first, and I can't just give it up easily either, Mister."
"Call me Arjuna. Rajkumar Arjuna," he introduced himself with a hint of pride.
"Even if the whole universe calls you the Great Warrior Arjuna, I still won't be giving away this fruit," I asserted, determination rising within me.

Arjuna's POV

As I rushed toward the woman who had claimed my target, I was both surprised and curious to discover what had transpired. I quickly noted that the fruit was indeed impaled by two arrows.

"Lady, that fruit is mine. I shot it first."

She stood staring at me. It was more like her eyes were gazing at me. Her eyes were so deep. People used to say, that women with a deep eye would pull any man's soul deep into theirs. I didn't believe this until I found this woman. My gaze went back to her brown and dusky skin, shining brightly from the sunlight. My eyes wouldn't stop tracing her. It moved to her soft lips and then to her hands holding the bow firmly. I noticed cut marks and little scars all over her hands. I couldn't stop my eyes from tracing her more, inch by inch. So I decided to rest my eyes back on her face. Cause if I let my heart sway more, it wouldn't stop.

"Lady, excuse me. That was my target. I've never given away my target to anyone that easily."
"I shot it first. I can't give this away easily too, Mister," she said firmly.
"Arjuna, Rajkumar Arjuna!"
"Even if you're called The Great Warrior Arjuna by the entire universe. I'm not giving away this fruit to you", she said.

All of a sudden, her eyes weren't the ones that pulled me into her, and the way she spoke, as if she were some indestructible warrior, was irresistible to me. I was trying so hard to stop gazing at her.
"Well, I guess you know me. Now hand it over to me." I moved closer.

"Are you even a brave warrior? Why do you have to fight for some fruit?" she moved closer. "Do you wanna taste this fruit so badly?" she stared at my lips.

**Dhaksha's pov**
"Are you even a brave warrior? Why do you have to fight for some fruit?" I moved closer. "Do you wanna taste this fruit so badly?"
We were just an inch away from each other. I could hear him breathe so hard. I couldn't stop staring at him. I lost myself while gazing at his lips.

"What happened Arjuna?," Someone interrupted.
"Bhaiya? I'm arguing with her for my target," Arjuna replied to him.
He has to be Yudhistran. Arjuna is the third. Bheem looked like Hulk. But this man has a soft, calm and polite aura.

"Why are you fighting for a fruit to women? Look at the fruit, Arjuna. It has two arrows. Let her take the fruit," Yudhistran na said politely.

"Yudhistra is a darmseelar. No doubt."
"But Brother, this fruit is supposed to be eaten by me," I heard a deep voice.
"He has to be Bheem."

"True. Bheem Bhaiya wouldn't leave this place without eating. Or else his stomach would burst," another man laughed.
"He has to be either Nakul or Sahadev."

"Stop it Nagula. Dear, you can have this fruit, " Yudhistran na said.
"Darmaraj is the sweetest."

"But bhaiya. I shot it—"Arjuna interrupted.

"Pranam, Rajakumar Yudhistran.  I don't want this fruit. Look at the kids over there. They wanted to have this fruit. I can't go empty-handed to them. They would be disappointed," I said.
"You can have them. "Yudhistran smiled at me, pleasantly.

Arjuna stood staring at me. He bent down and took the fruit in his hand.
"Here have it," he said.
"Thank you, Mister," I replied.
The soft touch of his fingertips brushed against my palm while getting the fruit. We both had strong eye contact.
"How can he have such soft fingers when he is a warrior?"
I walked fast from there as soon as I got the fruit.
"My Arrow," Arjuna shouted from there
I pretended as if I didn't hear anything and ran to the kids.
Arjuna stood staring at me from afar, while I was walking slowly with the kids.

"Dhaksha Ka, Radhai ma is calling out for you. I think she is angry come fast," Gokul shouted.
I turned back at him, smiled and ran away to my home.

Arjuna's pov
"You can have them," Bhaiya said.
I bent down took the fruit in my hand.
"Here, have it" I said.
"Thank you, Mister," she said.
"She clearly knew, I insisted her to call me Rajkumar not Mister. Still she chose to call me Mister and drive me crazy."

Her soft warm palm brushed against my fingers while I handed over the fruit to her. They say eyes talk many more things than the lips say. We both sure did have strong eye contact. She broke the eye contact and ran away from the woods.
"I didn't even ask for her name. But I'm sure that I'm never going to see a women like her again in my entire life."
"My arrow," I called out to know her name.
She kept running, ignoring me. And turned back to look at me.

"Let fate play games between us." I stood admiring her walk slowly with the kids smiling.
"Dhaksha Ka, Radhai ma is calling. I think she is angry to come fast," a boy shouted from afar.
She turned to me and smiled softly and ran away inside the village.

"Dhaksha? Why does this seem familiar?"
"Let's leave, Arjuna," Bheem na called out.

To be continued.

Bond of Arjuna and Dhaksha

What happened to Krishna and Dhaksha's bond?

Will Dhaksha manage to find her part in Mahabharata?

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