Nayantara raised her eye brows, "Then," She got closer to him, and whispered, "Dance."

Arjun looked surprised, and chuckled, "So you want me to dance?" He asked again, as if confirming.

Nayantara nodded brightly, "Yes, remember the first time we met? And I asked what do you want to do?" She chuckled, "And I said do you want to dance."

Arjun smiled at the memory, after praying his respects to the temple of Devi Janki, he was wandering around in the garden and she misunderstood him thinking he was going to pluck flowers.

When her doubts were cleared, he asked her about her name before she left and Nayantara had sarcastically replied that what would he do with her dame? Dance?

"Since it is the request of My beloved, I have to dance." Arjun kissed her nose, "But I can't dance without music.. So you have to sing." He grinned.

Nayantara raised her eye brow, she held Arjun's hands and dragged him out. The two were running through the hallways, and luckily weren't noticed by any guards.

Avadhi dragged him to her room and made him stand in the center, while she herself sat on the swing a little far. Hidden among the many cushions on the swing, she pulled out a flute.

"I will play this," She remarked happily. Nayantara remembered when Krishna had given his flute as a wedding present to her.

Arjun nodded and got into into dancing pose. 

She played a beautiful melody, and Arjun gracefully danced. The tune was brilliant but incomplete, the sound that Arjun's feet made thup sounds that matched and completed her melody.

Arjun's dance was like Natraj's Nritya, as if everything existed because of it, while the flute's tune was like giving guidance to the existence.

Nayantara did not know the tune she was playing, but it seemed she had played it several times before. Arjun felt like his feet were yearning to dance on this tune.

It was same tune that Hrushika used to hum around RIshi Nar, while he was in deep meditation. He had controlled himself at that time to not move at the tune of the melody but today he broke of from his control and danced to his beloved's tune.

Above in the sky, the sun was jealous of the moon and the stars, for they were fortunate enough to witness this divine moment and he was not. The moon cheekily answered that in the previous birth, it was only him who had the fortune to hear Devi Hrushika sing praises of Rishi Nar.

The two wished that the moment would stop, and they could spend the eternity like this.

Nayantara was so immersed in his moves, she forgot what she was playing and kept staring him. Her eyes were filled with tears of love as she saw his dance.

For Arjun, his eyes were closed as he wanted to hear her tune without any disturbance, as if the tune completed his life, his joy only increased and was reflected in his dance, which just kept getting ever minute.

Arjun's moved elegantly, his posture could bring Gandharvas to shame. 

It was a night, filled with love, longing and solace. 

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Nayantara and Arjun weren't the only ones dancing in the tunes of love, Kripinandan Ashwatthama too was in love, and this time was ready to go to her and confess his feelings.

The last he wanted to visit Parnika, he was called back by Uloopi because his best friend had gotten angry like a mad raging elephant and stormed off from Indraprasth. 

Holding an official letter to ask her to come to Indraprasth to work in one hand, and a pair of anklets to ask her to be his, Drauni set of from Indraprasth in the night. 

Arjun's Gudakesha habits had made his nights sleepless, thus deciding that travelling through night would save a lot of time, he rode towards Mahendra Giri, hoping for the best.

Ashwatthama remembered the first time they had a real conversation, he smiled thinking of those times.

Parnika was roaming through forest, looking for flowers to offer to Narayan. Humming a tune, she walked without any tension.

Suddenly the basket fell from her hands as she heard a loud roar. Her breaths became uneven as she saw the beast walking towards her. 

The lion was huge, and walked like a predator towards her, his prey. Parnika gulped, she slowly took a few steps but with the constant fear she stumbled upon on a rock and fell.

She screamed, hoping the someone would hear her, and save her. While the lion jumped on her, trying to catch her in his sharp claws.

Fearing the worst, she closed her eyes, praying to her Lord, Shri Hari Narayan.

A few minutes passed and she didn't feel any hurt, was she dead? She slowly opened her eyes and saw the lion to her and a man fighting the lion with a spear.

She noticed that man was easily over-powering the beast but he did not go for lethal attacks, she noticed he had sympathy for a wild animal. The said man pulled a dagger from his waist band and stabbed the lion.

In a minute the lion fell down, unconscious. The man turned to her, his eyes carried concern, "Are you fine?" He asked.

That was when she saw him properly, he was dressed in a white dhoti and no upper garment, merely a thread hanging loosely from his shoulder. His hairs were open and wild, more like a bird's nest.

His face was familiar, like she had seen him before.

"I am fine," She replied, "Have we met before? I think I have seen you somewhere." She asked.

To which the man laughed, "Hey Mahadev, for someone so smart, you have a poor memory" He complimented and pulled her legs at the same time.

"My name is Ashwatthama and I am one of the students of Guru Parshuram." He answered her, "You must have seen me around the Ashram."

"No. I only come to Ashram during lunch, and I do not remember seeing you there." She wondered.

"Well, I do not have lunch in the Ashram. Now that I am grown up, I find my own food, fruits and roots from the forest and eat." He answered again.

She nodded, "Then where have I seen you?" she thought to herself but apparently her thoughts came out as loud words.

"Oh- I used to have lunch in Ashram few years ago, maybe that time." He said. Parnika nodded, that was a logical answer.

"Allow me to escort you back to the Ashram, the lion would wake up soon," He said.

"Yes, but-" She looked down at her fallen flowers which now couldn't be used in Pooja. She stared at the huge tree which was numerous flowers but all above her height.

Drauni smiled and climbed the tree easily. He used his strong arms, which were like club and shook the tree a little, making a few flowers fall down. Parnika held her Odhani and collected the flowers that Drauni helped her with.

"Thank you." She whispered, her cheeks had unknowingly turned bright red.

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Kanha's flute-
Joining couples since eternity.

How was the chapter?

Finally I am going to the start the segment of Draunika *heart eyes* 

Also- I think someone fed me Amortentia, muje Kritviksha and Yupadi ki bhi ek love story idea aagaya.

And also- MB timeline-
I am skipping the whole Hidimba part; means it's there but summarized, which too will come later not now.