Kaampilya, Paanchaal

"Princess, now garland him! If you both continue to stare at each other, the Sun shall settle!" 

Arjun bit on his lip subtly, to stop the threatening smile that was daring to etch out. 

She was going to be his. Forever.

And that thought alone was sending chills down his spine. For a moment he felt like his heart was about to erupt with overwhelm, for he felt everyone all at once. The mere feeling that he could see her everyday from now was thrilling him to the core. 

He gazed back at her, who now had a little, shy smile on her face with her lashes lowered. She slowly stretched out her arms, and tiptoed slightly and slipped the white garland around his neck, her knuckles innocently brushing over the sides of his collars making him purse his lips again at the fluttering feeling in his core. 

The way she had gone lost in his eyes that day at the temple, inadvertently holding his hand to her shyly avoiding his gaze and blush with a smile—

He would no longer have to dream about her, or wait for days just to catch a glimpse of her or be only chose to be happy just to have a whiff of fragrance of her blue lotus. It felt that it was like an ending to those days of a deep, long yearning. 

She was his. And he would be hers. 

And that feeling—

"THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNFAIR!" A loud roar suddenly made him look up with his brows raise, and Draupadi turned around for the same. The King of Magadh flared in anger along with other few, who were bubbling with rage. Drupad stood up with his sons, and Shikhandi drew out his sword, stepping down from the stage. 

Arjun raised a brow incredulously, his lips twitching. 

"WHAT KIND OF JUSTICE IS THIS KING DRUPAD?!" One of them barked, raising his sword, "THIS IS OUR INSULT! DRUPAD YOU HAVE INSULTED US!"

"YOU HAD INVITED AN ENTIRE ARYAVART OF KSHATRIYAS JUST TO HUMILIATE THEM?! SO AT THE END THIS MERE BRAHMIN TAKES AWAY YOUR DAUGHTER?!" 

Commotion increased among the public and so did fear.

"Listen to me Kings! This was a Swayamvar, and the rules were clear!" Shikhandi argued, breathing in.

"Oh we don't care about the rules! It is a blatant insult!" Duryodhan joined, tightening his hold on his mace, "HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT NOT WE BUT THIS POOR BRAHMIN MANAGED TO HIT THE TARGET! IT'S NOTHING BUT A DECEIT BY THIS BRAHMIN!"

"EXACTLY! EXACTLY! HE HAS DONE IT BY DECEIT!"

"Please, please calm down! Kings, please!" Drupad shook his head, his brows furrowing in frustration, "IT'S NOT AS YOUR THINKING!" Within a few moments, the area of the royals heated up. Seeing a few Kings protest, the rest of them started barking as well, clanging their weapons in anger and rage, "IT IS AN INSULT! AN INSULT TO THE KSHARIYAS!" 

Arjun felt his grip tightening on the bow, a flicker of anger whistling past him. 

How was that when they couldn't accomplish something they blatantly blame the one who does it? 

"LISTEN TO ME KINGS! Such behavior doesn't suite you!" 

"AND SHALL INSULT WILL?! AND WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT KING DRUPAD TO INCLUDE THE COMMONERS?! SWAYAMVARS ARE ONLY FOR KSHATRIYAS!"

"IS THIS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE PANCHALANS?!"

"LOOK, IT WAS CLEARLY MENTIONED IN THE RULES—THERE IS NO ARGUMENT REGARDING THAT!" Drupad flared, shaking his head, "MY DAUGHTER SHALL GARLAND WHO OVER SHE THINKS DESERVES HER! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO QUESTION HER CHOICE, HER WISH!" 

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT NO QUESTION THE MORALITY OF THE PANCHALANS!" 

"Right then!" Karn stood up with a vindictive smirk, "King Drupad thinks he can do whatever he wants, isn't it?" 

Drupad gritted his teeth, while Satyajit drew out his sword, glaring back at Karn. 

"KINGS! THIS DRUPAD HAS LOST HIS MIND! HE INSULTS OUR KSHATRIYA BLOOD!" Karn barked in rage, "IF HE DOESN'T GIVE HIS DAUGHTER TO US, WE SHALL THROW HIS DAUGHTER RIGHT INTO THE FIRE! WE WILL BURN HER DOWN!" 

"EXACTLY, WE WILL BURN HER DOWN!" 

Arjun's fingers curled in, his nails digging into his palm in anger. His jaws tightened, and so did his hold upon the Kindhura. From the corner of his eye, he watched the Princess panic, her jaw dropping as she looked around in pure horror as the Kings rushed down in maddened rage, "Pitashree!" She screamed in fear, and was about to run towards him.

"Princess—" Arjun agile reflexes instantly alerted as he widened his eyes in a stun, immediately grabbing Draupadi's arm from the back and pulling her to a side, ceasing the blow of a Prince who had rushed with his sword to attack them from behind.

Before the latter could fall, Arjun held his neck up, the corner of his eyes turning bloodshot red. The sudden spark of ferocious anger gripped him. The Prince gurgled his saliva, coughing, getting suffocated and struggled to get himself free, "Le-Leave me!"

"Leave--"

"You don't fear your life..... don't you?" He chewed on his words flashing with rage, his grip upon his throat firmed, almost digging into the flesh as the Prince coughed, his pale paling for breath. Sparing him one last glance, he shoved him into the pool around with a loud splash, appalling the waters.

He breathed out, his chest heaving as he blazed in untamed rage. The gazes temporarily were stunned as they watched the Prince struggling inside and trying to wade out.

"Move behind..." Arjun's brows knitted closer, as he side eyed Draupadi, who couldn't take her eyes of the man at the pool who was flipped within a blink of her eye. The Brahmins cowered in fear as they tried to assemble behind Arjun, "PLEASE, PLEASE SAVE US! THEY WILL KILL US ALL!"

"PLEASE, ONLY YOU CAN PROTECT US!" 

"NONE OF THEM SHALL ESCAPE ALIVE!" A few of them rushed towards the Brahmins, and within a flash, they were strewn away with a mighty gush. A smirk crept on Arjun's face as he watched Bheem, who had uprooted a huge tree from nearby and had gashed them away. 

"Do not be afraid, I assure you they won't be able to harm a hair of yours!" Arjun gazed back at the Kings who were ready with their weapons, prepared to unleash their fury on him. His lips tilted up, as he lifted the Kindhura and smashed the edge upon the concrete floor, earning a deafening thud. The floor cracked slightly with the impact, as the Brahmins huddled closer. 

"BRAHMIN YOUTH! WAS THIS A CALL TO THE WAR?!" Karn exclaimed, his hands itching to wipe the confident smirk from the Brahmin's face. 

"AS YOU DEEM IT, ANGRAJ VASUSEN!" Arjun tilted his head, his smile deepening. His eyes narrowed at his opponent, his fist gripping upon the bow. Finally an equal face-off unlike in Kalapradarshan. 

"Fine then...." Karn held his bow, summoning deadly arrows one after the other. There was a huge cry and uproar as the onlookers ran helter skelter, fearful of the arrows hitting them. But before they could touch any of them, an invisible shield with a blue aura, began to burn down the arrows one after the other. 

"WHAT THE-" The King of Angraj took a step back as he watched the Brahmin invoke the shield with the chants, destroying the arrows he had shot; and before he could blink he found arrows raining at him in a jiffy. He scampered back for a while, shooting arrows from his side to destroy the blows. 

Bheem stopped Shalya who had attacked him with a mace, the latter clearly standing half a strength to the mighty second Pandav, but he continued to struggle against him. The sons of Drupad restrained Duryodhan and his co fellows who had rushed to attack the other Brahmins. 

Arjun watched Karn getting frustrated, and using the opportunity he summoned three deadly arrows before the latter could, shooting them right towards his childhood enemy. He got stunned for a while, but reciprocated again by shooting multiple arrows; all repulsing and in vain.

The battle grew more intense as the spectators watched the two mighty warriors fighting for their life, howling as they had never seen something like that before. The sounds of the trumpets and drums were replaced with hues and cries, metallic clank of weapons and bloodshed. The decorations began to tarnish, the flower petals crushed down, with chunks of palace walls falling around, making others run helter skelter. 

Arjun stepped forward, gritting his teeth as he constantly aimed at Karn, that at one point the latter wasn't even getting a chance to shoot. His arm was already gashed, with an arrow pierced, and he was growing tired. The other warriors were stunned at how the mightiest of a warrior, Karn, wasn't being able to resist the mere Brahmin. 

Karn huffed, pulling an arrow from his bow but to his horror, his bow almost got knocked down by a powerful arrow shot by his opponent, making him fall behind. The string of his bow collapsed immediately, as he gazed at the Brahmin with wide eyes, his lips twitching. 

"WAIT! WAIT!" Karn breathed, wiping the corner of his lips with his elbow, "WHO ARE YOU?! AND—AND FROM WHERE DID YOU LEARN THESE SKILLS?" He panted, doubts striking in his head. A sudden sense of fear crept in his mind, "A-ARE YOU LORD PARSHURAM?! ARE YOU HARIHAYA? ARE YOU LORD VISHNU WHO BY ANY CHANCE IS IN THE GARB OF A BRAHMIN?!" 

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE YOU KNOW SKILLS FAR SUPERIOR THAN ME?!" He exclaimed, his chest heaving up and down as he bled from his shoulders, "HOW? NO ONE HAS THE AUDACITY TO REPULSE ME UNLESS IT'S DEVRAJ INDRA OR THAT THIRD SON OF PANDU, ARJUN! WHO ARE YOU?!"

"NO ORDINARY BRAHMIN CAN EVEN STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME! WHO ARE YOU?!"

Arjun took a step back at his words, his lips curling up again. He tried to hold a chortle, but he shook his head, "ALAS, KING VASUSEN! I AM NEITHER LORD VISHNU NOR LORD PARSHURAM! A BRAHMIN INDEED, BUT BY DEEDS IS A KSHATRIYA! ALL THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE IS ALL BECAUSE OF MY PRECEPTER WHO IS A BRAHMIN HIMSELF!"

"AND IF YOU HAVE ANY VIGOR LEFT, CONTINUE FIGHTING!" 

Karn gritted his teeth, stealing his gaze away from him. He was badly injured and tired, and knew that engaging anymore with him will be foolishness. He lowered his head, and turned around, walking away from there immediately. 

And for the first time, he tasted a defeat like never before. 

Arjun was about to turn around, when Bheem threw Shalya right in front of him, making his eyes widen slightly as he stepped back. He gazed back at his brother, who had rage blazing within him.

"Bhrata—"

"VIJAY! LEAVE! LEAVE FROM HERE WITH PRINCESS, QUICK!" Bheem grumbled, wiping the sweat from his forehead, as he angrily repulsed another who had came to attack him. Shalya got up again, badly injured, prepared to fight, "LEAVE FAST!"

Arjun stared at Bheem, not having the urge to leave, but he knew what he meant. Staying there longer with Draupadi could invoke further trouble for them. He nodded swiftly, rushing back towards the Brahmins, and the Princess. She was yet panting softly in terror, watching the Swayamvar arena crumbling in front of her, with wide eyes. 

"Let's get out of here! Fast, fast!" Arjun urged the Brahmins while rushing towards them, who were still confused and frightened. On his words, some of them started running out, creating a ruckus. They began to crowd around Arjun again for safety, blocking his way again, "Try to get out from here! Go outside! I am coming!"

"Fast! Don't block the way here!" The Brahmins began to run out from the arena at his command, muttering amidst themselves yelling at each other to leave, "Leave, leave everyone!"

"Come come come....quick!" Arjun panted, turning towards as he stretched out his hand at Draupadi, who's gaze snapped at his words. She pressed her lips for a while diabolically, gazing back at the war that was going on. Drupad caught her eye, and he signaled her to leave from there as fast as possible.

"Come come! Fast!" He gaze fleeted back at forth at the rushing Brahmins and the Princess, panting, "Fast, fast!"

He immediately felt a soft palm grasp his rough one, and without wasting a moment he made his way through the hefty crowd, out of the Swayamvar arena. 

***********

A/N

Violence, violence, violence......*wipes sweat*

Signing off for today!

Nushkie