Kaampilya, Paanchaal

 Ever since the Swayamvar had subsided, things were in a toll for the royals. 

They had not expected that outburst. 

Drupad paced back at forth at the palace corridor restlessly, peering from the balcony every now and then. The moon was bright up in the cloudless sky, the blistery winds of the winter rustling through the aged man's grey hairs. He looked down every moment, counting for an attendant to inform his son's arrival. 

He gritted his teeth, feeling terrible and empty. The audacity of those Kshatriyas. . .how dare they? How could they? 

And now he was only left with the hope that Dhrishtadyumn would return with some news of his daughter; and his patience was drowning every moment. 

He leaned against the balcony, holding his head on his palms and resting his elbows over railing. 

What did happen. . .

Only God knew who that Brahmin was, who took away his daughter. 

His heart did a dip, he seemed so familiar, but why? He had seen those large, amber eyes before; filled with prodigy and refined with purpose. The way he picked up the Kindhura with ease. . .

When he was waiting for Arjun. 

He had made Kindhura so that none but Arjun could do it. 

Was that Brahmin really, Arjun? 

He didn't knew why but his heart at the moment was filling with all the wild thoughts; replaying again and again the same news that the Pandavas couldn't escape from the Lakshagriha. All the five along with Kunti were burned to death, with their weapons. There was no chance to survive. 

He that day, had not believed a single word of his messengers. 

They were invincible. The Pandavas who had single handedly taken down half of his army. . .just couldn't perish in a mere fire. 

They couldn't. 

But now. . .

As the days passed, he had hoped of some, some news of them. He prayed someday he would get a hint of them being alive. But he still counted on the stars.

He had taken no efforts short to spread far and wide the news of Swayamvar, of his daughter, the task. . .so that atleast for once they would be there were the crowd would be. He had made sure to scatter his men everywhere, so that any suspicion among the common folk would be reported to him.

They can't meet the fate of Paandu, like that, so soon.

He had thought of his dearest friend. His progeny, were exactly like him. Devoid of the malice of what persisted in Hastinapur. When he had first saw them at the Paanchaal war, he immediately knew they were. . . .probably doing it for the sake of Dron. And they had to, he understood. 

Though he was distraught with anger with the loss of Ahicchatra and defeat, he could never hate the Pandavas. He could never, he had never. 

It was just a wrong time and wrong place.

And the only way to bridge the gap between Pandavas and him, was Draupadi. 

Just as he befriended Paandu out of everyone from Hastinapur, in-spite of the raging differences, he wanted to secure his sons as well. That was a silent promise he had made the day, he heard about the demise of his beloved friend; that if any day he got a chance,  he would whole-heartedly shelter his sons and Kunti in his abode. Only a call was all that he need from them. He didn't know why, he just didn't want the Pandavas to stay with the Hastinapur royals. It wasn't only the enmity with Hastinapur, he always felt them so. . . .they just didn't sit right with him. 

He so wished he could've got Kunti and Pandavas at his aboard, but of-course, he had no rights for it.

He knew he couldn't approach the Pandavas so easily without Paandu, since Bheeshm, the enemy of the Paanchaal, was at the doorstep of their lives. 

All he had was just wait for them to be independent.

And then the worst of destiny happened; Dron took the Pandavas to his side. And that was when he felt the ground slipping beneath his feet. 

Day after day, news spread of Arjun and Dron's close bond, and how he was his most favorite, obedient student; and he felt his heart shattering. 

Yet fate had given him a chance again. With his sheer luck, he was able to mitigate the differences indirectly, through Dhrishtadyumn when they were at Dvaraka. His son was able to strike a friendly note with him, and Drupad couldn't help but breathe in relief.

But then the Lakshagriha happened. . .

And again, he was shrouded in uncertainty. Yet he did not lose hope.

That Brahmin seemed so. . . 

Seemed so much like Arjun. 

All he could was pray that he wasn't in any delusion right then. He hoped it wasn't a fallacy. Or a deceit of some kind. 

What if he wasn't Arjun, but some sort of charm or lie? Or what if he wasn't a Brahmin in reality. . . . but a Shudra or Vaishya? He actually didn't mind if he was, but he was more worried for Draupadi. 

Where was she taken to. . .? 

He grumbled upon himself for not immediately sending spies behind her, but that wasn't the right time. The Kshatriyas were attacking like mad wolves, and he had no option but rebuke them back. 

Was she even safe? O God. . .why were such ominous thoughts clouding him?

"Your Majesty!" An attendant came rushing through the hall, making Drupad immediately adjust himself in steady, "Dhrishtadyumn?"

"Yes!" The attendant breathed, "He's asking for permission to meet!"

No more words were spoken. Drupad settled his angavastra around his shoulder, scurrying away from there with huge strides. 

He better be back with some hopeful news. He better be. . .

His heart pounded harder against his chest. For a moment, he wished he could himself go and look for his daughter, but he trusted Dhrishtadyumn more than his life. He rushed towards the gate, with a layer of sweat coating his forehead and strands of hairs, pausing for a while as a dark silhouette marched forward with his men. 

"Dhrishtadyumn!" Drupad exhaled; and Dhrishtadyumn strode forward, out of breath, "Found her. . .!"

"Where, how? W-where is she? Where is she?!"

"Is she fine? Alright? She isn't hurt right?" Dhrishtadyumn got a bombardment of questions, as he squeezed his father's arm tightly in assure, "Calm down father, she's fine! I saw her with five Brahmins and their mother. . .by the way."

Five Brahmins and a mother?

Why did it feel so. . .

"Five Brahmins?"

"Yeah. . .and I think you're kind of right with the intuition!" Dhrishtadyumn nodded, signaling the attendants to take away his horse, "And Draupadi, seemed happy with them actually; like I saw her serving the other Brahmins!" 

"Really? What were the others doing? Like. . .? Did you notice something odd?" Drupad hoped, hoped they were who he was thinking. 

"Like, they were discussing about arms, I mean. . .I couldn't hear them clearly, but they seemed quite knowledgeable with weapons. And honestly, the five of them weren't even looking like Brahmins either!"

"There was this utterly tall and well built man—"

"The one who uprooted the tree?"

"Exactly! He is Bheem, I am damn sure! I remember him so vividly!"

"Ah. . ." Drupad let out a deep sigh, placing a hand on his waist, "And about the one who strung the bow? He is Arjun right?" 

"Ha! He has to be Arjun!"

"And their mother?"

"Didn't seem to be touched by age," Dhrishtadyumn let out a chuckle, shaking his head, as everything was connecting the dots, "A fine, regal Queenlike woman."

Drupad felt like touching the seventh cloud, a beaming smile lining his lips "I can bet on my life now that he was Paarth, O God!" He looked up at sky, fervently joining his palms and touching it to his forehead and chin, repeatedly, "O God, you're merciful! O God!"

.

.

.

The night sky was touched with a tapestry of the glittering celestials, and the large moon peeked from the light clouds. 

The woodfire was the only source of warmth, its embers fleeting streaks of orange and red against the darkness. 

Draupadi kneaded her eyelids, knitting her forehead as she slowly sat up. The sudden bright light from the fire made her half-close her eyes, its flickering glow painted patterns across her face. She held onto the durba grass sheet close to her, looking around to adjust her gaze, blinking.  

The four brothers were sleeping just above her, with their mother. 

"You're awake. . .?" A drawled whisper made her spin around. 

Arjun was walking around the hut, keeping a watch after Bheem. With the Princess around, it was better to be vigilant. 

He strode towards Draupadi, with her peering at him through her lashes. Strands of curls fell over her forehead, her long braid hanging in a loose mess to one side of her shoulder, because of the sleep. 

Still beautiful as ever. 

The fire casted a soft glow to her dark visage, with tawny hue that coating her cheekbones. She shifted with the sheet consciously, with a small smile lining her lips as she pushed beside a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"You aren't feeling uncomfortable right?" He sat on a knee in front of her, his brows curving down; his heart missing a beat with her looking up under the curtain of lashes. The flare of moon and fire over her visage was an allure of splendor. 

She shook her head after a while, "I was just feeling a bit. . . thirsty. I didn't want to wake anyone." She softly uttered, looking around for a while.

"Oh sure, I will get you some water! Wait. . ." Arjun immediately stood up, and before she could say anything, he strode towards the backyard and filled a clay glass with clean water and came back. 

She peered back at him with a little, shy smile once again. 

Damn. . . the way he felt like a punch of flutter in his guts with the way she smiled! 

Why was she so adorable? 

His entire night would pass with him staring at her it seemed. . . 

"Thank you," She smiled with a bare whisper, her fingers brushing with his warm ones, as she took the glass and placed it close to her lips. She drank it completely, and a few drops of water lingered on the corner of her chin. 

She wiped it immediately with the edge of her garment, staring up to witness Arjun already leaning his close, hand to ready wipe it away—making her eyes go wide in a flutter, blush hitting her cheeks with a hitched breath. 

Arjun drew away at once, realizing—he froze right there right then, his lips curling into an edgy smile of caught in the act, feeling a dash of warmth in his jaws. She looked down in an instant, blinking rapidly and pursing on her lower lip. 

Goodness. . . 

"Erm—Princess," He began after wetting his lips, clearing his throat, "Do you want to drink some more water?" 

She shook her head slowly, in a pressed smile, her fingers curling over the grass mat as she handed the glass back to him and peered back at him through her lashes. 

"Alright. . ." Arjun blinked, trying to etch a smile after what happened, his heart thudding wildly. 

She better not hear that. . .

"You're not sleeping?" She whispered after sometimes curiously with a long blink. 

"I, I will. . .after a while." Arjun looked down for a while, his heart fluttered the next moment. Even a simple concern was making him feel like on a seventh cloud, what was happening to him? 

"Oh," She hummed after bobbing her head. For a moment there was complete silence between them, with only the cackling sound of the embers. Her lashes casted a shadow over her cheekbones, a tender allure of her youth under the moon.

And Arjun couldn't help but remember, how simple, small things made her so happy. 

Be it the rhythmic music of the trinkets she was enjoying while coming with him, or the flowers which he gave her. . .she seemed so way beyond the worldly bliss for a while. Just happy and content with what she had, and it did not seem like a play of artifice. 

So simple and beautiful at the same time.

Arjun got up slowly, the smile not leaving his lips was about to leave. . .

"Shubhraatri!" He stopped at the soft squeak that was like a sudden impulse, turning back with raised brows. Draupadi was peering at him, lowering her chin with a pressed wider smile, that formed a two tiny dimples at the corners of her cheek. 

And Arjun felt like his heart would just melt into a pool. 

"Shubhraatri, de—Princess. . ." He bit slightly on the corner of his lip, at the slip of his tongue to 'dear'.

Dear. . . so soon? 

★★★★★★★★★

A/N

Okay, so here is a HUGE HUGE blunder I made of not reading Harivamsa properly 🙂💔.

According to HV, the Pandavas and Dhrishtadyumn had already met Krishna in Dvaraka, before the Lakshagriha happened-

That means Dhrishta knew the Pandavas before, and also Krishna Arjun were acquaintances, so I had to re-edit a few sequences of the chapters 😭. 

Also, IDK but I don't think Krishna was actually present during DrauPan wedding, because BORI did not clearly give it; also the issues in Dvaraka were quite tense that time, and it wouldn't make sense if Krishna is there again. Let's see, I haven't finalized anything. . .

Signing off for today!
Nushkie