Sahadev looked up from the scroll in front of him, "Where's Panchaali?" The question left automatically the moment he didn't see his little flower around, he watched Dhananjay smirk "Smitten!" He teased making Sahadev roll his eyes.

"Yes. I am very much smitten with my wife, but where is she?" He replied with a smile to his teasing, "Getting ready." Dhananjay answered as he picked up a scroll that lay on the table, Sahadev could see the worry that his elder brother was trying to hide, he stood up from where he sat and kept the scroll aside as he moved towards his jyest. "What happened Bhraatashree?" He whispered as he looked at the worry lines that marred the faces of his elder brother. "Panchaali, I am concerned for her." Dhananjay revealed as he faced his brother, "What do you mean?" Sahadev asked, his voice grave as concern dripped his words.

"I don't know anuj, I just don't know how to explain it to you. There is something really wrong with our girl, today too when we were getting a bit intimate, she screamed saying that there is some woman around. She just gets so scared, and I can't see her like that. It freaking hurts Sahadev!" He whispered anguished at seeing his wife so scared, Sahadev sighed concern rooting in his mind, "Roughly 10 - 15% of women experience psychological issues during or after pregnancy bhraata." He whispered, worry lacing his words. "Than why do you look this dreaded? You surely must know how to treat it, you're the smartest man in the entire Aryavart. " Dhananjay questioned, "I understand all the logistics, I am a man of logic. But when it comes to Panchaali, all my knowledge and logic goes flying out of the window, my mind says that it's nothing that we can't solve but my heart it just knows one thing Panchaali is mine, she's ours. Ours to protect, ours to love and care for,ours to spoil and ours to reprimand, seeing her so scared and terrorised kills me bhraata, I know what fear is, I know the logistic of it, that it is nothing but an emotion induced by perceived danger or threat, which causes physiological changes and ultimately behavioral changes, such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing from perceived traumatic events. But this definition doesn't come to mind when it's Panchaali who is scared, who is afraid, with the very last fiber of my life all I want to do is just to sooth that fear, to ease that discomfort, to destroy the very thing that has been the reason to make her afraid. She's all that I have, my reason to live, my inspiration to be better, she's the knowledge that I have, she's the calm that resides in my heart, she's the very reason for my existence, there isn't a thing I won't give up for her, even my soul. She's me and I am her. To the world we appear separate but in reality we are nothing but the reflection of each other and our love." He whispered, a tear tracing down his cheek as his heart thundered in his chest, Arjun understood exactly what he meant and squeezed his shoulder in empathy, his heart too had grown heavy listening to his brother. He smiled, as he pulled his brother in his arms.

"Don't worry anuj will get through this together, like we always do. One for all..." he left the sentence hanging as he looked at his little brother who smirked, his heart easing hope, yes together they could do anything. "All for one." He completed the sentence of his elder brother making him beam at his youngest brother proudly.

"World may see us as five different beings but we are the echo of Panchaali's love song that reverberates from five different directions." The two said together, their voice laced with complete joy, the joy of being one, the joy of loving one, the one bond that bound them so strongly that their very existence mixed with the other in the form of love, where one began and the other ended, no one knew.

The two laughed, no matter how wrong things went but as long as they had each they knew they'll find the flame of happiness even in the darkest corner of life.

"Hm I think we got pretty emotional today. Seems like Panchaali's pregnancy hormones are affecting us now." Arjun joked making his brother laugh, "Seriously?! That was a bad joke even for you!" Sahadev said making his jyest smirk, "Where is everyone?" Arjun asked as he looked around the empty meeting room, "All the Bhraatashree have gone to Viratgadh, the rebels there are increasing way too much, one can no longer ignore them. Prativindh and Mata have left for the Ashram of rishi Vyaas as mata wanted to conduct a yagn for Panchaali and Prativindh, definitely Panchaali can't travel now so she just took Prati, they should be back by tomorrow morning." Sahadev informed him Dhananjay,"I think I should leave for Viratgadh too? Bhraata Yudhisthir might need me. You take care of Panchaali, I have given her 15 minutes to get ready, if she doesn't come up in five minutes, go down and get her." He ordered as Sahadev nodded, Arjun picked his Gandiv as he moved out of the palace, his brother following him, the two reached the door of the palace where a white horse stood ready for him, as he reached the door, he hesitated, his eyes looking back at the place where his wife was, Panchaali, his heart refused to leave but his duties called him, with one last pray to the god to keep her safe, Dhananjay mounted the horse.

"Take care of yourself and hers." He instructed, Sahadev nodded solemnly as he watched his brother leave, Arjun's horse galloping the distance between him and his three brothers but also increasing the distance between him and his love.

Sahadev watched Arjun's horse disappear from his sight, he sighed as he turned around to return to his home. Current passed through his body as he froze, as he felt himself being pulled through the dark canal of his mind, a vision flashed behind his closed eyelids, he watched as his wife was in a pool of blood being drowned, mangled dark hands pulling her underneath. His breath hitched as a sharp fear ran through his chest making it impossible for him to breath. A sharp pain shot through his heart as her dark lotus eyes full of dread me his, there was a resignation in them, "Arya..." her voice so soft, so much pain, so much fear, he never knew just one word would have the capacity to bring him to his knees.

The vision shattered, ending their contact. His eyes snapped open and he ran, he ran so fast like he hadn't ever in his life, the damn organ in his chest thundered as he ran towards her, terror like he had never experienced before squeezed his heart, adrenaline pumped through his body, his angvastr fell on the ground but right in this moment he didn't care, the face of his wife drowning flashed in front of his eyes making him push his legs harder till they burned.

He kicked the door to her bathroom open as he rushed down, panic ceasing the beating organ in his chest as he jumped in the pool, he searched under the dark water, his eyes widened as they fell on his wife's face, her eyes were shut, her face pale, her beautiful long hair floating around her, her hands and legs were limp while she was completely naked.

His heart throbbed in dread, as his hand shot out, wrapping around her ice cold skin of her hand, he pulled her closer to himself, he wrapped his hand around the waist of her body and pulled her towards him. His hand wrapping around her naked waist, he pushed himself up, breaking through the surface of the ice cold water.

He moved towards the edge of the pool and laid her down there, he pulled himself up, his heart beating wildly as he noticed her chalk white face and blue lips. His hands trembled with fear as he raised them to check her pulse, to check her breathing. Tears tracing down his cheeks as he cupped her face, "PANCHAALI!" He screamed on top of his voice, his voice so loud, that it reverberated throughout the palace, the pain that he felt echoed through his voice. She  was not breathing, there was no pulse, she can't leave him, no she can't do that damn it! He thought as he put his hand he turned her around making her lay on his stomach as he pushed the water out of her system.

She expelled the water, as coughs racked through her body making him cry in relief, he hugged her to his chest as he felt as though his soul had returned to his body making him. He picked her in his arms and rushed to their room, he laid her on his bed as he pulled the blanket over her.

"Is someone there!" He shouted as daasis rushed in, "You get me a towel and warm clothes for her, get as many warm quilts as possible go run!" He shouted, urgency lacing his words, "You go call other Veds and tell them to get my things! GO MOVE!" He shouted making all the daasis rush, as he took the towel from his closet and rushed to her, his hands shook as he rubbed her dry. He pulled out all the thick warm blankets and quits present as he layered her body with them.

The daasi rushed in with her clothes, he took them from her and helped her change, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he looked down at his wife, he couldn't think straight, his terror was overwhelming his senses. "Please be alright baby." He whispered as he looked at his wife who looked lifeless.

The Veds entered in, their face paling at the sight of their queen. They rushed around as they got to work, Sahadev ran his hand through her hair as he cried, his heart galloping with a terror so dark that for the first time in his life he could see no hope.

Time passed as he rushed around, suppressing his fears and worry, doing his best at treating her. They all did their best, Sahadev sighed as he sat next to her, his hand wrapping around hers. They had done all that they could, a senior old ved stood next to him, his face a mask of worry.

"It's a miracle that the queen didn't have a miscarriage. Rajkumar we did out best, but her body temperatures have dropped too low, we did all we could but right now the heat we are providing from outside is not enough, now as her husband only you can help her in giving her body heat." The old man whispered, resignation filling his voice, he bowed and left the room leaving the husband and wife alone.

Sahadev didn't respond to his words, his hands still wrapped around his wife's,a tear traced down his cheeks as he looked at her, the bruises and various injuries that marred her once flawless skin.

He put his other hand on her forehead as he sniffed, trying to hold in the storm of emotions that were wrecking a havoc in his heart. Destroying every piece of him, he felt shattered and broken. "Come back to me little flower, I need you." He whispered, his voice soft and sounding completely shattered.

He had always imagined how their first union would be, but this was never what he could even dream about. Her lifeless as he created the most sacred bond with her, his love, his princess, his little flower, his very soul. He felt as though someone was slowly sucking the life out of him, he didn't feel like leaving in a world where there was no her, his eyes travelled to her womb, where their child rested, he shook his head, he refused to give up, he refused to let her go, he refused to let his family shatter.

He stood up, determination filling his chest, he moved towards the dressing table and removed all his jewelry, his eyes looking at her through the mirror, her lifeless face making his heart squeeze. He sucked in a deep breath and moved forward, his heart  hurt, he didn't want their first time together to be like this, most importantly he didn't want to touch her without her consent, it felt wrong. He knew he was doing this to save her and their child but that didn't lessen the feeling of his guilt, he knew as a husband he had every right over her but was that right? Was it right to do with her body as he pleased just because he was her husband, being husband meant that he was his other half, his decisions would always be made after taking in her suggestions, two parts of the same body. Than how could he do this to her?

There has to be a way out,think Sahadev think, he pushed himself to think as he paced the room, his mind racking through every piece of the knowledge present. He froze as he recalled a very old scripture that he had read in there was a heat drink,  or that's what it was called. He rushed out of the room to the kitchen, followed by to the garden and finally the vedhshala, where he crushed and grinded various leaves and flowers and than rushed back to her.

He lowered himself on the bed next to hers and guided her head up, he brought the glass to her lips. "Drink love." He whispered as he poured it slowly in her mouth, once done he kept the glass on the night stand.

A tear traced down his cheeks as he put his hand on her forehead, looking at her pale skin. All he could do now was wait, the drink would cause her to generate heat, possibly fear that would later go down.

He sobbed, he could no longer hold in, seeing her laying there like a corpse was a torture, his girl who always smiled and giggled, her chatter never ending, lay there silently, not a word leaving his mouth. "Talk to me little flower." He whispered as he took her hand in his, he was pleading to her, begging her to wake up, he couldn't see her in this condition.

She was his sole reason to live, the one reason why he woke up everyday. Otherwise what was the point of being here without her? What was the point in leaving? What was the point in smiling or crying? What was the point in anything?! With her the sun of his life rose and with her the sun of his life set, his entire world summed up in this one person, her.

She was the fire that he wanted to get destroyed in so they could forever be one, she was the one person in his life for whose smile he could do anything. He was never good with words, could never really express his feelings for her through words, but that was the beauty of their relationship, they didn't need words to understand what the other felt, their relationship wasn't just physical bodies, where things like words were required to express their love. Their relationship was spiritual, their souls were interwoven in such a strong manner that no power in this universe could separate.

"I won't let anything happen to you my little flower. How could I ? My very existence is you, without you there's no me. Without Malini there's no Sahadev, our relationship is like that of the tears and the heart, when heart hurts it's the tears that roll down and destroy their very existence, when you're hurt it's me, who will be destroyed each and every time.  It takes millions of people to make this world but mine is completed just by you. You! Panchaali! Wake up! My life without you makes no sense it's like without you I just exist but with you I live."  He whispered, honesty laced his each word as he looked down at his unconscious wife. When will she wake up...

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