"Malini come sleep princess." Arjun said as he wrapped his hand around her wrist making her look up at him, "but why I need to finish reading this story." She pouted as she looked up at him. "Please Arjun." She pleaded as she looked up at him who just smiled at her. "Stop being so cute." He said pinching her cheek as she blushed.

"Don't ask her to do the impossible arya." Subhadra said as she entered in the tent, after playing the dice game and little bit of teasing and playing with Panchaali she was called by Kunti. She smiled as she looked at her husband and her best friend.

"You two stop teasing me." Panchaali whined as she turned her head to hide her blush that was staining her cheeks. "Aw she's blushing!" Subhadra said in a teasing voice making Panchaali squint her eyes at him, "Subhu stoppp!" She whined, "Arjun make you wife stop teasing me!" She complained making Arjun chuckle.

"I will if you'd please go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow morning to leave." He said as he patted her head, "but Arjun I am not sleepy!" She pouted as she said in a soft voice. "Do one thing try sleeping if you can't than come back." Subhadra suggested making Panchaali sigh, "you could have just said you need some alone time with you're arya!" She teased as she got up from the bed, "It's not like that!" Subhadra said, "yea yea keep telling yourself that!" Panchaali teased as she moved towards the exit, "Good night love birds!" She sang making the two blush as she left.

"She really is something." Arjun said as he looked at the exit, "yes a very special girl." Subhadra nodded agreeing. "A diya of joy, lighting everyone's life." Whispered Arjun, Subhadra's smile faded a bit as her eyes mystified as a memory played in her mind, "Often the diya that lights others happiness holds the most darkness in it arya." Her soft pained whisper had Dhananjay turning to her a look of confusion marring his face.

"What do you mean Subhadre?" He asked, worry lacing his voice as she looked up at him, "Not everything we always see is true arya, smiles are the best illusions to hide all the emotions, even pain." She said cryptically making Arjun's heart tug, he knew she meant Malini but what did she mean. "What do you mean Subhadra?" He asked curious, she looked up at him a sad watery smile on her face as she looked at him, "I just wish I could tell you." She said as she turned around and moved in leaving him by the flaps of the tent as he gazed where Panchaali had left, What did Subhadra mean. . .

Panchaali walked out of the tent the smile on her face falling now that she was alone. Her cheeks hurt from all the smiling that she has been doing, she rubbed her cheeks, now that she was alone the monster of loneliness rose in her. She gazed around looking at all the tents, so many people around yet not one whom she can call hers, sure they were all family and she loved them all dearly. Subhadra was a best friend, a sister from another mother but her past never really let her be one with anyone.

She shook her head in resignation, there was nothing she could do to change her past but there was everything she could do to change her future, but for that she needed to modify her present. She smiled and laughed with everyone but when she was alone everything in her reverberated with pain and loneliness, hence she always tried to be with people but that  was not always possible, now was it?

She sighed as she looked up at the night sky it twinkled with stars, the stars were all together at night yet they all seemed so lonely to her, maybe it was just her loneliness that reflected there. She sighed, she really need to stop this stupid thoughts, she looked around as her eyes fell on the tent that was right next to Karn's and Yudhisthir's tents.

"Malini, you ain't asleep yet?" Karn's voice had her turning around, "um, I was just going to sleep." She said hurriedly as she forced a smile on her face. Karn looked at her, for the first time in so many days he saw her look so sad, and it made his heart restless. The look didn't suit her a bit, he wanted to see her smile, to see her laugh and giggle like she usually did.

He wanted to ask her what was wrong but seeing the forced smile on her face he knew she won't answer him, "come I'll walk you to your room." He said as he looked at her, she smiled and nodded, she was unusually silent, her eyes looking at the stars every now and than, he didn't know what was happening but something really was wrong.

"You know the sunrises from the lake in the north look the best." He started a topic trying to distract her, "oh really, how do you know?" She asked curious, he smiled at her, "I would often go there when I traveled to Dwarka to meet Vasudev." He said with a smile, "Would you be going than tomorrow?" She asked, her head tilting sideways, "Yes, I and Vrishali will, would you like to join?" He questioned, he wished she would say yes, "Not really sure I want to be the third wheel between the two love birds, I was just kicked out of one tent for being that." She said playfully making him chuckle as he looked at her, the spark of joy and humour had returned to her eyes, she looked up at him sideways, their eyes met and it was like slowly everything around them faded, as the two got lost in the depths of the others eyes.

"You really do have beautiful eyes." He couldn't help himself as he said that, red dusted her cheeks as she lowered her head, her heart beating wildly in her chest as her hands played with her odhni. "Um thank you." She whispered softly as her paced matched with his, her heart was beating wildly, what was wrong with her? She wondered shaking her head as she moved to her tent, they had reached.

"If you need anything, just let me know." He said with a smile, "I will." She whispered as he turned around and began walking, she watched him leave, he stopped but didn't turn around to face her as he said, "And Malini whatever you're sad about trust me it will be alright. Trust me, I and my brothers would take away every thorn from the path that you walk on." He whispered, his words were very soft and rang with honesty making her heart thud in her chest as he moved to his tent and entered, she too turned around and entered hers, his words had made her heart thump with a different emotion, confusion ran through her body as she looked around, what was happening to her?

***

Panchaali blinked her eyes open as she stretched, she looked around the tent, the soft glow of the diya lightening the place as she mumbled her morning mantras and wishing good morning to Krishna, before she opened her eyes and got out of the bed.

She picked her clothes that she would wear for this morning and left to the nearby lake to have bath, the sun was not yet out as everything was submerged in darkness. "Going somewhere Princess?" She heard a manly voice, her head shot up and her gaze clashed with Duryodhan's who smirked at her. "Um..just going to have bath." She whispered uneasily,
"Can I join?" He asked making her look at him with shock, "What I meant was a girl going out alone in darkness to have bath is never a good idea. I will protect you." He said arrogantly patting his chest, Panchaali wanted to roll her eyes at his antics, who did he think he was?

"No thank you Rajkumar, I am self sufficient to take care of myself."  She stated strongly, he raised a brow at him as he lewdly gazed at her body from down to up, his smirk intensified, "with a body like yours you're sufficient to satisfy a man but protecting yourself? That's out of question." He said egoistically as his eyes roamed every curve of her body. She shuddered in disgust and repulsion as fear slammed in her heart, who did this man think he was? She took a deep breath as her hand moved to her waist and pulled out the dagger from it's sheath, "I would love to prove you wrong Rajkumar Duryodhan. Stay in your limits, don't force me to grouch those eyes out." She spat, though her heart was hammering in fear but she didn't let it show, no way in heaven was she going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry or afraid, she refused to.

Instead of fear he smirked as he looked at the dagger and back at her, "Holding a weapon and using it expertly are too different things princess." He taunted, arrogance dripping his words. "You better leave me alone before I lose my temper and make you regret ever being born." She warned as she moved away from him, he watched her go, his eyes trailing from her back to waist, to her butt. He groaned lustfully, she really was something and her beauty pulled to him like a moth.

Her heart thundered as she moved towards her lake, her hands tightening on the dagger every once in awhile. What was wrong with him? How could he just corner someone like that? She shook her head as she pushed the incidence in the back of her mind, he wasn't the first, she thought as she took in a deep breath, and she knew that he surely won't be the last one.

She had her bath,while returning she heard the laughter from the down side river, she walked towards the river and hid behind the bush, from what she could see Duryodhan was having bath with his brother Dushasan and mamashree, a smirk plastered on face as her eyes fell on their clothes, mischief sparked in her eyes as she looked at them.

She slowly moved towards them and collected all their clothes and sneaked away from there, laughter filling her mind as it itched to let loose but she held it in as she walked away. Now she'll like to see them get out. . .

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