Following is a piece written by Aaslesha_Kashyap
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Standing at the entrance door of the palace I can still watch the retreating back of my husband. Today was the last day of our togetherness in this lifetime. His elder brother decided to leave everything behind to go the search of nirvana along with their common wife Yagyaseni Draupadi. Like every time all his younger brothers decide to follow him in this. I have no say in this; no one ever had actually. Pandavas always stick together in every decision like the five fingers of a hand. With each step, I can see him fading trying to memorize his last image for the rest of my life. 

"Vijaya dear come inside. There is no benefit in standing at the entrance like a statue. He is gone leaving you behind alone and will never return." My father called me from behind. I can hear the sadness in his voice about my upcoming life. He is worried, which father won't be. He raised me like a part of his soul but at the same time, he has seen me spending half of my life alone. A bitter chuckled escaped my lips.

"Well, father when I wasn't alone actually. I spent my whole life in wait with his memories. I am sure I can spend the rest alone too. At least, this time there won't be a wait; neither any expectations of his return nor any false hope of uniting. I will be content in this loneliness, with his memories. The irony is that I am not alone in this. All the Kuru Kulvadhus are in the same loneliness, wrapped in thousands of big and small memories. Whether it's the illusionary princess of Dwarka, the courageous princess of Chedi, or the mesmerizing sisters of Kashi everyone is in the same stage of life."

"No father is peaceful after marrying a piece of their heart in Kuru clan. None of the daughters-in-law of this clan got an easy, stable, and happy life. All of them got a lifetime of misery, struggle, and loneliness in return for a few moments of a smile. "My father spoke bitterly thinking about the entire daughters-in-law of this family and their lives. There is nothing wrong in this actually who got a stable life; the beautiful princess of Gandhar got a life of darkness, the princess of Kuntibhoj got a life of struggle, the princess of kamyaka got forgotten, the princess of Panchal got insulted, the princess of Kashi got a life of pain, the rest got a life of wait and loneliness is something which each of them got equally. 

"Calm down Pitashree everything is over today. The last step of this Dharmayudh is over today hopefully the upcoming generations won't have to sacrifice their peace and happiness. Come inside and take rest." 

After completing my daily chores I finally decide to take a rest but my mind is not at rest. You can discard everything to get a moment alone but memories only rush in such moments. I opened the box on memories in which I kept something as a symbol of our moment together. This box contains our whole journey from our first meeting in the library till our forever goodbye. We met at Madra library when he came here to meet his grandparents. I still feel my cheek heating up when I remember our first meet. I was surrounded by heaps of books when he suddenly came and got surprised finding me there. He helped me came out of the mess I created by scattering all the books on the ground. We talked about a few likes and dislikes about books when he helped me in arranging the books. We have a very common topic to talk about otherwise it's really difficult for two extremely shy peoples like us to talk. We never have enough of each other no matter how much time we spend together. For the outer world, he is a man of few words but with me, he talks endlessly. I still remember his last day of stay in Madra when he held my hand before I leave the library. That was the moment he asked my answer to his proposal of marriage. He always told everyone he fell in love with me at the first sight of me in the library. Vijaye, my rose, was his fond way of addressing me lovingly. We got married soon after this, but life never gives you happiness on a platter. He used to shower me with all the beautiful praises and compliments whenever he gets me alone. He spoiled me with all the love and pampering until the eventful day of the Dice game. He and his brothers went to exile leaving us behind with a promise to return. My all pleading fell into deaf ears and he didn't budge to change his decision to take me along with him. That was the moment I realized the harsh truth, I am very important in his life but not his priority. I promised him a wait of a lifetime, after all, I loved him, I can't be a barrier in his choices and responsibility. We women are always supposed to be the strength of the family, no matter whatever it costs. He returned after 13 years with the news of The Mahabharata. A war that costs us everything and made us stand on the mountain of the dead bodies. The war got over but we remain empty-handed. I came face to face with the hardest truth of my life; I got my husband's body but not his soul. I got an empty man which has no sort of emotions left. I was trying to cope up with everything in the hope to get him back completely but hope sometimes is the biggest lie of a life. I got a glint of the man I married in him yesterday when he spoke those words asking me again a promise. My heart bleeds but my eyes didn't shed a single tear. Yet again, I let him not want to be a barrier to his happiness. Pain is an emotion that can never explain what I felt at that moment. I just don't understand a single thing about what I was to him? He leaves me behind every time-bound with a promise. Every time we women are expected to sacrifice keeping a strong façade and men doesn't care to consider their emotions. Did my opinions wishes or dreams ever mattered to him in this relationship are the question he left behind with me to carry. Suddenly a strong wind came into my room blowing off the candles making it completely dark just like my life. I can't control my laughter at the irony that every single thing even nature is here supporting me in my misery except the only person I expected. Making myself stable, I closed the box and left for bed. Before drifting to sleep, I made a mental note that tomorrow morning I will ask the guards to bury the box in the palace backyard as deep as possible so that no one can ever find them.