"My mother is like a viper. Coiling silently in her burrow only to strike at the right moment unleashing her venom." Mrithika stated monotonously as she and Arjun sat by the crackling fire with Agnī Dev as the witness while she recited the trail of events from her past life.

Arjun did not reply anything although he was flabbergasted by the accusation Mrithika made about her own birth mother. He waited patiently for her to finish her tale as he was too curious to interrupt the moment.

It was only a while before his other brothers came around interrupting their conversation, so he did not prod or question her despite the zillion questions arising in him.

"You see, before I turned eighteen, I had a lovely family of a father, mother and my twin brother. My mother wasn't crazy back then, in fact she was very docile and obeyed every single rule set by the clan. She never back answered nor did she demand anything, well except for the installation of a Kāli shrine in our palace premises. But, now that I realise it, it was all an act. She had carefully crafted the image of a helpless widow who's incapable of murder."

The son of Indrā raised an eyebrow at her last sentence.

"Yes", she confirmed his bewilderment. "Twice that too and her plan is to commit a serial murder".

"Twice? And what serial murder"? He repeated in astonishment. His amber eyes held pure concern as his mind twisted and turned to comprehend the current situation.

Mrithika smiled drily at him and continued, "Remember how I told you that my father passed away?" Arjun nodded.

"According to the reports he had died of cardiac arrest however, the truth had been buried all thanks to my mother's influence. In reality, she was the one who murdered him with the poisonous seeds of strychnine fruit, which when ingested, gives the person death by heart attack. And the next unfortunate victim had been my twin brother, her only son. My mother had a band of merry men that had tallied along with her since her wedding. They had been together plotting and planning their schemes way before she was married. To be honest, Ma sa never married willingly or had love for any of us from the beginning. We had all been pawns in her game of Chaturanga which she had been playing as a child."

She paused to release the breath she didn't realise she had been holding and resumed, "My mother's main motive was revenge and so she dedicated her entire life force to achieve it no matter the cost or whoever came in the way. She was originally a princess of Jaipur...or Matsya as you call it now, but since the British era, their rightful claims to their ancestral lands and possessions had been revoked by Chamanas. Like I've told you before, numerous royal families once sided with the British for their own personal gains and the Chamanas were one of them. My mother's kul of the Chandels never sided with the British nor did they ever pay them tributes. Naturally this angered the angrezis and they sought to crush the clan to install their dominance. They found a perfect ally in my mother's vassal and conspired to usurp the Chandel clan and place the Chamanas as puppet rulers of Matsya—and they succeeded in doing so. Only the young successor of the Chandels managed to survive along with a few accomplices. Sparing him due to his young age, he was given the position of a landowner over three small villages and in return pledged his allegiance to the British."

"The successor gulped his pride and abided to their rules for the sake of his clan's survival and lived in bitter resentment all throughout his life. When India gained independence and monarchy was abolished, my mother's grandfather took the dispute of their ancestral land to court in hopes to regain it back. By now the country was in shambles due to the damage inflicted on them from the centuries of colonial rule and the once vassal Chamanas managed to become a huge political influence within Rajasthan. The court rebuked his claims and closed the case and the same repeated thrice within different courts. My great-grandfather passed away with boiling anger that managed to find its way onto my mother over generations. My grandfather mellowed down and accepted his fate unlike my mother who never kept quiet about the situation. My mother was different from her ancestors. She was more clever and more cunning. She used to preach me about the importance and power intelligence held. She would tell me how a single idea can make or break empires if moulded properly."

"Sounds familiar", Arjun remarked snidely as his mind briefly shifted towards the visage of Shakuni.

Mrithika smirked in response. "Anyways, mother was the epitome of beauty and brains — an unhealthy one. She immediately started the course of her plan by first marrying into the Rathore kul and that wasn't a hassle for her since her lineage was that of royalty like my father's . She needed political power to initiate her plan and after the Chamanas, the Rathore stood in par with their power in Rajasthan. When the Yuvraj of the Chamanas was crowned the King of Matsya, an idea paved way into her twisted brain. She watched as he married a noble woman from another Rajput clan — gave birth to child after child. She learned their names, faces — even their astrological charts. The Maharaj had a total of five children and with each child, her obsession, her madness grew. And with the birth of the fifth child, my mother became pregnant with me and my brother."

As Mrithika went on with her tale, the sick feeling in the Kaunteya's throat started to choke him. He did not like where the story was heading.

"With that, my mother finally announced her plan to her natal family. She spoke of a revenge that would free the shackles that held her clan from centuries of injustice. The Chamana ruler would die ...and so would his entire line. The children in her womb would be the price — a gift sent by the Goddess Kali to fulfil her plan."

"WHAT"?! Arjun exclaimed in disbelief, disgust apparent on his face. "And then? What did her family say?"

"They supported her", Mrithika deadpanned. "My grandfather was overjoyed. He was brimming with pride. He sent for all the help my mother would need to go through with her plan. The accomplices that managed to survive along with my ancestor, had descendants too — descendants who were as thirsty for revenge as their mistress was. They gladly helped her. In fact, they were the ones who planted the idea and venom in her head in the first place ".

"But what was the plan"? Arjun questioned impatiently.

"A sacrifice. A black magic ritual. One of the descendants was a priest. His entire family had been for generations and had served the Chandels as the royal Kulguru. The Chandels had Mata Kali as their kuldevi and the descendant had been in service of the Goddess for ages. He was the one who suggested to perform a sacrifice to the Goddess in order to exact their revenge."

"So she conceived you and your brother for vengeance"? Arjun remarked bitterly. His intuition was correct. He did not like the course of the tale, it was too dark and disgusting to hear. His heart wrenched at the thought of a mother raising her children as lambs for slaughter.

"Nature needs balance", She said grimly. "In order to end the line of the Chamanas, she must end hers. In this case, her marital clan. My father had been a pawn in her game, he was just there to swerve the succession line to another family to prevent the Chandels from dying out. And when the Chamanas become extinct, her natal family, which his succeeded by her brother, would acquire their lost assets on the grounds of previous ownership."

"But...." The Pandava Prince frowned. "It does not make sense. Two lives for five? That's not balanced".

"Perception, dear prince. Your perception is too literal. By killing me and my brother, she had tied the lives of our direct paternal relatives and the entire Chamanas as one. By killing us, mother will end the entire line of Rathores forever. Surely ending her legacy is a worthy sacrifice to end another's, isn't it"?

"In that case, won't she die too?"

"That's the whole point. She's willing to sacrifice herself for the nectar of revenge. Her death doesn't matter as long as the death of her enemies are ensured. Such deep is her madness. Her charm and influence was so strong that she had managed to collect a band of her own henchmen. My father had been close to solve the labyrinth she created but sadly — she eliminated him before he could call her out. With father out of her way, she decided to proceed with the ritual on a full moon at midnight. At a time when the veil of the spiritual world and the materialistic world is thin — a time where the divine feminine energy is at her peak. From our birth our mother had instilled in our conscience that whatever role we played in her chess board was to ultimately defeat the enemy. It was a matter of pride and loyalty. Our names were decided by my mother, Samvidhan and Mrithika. My name held a double meaning, one was Mother Earth and the other was..."

"Death and destruction", Arjun completed bleakly.

The Rathore gave a lazy smile. "Yes, Death and destruction indeed. She always went by that one rather than the softer version. Ironic names. My mother loved irony and sarcasm just as she loved toying with people. Carrying on, Samvidhan never second guessed our mother or her intentions. He was the perfect golden boy a mother could ever ask. Even during the sacrifice he willingly handed over his neck to my mother's wicked dagger without flinching for once. He was thoroughly brainwashed and the one who eventually inherited a part of her fanatical behaviour. I had been passive about the entire ordeal, but when the time eventually came something jolted inside of me. While laying on the altar I decided that there was more to life and I just didn't want to be the sacrificial lamb that would be the cause of an entire generation's death. So I escaped and went into hiding for nearly two years before being caught by her again. It was at this time I got mysteriously transported here. The second time at a full moon night, my mother was ready to sacrifice me over the altar again — just as she raised her knife, I felt cool air brushing past me and then...darkness. Wether it was due to the drugs or the travel, I do not know".

She finished and stared at him with bated breath. She was relieved that he managed to listen till the end instead of getting up in between to make a horrible judgement of her life as she anticipated. Yet, the lost look on his face made her think otherwise.

After a long and uncomfortable silence between them Arjun finally spoke up, "How did you survive those two years"?

"I sold my soul".

"What"? He gaped with horror in his amber irises.

Mrithika rolled her eyes and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. If it has come to all this then she might as well tell the entire truth.

"I became a thief. I roamed the streets and stayed in red light areas with shady people. I did bad things to good people. I killed. I lied and cheated and even stole to survive. So it amounts to the same thing. I'll burn in hell if I'm not successful in my endeavour, the reason I came here in the first place."

At his stunned expression, white hot anger flared in her chest. Damn him and his judgment. Damn her mother. Damn the world and its people.

She didn't want to talk about it or remember it. That life — the things she did to survive, the people she loved and lost in the process — it was all gone. Just like her life in Kalyug. Burned to nothing but black ash and blacker memory.

"And what is that endeavour?"

She took a sharp inhale. "To repent for my actions of course. Krishna said that everything that had happened had been due to the consequences of things far older than me or my mother and that the life in Kalyug hasn't exactly been favourable to prove myself. Hence, this is my second chance, I'm supposed to earn good karmas or earn a place in hell if I fail. So you see, despite being a Suryavanshi, I'm not the pure golden girl, I am in fact a stain on my lineage's purity. Anything else"?

Arjun shook his head. "I don't think I have a say in this because whatever you faced is beyond horrendous. I've never ever heard of such an incident ever trust me —"

"Welcome to a life in Kalyug. Things are far worse there", Mrithika cut him off with a snide smirk.

"Nevertheless", He ignored her jibe and continued, "If god himself has decided to give you a second chance...who am I to judge? Rest assured, I'm not going to tell anyone of your past without your consent. You can trust me in that matter. I'm pleased that you managed to confide in me and I understand that the situation in your time is very different from here and thus, your actions are just the product of your time. You did what you had to do to survive. And that's all I can say."

Her anger fizzled out at his words. It was her turn to gape at him with wide stunned eyes. She had heard a lot about his compassionate and humble nature from the old texts and the people she met here but this was the first time she had the opportunity to witness it firsthand. They weren't lying when they described his nature.

No wonder he's known as Narrotam. The best among men, a very suitable title indeed.

She shook her head slightly and got up with a lurch, brushing the nonexistent dirt on her skirt. "Well I'm glad you think so. Let's forget the matter here and never, I repeat, never talk about this again. It's a memory I do not desire reminiscing again. I suggest that you not ponder over it for long and get some sleep."

Before she could disappear from his vision he dared to question her a last time. "Wait"!

She stopped.

"What's her name? Your mother I mean"...

She glanced up her shoulder and replied with a snort.

"Raksha."

As soon as Surya Dev and Devi Ushā graced the horizon with their brilliant rays, the Pandavas were ready to resume their journey much to Mrithika's chagrin. She hated travelling so early in the morning but the consolation of sleeping whilst travelling gave her a sense of comfort to some extent.

Yesterday evening was a bit eventful with her being finally able to lessen her burden by talking the third Kaunteya. Surprisingly he was non-judgmental about her actions though he was a bit sceptical of what to think of her actual personality.

And since then she didn't dare to second guess Krishna's advices ever.

The maids helped pick her out an outfit for the day since they would be shortly arriving at Varnavrat and Mrithika wanted to seem as presentable as possible to the public eye. On Kunti's suggestion, the maids insisted her to clothe a lime yellow lehenga with mirror and silver thread embroidery and a particularly long uttariya that was elegantly wrapped around her frame. Adhering both to Kunti's insistence and her affinity for jewellery, she opted for a diamond choker necklace and forehead ornament as statement jewellery that didn't seem too less nor too much.

Her dark hair was left loose except for two strands that were pinned at the back with a diamond barrette. Her curtain bangs were left untouched much to the servant's confusion. Before she could get on Arjun's chariot the youngest Madreyā stopped her with a request of his own.

"C-Can you please accompany me in my chariot? I-I still haven't got my doubts cleared regarding the book you gave", He sputtered with a pink tint colouring his fair complexion and a watery grin adorning his lips.

With a dazed smile she nodded...not really understanding the actual situation much to Arjun and Nakul's amusement.

However, the two could only exchange a few sentences as Mrithika immediately fell asleep the moment Sahadev turned to converse with his charioteer much to his dismay. He badly wanted to wake her up but decided otherwise as it would be both rude and awkward in his perspective.

Travelling always made her sleepy. Even her car rides to school would eventually put her to sleep and she hated talking to anyone at times like those but she tried her best to keep herself from falling asleep for the sake of the young prince. The only time she awoke from her deep slumber was when she heard the charioteer holler the arrival of their destination.

Her almond-shaped eyes snapped open as her hands subconsciously moved to her hair in an attempt to straighten them. Her fingers stopped pulling at the strands when she took notice of her surroundings.

It wasn't Varnavrat!

"We've arrived at the city of Ayodhya in the Kosala Kingdom, Your Highness", the charioteer heralded.

"K-Kosala"?! Mrithika exclaimed in astonishment as her brows knitted together. She turned to look at Sahadev and questioned him, "What is the meaning of this, Sahadev? Why are we in Ayodhya instead of Varnavrat"?

With hidden excitement in his eyes, he turned to face her and replied, "All in due time, Princess".

She shot him a withering look before getting down from the chariot before he could stop her. She tried to approach Yudhishthir concerning the current situation when an another herald stopped her from doing so.

"Attention! Attention ! Make way for Maharaja Vrihadvala"!

An elderly man, about in his late forties, sauntered towards the guests dressed in heavy robes of yellow and golden ornaments befitting his status as the Sun King of the solar lineage. Mrithika cast her eyes upon her own yellow garments as realisation hit her.

This was all planned!

'Everyone knew except me...why?' She thought bitterly.

After the formal greetings took place between the royal family of Kurus and the Kosala monarch, Vrihadvala diverted his attention towards her and flashed a warm smile.

Mrithika returned it back with a crooked one of her own whilst thinking all the possibilities that could arise from this unexpected rendezvous. She glanced at Arjun and found him giving her a reassuring expression.

'Don't worry. Your secret is safe'.

"Ah, this must be my descendant. Tell me child, what is the state of our clan in the future yuga?" Vrihadvala demanded with pride and curiosity lacing his tone. The prospect of seeing a descendant of his, who mysteriously arrived from the future delighted him to no end.

"Heh", Mrithika croaked a bit as she awkwardly greeted him with joined palms. She had definitely not expected such a sudden question out of nowhere. But then again, royals are always concerned about the future of their dynasty. It was their top priority.

"Ummm.....the history of our clan is unfortunately quite complicated", she hesitated. Not only their history but even the present is quite complicated, she had no idea how she was going to explain to her ancestor about the misfortune their pious clan has by attaining a homicidal maniac for a Queen.

Vrihadvala laughed boisterously and commented, "Isn't it always? We royals are always complicated due to conflict we find ourselves."

'Trust me you won't be laughing if you found out the truth'.

Vrihadvala led them inside the palace which was quite grand to say the least. She observed how particularly distinguishable they were on the basis of architectural design which has been modified with time. Sadly, these structures weren't able to last centuries into the future which has made people question the existence of these people and their history. Question their pain and suffering which is now just mere "tales" or "myths" in the present timeline. She thought how hurt and frustrated she would be if her life was called a mythology by the future generation just because they've never seen her.

"I am truly grateful to the Kurus for having taken care of my descendant when she was all alone in this new yug separated from her family. Mere words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards you, O great Kuruvanshis. Tell me, what do desire from this old King"? Vrihadvala thanked them solemnly as a warm smile etched on Kunti and her children's faces.

"There's no need to thank us, Kosalraj. We were merely doing our Dharmā and hence we do not desire any rewards for our duty", Yudhishthir reassured and denied his offer.

Mrithika grinned his words. It was truly amusing to see his kindhearted and gentle personality which was a rare sight in the  Kaliyug. Such people did not exist and even if they did, they would've been eaten up by the world long ago or end up losing their sanity if they managed to survive.

It was a cruel world but not this one. No, it was a much kinder version than that.

"Nonsense, Yuvraj Yudhishthir. It is our Dharmā to thank someone for their service as it is yours to perform. However, I still cannot understand on how one can travel across time, and even if they did...why?" The King of Kosala questioned aloud.

"Vasudev said it was to find her own destiny which she never had the opportunity to attain in the future timeline but what is it exactly about remains unknown even to him and the young princess", Kunti stated with an uncertain glance towards Mrithika.

Vrihadvala had a thoughtful look on his face as he mused, "Vasudev, Vasudev. This King of Dwarka is truly something. His aura reminds me of my own ancestor, Sri Ramachandra, the way he looks and carries himself."

'Hehehehe. That's because he is Sri Ram himself' Mrithika snickered mentally with a mischievous smile.

Arjun smiled wistfully and replied to the King's musings, "There is something divine about Madhav's soul, Maharaj. Even his birth's quite extraordinary."

"Agreed, young prince. Nevertheless, I'm filled with joy to have met my descendant. In all words, I have always wished to have a daughter but sadly my wife passed away before I could get another child and I had no desire to marry another one in my grief. The Lord had been considerate in fulfilling my prayers in a strange fashion by giving my descendant instead."

"Mrithika", the said person jolted from her seat as the King of Kosala addressed her, "You need not fret about leaving your family...".

'LOL'

"Because you shall be a part of ours —in fact, you are a part of us. Kosala is glad to have her princess, her Kausalya, so do not hesitate to call me your father. An ancestor is as good as a parent figure as a descendant is their children", Vrihadvala declared with a gentle glint in his eyes.

Mrithika stared dumbfounded at the elderly person. She blinked at him with no words to express his statement. She tried to come up with a sentence but was unable to. It had always been her weak spot, she had difficulties in expressing herself in terms of emotions although her feelings said otherwise.

There was no doubt that her father could never be replaced but this ancestor of hers had willingly accepted her with open arms and regained her status as a royal. She had no idea how to thank him without giving the impression of being ungrateful.

But, did she truly deserve such kindness? She looked around and saw the Pandavas, their mother and Vrihadvala. Throughout her entire stay in Dwapar, all those she met—spar the Kauravas and their scheming uncle— had been nothing but kind and welcoming towards her and she felt immense guilt at the selfish thoughts she constantly had.

The plans she made to desert the Pandavas and save her neck now came back to stab her conscience with sharp arrows that pierced painfully.

She chewed on her bottom lip and replied, "I-I do not know how to say this but...thank you, Kosa-...Pitashree," the word felt so foreign on her mouth yet she continued. "I'm delighted that you have accepted me and I hope to be dutiful daughter as you had desired", she grinned a fake smile almost too perfectly to be considered inhumane although, Vrihadvala had overlooked it in his happiness.

'Lies! You can never be a dutiful daughter, look at yourself! Who are you kidding'? She felt her conscience taunt her and she cared not to correct it because it was the truth. All those who had trusted her met with a betrayal and she felt too ashamed to accept it she hoped that history did not repeat with him or the others.

She clenched her jaw and knuckles as tightly as possible.

Kunti heaved a sigh of relief and started, "Maharaj. If you may, before the princess had arrived in Kosala, she had been under our care and I considered her almost like a family and we had initially planned to show her around Varnavrat before uniting her with you. As you had asked us for a reward, I wish to have Mrithika accompany us in our journey with your permission".

Mrithika instantly released her fingers.

"I don't know, Devi. That's a request I can only comply with if Mrithika allows so herself. What do wish to say, child"? Vrihadvala flipped the question and looked at her expectantly.

Mrithika's eyes narrowed to slits as she pondered over the question. She immediately understood why that question came around and around to haunt her. She had previously been planning to leave Varnavrat at the dead of the night and escape to the Himalayas to find sanctuary in the mountains. Yes she was selfish and she hated to admit it but now, she was present with a test. A test to prove her Dharmā.

This was a chance to repent for all of the sins she committed in her past life though it can never truly be repented but it was the least she could do. She had to prove herself or...suffer either way.

"I shall go along with Rajmata Kunti."

A/N

From Jodha to Kausalya, Mrithika has come a long way and I'm proud of her for it 🥹.

Do lemme know your thoughts on Her Evilness and the ranting session between Mrithi and Parth. Next chapter is Varnavrat and that has a lot of interesting sequences.

And guys, I have published a new story that is based on MB only so if u guys are interested do check it out on my profile, it's called Pralāya Yajña : The Jewel of Gajasahyra. Also while scrolling thru Pinterest I came upon these two arts and I was shocked how aptly they matched the images of Mrithika and Raksha that I've created in my mind.

Doesn't the art suit Mrithika's description a lot?

The wickedness of the Red Queen is subtly evident on her face.