Krishnaa's eyes fluttered open. For a while, she was only aware of the pain and exhaustion. She shut her eyes again for a while before opening them again.
She looked around, seeing an unfamiliar room, her vision slightly blurred.
'Where am I?'

Panicked, she sat up hastily, but winced as pain shot through her body.
She looked down at herself. Her wounds were bandaged and she was wearing a fresh, clean set of clothes which didn't belong to her.
She frowned, confused.

She stood up, but instantly shut her eyes as the wave of dizziness passed through her.
She walked unsteadily, placing a palm on the wall for support.
She observed the house. It was cozy and welcoming. Not too big, but not too small either.
Several oil lamps were lit and the fragrance of fresh flowers was comforting.

As she was exploring the house, she suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled. She shut her eyes, expecting an impact, but it never came.
An arm went around her and caught her on time.
"Careful", she heard a familiar voice say.

She looked up. "Kanha?", she whimpered.

         ••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Krishnaa lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Rukmini, who she called jiji, had made her eat some food and re-bandaged her wounds.
Then Kanha had come and explained everything to her.

"What happened that day?", Krishnaa had asked softly, her voice was strained. "And where am I?"
Kanha smiled at her gently. "You are at my home in Vrindavan."
"Vrindavan?", she gasped. "But I need to go back to Indraprasth. I need to tell Parth......."

Kanha had placed a finger on her lips.
"You need rest sakhi. And you can't go anywhere, everyone thinks you are dead."
"What?!", Krishnaa asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes sakhi", he continued. "I knew that you would be in danger, so I came to help you."
Krishnaa was utterly confused.
"I had the help of some asurs, who are on our side. An asura named Hidimbi helped me."

"When we arrived, you were already unconscious. Hidimbi created an illusion to distract Duryodhan and Shakuni, while an asur, who is a shapeshifter, took your place", he told her.
Krishnaa remained silent, taking it all in.

"Now what?", Krishnaa asked him after  a pause. "What do I do?.....I need to inform Parth......"
"No sakhi", Kanha interrupted her. "Everyone thinks you are dead. Duryodhan and Shakuni think that they have won. Let them. They will let their guard down, that is when they will be at their weakest."

Krishnaa calmed down, understanding Kanha's point. But her worries didn't cease.
"What about Bhrata Drishtdyumn? What about Parth? They will try to hurt them", she voiced her concerns.
"That won't happen", he clarified. "Your Bhrata Drishtdyumn isn't of any real threat to them. They will leave him alone."

"And Parth......."
"Parth is the greatest warrior in Aryavrat", Kanha continued. "And at this point, he is the most vulnerable. Gandhar Raj Shakuni will surely exploit the situation. They will try to use his abilities for their benefits. They won't do anything to him for a long time."

Krishnaa's mind went back to the conversation.
She was laying on her bed right now, trying to process everything that has happened.
In just a matter of few days, her life had changed completely.

Just few days back, she was living happily with Parth. And now........
She wanted to cry. She already missed Indraprasth. She missed Bhrata Drishtdyumn and most importantly, she missed Parth.
She wanted to write a letter to him, telling him that she is alright. That she is alive and safe, but Kanha had said that if the letter fell in the wrong hands, it would cause trouble.
It was best to stay hidden.

She thought about Parth. She wondered what he could be doing.
Did he miss her just as much as she missed him? Was he still upset with her?
Thinking of Parth made her sad, but also filled her with determination.

No matter what, she will find Yagyaseni. No matter what, she will punish Shakuni. And no matter what she will keep Indraprasth safe.

*************************
Sorry for the long wait, but this was part 2 of the prologue.
Chapter 1 will be after a leap.