BUTTERFLY FROM THE FLAME (JOY AND GENTLENESS OF THE FLAME)

Chapter 52

After the ceremony draupadi was sitting on her bed with the pandavas surrounding her. "Don't think about that too much." bheem said. "How can I not? He called you all many names including our children as well." draupadi said. "Now past is past. Weren't you the one who said this?" yudhistir said. "I am a mother arya. No mother can listen even a word against her children and neither can a wife." draupadi said. "Even we are their father love." karn said.

"Samrat!" somebody said making them all look at the direction. "Samrat prasanna ho." the kids said entering. "Since when did our children start giving us respect?" yudhistir whispered. The youngest walking Iravan, ran towards his mother sitting on her lap making his parents chuckle. "Why so much respect?" arjun asked. "You are our pitashree! Our mother's husbands! Chakravarty samrat!" abhimanyu said dramatically. "No need of so much drama abhi. Printha! Sumithra spill." nakul said knowing suthanu would take abhimanyu's side. "Baba....." printha said. "baba?" shahadev asked. "Baba..." sumithra said. "Chitrasen! Satyasen! " karn said. "We are just kids. Ask them." the twins replied. "Anyone of you say. We can't go by taking each individual's name." Yudhistir said. "Iravan, you say." arjun said turning to his youngest born who was peacefully sitting on his mother's lap.

"Jyesthbhagini." iravan said. "Thanu! You say now. No excuses." bheem said. "Pitashree, actually we want to meet shivi kumari." suthanu said slightly glaring at yudhistir. Yudhistir seeing his eldest glare at him knew that he was in trouble. "Next 12 months." shahadev said. "12 months?" yudhistir exclaimed horrified. "We mean not for 12 months but next 12 months we will pay a small visit." nakul said. "Is there really a need to go?" yudhistir asked. "Ofcourse! Our suthanu and the rest wants it." karn said. The rest if the pandavas knew what suthanu meant so they started pulling yudhistir's legs.

*****

Draupadi was making the kids fall asleep as karn had went for some meeting. "Maiya? What happened in the first night of marriage?" abhimanyu asked making draupadi almost choke. "Nothing just casual. Talking, playing and sleeping." draupadi said. "What kinds of game did you play with baba? He is always lost in work." sumithra said. "Yeah! What game did you play with pitashree shahadev?" aishwariya asked. "From where do you generate these kinds of question?" draupadi asked. "According to matamahi Rohini and matamahi Yashodha we got it from you." prativindya said. "Oh great!" draupadi thought. "I still remember when I was passing from your chamber when it was pitashree shahadev's turn I heard some noise." abhimanyu said.

"What were you playing?" sutsom asked. "We..... just random games." draupadi said. "Like?" the kids asked. "Huh? What kind?..... um....." draupadi said. "Explain in detail!" the kids said making her choke on air. "Explain?" draupadi asked making them nod. "Sleep. I will say some other day." draupadi said. "No!" the kids argued making draupadi sighed in defeat. "First he was somewhat shy but later he played." draupadi said. "I can't remember ask him." draupadi said. "No! Remember take your time." chitrasen said. "But by tonight. Till then we will be playing right here." satyasen said and the kids started playing on the bed with each other letting their mother think of a family friendly story. Draupadi suddenly smirked and blushed remembering her first night with her youngest husband.

FLASHBACK

It was a beautiful day, the starting of shahadev and draupadi's marital life. Shahadev and draupadi exchanged many secret full of love glances with each other. Shahadev was in his room since early evening walking back and forth with excitement and disbelief not believing that his beloved was entering his life tonight on who he had crush ever since childhood. Shahadev had a shy nature ever since childhood. He let it a little loose around draupadi during their friendship stage but now as draupadi as his wife he felt like it was a dream. Even in the 60 month time duration he couldn't believe he was married to the most loved and important woman of his life.

Shahadev had mixed, uncomfortable emotions along with the rest of his brothers when they heard about draupadi's swayamvar but after arjun won her on her swayamvar the feeling got even stronger and worse. None of the brothers being able to bottle up the emotions went to the house first. Seeing draupadi with garland around her neck same as arjun and moving towards the house made their heart flutter but heavy at the same time. Draupadi had an eye contact with everybody but the longest lasted with shahadev as the two were quite close due to their relatively smaller age gap. Her eyes showed love, care and affection but at the same time it was asking who he was. After kunti's order of draupadi's division and their marriage made the feelings even stronger than ever.

"Arya?" a voice sweeter than honey rang in his ears making him turn around. It was already night and the room was already decorated with flowers and so was draupadi. Draupadi was looking stunningly beautiful, so mesmerizing and enchanting that he couldn't take his eyes off her. Shahadev went numb for a while until he realized that he was staring at her and so was she. Draupadi understood shahadev's nervousness making her mentally smirk. She had been blushing for months by her five husbands but this time she was the one making the husband blush made her mentally smirk.

Seeing shahadev breaking out of his stare and slightly look away made draupadi grin naughtily afterall she and the most naughtiest person in the world shared the same blood and genes. Her naughtiness from gokul still hadn't faded and never will. Draupadi too pretended to be shy and her eyes looked down and bit her lips seductively making it loo unintentional making shahadev's heart go crazy. Draupadi with her naughty eyes trying to keep it limited only till shyness looked up at shahadev meeting his beautiful hazel eyes which were staring at her making him slightly blush.

"Arya? Is something wrong?" the voice more sweeter and melodic than the nightingale's sang. Hearing her call arya made shahadev's heart stop. Draupadi slowly moved towards shahadev, the sounds of the anklets rang in shahadev's ears. Shahadev slightly backed off. "Since when did he become hesitant with me?" draupadi thought. "He didn't even reply! Are deva and arya the same person? What emotional blackmail should I use to bring deva in arya?" draupadi thought. "Sorry." draupadi said making shahadev confused and look at her. "I should have known that you don't like me. Afterall you married me just for the sake of putting mata's word to action." draupadi said. Her voice showed as if she was gonna tear up any moment making shahadev curse himself mentally.

"All these months you have maintained a safe distance with me even when abhi, thanu and printha were born." draupadi said. "She noticed?" shahadev thought as he used to think draupadi gave the most attention to her children and her husband who she was spending the months with. Draupadi continued her emotional drama making shahadev continuously curse himself mentally. "No its not like that. Don't ever think like that." shahadev finally spoke holding draupadi's smooth arms. "Finally! He talked! My biggest victory ever till now." draupadi mentally celebrated.

"Then what's its like? You didn't even reply neither did call me. I came by myself." draupadi said. "I just forgot of the time. I was lost thinking about some work." shahadev said. "Work? On the first night with your wife?" draupadi asked hurt. "Am I just a responsibility?" draupadi asked but was cut off by shahadev's hand on her lips. "Don't even dare to think that." shahadev said. "Why? Your actions do say that. Why would you even care afterall you always maintained distance with me during the past." draupadi said. "because..." shahadev said. "See even now you are not being able to say anything. mayb-" draupadi said by was cut off by shahadev. "I love you." shahadev said barely above whisper making draupadi wanting to dance in victory.

"Thank god! I thought you only loved your library, books and constellation till now." draupadi teased not being able to handle her chatterbox mouth anymore. "Why are you so shy and silent?" draupadi asked as this question had been eating her since childhood but never got the answer as she always used to forget to ask the question. "Maybe because I am the youngest." shahadev said. "Even I am. That also not in the family but the whole yadavansh and you are older than your 95 kaurav brothers." draupadi said. Listening to her curiosity made shahadev smile. "We six usually spent most of our times together rather than our other 101 brothers. Both the jyesth being the elder took care of us most of the time as mata and pitashree were busy with their royal duties, bhrata bheem used to be absorbed in malyudh and bickering with nakul and bhrata arjun busy thinking about your family and practicing archery with jyesth." shahadev said.

"And shy? Arya nakul and you are twins but arya nakul is more confident. Why?" draupadi asked. "He is confident because he is the most handsome in aryavrat and popular among women. Plus he has an extrovert nature unlike me." shahadev said.

TO BE CONTINUED....