Ephemera- Of Fire and Ash

Entrance

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"Go to hell."
"I already exist on a level of hell."
"Exist on one that isn't near mine."

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"The Pandavas are here!" rejoiced the citizens of Hastinapur.

A sea of hands reaching out in love to touch them, as the five kshatriyas alighted from their chariots and walked through the triumphal archway over the gates. Taking the dust of the road, the princes marked their foreheads with it as if with holy ash. The crowd surged around them, shouting all their names.

Behind them stepped out a lady, This lady, of eyes as expansive as lotus petals, whose complexion resembles that of the blue lotus, and who looks like a goddess of Heaven as she gave a warming smile and people cheered arjun and draupadi's name.

"Why are you out love? Why don't you sit inside?" asked nakul concerned at which the dark beauty smiled.

"These people are my citizens now and how can I stay inside when my husbands, and my citizens are out and I want to acknowledge their love for me and it is such a pleasure to see how much they love you. No amount of luxury can give me this contentment.." she finished as the other pandavas heads snapped towards her direction. She was definitely a blessing in their life, What did they do to deserve her?

As if reading their minds Draupadi smiled again. "Honeys, You are my everything. (Hehehe, author coughs because she has 5 husbands so honeys..) I love you all every waking moment of my life, I am over the moon to be your wife. Consider life to be a ship, then I would choose you all as the anchor to my ship and hold me in place as you take me through this beautiful journey." She said with a smile as the pandavas looked at her awestruck. She was the best.

That was when they reached the palace entrance. Bheem was stealing glances at Draupadi which was interrupted by nakul's cough.

Always wrong time

Gandhari stood at the entrance, Duryodharana at her heels and dhritarashtra beside her. She stood with an aarti ki thaali.

"How proud I am to see you all alive. This time you all were better than ever, and I love that." Gandhari said as she did their aarti.

"Now my dear arjun and his wife please come forward, I wish I could see, but I know she will compliment his valour. She has to be the most beautiful to steal my arjun's heart..." Gandhari said with a smile.

And an awkward silence prevailed as bheeshma, vidur and those kauravas wiggled their eyebrows confused. Kunti stared at the ground- it was her mistake.

The pandavas stood numb while Draupadi held back tears yet smiled.

Pandavas body language looked pretty stiff. Like they were too far away to hear. Yudhishthira inhaled as he said firmly yet gently "We all brothers married Panchal kumari.." As gasps filled the entrance of the palace. The soilders and maids who once worshipped the pandavas started back bashing them among whispers while Gandhari dropped the aarti thali..

"What..." this was the least she could say yet the most..

"Such foolishness, how could you all marry the same girl. Ever heard anything called shame?" dhritarashtra could not take it anymore.

"They definitely did, Light travels faster than sound, which is why you seemed bright until you spoke your majesty." Draupdi defended.

"It was done with my choice." She added as nakul, sahadev, bheem and arjun struggled to not laugh at her remark while yudhi glared at them.