Dancing Flames

04. Baby Who?

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Arjun took Shubhangini in his arms, and looked at his brothers, "I will take her and hide by rivererside. You keep them away?" His brothers nodded and immediately walked in different directions.

Arjun walked towards the river and sat down on a rock, with Shubhangini on his lap.

"Hello, how are you?" Arjun asked giggling. Basic questions like these made her laugh, and Arjun would never leave an opportunity to make her laugh.

As expected, Shubhangini laughed and said, "Teek Ku." Which was oddly similar to 'Thik hu' I'm fine.

She could say a few words, and pronunciation of letters like R, Sh, etc were hard, so she would replace them with others, like S, Su, etc.

And that absolutely adorable, as these words bought might Pandavas on their knees.

"How are you?" Arjun asked again, giggling uncontrollably.

Shubhangini tilted her head on her left shoulder, and gave a toothless smile, her laughing sound were like nectar to ears.

But soon a piercing demonic voice entered Arjun's ear. "Who is coming here?" Arjun though as he heard a single chariot moving in their direction.

Knowing his capabilities, he didn't moved much, though thr grip on Gandiv tightened. His muscles weren't tensed as he knew Shubhangini would feel the tense and cry, and her wailing would attract whoever was here.

Soon two men, dressed in gold, came in his view. Arjun barely controlled his anger, they were none other than Duryodhan and his servant-friend-bodyguard Karn.

"Anuj Arjun," Duryodhan smirked seeing him in vanvasi dress.

"Bhrata Duryodhan," Arjun spoke coolly, acting unbothered by his presence.

"And who is this?" Karn asked looking the baby, for some reason the baby was cute but the baby's eyes we're glaring, and to say Karn was scared, would be an understatement.

"She is a baby. You know small humans?" Arjun answered back in a 'no-shit' voice.

"We know what a baby is." Karn replied, as a matter of fact.

"So? Why did you ask?" Arjun raised his eyebrows.

Karn sighed, how did Arjun had answer to everything he asked.

Without asking, he took the child in his arms, forcefully.

"What are you doing?" Arjun yelled at Karn, but the man paid no heed to his words, as always; And as always, he would regret it soon.

Arjun tried to take the baby back, but Shubhangini clutched Karn's angavastra tightly.

"See, even the child likes me more." Karn smirked, but soon his smirk curled upside down.

He looked down and saw Shubhangini smiling in satisfaction, or whatever similar expression one could make.

Shubhangini shouted, "Amun," which in her language meant Arjun and jumped in his arms. Her work was done.

Duryodhan looked at Karn with concern, "What happened mitra?"

Before Karn could reply, Arjun laughed, "the baby happened," Even Shubhangini was laughing now.

Duryodhan forcefully held Karn's shoulder and turned him towards himself, seeing a wet spot on his angavastra and some on his chest, Duryodhan realised what Arjun meant when he said the baby happened.

Arjun never laughed this much in his life, until today. Seeing his baby wife taking a leak on Karn was hilarious, and he could not wait to tell his brothers.

Duryodhan looked angry, "How dare you Arjun? Make this child dirty my friend?"

"Bhrata if I could control when she would pee, trust me I wouldn't waste my talent on telling her to pee on others, rather I would ask her to pee where it's supposed to do it."

"This is all this child's fault," Duryodhan yelled and snatched the child, with full intent to throw her.

He may have thought that just because she just peed, she won't do anything now, but fate was a mischievous being.

Because just as Duryodhan picked her, she threw up real bad, all on his chest and face, and worst was that Duryodhan was yelling with his mouth wide open.

Arjun was disturbed with the sight for a moment, but acting quick, he took Shubhangini back and ran towards their home, not before giving the two a smirking look.

Arjun then passed on the story to his brothers, who couldn't stop laughing.

During the whole story, Shubhangini stayed in Yudhishthir's lap, holding his arm.

For the first time since dyut, the Pandava brothers had a real laugh.

Irony of the situation, the ones who took away their laughs were they reason they were laughing now.

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The starting part of 'how are you'
My niece does the same 🥺🥺
Imagine reading this sounds so cute, how amazing it would be in real life?
I feel blessed to see it with my eyes!!

*utaring nazar* meri kiu (my niece) ko kisi ki nazar naa lage
Aap log bhi nazar utaro.

Note: Shubhangini is similar to Draupadi, but she will be different person.
You can consider them as two different people also.
Why the difference?
Because Draupadi was born as a maiden and born from a revenge driven yagna.
Now she would grow up with repenting Pandavas.
Of course growing up differently means growing in a different person.