✓ Narottam Arjun: Soul of the Sage

n i n e

Warning: Mild violence

The sun was about to rise, only a few minutes left for the morning. Kritvarma wahed his face and walked to Diwakar's house. "Urgent matter." He said and pulled Diwakar out roughly.

He walked towards the side Ashwatthama was standing, it was the top of a hill, convenient to watch the enemy settled on their doors.

"Kritvarma?" Drauni questioned looked at Diwakar.

Suddenly Kritvarma pushed Diwakar down on his knees and raised his sword out of his scabbard and placed it near his neck, "Now, either you speak or my sword will." Kritvarma's voice was dangerous and threatening. 

Ashwatthama was startled, he wasn't sure that Kritvarma would agree on this interrogation so soon. But now was not the time to waste, "Did you help the Nivatakavachas against Indraprasth?" He asked to Diwakar who was kneeled down on the mercy of Kritvarma's sword.

Knowing that his secret was out, Diwakar made an attempt to stand up and run but Kritvarma was already ten folds ahead, he held his hand tightly and roughly kicked him back on his knees. "Should I take that as yes?" Kritvarma said, sending shivers down Diwakar's spine.

"What does Jarasandh wants from Indraprasth?" Ashwatthama asked. But Diwakar did not dare open his mouth.

Kritvamra knelt down and looked straight in his eyes, "What is the relation between Jarasandh standing on ours door and Nivatakavachas attack?" 

But Diwakar was still silent. And his silence only pissed off Kritvarma. The said man did not say anything but sat down and stared at Diwakar. 

Ashwatthama went ahead and stood on the other side, so as to stop Diwakar if he tried anything again.

"Bold of you to assume that I will say anything." Diwakar was scared of the deathly look of Kritvarma but he put on a brave facade and spoke.

Kritvarma chuckled, "You will speak Diwakar Kaka or you will taste my blade and then speak, choice is yours." Kritvarma stared at Diwakar in a way that he knew that Kritvamra, wasn't lying.

"I don't understand? Your daughter died, with Satyaki? And you have no remorse? Indraprasth doesn't mean anything? But at least Roohi was your daughter, how can you be so calm?"

Diwakar chuckled, "You know, what's funny? When we were fighting Nivatakavachas? Satyaki asked me to look out for his back. And the very first wound he had was on his back." Diwakar laughed as he said, clearly noticing how Kritvarma tightended his fist.

"Then what happened?" Kritvarma's voice was calm, "Tell me Diwakar." 

"Then I stabbed him from behind, and in his last moments he saw me killing him." Diwakar spoke, slightly worried about Kritvarma's reaction.

Kritvarma said, "So it was you who killed my brother? And then you thought that maybe if you said this story, I, in anger will kill you?" Kritvarma chuckled, but for Diwakar it mimicked the laugh of crows before death, "But you will not die unless you speak. And my brother died protecting this country, if I kill you without any information then I will be dishonouring him."

Kritvarma held Diwakar's chin, "Start speaking or I will start cutting out organs that I think you don't need."

"I don't answer to you. My allegiance lies elsewhere." Diwakar spoke roughly.

Kritvarma did not hesitate and gave a strong punch, breaking his jaw, "If you speak something I already know, the next time would be harsher." 

Diwakar however did not budge, "Ohh son, you perhaps don't know, but your father died because I gave information that he was going to rebel."

Kritvarma stared at him, "What is Jarasandh's catch here? Why does he wants to attack?" He asked.

"Do you know, when your father was killed and your mother was taken away? She wasn't killed. I saved her, and she is still alive." Diwakar spoke with a smirk, knowing that no harm would befall on him as Kritvarma would now dance on his fingers.

As expected, Kritvarma's grip loosened, did he hear it correctly? He shook his hands, "You are lying." He said.

"I am not." Diwakar replied.

"How could you save her? Unless you had been Takshak's pawn since years." Kritvarma's voice was low.

"Yes, I was working for Takshak, and I tried to convince Roohi as well, but she did not. But she knew a lot about this, and thus she had to die. Satyaki was a medium for her death.
Otherwise I would have let him live, but you know." Diwakar shrugged.

Kritvarma stared at Diwakar with blank eyes, while said man continued, "If you let me go then I will release your mother and you can reunite with her."

Ashwatthama who had been standing quite, knew that he had to intervene now, this man couldn't be released, but he also knew that he couldn't say a word here.

After a pregnant pause, Kritvarma smiled sadly, "I think she would hate me knowing that I traded her life for a country's." He literally punched and knocked out two teeth of Diwakar and asked again, "Either you tell Jarasandh's plan or I will keep punching you."

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Indraprasth:

"I am so sorry," Arjun's head was bowed down as he guiltily apologized. 

"What are you doing Maharaj?" Karenumati held his hands.

"You wanted to learn and now you are stuck here." Arjun sighed as he looked at the two princesses, who couldn't go back to their Kingdom because of Jarasandh outside.

"Well, Jarasandh is outside and what we do inside doesn't matter? Right?" Anviksha said smiling, "You can still teach us right?" 

Arjun smiled, "So wise you both are."

"Let's start the training shall we?" Karenumati asked cheerfully.

"Yes," Arjun replied, he secretly wished that Vrinda was here as well, even she would have loved to learn, but he remembered how he had sent her away in the middle of night as more than half of their borders were covered and luckily the only way out was to Hastinapur. He wished to sent the Chedi Princess as well, but circumstances were such that he couldn't.

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Can we unanimously agree that Diwakar is the most hated man of this book?
But also one thing: That his character is really fun and challenging to write.

Will Diwakar die anytime soon? Nope. He is going to live a little long...

Also there is a connection between Nivatakavachas and Jarasandh- 
Which I personally find amazing cause that plot is 🤌🤌🤌🤌

That said plot will be slowly come out in upcoming chapters- 

That's all for now!!!

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