The Broken Bond

Beginning Of The End

Any man
Who says I am the King
is no true king.
†††

The dust settled slowly where the horses of the Pandava princes passed, the wheels passed and the feet of dozens of people walked. Queen Kunti disappeared into the palace, only giving Karna a fleeting smile as bright as a bird of paradise feather as she passed by. This smile dug into his heart, disturbing the fresh wound inflicted by the deed of King Dhritarashtra. It couldn't be done like that. You cannot take away the mother from the children, and the children from the mother, even if you are at enmity with them.

“Well, now Yudhishthira has become king, and my dear boy’s inheritance has been reduced by an entire province, not to mention the people who have left. What do you say, Anga-raj? What can we do with this righteous path?”

Shakuni's voice and smile literally oozed honey and the already familiar cloying poison that I wanted to spit out immediately. Karna glanced at Duryodhana, hoping for at least an insignificant support, but he knitted his eyebrows and looked away.

- Khandavaprastha - empty land. My friend, are you really sorry to pay such a price for peace in the family?

Duryodhana jerked up his head and lashed Karna with his eyes like a whip.

-Why should I pay at all? Hastinapur belongs to me, and I have to put up with the fact that my rights are infringed?!

Karna could not tell him that sometimes Yudhishthira's rights were also infringed upon, but he accepted this with surprising calmness, and then collected the fruits of his patience tenfold, like a diligent plowman from a good field.

Shakuni chuckled.

- If the sons of Pandu wish to die in the fight against the nagas and suffer from thirst and hunger - let them. But what will we do if they still build their city and hold rajasya? And, having become independent, will they attack Hastinapur?

They won't attack Hastinapura, they never attacked you first, thought Karna, but again he remained silent as Duryodhana's nostrils flared with barely contained fury.

- Why are you silent now, Anga-raj? Shakuni said sweetly.

“Duryodhana has to prove that he can be a great king,” said Karna, swallowing all the words that could cause anger on his head.

Duryodhana spun around so that the edge of his cloak slashed against the wall.

- Prove?! Do I have to prove something?! You do not believe in my power and rights?!

“I do, my friend,” Karna confirmed hastily, stepping towards him, grabbing his hands and trying to look into his eyes. “I believe, but everyone else must believe. Let's declare war on Magadha. King Jarasandha is a great sinner, and if you crush him, if you free people from his oppression, no one will dare to doubt either your strength or that you will bring good to the people. And Yudhishthira will have to accept your kinship and the throne is all yours

- He is already obliged to yield to me, he won't dare to take away my kingdom! Duryodhana growled, but a little less angrily.

Karna searched his face, hoping for a response, praying silently that the words would still reach Duryodhana's heart and leave a mark there.

– Jarasandha?! Shakuni threw up his hands. -“Anga-raj, don’t you want us all to lay down our heads? Even Vasudeva Krishna could not do anything to King Jarasandha and had to take the Yadavas to Dvaraka!”

“But Arjuna defeated the Rakshasa Kalyavana, and I fought the warlords of Jarasandha and crushed them. Gandharraj, don't you have belief in the strength of your nephew? Karna seized on the question that had recently been directed at him, wrapping it around like an enemy blade that was aimed at his heart, and now flew at the enemy.