Ephemera- Of Fire and Ash

The last dinner

Im so sorry for the delay.

Here are tissues and popcorn if anyone wants some----
Better brace yourself for a rollercoaster chapter.

Please vote and comment if you all want next chapter soon, it encourages me so much.

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Full of foreboding Vidura set for Indraprastha.

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After a tiring day, the pandav family sat together for dinner everyday, today was nothing different.

Except for the dark looming danger they were unaware of.

The room had the essence of a gourmet restaurant at the height of the dinner hour. Aromas were sprinkling the air and tickling the noses of everyone it touched. It brought a sense of warmth and safety that enveloped each child as if it were a blanket on a snowy day.

"Ma! Can I please have some sweets?" Sutsom asked as Draupadi pinched his nose and shook her head.

It was like everyday, the wives and kids came first, then the pandav brothers and finally Yudhishthira.

"We must for everyone." Draupadi said as Vijaya forwarded her some ladoos and stroked sutsom's head.

"Don't make him wait." Vijaya laughed as sutsom popped the ladoo in his mouth laughing.

"Vijaya, you spoil him rotten." Draupadi complained but softened as she saw the pleasure on sutsom's face. That is when all the kaunteyas except Yudhishthira marched in laughing.

"Wait, how come he gets a ladoo and I don't?" Bheem complained as Valandhra glared at him.

"You walk in and he first thing you ask is ladoos." Valandhra mock scolded him as bheem matched her glare.

"Vala, if you do anything my brother, I won't stand and watch." Karn joked as Draupadi got up.

"Nor would we stand and watch if you trouble my sister." She retorted back fiercely.

"Who would fight my darling sword." Nakul laughed.

"Dhriti will-" Vijaya said as she ohed in realisation, dhriti had not been home for days, they had looked far and wide for her.

The emotion in the room immediately changed.

"She will be back soon, she is probably off pulling a stunt." Subhadra said convincing herself more than others. Dhriti was not that type of person. Her mystical disappearance had shocked the family. They had searched far and wide and had found no trace of her. More than anyone it impacted yudhishthira.

"We should start eating." Sahadev said trying to lighten the conversation. "Or bhrata bheem will eat us." Everyonee laughed half heartedly, without Dhriti no one ran around because they did not want to wear those heavy jwellery, or have designed dresses because they hated gowns.

"I wonder why Brother Yudhishthira hasn't come for lunch yet," mentioned Subhadra as she finished scooping a pile of curried potatoes on Bhima's plate.

"I know, I can't wait much longer!" cried Bhima as he and Nakul had their eyes glued to the plate of laddoos, while simultaneously giving each other warning glares not to touch them.

"He must be attending to something important, Son. I'm sure he will be here soon," replied Kunti as she walked in.

"We all know he doesn't want to eat." Subhadra sighed.

"I will go get him, it Is dinner time. He hasn't eaten anything since morning." BHeem said as he got up and Kunti admired the love her sons had for each other, bheem never left his food but readily got up to get his brother who hadn't eaten since the morning.