Aftermath: The outlasting Krishna-Arjun journey

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟡: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕤 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕤

Krishna's pov

Neither Krishna nor Arjun ever referred to that hour again.

For a long period of time, it was clear in their actions, however. 

There was the extra amount of caring that had been added in their treatment of each other. It was shocking there had been room to care for each other more than what they already did, but there you go.

Then, there was the sudden bursts of panic that bubbled inside Krishna's stomach at entirely random times. A terror as intense as the one he had undergone would always leave its reminder. But Arjun always knew. And Arjun was always there for assurance.

In a twisted way, Krishna was glad they had endured that dark hour. It had been unbearable while it lasted, but it had put to rest the fears he had harboured, partly unknowingly, all along his friendship with Arjun. That was why he had asked Lord Indra of the boon that their friendship might be eternal. That was the thought that had plagued him every day of the Battle of Kurukshetra.

He had feared that their friendship was conditioned on Arjun's blind, ignorant trust in him. Now that Arjun was no longer ignorant, and had yet chosen the blind trust, there was no condition. 

Krishna, in turn, now trusted their eternity together entirely.

***

As with mortals across all ages, the survivors of the Kuru dynasty were discovering that there was no wound time could not heal.

The first step Arjun had taken towards recovery had been when Krishna had asked, a week after that scary hour, "The offer I made the other day--if you want to speak to anyone whom you lost to the war--it still stands, Parth."

Arjun had battled with himself for a minute.

"No," he had said finally. "It would be better to let them go."

And Krishna had whispered, almost to himself, "I am so proud of you."

The subjects of their kingdom had abandoned their constant wails whenever Yudhishthir stepped out into the streets. They accepted him wholeheartedly, for long ago, after all, he had been the king of their choice before a series of treacheries had made their family and friends fight against their king.

As the months passed, in the palace, life fell into a rhythm again. 

Arjun and Bheem returned to honing their ever-evolving skills at warfare. Nakul and Sahadev preferred to focus on their powers of healing. Draupadi's eyes lost the empty look. Krishna had made the same offer to her, if she wished to speak to her father, brothers, or sons, but she, too, had declined resolutely.

They were all moving on.

The one person who had been unable to move on was seventeen-year-old pregnant Uttara. Since her womb had been destroyed by Aswatthama's Weapon of Brahma, she had lost all will to live and simply existed. She had retired to her fatherland, Matsya, a month after the war, and lived with her mother. 

Queen Sudeshna was worried sick with her inactivity. No one, not even Arjun whom she viewed as a father, could coax her to return to Hastinapur or even leave her chambers.

***

Krishna alternated the months between Hastinapur and Dwaraka.

Even today, Arjun never took his departures sportingly. Madhav retaliated to Arjun's emotional blackmail by often summoning him all the way to Dwaraka with extreme urgency.

'Parth, come here as soon as possible. It's important.'

'Parth, I need you.'

Arjun would hasten on horseback, brave an overnight journey through summer or winter to reach Dwaraka whereupon Madhav would reveal the 'important' reason to be something decidedly stupid.

"Let's go swimming. I miss our lake," he said one of those times.

"Madhav. Seriously?"

"Not that just," Krishna added. "I have to visit the family of Anirudhha's extremely strange in-laws, will you come with me for moral support?"

"I was actually making a bit of progress with Vrishaketu and your letter interrupted that!"

Krishna perked up. "What kind of progress?"

"Well, I, er, got him to speak to me for half an hour before he ran away."

"What did you talk about?"

"Summer fruits," said Arjun sheepishly. "I was taking along a basket of mangoes for Maa from the woods and came across him. He visits the woods quite often, it turns out. So I offered him a bit, and he did not refuse outright. Though he did refuse in the end."

Krishna's lips twitched. "And then you talked about summer fruits?"

"I don't dare bring up any topic with him that would trigger him--" Arjun sighed. "It has been seven months, Madhav, and he still can't take a mango from me. Sometimes I think I am the idiot for even trying. Nakul and Sahadev gave up after the first rebuff, jyesht doesn't have time and Bhrata Bheem is still stubborn to forgive the King of Anga."

"No, you're not the idiot," said Krishna. "You will keep trying."

"Yeah," said Arjun glumly. "We're supposed to put in efforts without thinking of the results, isn't it, Madhav?"

"I thought you had forgotten the supreme knowledge."

Arjun snorted. "I do not forget a single word you speak to me. Is it really necessary to visit Usha's family? Can we not simply keep it to swimming?"

"Oh yes, that had been an excuse on my part. I have no wish to visit Usha's family."

Krishna linked their arms together to pacify Arjun as they set off for their lake.

***

Arjun's pov

After relentless days of Arjun resisting his nephew's cold, snide comments and arranging chance meetings every week--in the woods, in the archery zones, in the charioteer community itself--it was during the ninth month since the Battle of Kurukshetra that Vrishaketu let down his guard.

They had been shooting side by side in the training area. Usually when Arjun insisted on training while Vrishaketu was, the latter either left (whose frequency had steadily gone down) or ignored him outright. Sometimes he spoke, but rarely without being snarky.

Today, after a particularly artful shot of Arjun's, Vrishaketu blurted out, "How did you do that?"

Arjun froze. Then he unfroze, turned to his nephew and smiled slightly. 

"It is not too difficult. You see--" He demonstrated it. "How about giving it a try?"

Vrishaketu frowned with concentration as he tried. As he half-succeeded, his shoulders slumped.

"Don't worry," said Arjun bracingly. "You're great for your age. You still have a lot to learn, but you're smart and skilled, and if you're given the correct training--"

Arjun fell silent as a thought occurred to him, a thought so outrageous that he almost discarded it outright.

But a familiar voice inside his head urged, You will keep trying.

"Vrishaketu," said Arjun, more nervous than he had ever been in his life. "Do you want me to train you in archery? You know, the tricks you haven't learnt yet?"

Vrishaketu blinked up at him. For a very long pause, he hesitated.

"All right," he said finally.

Arjun cried tears of happiness that night, for here at last was a way to make amends.

A way to leave behind the demons of the past, a road to walk into the future.