Vakṣaṇī Dharmā : The Song of Mahabharat

14| Crash and Burn

Arjun stared with a cheeky smile as he saw Mrithika approaching towards his arena. He was grinning widely because of the mischievous secret that hid under the red blanket that was sprawled along the mud.

"Don't step further. You'll fall", He cautioned her but to Mrithika's ears it felt more of a tease, she surveyed the ground and found nothing out of the ordinary. She assumed that Arjun was either pulling her leg or he had some inside joke she wasn't aware of.

She scoffed and took two steps, loosing her balance in the third one. "GAH"! She felt her form being engulfed in a pothole.

And much to her chagrin, Arjun was laughing.

"I warned you to not to come near and look, you fell", He chuckled and occasionally skipped to avoid potential potholes and ambled towards her — extending his hand. Mrithika glared at him and slapped his hand away.

"To be honest, I've learned not to trust you in certain situations and could you not smile while warning someone? It makes you look shady", she reprimanded whilst getting up with much difficulty due to the ethnic wear.

"I'll keep that in mind", he smiled, again — and continued, "So, to what do I owe this pleasure of seeing you here"?

Mrithika dusted of the dirt from her skirt and said, "Don't flatter yourself. I came here because I was given a break by your dear Anuj and... there's no other companion here".

"There isn't? Then go bury your nose in a book", Arjun suggested in a mockingly amiable way.

"I'm not in a mood to read a book, I'm in a mood to chat", The Kalyugi replied airily and traced her step cautiously towards the plain ground.

"In that case, let's take a stroll", he proposed.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you about this — you're hair is amazing what do use"? Mrithika asked abruptly, earning a look of bemusement from the middle Pandava.

"My hair? It's amazing"? He asked bewildered — his hands subconsciously going to his dark locks. Like most of the people of the ancient times, Arjun too had shoulder length hair that was structured in dark curls but to Mrithika's eyes they looked glossy and thick — like he had a keratin treatment in an expensive salon.

Not even Nakul's had a shine like his.

But she made a note not to mention this to the elder Madreyā in case he got offended. He was too proud of his looks and everyone, be it Dwapar or Kalyug, knew how Nakul was famed to posses good looks. He was the most handsomest man in the entirety of Ancient India.

She wondered what her friend, Koel, would do if she were here. Obviously she would be busy transfixed by Nakul's visage and charm.

"Are you purposefully trying to make me repeat"? Mrithika prodded.

"Well...," he trailed off, this was the first time someone was complimenting on his hair, "I suppose yes"?

Mrithika shook her head and said, " Yes, you old vanity. Not even girls have that glossy hair despite of using expensive and high - ended products. Not even advanced Kalyugi products can give that — all except keratin treatment", she mumbled the last part in a low whisper that did not go unnoticed by the Kaunteyā.

She did not have the energy nor the mood to explain the process of a keratin treatment. Arjun beamed at her words and replied, "I'm not sure. You can ask my mother though, she applies some kind of oil on my locks before a head bath."

"YES! Finally I can get hold of your secret...er...which is not much of a secret I guess".

Arjun smiled and was about to say something when he got interrupted by a maid who meekly interjected, "Pardon me Rajkumar, but Rajkumar Sahadev has asked for the Suryavanshi Kumari's audience".