Ephemera- Of Fire and Ash

Darkness Ascends

Hey everyone! It's your author here again, I loved the response I got for the last chapter and I hope you all like this also. Do you all like Dhriti's picture attached above?

It is still disheartening that each chapter gets more than a 100 reads but not even 10 votes, readers, please vote and comment. I have the next chapter nearly done, so if you all vote and comment, I will update it in this week itself!

Do you all want pictures in the book? Or no pictures?

*gives everyone popcorn and tissues*

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It had been 4 days Dhriti spotted the massive capital city built across the foothills. Varese, the city which she had to conquer for her Digvijay first. She rolled on the tent and laughed, Varese was going down, her first aim was to target them, understand their defences and then attack.

She had to finish this venture quickly before her pregnant body stopped supporting her. She played with the blade in her hands and smiled at the thought of running it down the king's throat.

The next months passed in a flurry as she went through kingdom and kingdom, fiercer than death itself, delivering death blows to all the rulers and then smiling with satisfaction when the cut head rolled to the ground. She had been away from killing for so long, it was a sickly sweet satisfaction for her. The soldiers were terrorised of her, the troops under her didn't dare to go against her words.

Other women craved mangoes and sweets in their pregnancy and their husbands would get it for them but she, she craved to watch blood spill and she got it herself.

She caressed her growing womb and told the child, "The world isn't perfect, but it isn't that bad and I will give you a life."

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Krishna stood on the threshold of the home the Kaunteyas were living. There was anger in his black eyes as none of them had seen before. "Why should Draupadi live in the jungle? You need not do this just because they say you must. We all know about Shakuni's dice; he can throw anything he wants with them. I hear you did not win a single throw. You are not bound by the game, not when the dice were loaded. I have the Yadava army waiting at the forest's edge. Let us march on Hastinapura and see how those cowards face us in battle."

But Yudhishtira said, "Krishna, I am not innocent in this thing. I have sinned and let this exile be my expiation. Forgive me if I don't accept your offer."

Krishna frowned. Arjuna laid a hand on his cousin's arm to pacify him. Krishna seemed lost in himself for a while. But Draupadi would not be stopped now. " Isn't it a man's dharma to protect his wife? These five raised not a finger to save their own wife from shame. Bhaiya, shouldn't he have protected his sister's honour? Krishna, dharma is dead in the hearts of men. Either that, or these are not fit to be called men."

And she wept as if her heart was broken. Krishna took her face gently in his hands. His eyes were also full, as he wiped her tears.

The Dark One said "Just be patient, Panchali. I swear the Kuru women will cry more than you do now. They shall wear widows' white, their hair will hang loose and their faces will be black with mud and ashes. "

The Dark One rose and embraced his cousins. Dhrishtadyumna bid a tender farewell to his sister and he too vowed that revenge would be hers.

The Kaunteyas had now settled in a forest which Arjun recognised as Kamyaka, a place where he had often hunted and stayed. Yudhishthira saw Draupadi sitting under sequoia lost in her thoughts under the red coniferous trees, he put his head in her lap and took her foot as she drifted out of her trance. He slowly plucked out a thorn with extreme tenderness.