The Eternal Love

Chapter 16 - Meeting after long

The streets of Indraprastha were bustling with people and animals. Everyone was busy at this time of the day. At one side people were bargaining with the shopkeepers, at the other side a young couple was bickering among themselves.

On the mud road, a man walked with a moustache and wearing a yellow coloured dhoti - kurta.

That man was none other than Karna.
He always dressed up like a commoner and walk on the streets of his kingdom with the name Suryansh trying to find out his people's problems.

But the more accurate reason for this was to relieve some memories of him and Draupadi, when they used to walk on the same lanes as common people and enjoyed each other's company.

Suddenly he heard a noise which made him jump.

The noise came from the Seth Daulat ram's house and it sounded like if he had just thrown a large vessel.

Karna went to investigate the matter.

A lady was standing on the Seth's doorstep with two boys hugging her from both the sides and the lady's hand drawing them more nearer to her. It felt as if the lady was very much scared.

Karna felt weird. He felt that he knows the lady though he couldn't see her as her back was facing him.

He felt a certain aura which attracted him towards her. Like the same way he felt for Draupadi.

Karna chuckled as he imagined Draupadi's face as he told him he got attracted to another woman.

Suddenly the Seth shouted breaking his chain of thoughts, "We hired you so that you can mix poison in our food ?"

the Seth's voice was loud and clear and terrifying, scaring the lady more as she quivered.

"I did not do anything, my lord." the lady said in between of sobs and hiccups.

Karna's breath hitched as he heard the same voice which he was longing to hear for 5 years. The same voice who used to take his breath away.
Could it be? Was she his Draupadi?
Karna could see the Seth's wife, smirking as she watched her husband scold the lady.

Suddenly Karna remembered, one of his peasant friend had told him that Seth Daulat ram's wife had a brother, Kuvar. He used to misbehave with ladies. But a lady slapped him when he tried to assault her. Maybe she is that lady only.

Seth's wife made a fake crying face and said to Seth, "See first she tried to defame my brother by slapping him in public and when we hired her she wants to kill us and take away our wealth." And she started crying.

Karna was now angry. This matter of accusations have gone too far. The wrong needs to be punished.

As he was about to step in, one of the boy spoke up, "My mother has done nothing. It was your wife who had mixed poison in the food. " The boy's voice was very confident as if he wasn't the boy who was some seconds earlier clinging to his mother.

"See even her kids are blaming me. Don't know what she has taught them. She might be a bad omen, you know. Her husband is also not with her and don't know whose illegitimate children these kids are. Why did we even..." The Seth's wife started but was cut in between by Draupadi, "Stop, not a single word about my children." Her voice was fiery and anger flashed through her body. "I don't want to work here anymore. Come Abhi and Vindhya." and she started walking away.

Again Karna was perplexed. Same voice as Draupadi and the same name which Draupadi and he had chosen for their boys. Was she really her Draupadi. Only one way to find out.

As Draupadi neared Karna, she felt as if she know him. Draupadi was veiled so from beneath her Pallu she thought she saw Karna, but quickly brushed the thought off. What would he be doing here?