•|| Arjun~ Becoming the Peerless One ||• (II) ✔

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝟺𝟸

Hastinapur, Nagarasahrya

Arjun's POV

"Are, are you alright?" I relaxed from his embrace, my gaze lurking around the scratches he had observed all the while, and a dark gash near his mouth. No doubt, the fight between Bhrata Bheem and Bhrata Duryodhan had been intense enough, thanks to the intervention. A click of tongue escaped my lips as I traced an abrasion on his arm gently with my finger, "Gosh, it's nothing Arjun! You're worrying too much," 

I know that even the mighty thunderbolt can do him no harm yet—

A heart is heart, isn't it?

He jovially wrapped an arm around me and laughed, "The best part was watching Duryodhan's face! Ask Sahadev, he has a better knack of giving descriptions about his worn out features!" I shook my head at his words with a chuckle escaping my lips, staring at him with nothing but love. The way his claps and cheers resonated in the entire arena, even after the roars had dimmed; but his did not till the end. 

At times I feel like that if one doesn't have a brother like Bhrata Bheem, they perhaps would've nothing. 

Perhaps, if I had desired for the moon one day, he wouldn't have hesitated to fight against the world to get me that, I smiled to myself.

"My goodness, you both were just, just brilliant!" Nakul and Sahadev rushed into my arms as soon as we sauntered towards the corner of the arena, the cheers and thunderous roars calmed to a great extent. Many of them had begun to depart, as the Rangbhoomi had finally come to an end. Streaks of ochre spread across the vast cloudless sky, the bluish aura intermingling with the rays of the Sun to partition the heavens into two halves, "Just brilliant!" 

"Gosh, Bhrata Arjun! if ours is brilliant then yours is speechlessly magnificent!" Nakul wrapped an arm around me gleefully, "It was so visible from the reaction of the audiences!"

"I know right, specially that part when Arjun disappears and when you both were somersaulting from the stallions!" Bhrata Bheem chuckled, ruffling Sahadev's curls who laughed in return, "Do you think I should give my elaborated discourse on Bhrata Duryodhan's fear laden face?"

"Please, I am lending a ear to it by default," Nakul sarcastically shook his head, his face snapping towards Bhrata Duryodhan who was on the other side of the arena, sitting while some of the attendants were massaging his left shoulder. And though far away, it was quite visible how he was acutely glaring at us—specially Bhrata Bheem, "Poor him, I think someone should explain that shooting daggers through eyes at Manjhle would be of no help— "

And the four of us burst into peals of laughter, mine dimming down after a while as Jyesth sauntered back into the arena, making all of us rush towards him in delight.

"Jyesth!" I instantly crouched below and brushed my fingers at his feet, a gasp left his lips at my unexpected look followed by a titter, "Phalgun, you really made all of us speechless!" 

He held my shoulders firmly and lifted me up, his deep copper burnished orbs bearing into mine, and those eyes possessed and glistened nothing but—pride, for me. 

A gentle pat followed as his fingers tousled my curls, "I am so, so proud of you today!" And within moments he threw his arms around me, while the grin that had swept on my lips was having no end as I tightly held him in my embrace, "So proud of you...."

I chuckled in his arms while he dabbed my back—

"Halt! This Rangbhoomi cannot come to an end without me!" The sudden bellowing voice that reverberated throughout the arena made my brows furrowed making me flutter my eyes, as I detached myself from Jyesth the next moment. His features were marred with equal astonishment, as we spun around towards the gates—even Gurudev strode towards us in a perplexed manner to have a look, "Who?"

"Who is there?! Come forward!" Guru Dron at once commanded, walking up towards the gate, while the five of us exchanged glances with each other in confusion.

There was again a commotion amidst the audiences, who paused in their positions, some of them even returning back to their seats or rushing up towards the railings to have a look at who had spoken abruptly—perhaps a challenge-

But that voice, that voice appeared oddly familiar for some reason—

And my lips parted slightly, as the beholder of the voice began to amble up inside the arena—

"What on earth is he doing here?!" Bhrata Bheem's desperate attempt to whisper was in vain, the clear disgust visible from his tone as he clenched his fists—and the grip on my bow firmed instinctively at his vision.

He sauntered into the arena, his flesh earrings gleaming of gold lustering under the flashes of the rays of the evening Sun, the armor that always appeared to be stuck on his chest was jutting out in pride—and at once those tawny eyes collided with mine as he swung his bow on his right hand.

With the same disgust and hatred, for me.

Vasu-Vasusen?

★★★★★★★

A/N

*smh* Agya 🙃🙃🙃🙃🔥🔥🔥

Signing off for today!

Kiritija Nushkie