In the Wake of the War

Chapter-37

With the chambers she was staying in, no one could have said that Vrushali was a captive, if not for the fact that all the windows had been locked, allowing not a shred of sunlight to enter and the heavy footsteps of the changing shifts of guards that could be heard outside the locked doors.

The finished plate of food that had contained her lunch sat on the table next to her. She had been tempted to not eat or drink anything she had been provided with, but that would have simply been foolishness. And she was not so proud as to deny herself sustenance for however long she was to be held captive.

And yes, she was absolutely certain that she would be rescued. One might have have thought she would not be so certain given that her husband and eight of her sons were dead, but she had full faith that either Vrishaketu would come for her himself, or he would constantly bother the Pandavas until one of them came with him, since it was while fulfilling their request that she had been kidnapped. 

(Personally, she almost hoped it was the latter. It was amusing to consider the ways in which Vrishaketu might have convinced them.)

She was certain that merely Vrishaketu himself would be able to defeat whatever remained of the army at Salwa and Anushalva himself and if he managed to bring one of the Pandavas with him, well.... She only felt terrible about the innocent soldiers who were simply following their King's command.

So no, Vrushali was not afraid.

Just then she heard the door swing open and turned to face it to find Anushalva entering the chambers.

"It is good to see you have settled in well, Angarani." He had the audacity to say.

Vrushali scoffed. 

"Do you feel no shame even after kidnapping a widowed woman young enough to be your grand-daughter, Maharaj Anushalva?!"

"You know it was not my plan to kidnap you." The old man said, with not a hint of remorse on his face. "You were simply there instead of Samrangi Draupadi and I took the opportunity. I could not have possibly allowed you to go free and warn the Pandavas of my plan."

"You are a foolish man indeed, Maharaja," Vrushali told him, unbothered by the snarl forming on his face, "if you believe that you can capture Vasudev Shri Krishna at all."

"You speak highly of a man who played such a part in your husband's death." Anushalva scoffed.

"I speak against the man who has kidnapped me." Vrushali countered. "And I speak the truth. I truly cannot imagine how you possibly think you could ever succeed in harming the man who is the most important reason for the Pandavas' victory."

Anushalva stalked forward and took a seat at the edge of the bed where she sat. 

"I admit," he drawled, "that you are not very convenient. Empress Draupadi truly would have been the ideal bait. That cowherd would have come running for her even before her own husbands. You were unfortunately the only alternative I had. But I have no doubt that your son will do your best to rescue you."

He leaned forward with a mad glint in his eye. 

"That will be a pity however, because I can't let him take you with him and will have to kill him of course."

Vrushali barely managed to stop her breath from hitching.

"You're very confident."

"Angarani, your son may be a Rathi but he is barely more than a child. He survived the Kurukshetra war yes, but who knows if luck will favour him again and again."