"mending bonds", the changed epic, book 1✔️

epilogue, the miracle nobody had expected

"jyesht". Arjun wined as he walked alongside his eldest brother through the woods, enjoying the scenic beauty arround them."yes, anuj?" karn asked lovingly, wrapping an arm arround arjun's sholders as he smiled.""do you feal bad because mata abandent you?". Arjun asked, cutely."no, anuj. I can understand rajmata I mean mata well enough. Her pain would have been so immence while abandening me in the ganga. If rajkumari subhadra and krishna hadn't shown me the trueth, perhaps, I would have ended up hating her." karn said, a sad smile playing on his lips."madhav? Yadavkanya?, what do you mean, jyesht?". Arjun looked at karn with a questioning look on his bright face."krishn has two mothers, anuj. As you know, the tirent ruler kamsa had imprisoned his birthmother devki and had killed her 6 infants for no fault of there's as soon as they were born. And then the 7th child, he was miraculously transfered to rohini ma's womb, by devi yogamaya. That is our sweet rajkumar balram"."what? Killed, 6 children, ". Yes, and that too in front of her.".They were talking among themselves when a flute melody flowed accross through the forrest. Both the archers stopped at their tracks and listen to the tranquil music, which seamed to make the animals arround them to run and birds to fly to the right direction.Curious, both the brothers walked in a half trance like state as finally, they reached a huge tree and saw the most spectacular site ever.There sat krishna, his golden flute on his lips, producing a peaceful and joyous melody, that gave peace and bliss to the universe.The melody was so bliss giving that all the beings of the forrests surrounded krishna. The brothers herd a low groul behind them and turned to find a lion and his lioness sitting down behind them like pet cats. A fox came and sat next to the lioness, who jently nestled the fox with her nose.Arjun and karn was almost surprised.The brothers then turned to krishna, studying him as they felt everything, all their worries ebbing away. His lotus eyes were closed yet they felt like his stedy gace was upon them."madhav". Arjun whispered as small tears of joy filled his eyes. The enchanting lord emitted a sarinity that arjun and karn could not help, but bask in it.They soly lost themselves in the music that they did not realise when the music had stopped and all the animals had gone back to whever they belonged, with no attacks or enmity to or against each other.A thunder broke their trance and karn stumbled due to the sudden intrution, and arjun fell on to his jyesht's feat loosing his balance.A melodious chuckle and the two of them looked at krishna who stood there in front of them, his flute tucked securely in his waistband.Arjun gasped and karn looked down, realising then that his brother had fallen at his feat in such a way, as if coming under his refuge.Karn's face turned a bright red in embarrassment as krishna pulled a sulking arjun up."madhavvvvvvv-krishnaa". Both karn and arjun chorused as he looked at them an eyebrow raised."we never knew your music was this divine." karn said and krishna smiled.The sun slowly peeked out through the dark clouds , making the till then dark sky bright again.Come on, jyesht, madhav. "we will continue our journey accross the woods". Arjun said excitedly as the brothers walked alongside each other and krishna followed them, his ever enchanting smile on his lips.I\(**((**((*.It was almost afternoon and the two brothers and krishna took residence under a huge tree."who taught you to play the flute, madhav?" arjun asked and krishna smiled."it is a skill that I'd gotten by birth, parth". Krishna said and winked.Arjun facepalmed as he looked at his best friend in an you are impossible look.Krishna grinned as karn looked at both of them, ammused.Their moment was interupted by rustling of leaves behind them.Karn turned arround and a bright smile grased his face that glowed like the sun himself."aiklavya?" karn exclamed as arjun gasped , guilt flooding onto his till then bright face.Haunting memmories clouded his mind and he covered his face with his hands, tears surfacing in his copper broun eyes.Krishna noticed it and pulled his friend to him, whispering, "calm down, parth. Its not your fault. Do not feal guilty because of someone else's fault. ".Arjun controled himself from crying and looked at madhav who gave an assuring smile to his friend."mitr karn?" aiklavya's deep voice resounded through the forrests."rajkumar ar-arjun?" aiklavya exclamed looking at arjun."and you?" his happy expression turned to that of fury as he spoted krishna, who held arjun close, jently stroking his back.Krishna nodded and smiled at aiklavya, who averted his gace away from krishna."what are you two doing here? He asked, looking at karn and arjun"."aiklavya, there's a long story I have to share with you. The pandavas turned out to be my brothers. And we two, wanted to spend some time together, in the forrests.".Karn explaned, and aiklavya looked at the madhyama pandava questioningly, who finally looked up, getting that calmness from his soulmate."pranipat, gurubhrata". He greeted and aiklavya was taken aback."what?" . He asked and arjun repeated what he'd just said, "pranipat, gurubhrata"."but ,,". "I apologise for what my guru had done to you for me. I just, couldn't protest when my guru was committing such a heinous act. I was so horrified as soon as I got to know what he had done to you. He had taken someone elses skills to make me the best warrior, the best archer of the world.But look at my jyesht? He is grater than me. And madhav here? He turned to an ever smiling krishna, he is even more greater than all of us."krishna? This krishna is grater than you two?".Aiklavya asked, his eyes mocking the dark lord, who doesn't seamed to bother about the words of the latter."yes,". Karn said, his voice laced with confusion.Aiklavya averted his gace again from the blue one as he extended his left hand to parth. "friends?" he asked and arjun was shocked."would you still want to be friends with me after what my gurudev did to you?"whats your fault in that, rajkumar. You and me had the same skills and we must be measured by our skills. So I approach you not as a son of the nishada tribe, but a friend who is equal to you in archery. Twas that stupid reason that made your gurudev to cut my thumb off".He said, his eyes tearing up."still though. He is my guru and I shallt not have any other guru in the future".Aiklavya declared proudly.Karn hugged him and arjun put his hand in aiklavyas.He stared at the bandaged right hand of the nishada prince as he felt pitty for the prince .So what if he was an outcast? He didn't care. Anyways, the elders are not going to know about the happenings in the forrests.He thought as krishna sent a happy smile arjun's way, who returned it back with the same happiness."what is this ranchod doing with you two great warriors? Aiklavya asked as arjun's face fell and karn looked even more confused."he is my saviour, mitr. And he is my best friend, aiklavya."so both you people understood whom I was talking about, hm?" aiklavya looked at krishna with all the rage in his eyes. Hari just gave him a charming smile, that dazzled the nishada prince for a moment."magadnaresh jarasandha is a good friend of my father. He had told my father about the atrocities committed to him and his two daughters, queen asti and queen prapti. And when the poor king jarasandha had wanted to distroy the mathura for killing his son in law, this cowherd, as he is , ran off, like a cowered.Ranchod.Aiklavya said, hate clearly visible in his eyes. Queen asti and queen prapti were like a mother to him. Seeing them distrot due to some cowherd was the last thing he wanted for them.Arjun wipped his head to madhav, who had let out a deep cy.For a split second, arjun saw his ever calm friend having some unreadable expressions, and his knowing eyes shinning with wisdom .Karn found krishna grinning at nothing and all of a sudden, that same vulnerability that he'd seen a few nights ago, and then a knowing look and then a smile of mischief.Arjun shot a questioning look at madhav, who shook his head in negative."do you really think, he is too bad a being to cause such distruction with no reason? You've not been to mathura, have you, mitr? " karn asked, looking at aiklavya sharply.Aiklavya shook his head. "mathura and even hastinapur was once under the tirany of the evil kamsa. The rakshasa king had his eye upon the heavens, and the universe. He litraly torchered everyone to such an extent and stopped vishnu's worshipping as soon as he'd herd that the 8th child, who'd be an incarnation of vishnu would mark his end. He killed 6 of maharani devaki's children in front of her eyes, causing her immeasurable pain.He killed so many of the inocent, your nishada tribe's wictims being a few among them.And still , you hate madhav , just because he ended the tiranical rule of the evil king?"arjun asked and karn looked at him, surprised.About the political part of kamsa, pitamaha and mata told me. About the killing of infants, you'd told me, jyesht".Arjun mouthed to karn who smiled.Aiklavya looked at the ever peaceful face of krishna, and met his knowing eyes."is this true?". The nishada prince asked, his voice bearly above a whisper."what do you think,". Krishna asked back and the prince just hung his head down, ashamed for he'd hated this person who had saved the world all along, just because of some stupid words of the magadnaresh."then why did you leave the battle field?"."I didn't leave the field for 17 times, prince. I ran off, because there is a cirtain someone who is destined to kill the king of magadha".Krishna thought as aiklavya looked at him in question."sometimes, running away can save the lives of thousands, prince.".Krishna said aloud as aiklavya approached him, slowly bending down to touch his feat.He had insulted one of the gratest persons, he knew now. He must ask for forgiveness, .As he bend down, krishna pulled him up by holding his right hand . The prince winced and shut his eyes in pain as he slowly slowly felt the pain go away, as a calm filled the prince.Krishna started to remove the bandage and arjun and karn looked on, horified."madhav?". Arjun called, and krishna gave a reassuring smile to his panicking friend, and a confused karn who was processing everything that had just happend."dwarakadhish". Aiklavya winced as the bandage fell off his thumb, revealing a cut thumb, still drops of blood trickling down the part, even after years.The other two brothers wanted to shut their eyes in both disgust and fear .The lord of the universe, as ever compassionate as he was, wiped the blood off with his angavastra, shocking the karnarjun duo even more. Aiklavya felt no pain and so he opened his eyes to be even more shocked than the other two princes.He tried to rench his hand from the hand of krishna, but then the warmth he recieved by that single touch was so immence that aiklavya thought against it.Krishna's bright yello angavastra had turned a dark crimson now.Then, he let his thumb rest on the part where it was cut and low and behold, aiklavya saw something growing up.The duo looked on in shock, augh, revrence, and ammusement, as aiklavya shut his eyes, yet again.His thumb is healed now. I've given him a new thumb. He would be an important part of the future, and prince aiklavya, said krishna, that thing materialising out of thin air and he placed it in the prince's hand.Aiklavya felt something so fammiliar being placed in his hands.He opened his eyes and joyous tears filled his eyes. A bow. An arrow.He looked at krishna with devotion and gratitude. The prince placed the bow down and ran , to the dark lord, hugging him titely, tears freely flowing from his eyes.Krishna jently patted him on the back as he greatfully looked at him.The princes had gone into a trance by now.They watched everything, augh and ammusement filling their eyes at this unexpected miracul.* (* *(* krishna snapped his fingers and the princes came back to their sences.They looked at him, confused."what just happend, madhav? Arjun looked at where aiklavya had just stood. There was none.Slowly, everything began to fade. They , the princes only remembered making friends with aiklavya.The prince of nishadas had left on krishna's order. "don;t tell I did heal your thumb. Tell them you did some treatment and it became ok, enabling you to do archery again. Don't tell anyone about our meeting, prince. These two here, will remember being your friends, but nothing of this sort, because its not yet time for them to see what I truely can do and what my true powers are. They will see, one day.Krishna said , grinning at the nishada who looked at krishna greatfully a last time and left, taking his bow and arrow.&(*&(*"nothing, I guess. We'd met the prince of nishadas, and all of a sudden, he had to leave, dont you two remember? Jyesht karn? Parth, where were the two of you lost?Krishna winked as karn and arjun blushed red.***********a/n.Officially completing this book with an epilogue. I'd gone through the comments and a reader had asked me to write a chapt on aiklavya karnarjuna meeting. So, here it is. I don't know how it is and if it met your expectations.Thanks for reading . Thanks for the support, do vote , comment, and support.