A Change of Fate

Extras -2 (Unheard Conversations)

"The friendship between Prince Suyodhan and the son of the head charioteer is one of the oddest developments I have seen as the maid to Prince Suyodhan, Prince Arjuna," Sughandha said when enquired about Vasusena by the third child of Prince Pandu. "Odd because the Prince doesn't care about rules, easily gets jealous and is extremely hot-tempered. Radheya, on the other hand, was a by-the-book kind of person who doesn't break rules, doesn't give a shit about others, cold-blooded but does not get angered easily. The only similarities both have in common is that both are extremely arrogant and disrespectful. It actually shocked everyone in the palace that both could be friends due to the Prince's jealousy and Vasusena's... well everything."

"The story goes like this..." she started "Radheya, seven years ago, was one of the rising stars in the army. A child of eleven who defeated several soldiers above his age and the only person who managed to complete the army training in less than a year. He was the prime target of gossip in the kitchen for his handsome looks. How on earth did Adhiratha and Radha produce such a handsome-looking child she would never know and despite being one year her junior Vasusena made my heart skip. It was the same with several dasis around her age.

With long lotus petal-shaped eyes, sharp nose, skin that has radiance like the sun and a calm neutral smile, he was considered to be more handsome than everyone in Hastinapur"

"He's not that handsome." Prince Arjuna grumbled and the maid hid a smile at the childish reply of the Prince.

"Maybe not as handsome as you and Princes Nakula and Sahadeva but he is very handsome nonetheless my Prince.

Whenever he was training, there were several dasis who stopped their work to spy on him and he was that beautiful when he was one and ten years old. He then disappeared for four years citing that he wanted to train under a guru. When he returned to the army at five and ten years of age, his admirers grew exponentially in numbers. Because if he can be called beautiful at one and ten years, he's gorgeous at five and ten years.

But all of his admirers' admiration died a sudden death after his altercation with Mahamahim Bhisma. He's a fairly distant child, who never formed friendships with anyone in the army but no one knew how obstinate he is until he made Mahaamahim Bhishma to apologize to him in front of the entire army of Hastinapur. Do you know about that story Prince Arjun?"

"Yes..." he replied. "Pitamah Bhishma himself told me that story.

"That incident made him and his entire family outcasts in Hastinapur." She stated. "Prices were raised targeting the family and no one even allowed that family into their social circle. Merchants of Hastinapur banned them from purchasing their wares and the family even stopped going to temples."

"They don't have the right to do that." The little Prince exclaimed. "The only person who did wrong in that family is Vasusena. Why did his family have to suffer...." He trailed off.

"Mahamaahim Bhishma was a respected elder in Hasthinapur, Prince Arjuna." The dasi said smiling indulgently. "So the fact that a child whose entire lifespan is not even equal to half the experience of Mahaamahim Bhishma made several soldiers and families mad. So their mistreatment has begun."

"Among the family the ones who got it the worst were Adhiratha and Radheya. The rest of the family stopped coming out of their home but the father and son have duties to the army of Hasthinapur. They still fell under the employ of the Army of Hastinapur and had to bear sneers and insults. Adhiratha stopped Vasusena from attending the army so that he would not feel hostility among the army by citing that he was too young to be in the army. But all was for nought when he fell gravely ill, unable to bear the emotional toll of facing the humiliations.