Kshatrani - The Warrior Princess

An Element of Fire

Location: Princess Subhadra's chamber in the Palace of Dwarka. An attendant enters.

"Rajkumari, there is an urgent message the Maharaj has asked me to convey to you." she says.

Subhadra looks up from her painting. "Go on." it sounded urgent.

"Maharaj has sent the message that the Pandav princes of Hastinapur and their mother have.......perished in a deadly fire in the Palace of Varnavat." 

For a moment, it felt like Subhadra's heart had stopped beating within her chest. "What do you mean.....perished?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt sick to the bone.

"They were there for the spring festival on behalf of Hastinapur. In an accident the palace caught fire, and....." she broke off, sensing Subhadra's unease.

Aunt Kunti.......she had just visited Hastinapur a while ago......she'd met Prince Nakul and Prince Yudhishthir....they were supposed to make the world a better place.....dead? no, it can't be.

"I have to speak to Bhrata Krishna." she said, standing up resolutely. Everything forgotten, she marched to his chambers. It was as if he knew she was going to visit him, he was already at the door, ready to receive her.

Breathing heavily, she walked into his room and sat on the bed. "Bhrata.....Is it true? Are they really......"

"Subhadre, look at yourself." Krishna said sympathetically, coming to sit beside her. "Are you well?"

"How are you so calm? Aunt Kunti....and your friend....."

"Subhadre," he began, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Look at me."

She looked up at her brother, scanning his features that would give something away. "Do you really think.....well trained princes like the Pandavs could perish in a ....fire?"

"No, but-"

"Exactly." he said, his tone reassuring. "You know the prowess of Prince Bheem. He has the strength of a thousand elephants. Can one little fire really end them?"

Subhadra thought about it for a moment. "So...if they're not dead-"

"They are."

"Wait, what?" she asked in bewilderment. "You just told me they're not!"

"Subhadra, look at me." he repeated. "They. are. dead."

She finally understood what he was hinting at. She lowered her voice. 

"They're not dead. So where are they?"

"How am I to know?"

"Okay, you know what?" she said, standing up. "Speaking to you is futile, I might just have to look for answers myself-" 

Krishna held her wrist in his grip, abstaining her from leaving. He chuckled. "They're alive. They could be anywhere. Don't you see? they're only making people believe they're dead."

The reality dawned on Subhadra. She sat back down. "No one can know." Krishna said. "If the Kauravs come to know they might attempt to kill them again." he said, his expression darkening.

"Are you saying they.....?" she began and realised it was almost rhetorical. "Of course they did."

Krishna nodded. "You caught onto it, that's because I can't keep you in the dark. But everyone else believes they are dead so let's keep it that way, hmm?"

She nodded, taking his leave. The news felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

---------------------------------------------------------