Love & Betrayal

~ Face to Face

"Bharata!" Prativindya called his brother who was sitting on the bed outside. He climbed down from the stairs and ran towards vrishsen. "Vindya slowly. You will fall down." He warned but prativindya was stubborn to listen and just kept running when he hit the stone and fell.
"Vindya!" Vrishsen cried as he jumped down the bed but before him someone else come up and carried prativindya in his arms.

"Are you fine putra?" Yudhishthir asked with concern. As he saw how great fall he had. Prativindya was on the verge of crying but somehow he composed himself seeing the stranger. He looked over his shoulder and saw karan smiling from behind. "Kalan!" He called his name with hands directed to him. Yudhishthir narrowed his eyes at the child who just called the elderly man with his name. He looked at karan who laughed and picked the child in his arms.
"Your bharata has warned you, still you didn't hear him. Bad boy vindya!" He commented but returned with some good amout of glares from his nephew.

"Maa, where?" He asked as karan looked towards yudhishthir who was looking at the child constantly. Karan felt pity on how he couldn't tell him that it's his son. He would have been very happy to know it.

"I thought you had only one son." Yudhishthir suddenly said and karan smiled while shaking his head. "He's like my son but not mine. He is my sister's son."

"Your sister? But__"

"Vindya, greet him." He said as prativindya looked at the man then at karan but listened. He joined his palm and bowed his head before the king. Yudhishthir smiled as he kept his hand on his head. He felt the touch so familiar. The child was seeming familiar to him, like his own. "God bless you dear." Prativindya smiled innocently which melted his heart. He smiled too and patted his cheek.

"Samrat yudhishthir? You here! Pranipaath samrat!" Vrushali's father came as he bowed down before the king but yudhishthir stood him up. He respectfully greeted the old man and asked him to not show formalities. "Come inside samrat! We would like if you have dinner with us. I know the food is normal than what you take in palace__"

"Please don't say like that. Whatever that made with love is acceptable. I'm overwhelmed with the love you are giving to me." Yudhishthir told to karan who smiled and asked him to come. While his eyes were stuck with prativindya only. He couldn't help but stare at him. Which was noticed by his little son too. Prativindya walked near him once karan went inside and pulled his fingers. Yudhishthir sat on his knee and held the child closer to him.
"What happened putra?"

"Why are you staring at me?" He asked innocently to which yudhishthir chuckled. He placed his palm on his cheek and told. "You seems so familiar to me. I have never seen such small kid from close."

"You are holding me just like maa. She also does same." The little one told as yudhishthir smiled at him. He checked the little scar on his palm and panicked suddenly. Don't know what has this kid brought into him. He was feeling possesive for no reasons. "You have a wound. Isn't it paining?"

Prativindya giggled as he touched the small scar and didn't react much. "What happened? You are smiling." He asked again as prativindya was giggling instead of crying. The child definitely amused him and then he too started smiling. He ruffled his hair and stood up holding his hand.
"You are a little warrior!" Yudhishthir commented as prativindya gave a proud look.

"Maa!" His smile turned biger as he slipped out from yudhishthir's grip and ran towards where his mother was. Prativindya jumped on his mother as draupadi hugged her child and kissed on his head. She caressed his face and kissed his palms. "I missed you maa." He told hiding himself in her embrace.
"I was here only putra! Now tell me what did you do in my absence." She asked as he looked at her and smiled and then suddenly remembered about the stranger in their house.

"Maa, someone has come." He told as draupadi narrowed her eyebrows and asked who. Prativindya pointed his finger towards where yudhishthir was standing. Draupadi looked over there and was stunned to see yudhishthir standing there with a shocked expression. She stood up and was just staring at him with many emotions.

Whereas yudhishthir was just numb. He turned to see prativindya's mother but got the biggest shock. His eyes just flooded with tears when her face came into vision. His heart started beating uncontrollably with tears shinning in his eyes. Did he just see her? Or a dream like always? His feet took him towards her as with each step he could feel the pain of loosing her and the guilt of pushing her away. For sometime he just forgot the surrounding.
Draupadi was no less. She didn't imagine this meeting. She had thought to see him from far but God always had better plans. Her eyes scanned him and she could clearly find out changes in him. He has grown a little bit, his body seems a bit bulky than the last time. He has grown some beard on his face which she found ugly, he looks good without it. She saw the dullness on his face and tears in the eyes. Those eyes were holding the same love they had before. She couldn't see anything except love in them.

As he reached to her. His hands reached to touch her. A tear left his eyes when he confirmed that it's not a dream. She was real, in front of his eyes. Draupadi couldn't hold her cry back, she hiccuped as a sob left which skipped his heart. He held her face with his palms and a smile formed on his lips. "Panchali! You are real. You are before me." He spoke to convince his heart. His expression, body language and acts confessed his love. The pain he had suppressed from years was now coming out. Without waiting more he hugged her in his strong arms. Draupadi too didn't protest and hid herself. She sobbed as the four years of struggle and sufferings came to an end. She had though him dead, mourned over it daily but now he was before her and safe.

She tightened her arms on his waist and didn't let him move away from her. She had died to get this touch.

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How is the chapter? Which is your favorite part? And what will happen next? Tell me in comments.

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