Water to The Fire - Pandava x Reader - A Mahabharata Fanfiction

Part 1 - How it begins...

It was a hot and dusty day in the bustling marketplace. The open-air stalls teemed with merchants hawking their wares, customers haggling loudly over prices. Among the commotion was a quieter area set aside for a more grim trade—the slave market.

A small wagon rolled up, creaking under the weight of filthy wooden cages stacked within. Murmurs arose from the gathered crowds as the trader climbed atop, ready to begin the bidding. "What offers for this scrawny lot?" He gave a sharp kick to the lowest cage.

From inside whimpered a tiny voice. Curled in the farthest corner was a girl no more than seven years old, skin clinging pale to bone in malnourishment. Wide eyes peered out from a mop of matted hair, glistening with fearful tears that cut clean tracks down her grimy cheeks.

"Come now, she can't be worth more than two silvers at best! Skin and bones, this one." The trader cracked his whip menacingly against the bars. "Who'll start the bidding?"

At that moment, a towering figure parted the onlookers, coming to a stop with a stern frown. It was Bhisma, commander of the Kuru armies, ever vigilant in patrolling the outskirts for injustice. His gaze fell upon the pathetic cage and he drew a sharp breath. Without a word, he tossed a small purse of coins at the trader's feet.

"My offer. Now unlatch the door—she comes with me." Bhisma's tone held no room for argument. The trader hurried to comply, anxious to complete the transaction. As the cage swung open, the girl only shrank further back in terror, eyes wide as moons.

With utmost gentleness, Bhisma reached in, carefully peeling away straw and filth to lift her small body into his arms. Her skeleton-thin limbs trembled uncontrollably but she did not fight, going limp as faintness overtook her. At last, amid the concerned whispers of onlookers, Bhisma turned and carried his new burden away from that wretched place.

Back within the walls of his lavish estate, Bhisma at once summoned servants to draw a warm bath and fetch clean linens. With the utmost care, he eased the girl's tattered garments off her emaciated form, slowly lowering her into the perfumed water. Only then did her clouded eyes flutter fully open, staring up at this stranger who held her fragile life in his hands.

"Be at peace, little one. You are safe now." Bhisma spoke with a rare softness. "I am Bhisma, and from this day forth you shall be my daughter. Let us see about getting some nourishment into you."

At his gentle smile, the girl's welling tears finally spilled over in relief. A new life was beginning for her, under the protection of this noble soul. Fate works in strange ways, and this chance meeting would alter the course of events to come in ways none could foresee.

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As Bhisma tended gently to the girl's emaciated form, cleaning away layers of grime, her wide eyes remained fixed on his weathered face in disbelief. This man spoke kindly yet his fierce strength was plain to see. What fate had brought one so lowly to such a high place?

When at last she was bathed and wrapped in soft linen, Bhisma lifted her effortlessly once more. "Tell me child, what name did your parents give you?"

Her parched lips moved soundlessly for a moment before a rasping whisper emerged. "Y/N, my lord."

Bhisma gazed at her with a look of such tenderness it brought fresh tears to her eyes. "No 'my lord', little Y/N. From this day on, you shall call me Father."

He carried her out onto a veranda overlooking lush palace grounds, setting her gently upon piled cushions. Servants arrived promptly with gilded trays laden with fruits, breads and steaming broths. The heavenly scents made Y/N's stomach ache with need.

"Slowly now, your body has suffered much," cautioned Bhisma as she reached trembling hands for an apple slice. "Regain your strength at your own pace, with no demands upon you. This is your home now, and you shall want for nothing."

In years that followed, Y/N recovered steadily under Bhisma's loving care. Daily they could be found together in the gardens, where she delighted in simple things like birdsong and coloured blossoms after a childhood spent in want.

One afternoon, laughter drew her gaze to a nearby courtyard where five young boys sparred playfully under an elder's watch. Though dirt-smudged and disheveled, their laughter held a princely aura.

"Those are the Pandava brothers," Bhisma explained. " Sons of Pandu, who now rules alongside your Uncle Dhritarashtra. The elder three are sons of King Pandu and Queen Kunti - Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna. The twins Nakula and Sahadeva were blessed to Kunti by the Ashwini gods."

Y/N's eyes followed their lively movements, curious. "Might I meet them one day, Father?"

Bhisma smiled. "In time, when you've regained your health and confidence. But for now, trust that you are safe here with me."