Dream - A Karna SI

24. RETURN

Arjun's first exile is of 12 months (one year) and not 12 years in this story. This is done in order to keep everyone's age a bit relevant during the war. This is just after the Khandav dah.

7 years after Draupadi's swyamvar

Karn - 28 years

Yudhisthir - 25 years

Bhima & Duryodhan - 24 years

Arjun - 23 years

Nakul & Sahadev - 21 years

Abhimanyu - 1 years

Hastinapur

Karna stepped into the familiar streets of Hastinapur, the air thick with nostalgia. It had been nine long years since he had last seen this place, his parents, and the life he had left behind. The city had changed, but not as much as Karna himself. He had sent messages over the years, keeping them informed of his journeys and victories, but it wasn't the same. A letter could never convey the warmth of a son's embrace or the sound of his voice. He had invited them to Dwarika more than once, but they had insisted on staying in Hastinapur, rooted to the place they had always known as home.

As he approached the small house where he had grown up, memories flooded back-his mother's gentle scolding, his father's proud gaze, the laughter and tears that had filled these walls. The door creaked open before he could knock, and there stood his mother, Radha, her face lined with age but still radiant with the love she had always held for him.

"Karna," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Mother," he replied, stepping forward to embrace her. The warmth of her hug was both comforting and bittersweet. He felt the years that had passed, the distance that had grown between them, melt away in that moment.

Radha pulled back, her eyes scanning his face as if to memorize every detail. "It has been too long, my son."

Karna nodded, guilt pricking at his heart. "Too long, indeed. I should have come sooner."

"You've been busy with the heavens, haven't you?" Radha smiled, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Always looking above, your mind among the stars, that sometimes you forget those of us here on earth."

Karna lowered his gaze. His mother's words struck a chord within him. He had always been driven, always striving for something beyond the ordinary, but in doing so, had he neglected the simple joys of life, the duties of a son?

Adhiratha, his father, entered the room, moving more slowly now, age having taken its toll. His once strong frame had weakened, and the spark in his eyes had dimmed, but the pride with which he looked at Karna had not faded.

"My son," Adhiratha said, his voice rough with age. "You have returned."

Karna bowed low before him, touching his father's feet. "Father, I have missed you."

Adhiratha placed a hand on his shoulder. "And I you, Karna. But you have made us proud. You have carried our name, the name of Sutaputra, to every corner of Bharatvarsha. You have done more than any son could."

Karna rose, his eyes misting over. "I've done what I could, but I feel I have failed you both. I've not been here to care for you, to fulfill my duties as a son should."

Radha shook her head, taking his hand in hers. "You have not failed us, Karna. Your father and I, we see the man you've become, the legend you've forged. You were always meant for greatness, and we never wanted to hold you back."

"But a son's duties-" Karna began, only for his father to interrupt him gently.

"You've already performed your duties, my son," Adhiratha said, his voice filled with pride. "You've made our name one that people speak with respect. They know of us because of you. The people look at us with reverence now, not because of who we are, but because of who you've become. You've lifted us higher than we could have ever imagined. A Maharathi Sutaputra. How many can claim that?"