Rewriting the War (Duryodhan)

Chapter 15 - Dangling by a Thread

Happy Diwali 🎇 !!!       

            It was the day after the night of confusion, when I ventured into the woods in search of her.

I had spent the week, waiting for Hidimbi to find us and when she hadn't, my patience was hanging on a thin thread. I wasn't blessed with surplus time just so it could go to waste.

Hence, against my better judgement, I took a daring step into the forest with nothing in hand except for a knife and a constant fear that I would end up facing her brother instead.

I had no idea why I was risking myself in this aimless pursuit, more so by not telling about it to my companions, yet my intuition told me that it was the only way.

The trees were taller and the path, darker. I refrained from calling out her name, aware that it could attract trouble.

Minutes turned into hours, I was still walking forward with no clear destination until a stench hit me squarely.

Assaulted by the intense and foul odour, I took a cautious step towards its source only to find myself witnessing a cave and a gruesome scene playing out before it.

A tall man, almost the height of ten Duryodhan stacked, was busily murdering a lion while other remains of animals and humans were scattered around the ground. A look at the decomposed head told me that they were all fresh and recent.

The faded blood was enough to make me feel dazed and jittery.

"He smells your presence, you know." I jumped at the sound, mentally scolding myself for not being on guard.

Turning, I saw her. It must be her human form. She was sturdy and strong with muscles that could rival Bheem's. Her hair was tied in a single plait and her face ferocious as she eyed my petite form with distaste.

"It's not like he is gonna get much even if he eats you." She said with a twinge of disappointment in her voice.

"I came to see you." I finally formed a coherent sentence and saw her thick eyebrow rise in surprise.

"I was told that you were unhappy with your brother." I kept an eye on the said brother, who was devouring the meat, with blood trickling down his chin.

"Why would I be?" A dark shadow fell on her face, a sign that I was about to become the meat for her but I was thankful that she was indulging me.

"You are his subordinate. Always the one to do his dirty work while he gets the credit." The change in her demeanour told me that she hadn't thought about the ordeal in this way.

I wasn't even planting that thought cause it was how it was.

She was the one to lure people into his alcove, his safe space where he would kill them with ease. It was rather obvious that Hidimbi was the one doing the most work.

"Where are you getting at?" She was suspicious but I could see her inner conflict and I intended to play it with her, the Pandavas and my interests at hand.

"Help me escape and I will tell." I caught him sniffing the air, darting towards where we were standing.

"Why should I ?" She asked while I sighed impatiently.

"I will make you the Queen of Kamyaka." I swallowed the other part, not wanting to reveal too much.

I saw something flash in her eyes. Ambition or was it relief that she would finally be free.

As if reality crashed into her, her face turned cold again.

"He would still catch you even if I helped you escape."

But that wasn't what she was afraid about, rather what he would do to her if he caught us.

Meanwhile I was panicking as he began to step into the forest.

"Don't worry. I have a brother who is stronger than him." She certainly didn't believe the latter and my time was running rather fast.

"Please." I was one step closer to begging on my knees. "Even if he catches me, I will make sure to lie so that he doesn't harm you."

"Fine." She said, resignedly, and I could even bet that I saw compassion momentarily.

In a blink of an eye, I was dangling in air, over her shoulders as she ran with heavy steps. I could see her brother run behind, his monstrous face twisted with anger and hunger.

I was partially tempted to shout whether his intense hunger was feasible in the long run. He seemed to have a habit of depleting his resources in a single day.

But I kept it tightly shut.

Hidimbi ran towards the odour she smelled in me. Apparently we all smelled like the place we lived in. So while it took me hours to reach, it was a matter of minutes for her.

Before long, she shouted whether I lived in the hut by the river.

It was then, a horrible thought crossed me,

What if the Pandavas had gone in search of me into the forest?