Mysterious Time Traveler in Dwapara Yuga

Chapter 26: From Stranger to Brother: Karna's Journey in Kuntala

Karna was still trying to comprehend how he found himself in this position. He had been mesmerized by the beauty of the palace when he felt a sudden force push him backward. Startled, he steadied himself and saw two boys, probably around thirteen years old, hugging him by the waist. As he was twenty-eight, the boys only reached his waist. The boys then proceeded to take blessings from him, and in reflex, he blessed them. They eagerly talked about how much they had waited for this day, proudly showing him some of the decorations they claimed as their own creations and asked if he liked them.

Karna felt the same way a parent does when their children show off their achievements, eagerly awaiting praise. He wondered who they were and why they hadn't introduced themselves. What if they had mistaken him for someone else? Just as he was about to ask, he looked ahead and was both shocked and relieved.

Shocked because the entire Royal family was standing outside with the Maharani holding an Aarathi thali, signifying a grand welcome. He realized that these two boys had thought of him as the important guest, explaining their hyper behavior. Relieved because he saw Ira, who could save him from this unexpected situation.

When the Royal family saw Karna, they immediately understood why their daughter / sister had said he looked like a part of the sun. He indeed appeared divine. Initially, they thought Ira might have been exaggerating because Karna had helped her, but seeing him now, they realized she had simply described him accurately. Without even speaking to him, they found themselves liking Karna, perhaps because Ira had been talking about him non-stop for three months.

As they approached, Ira told Karthi and Aryan, "Don't scare my bhrata away." She then walked towards Karna and bent down to take his blessings, but Karna stopped her, saying, "My blessings will always be with you."

Seeing the children surrounding Karna and leaving no space for anyone else, Maharani took control of the situation. "All of you, move so that I can do Aarathi for my putra," she instructed. Hearing this, Karna said, "I think you've mistaken me for someone else, Maharani. I am not the important person the whole Kuntala is awaiting," and he turned to Ira for support.

The whole Royal family looked confused. Ira, eyes watering as she understood, still she asked him what he was talking about. After Karna explained, Ira told him with heartfelt emotion, "They didn't find the wrong person. You are exactly the person I have been waiting for. See, you are welcomed by the entire Kuntala Kingdom. It looks like I have to thank the people for their hard work and their love for me."

When Karna heard that he was the important person for whom everything had been decorated, and saw the entire Royal family standing at the entrance for him-someone from a lower caste-it warmed his heart. Maharani welcomed him with an Aarathi as they went inside. Meanwhile, Karthi and Aryan continued talking about the decorations. Then pieces fell into place in Karna's mind; these two must be Karthi and Aryan.

Turning to them, he asked, "Which one of you is Karthi, and who is Aryan?" Before they could answer, Ira stepped in and asked, "You didn't introduce yourselves?" They smiled sheepishly and introduced themselves. Ira then told Karna, "These two will take you to your room. After you freshen up, they will bring you to the dining hall for breakfast. But hurry up, I feel hungry!" With that, Ira turned and walked towards the kitchen for one final checkup.

After breakfast, Ira took Karna on a tour of the palace, sharing interesting stories along the way. They arrived at the training area where Ira asked Karna to teach her archery. Karna took a bow from the stand and asked her to show what she knew first so he could see where she needed improvement. Ira accepted the challenge but realized that in her previous life, all bows came pre-strung, and she didn't know how to string one. She turned to Karna and said, "Bhrata Aditya, I don't know how to string it. If you show me, I will demonstrate what I know."

Karna thought that perhaps adults had always strung the bows for her when she practiced. He strung the bow and handed it to her, asking her to aim at the target.

Meanwhile, her brothers Yuvaraj Mararaksha, Rajkumar Padmaksha, Rajkumar Chandran, Maharaja Chandrahasa, Senapathi Rudhran, and Mahamatri Agasthya arrived, having heard that their beloved princess was there. They assumed Ira had merely watched her brothers practice and knew some techniques. But when Ira took the bow from Karna, her posture was stable, and she hit the bullseye. She then moved to the moving targets and consistently hit the bullseye with every shot.

Karna realized that the only thing Ira didn't know was how to string the bow. He felt proud to have a sister who was skilled in archery. However, the Royal family and others were astonished, seeing the Princess with a weapon for the first time, and performing so well.

Chandran was the first to speak, asking, "Where have you been training without us knowing? If you want to train, you should do it with us. If anything happened to you, what would we do?"

Hearing this, Karna now understood that Ira had never touched a weapon before her family. Seeing her stable posture, he was sure she must have practiced in secret, much like he did to avoid scoldings. The thought of Ira possibly hurting herself made him panic, and he realized this must be how his mother felt when he did the same.

He said to Ira, "If you like practicing, you should have told us. Chandran is right-what would we do if something happened to you?"

At that moment, Ira could only think, with bold letters flashing in her mind, "SHIT, I AM SCREWED." She couldn't tell them she learned all this in her previous life, so she decided to take all the scoldings. Fortunately, all they said was that she should have an adult present when practicing weapons.

Later, Karna sparred with her brothers. While doing so, he began giving them pointers, which they found very useful. Even Senapathi Rudhran came to spar and was amazed by Karna's fighting techniques. As the days passed, Karna's routine became centered on the training field where he and Ira would have archery matches. Although he always won, he was proud of Ira and would always tell her where she made mistakes and congratulate her when she improved based on his feedback. Ira had a sharp mind, and even if Karna said something only once, she quickly learned from it.

Not only Ira, but her brothers also sparred with Karna and received valuable pointers. Sometimes, he even gave one-on-one training to the soldiers and trained them in creating effective formations.

Karna's days in Kuntala were fulfilling. During dinner, they discussed politics, different formations, and various other topics. This time spent together allowed Karna and the Kuntala Royal family to grow closer, deepening the bond between them.