|| Never Without You || [ The Tale Of Arjun-Draupadi ] (I)

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝟸𝟺

Paanchaal, Kaampilya

The night at the palace was glowing, the air of vibrancy seeping through the walls. The night lamps flickered, casting long shadows on the marble floors of the corridor. The clouds shrouded the moon now and then, amalgamating with the orange gleam that lit the grandiose's vast arches and doors. 

Arjun waited at the royal metal door, peered open slightly. His fingers curled in his sweaty fist, his heart pounding noisily against his chest. 

"His Majesty is calling you in, Prince. . ." The guard walked out slowly from inside the chamber, and Arjun tried to lean to glimpse the royal curtains fluttering with the cool winds.

He nodded softly, gently pushing the door open and stepping in. He held his breath steadily.

The elderly King was facing the vast high-arched window, with his hands behind his back. A maroon angavastra glided through his robust back, deftly sculpted like a warrior who had conquered a lot. There was a remnant of a deep gash on his protruding shoulder blade, strikingly sharp enough not to miss. 

"I knew you would come," There was a slight hoarseness in his voice, his chest inflating deeply with an exhale. 

"Good evening, your Majesty. . ." Arjun greeted nervously, contrary to his radiating confidence. He felt something that would happen tonight, something that could shake the vehemence of his sturdy form. 

Drupad turned around slowly, the corners of his eyes crinkled. There was something that dilated his dark orbs suddenly, which Arjun couldn't comprehend for a while. And for the first time, he properly looked into them, without wavering. 

And all he could see was there a melting intensity in them, looking at the way he had never thought he would. There was something that he was holding back, an deep urge which he wasn't sure of.

Arjun had knew those eyes since the day they came face to face. On the battlefield, unhinged and unforgiving of each other. His gaze glowered with fierceness, and his with unabashed ferocity. There was a clash of superiority versus oath to fulfill. 

"You want to know right? Why did I. . . choose you?" Drupad began suddenly, taking Arjun off-guard. 

Arjun stared still, inhaling deeply. He clutched the edge of his angavastra with a bated breath, "I stepped into the enemy's land without expecting anything." 

"Fate is never conspicuous." Drupad added with a small smile, "And it can be never one sided, son."

The King walked closer towards Arjun, breathing gently. The latter shook his head, "Why me?"

Arjun finally blurted out, the question that was ransacking his head since then. He could no longer hold himself back. There was an unrestrained vulnerability that suddenly wetted his amber eyes, a gulp seeping down his parched throat. 

Drupad's lips tilted slightly, and even more as if the question genuinely amused him.  He almost looked away, trying to hide the smile as if Arjun's words were laced with foolish humor. Arjun blinked, curiosity amplifying over his rendered unrest. 

The King almost sighed, looking up at the ceiling and muttering something inconspicuous. 

"And fate again. . . is playing with me." Drupad mumbled slightly.

"Pardon?" Arjun tilted his chin, slightly perturbed. 

Drupad shook his head slowly with a wistful smile, almost turning into a sarcastic one, "Arjun you asked me something, which even the Gods would laugh if they heard."

Arjun blinked rapidly, his brows knitting close, "Pardon, I. . ." 

Drupad muttered softly, shaking his head, "Think it to be the selfishness of a father Arjun."