Krishnapriya Devashree

102. Grappling Emotions

Devashree woke up in bed with Tanu cuddled near her. She didn't remember going to bed.

She was in the armour room last night, wasn't she?

She groaned and groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes. She opened them and found her elder brother Dharmendra calmly sitting in the chair right in front of the bed.

Devashree screamed.

"You will wake up my nephew if you continue to scream like a banshee."

He sat there with the same infuriating calmness that had always driven her mad as a child, arms crossed over his chest.

"What..."

"Good morning, little sister," he said mildly, as if she hadn't just shrieked loud enough to wake the entire palace.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Devashree clutched the bedsheet to her chest. "And why are you watching me sleep like some....some creepy Rakshasa?"

Dharmendra raised a brow. "I was making sure you didn't pass out again and crack your skull this time." His eyes slid over her and came to rest at her feet. Devashree followed his gaze and noticed that her wounded legs were now heavily bandaged. Even the other wounds that she had, especially the gash on her upper body, had been bandaged. Also her clothes had been changed.

So the cat's out of the bag..

"Who..." she began, her voice hoarse, uncertain. "Who changed my clothes? Tell me you didn't."

His face remained stoic. "I have changed your diapers."

Devashree stared at him, aghast. "That was twenty years ago,bhratashree!"

"And yet, the trauma lives on," he replied dryly, arms still crossed. "So no, I didn't change your clothes this time. It was Rani Ma and Bhanu Kaki. You were completely unconscious, and you had blood all over you. You scared them half to death, Shree. Apparently nothing has changed, especially your complete disregard for self-preservation."

Devashree bristled. "I don't need a lecture-"

"You need several." Dharmendra finally unfolded himself from the chair, his towering frame casting a shadow across the bed. "Do you have any idea what we thought when we found you? Half-dead in the armory, blood soaking through three layers of fabric?"

His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "For a moment, I thought someone had attacked you. I nearly called the army to march on Dwarka."

The unspoken accusation hung between them: I thought your husband did this.

Devashree's spine straightened. "Krishna would never-"

"But you gave us no explanation. Pitashree hasn't slept since you arrived."

Guilt twisted in Devashree's stomach. She reached instinctively for Tanu, her fingers brushing his curls. "I didn't mean to worry you.....Did Tanu see me like that?" she asked, her voice small.

"He didn't understand much," her brother said. "He saw you asleep, hugged your arm, then he drooled on your shoulder and fell asleep."

Devashree let out a choked laugh, wiping at her face. "This little monkey."

"What the hell happened to you?"

"I didn't come here for an interrogation, Bhratashree."

"I was going easy on you. Pitashree wouldn't. So be ready."

Devashree winced, leaning back against the pillows. "I'll deal with Pitashree when I have the strength to endure it."

"NO. YOU WILL DEAL WITH ME RIGHT NOW!"