MIRAGE OF HEARTSTRINGS

DIGGING PAST

Entering his room again, Duryodhana first closed the door before leaning against it as he tried to calm down his racing heart, unaware of the gentle pair of eyes that are watching him curiously until he looked down.

"Lakshman?"

The said boy tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement before muttering out hesitantly "Pitashree, are you alright?"

The former king of Hastinapur felt his world tilted at that question.

Promise me that you will let nothing happen to him

"Pitashree?"

Promise me duryodhana

"Pitashree?"

Duryo promise!

"Papa!"

The loud fragile voice took Duryodhana out of his blurry vision as he crouched down gently. Gently pushing back his son's hair, he shook his head with a smile.

"Yes, I am alright and..........Lakshman is alright too, right?"

He doesn't know if he asking a question or begging for reassurance but he has no other choice—

"Yes papa"

Duryodhana let out a breathy chuckle making his son smile too before it fully blown into laughter making Duryodhana smile further.

The moment remained lighter and gentle until the fragile peace got shatter by the knock on the door.

No, not by the knock but the person behind the door.

"Rajkumar Nakula"

"We don't have to be so formal....Duryodhana"

The stretched honorific lacked title didn't went unnoticed but Duryodhana ignored it to cover his son's presence from nakula's vision.

The visible protection brought a light but tighter smile on the fourth Pandava's face as he glanced back at the GandhariPutra.

"You know that saying"

"What?"

"That We protect only what stays with us, not what never truly belonged to us"

As the words left the Pandava's mouth, he turned around while walking away, well aware of the pair of greyish brown eyes staring from behind of the tensed figure.

Just as he was about to leave from the vision, the fourth Pandava turned around slightly, speaking "by the way, dinner is at dinning hall today" which felt more like royal decree before he left the vision of two guests.

Duryodhana knew tonight's dinner would either be his decision of wandering back to his only reason to live or to something locked away will be ascend inside him........and he is not sure if he is ready for the second one.

The time passed like water droplets being counted while dropping from rooftop but the peace inside the guest room never returned.

Sound of little feet jumping from here to there did came from inside until it changed into the soft breathes as the hopeless father continued staring at his little one's peaceful face.

"never knew, one person can change many things"

The sentence was just a miracle until few years ago but now it became his sole reason to keep going, a reason to—

[KNOCK KNOCK]

"Yes"

"Maharaj is asking for your presence"