An interlude to Sunset

The part about Intents and Intentions (Arjun)

The part about Intents and Intentions (Arjun)

It was only at the banks of the Ganges that Arjuna was finally able to relax. Exhaustion had been gradually draining him of energy ever since he and his companions departed from the palace of Hastinapur. However, the sight of the vast river was sufficient to soothe him. It calmed him down a little.

With hands folded in silent piety, he dropped to his knees on the muddy riverbank and allowed the holy water to wash over him.

'Mata.' Voice shaking with pain, Arjuna murmured a quiet prayer under his breath and offered his salutations.

Krishna had chosen to sit right next to him, uncaring that his entire outfit was getting wet. The man's divine appearance was accentuated by his red angavastra, which formed a halo around him, and his peacock feather, which fluttered in the gentle wind.

"Feeling a little better, Parth?" Krishna asked, once Arjun had completed his prayers.

Arjun took a moment before replying. "I do not know, Madhav." He let the water run through his fingers, letting Ganga Mata's sublime grace soothe him. "But I feel different; away from the stifling confines of the palace, I am feeling at peace. I would love to not have to go back to Hastinapur."

"You would prefer to go back to Indraprastha, Sakha?"

Arjun smiled. "Or maybe to Dwaraka. If Dwarakadhish would have me there, of course."

Krishna's beautiful dark visage lighted up and sharp, pure laughter escaped him. Even as his face tilted from the rambunctiousness Arjun felt his heart feeling elated at the sight of the the divinity. He had not allowed himself to probe too deeply into the bond he held with Krishna, but ever so often he would feel a rush of healing energy enveloping him. The wound on his chest felt better with each passing moment.

The river goddess, with all her infinite patience for the intricacies of the human race and their eccentric natures, moved over the rocks and allowed the water to soothe the human and the omnipresent lord. Arjun felt the nature of her patience and affection pressing gently against his chest whenever he sat near her. Even now, diminished and wrecked as he still was, something in him recognised the gesture and his head bent lower.

His lips formed a wordless salutation of gratitude towards his great grandmother.

Nakul and Sahadeva had stationed themselves a short distance away, speaking in undertones, close enough to reach him in moments and yet far enough to grant him the privacy they had silently agreed he needed. Their guards from Dwaraka stood further still, their eyes sweeping the tree line.

Looking over the vast expanse of the huge trees, their attention unflinching. Intense.

Krishna's guards were more illumines than the general population and their loyalty towards Krishna's friends and family, unbreakable. And they cared for Arjun almost as much as they cared for their lord.

"Madhav?"

"What is it, Parth?"

"We should not dither too long, right? The tracks may loose the signs with each passing day."

The smile remained on Krishna's lips. "We will take just as long as it is required, as long as you require. Bhaarav has given us what information was essential. Do you really believe we could get more than a person seasoned in tracking?"

Arjun's eyebrows rose. "But of course you mock me; when it is you who accompanies us? There is no one in this universe or beyond who would argue otherwise."

"You would make my pride swell, Parth," Krishna's laughter was tinkling and as restorative as a drop of nectar on a parched day. He reached out touch the edges of the wound on Arjun's chest. "This requires an answer and an answer we will get. No one gets away with hurting the Dwarakadhish's favourite sakha."