From Vague To Vivid

EPILOGUE

Draupadi's POV

The sky looked different today. A billow of black clouds was surrounding the city of hastinapur. The wind was moving faster and wilder. The weather was clearly about to change.

I once again bent over to collect the fine sands on the banks of the river Ganga in my fists and tried to hold it a bit more tight than the previous time. But nonetheless the sand particles flew away from the little crevices between my fingers following the path of the wind.

" Don't hold too tight Krishnaa. Not that it will have any effect on their pre-destined path but your palm may bruise. "

His apparent amplitude increased with every single word and he was finally beside me.

I opened my palm to see a few particles still stuck on it.

I showed it to him.

" Isn't this situation similar to the outcome of our war?", I asked him rheotorically and walked a little further towards the river to feel the waves touch a bit above my ankle.

" You didn't come to the Rajyasabha today."

- " Was I needed? "

- " You are always needed. Your views are always unconventional to provide us a different arc to think. Today we had an unusual case."

- "What?"

- " There was this peasant who admitted to a crime he commited. He said he married the girl he loved. Always cared for her well being. Worked day and night to get the amount of money he could to please her. Even cooked for her.
But one day his wife told him she was going out to buy some bangles for herself. While on her path back home a poisonous snake bit her and she died."

- " What was the crime? I didn't follow."

He chuckled.

" That was exactly what all our expressions were. Jyestha asked the same question to which he then said he could have himself gone to bring the bangles and that would have saved his wife's life. His crime was his negligence about letting her go."

I traced back my own footprints on the sand as I again walked towards the banks to face him and decipher the meaning of what he was saying.

" So according to him he killed his wife?" I asked now completely into this peculiar case.

"Yes and he demanded the state to punish him for the same."

I really should have been in the courtroom today.
I could see a flicker of amusement in Arjun's eyes as I asked, "What did you do?"

- " Well I did nothing."

- " What did Samrat do?", I reframed the previously obvious question getting out of patience.

- "What would you have done, Samragyi?"

- "Don't call me that."

- "Why? We fought hard to earn you this title. Cherish it."

I ignored his another method to make me accept the war consequences rather than fight it. But I just couldn't.

" What did Samrat do?" I asked again ignoring his previous question.

"Well he dismissed him and said it wasn't his fault. But the peasant continued to wail over his crime and said he would come again to receive his punishments."

An amused smile crossed over my lips.

" Strange." I chuckled.

"Was it?" He asked. His expression was grave as he stared into my eyes looking into my soul.