Scions Of Kuru

During the Cacophony-||2||

The twilight in all its glory burned Draupadi. She felt a breeze of burning fire on her body, the sound of which felt of those flames she had risen from. She had met her husbands minutes ago, as coming back to her chamber felt like heavy steps tied to stones. Her insecurities were making an exploited attempt to ruin her inner strength, but nobody knows better - that she could be cut, tied, and bent- but never ruined.

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As she had walked in Arya Yudhistir's chamber, she had felt like an eternity passing. The scented velvets, Virat offered- made her hallucinate for a second. It felt like he was still the King- and she, the Queen. She had bought a garland with her, fragranced with Kaumudi. Yudhistir had looked up and smiled with all his happiness, which felt diminishing. Draupadi traced the fine lines of once 'His Majesty' and to be King of Hastinapur, the wrinkles which made her chuckle and ponder over the time that has flown so seamlessly. 'What brings the empress here?' Yudhistir had asked with a little confusion on her visit at an odd hour. 'Wherever the emperor resides the empress follows. The war is starting Arya.' Draupadi smiled. Yudhistir shook his head- his calm sitting on his sleeves. The softness always cut Draupadi the hardest. The first time she had fallen for the eldest of all the brothers- she really didn't know what was going on with her. It was difficult to live without him, there was a part of her that craved for his attention and eyes. The extreme quietness had made her inners scream in agony and joy at the same time. When she had kissed him- she had waited for that one fleeting moment when she sees him abandoning the peace he carried like a soul in disguise. That one moment when he forgets that there are any restrictions to follow. 

Draupadi abandoned her regalness on the door of Yudhistir's chamber. She walked faster, taking bigger steps. She looked at him intently. 'Don't always hide it, Arya.' Draupadi whispered in his ears making him shudder. Yudhistir felt his chest tightening up as his wife touched a cord too unseen. He closed his eyes as he could feel his wife moving her lips on his forehead in a prayer, a hymn he wanted to interpret - but couldn't . 'Then tell me the cure Panchali!' Yudhistir's plea played a background score in his voice. 'I would.' Draupadi looked at him. The diminishing figure of a King- ready to kill his own grandsires, teachers, and cousins. Or maybe the emerging figure of the ruler who still knew what's right and what's wrong. 'I am happy that nothing drives you crazy Arya! your brothers need you. Agree or not- I know you protect them always. All battles are not fought with swords and arrows!'Draupadi embraced Yudhistir as she kept her head near his heart. She felt his arms coming around her in a vulnerable fashion, and slowly consuming her pressed figure. 'You drive me crazy, and that's more than I ever asked from god. He certainly was on a lookout to bless me with you, Yagyseni!' Yudhistir laughed as he could feel the moonlight finally entering his room.

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Bheem's chamber had voices of a mace hitting on the floor. 'Arggaaaahh!' He screamed. Draupadi felt something break inside her- her facade of formality. This thing needed a treatment much better. As she entered his chamber, she saw a giant personality- her huge husband Vrikoder- heat the mace in flames. He dripped sweat and anger.  'Go away Panchali! It's not really nice for you to see me in this condition.' Bheem grunted in anger. He was a bit conscious of his anger. He shunned his dear ones far away when he practiced with his weapon. 'Now is not a good time to practice fighting either, Arya. You need to rest.' Draupadi emphasized on her last instruction. 'Not before I kill Duryodhan.' Bheem mumbled in his breathe. He rarely met Draupadi without notice, at night. He felt the darkness of the surroundings eating him. He felt a sudden urge to harm himself for letting his wife down on the day she had asked for help. When she had entered the Dyut sabha crying like a flowing river, her hair disheveled- her screams drying and dying. 

Draupadi put a hand on her husband's shoulder in an attempt to make him realize that she was in no mood to leave without making him sleep. 
Bheem's face crumpled under the weight of extreme emotions he felt before the inevitable. It was a feeling of guilt and happiness that overpowered his sense in a weird fashion. 'I am a monster Draupadi. I am going to kill all of my cousins and drink their blood.' Bheem cried. Draupadi shook her head in negative. 'You will surely leave me for this..' Bheem couldn't think much. He could feel his own brothers scrunch their noses on the thought of him killing all the 100 cousins by himself. It made him feel like an animal straight out of the jungle.
'If you think that way, then count me in as a  monster as well. I shall be more than happy to accompany you!' Panchali felt tears glassing her corneas. She meant each and every word of her commitment. Wherever Bheem would go, Draupadi shall be a proud wife to follow.

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Arjun's calm was all lost in time. He felt anxious enough to keep moving around his chamber. 'Arya!' Draupadi called him out. She had come with a flame, a diya in her platter. Arjun straightened his back and felt rooted to the spot. He won't show. He won't show. 

Draupadi smelled an eerie un-organization in Arjun's demeanor. 'Everything's fine, isn't it?' She asked him raising her brows. She felt a strong intrusion in his personal space as she lingered in her silence for a bit longer. She tried studying the fine lines of his face, maybe she could find the problem. Arjun nodded in affirmation. 'Everything is fine, Priye. It's just a bit of..' Arjun looked here and there his body giving out answers for his uneasiness. 'It's just a bit of ?' Draupadi asked him further. She kept her hand on his. She could feel callouses and rashes on his dermis- a result of all the hard work he had endured over the years.

A handmaid announced the message of Govind calling in Parth for a talk. Arjun felt an escape from the situation he was about to avoid. He won't show. He won't show.

As Arjun got up to leave, Draupadi held his hand 'I know you won't show.' She gave him a small peck on his cheeks 'But trust me, it's always better to share your sorrow. I know you have a great company to lead you through the dark. Vasudev Krishn is our savior, and I know he is God indeed.' Draupadi whispered the last few words in Arjun's ears as she walked away with a smile only to turn around and find an equally smiling Arjun as well.

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Nakul was looking at the diamond on Drauapdi's fingers. 'A heart on a pentagon. Whose idea was it?' Nakul asked Draupadi in surprise. Why the hell had he not noticed it before? 

'I am surprised at your ignorance Arya. Trust me- it's since our marriage's fifth year.' Draupadi told him as she felt her arms move around his neck. 

Nakul looked at her eyes. The pentagon symbolized the five brothers and the heart she had made on the ring was the one which resided in her chest but was all theirs.

'The sword which could move through the enemy's head and the resolution which can break their chests. I swear they will pay back all the wrong done heavily.' He turned his fingers in Draupadi's open hair, the hair that felt like fragranced lotuses for a minute and burning lava for the other. 

Draupadi felt protection in his words. She had always considered her Arya Nakul to possess vanities similar to her. They both were the proclaimed beauties of their time- the best of men and women. But now she realized- that something was again very much similar- their resolve to avenge!

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'I know it all Draupadi. Nobody ever asks the right question, though!' Sahdev looked at some scroll that Draupadi couldn't name on the first hand. It didn't relate to economics at all and she had no interest in medicine.

'What makes me scared then?' Draupadi questioned the wise man. Sahdev looked at his beautiful wife- who had one of the best brains he could find. And then that's why he had always respected her much more than he loved her. The way she had run Inderprasth's treasury and had ruled the large servant union was beyond the feeling of awe and wonder.

'Your children.' Sahdev answered low key.

Draupadi nodded in affirmation.

'The best part is- we don't scare you at all. You vividly visualize us coming back with great pomp and show.' Sahdev smiled at his wife. Draupadi looked deep in his orbes for certain answers. 'With my children.' She added to his sentence.
'Indeed.' Sahdev felt his baritone abandon the calmness for a millisecond as he tried blurring his knowledge for a few days to come.

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Thanks for reading!
The war begins in the next chap.
Stay tuned.
And pls do review!