Elements of Fire

63. Conversing of the Future? -2

"And on what should I opinionate?" she asked dispassionately, she was still upset with the rumour of Suthanu's probable marriage and the wound Karna had inflicted on her brother worsened things.

"Don't act naïve Panchali" Karna said, his voice evidencing thinning patience, "You know very well what I am talking about. You should be grateful I am even bothering to hear you out on this matter—"

"Grateful?" she shot back coldly, her eyes glowing like red hot embers.

"Yes grateful" Karna retorted "And if we don't talk about this tonight we perhaps never would. I assume you are intelligent enough to understand that the events of the dyut sabha (gambling match) had far reaching consequences and we cannot turn our ba—"

"Dyut sabha" Draupadi hissed angrily rising from her seat, her lips curled into a mirthless smile while her eyes were possessed by a dangerous glaze, "Dyut sabha. Dyut sabha. Dyut sabha."

"Panchali...?" Karna said slowly, taken aback by the sudden change in her behavior.

"Dyut sabha" she nearly screamed this time, "Why does everyone have to talk of the dyut sabha?"

She walked towards her richly designed four poster bed and grabbed one of the translucent silks hanging down curtaining the bed, and then turned back to her husband.

"You want me to speak of that 'dyut sabh', fine I will!" she exclaimed dangerously "You want me to recall and relate my experiences, sure I will, my husband!"

A strong sound of ripping followed and the blush pink silk came tearing down, gathered in her hands, as she heaved angrily.

"This is how I felt when I was informed of the catastrophe that had occurred!" she yelled disregarding the shocked look on her husband's face, "And you want to see what happened next! Let me relive that for you—"

She turned around, the fabric still in her hand, trailing behind her and she walked to the bed and picked up a plush pillow, raising it above her head before flinging it down on the ground.

"This is how I felt!" she said angrily, not noticing the cautious steps Karna was taking in her direction, "And you want to see how I felt after that—"

A beautiful ceramic vase crashed to the floor, it fragmented pieces scattering in all directions like a strong ocean wave hitting against an obstructing rock.

"This is how I felt then—broken and betrayed!" she continued, glaring at her husband who was now barely some feet away from her, "And the nightmare was not over with that. I was near beaten and derided and bruised like—"

Blinded with rage, she was about to step on the broken shards when she was hauled back, her forearms under the steely grip of two strong hands.

"What were you doing Panchali?" Karna screamed furiously as he roughly spun her around to face him, "You could have hurt yourself so badly!"

"You wanted me to so badly speak about the dyut sabha and I was doing that!" she shot back, craning up her neck a little painfully, to meet his eyes, "Everyone has been so talking so obsessively about the dyut sabh and how I feel about as if they don't know how I felt that—"

"Panchali" Karna began slowly, the prior anxious anger now having seeped out of him, while he steadily watched his wife still locked in his grip, "Panchali try to understand that that day had many consequences and—"

"And about my feelings, Aarya?" Draupadi said slamming her hands against his broad chest, "Everyone seems to see it as just another regular day in my life and have been asking me to recall and give my opinions about it, just so that they may forge their personal agendas from it—"

"Because we cannot be passive anymore" Karna tried to explain, wrapping his fingers around her wrists, now naked of its gold bangles, "And for that we need to talk to avoid—"

"But, I am sure you too will agree, this is not a right way to approach a matter so sensitive, particularly to its worst victim" she said, her face contorting in incredulous disdain, "Do you even realize how insensitive you all have been? I don't think even the daasis (female servants) who were witness to the ignominious happening, can speak of it without hesitation and you are asking me so casually..."

"Panchali, calm down please" Karna whispered while carefully steering her to the bed, "I did not think it would still hurt you so much...I had thought you were waiting for me to speak of it and—"

"Aarya you must have given some thought to it, that it was such a trauma for me" she replied refusing to rest her head on the soft pillows despite her husband's insistence, "Aarya, you are my husband, can I not hope for this much of understanding from you—?"

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Hello everyone

I know this is a short update but I will come up with the next chapter soon:)

So, here we have Draupadi finally reaching her breaking point, and who wouldn't when people around them keep bringing up something that traumatises them tremendously. But hopefully this will resolve some of the difference between them and help them get closer to one another.

Do let me know what you liked most from the chapter and what you expect to happen next? 

Please drop by your votes and comments generously:):)❤❤❤