HELLO MAHABHARATA

38. Selecouth

THE EVERGREEN FOREST on the western side of the Indraprastha empire was a green paradise. The warm air resounded of the creaking sound of dry branches and leaves, cuckoos and sparrow's songs, burbling of water waves and clops of Purple.

The flamboyant trees were the castles of woods, she passed through that same flamboyant where Arjun tied their horses that day. The lake was glimmering with the midday rays, it was still in multitudes of white lotuses and those lilac hued arrow arum flowers were floating on the bank, like that day he showered her with them. The scent was musk and dewy; sweet and misty.

It had been months; Abhimanyu had now begin to blabber in gibberish just like, his father when he gets extremely anxious. Draupadi had a hard time handling the son of Parth, her feet however still has lbs of excess fluids; despite Arjun regularly massaging them with arnica oil and Nakul had suggested her to consume nettle and dandelion sap. The hall or mayasabha was on almost ready; the illusionary assembly where the rajsuyayagya will be conducted. The sun sparkled on her as she raced past the meadows, clutching the reigns.

According to the royal astrologer and kin counsellor the appropriate dates for the rajsuyayagya were founded; the sun in gemini, and mrigashira constellation of moon's lunar phase in leo. The day of Sun, two days from today.

Yudhishthir has been immensely busy with managing the invites of kings. Sahdev was occupied in maintaining certain accounts of calculus in his wife's absence. Nakul and Bheem were indulged into culinary and stay preparations and Arjun was managing exports and imports of goods.

Subhadra wanted to have her full on attention in the empress' postnatal period. Therefore, Parthjay had to fill in for her, after listing and compiling anecdotes of varied events, playing with the kids. However, Vin, Nik and Soma, as she calls them had started to proclaim themselves as the older ones now. Suthanu has been in an ensemble of the big sister, as she is continuously found near Abhimanyu and a fortnight old Shrutkarman.

These woods have been my latibule!

For she and Arjun still come here to collect the flowers for her evening prayers, with holding hands and running around for hours, when he named her Parthjaya, he named this forest too, Parthjayavan.

Vigorous and tumultuous gallops of a few horses, shook her from the paradisiacal trance she was dwelling in from the past half an hour riding her Purple in the forest.

It was an armed troop with saffron flags, led by a chief. Maybe, they were here for the rajsuyayagya, she thought. After her scrutiny, she learnt that they were here to have their zeal of hunt, the most surprising notion was that they were after a young boy of around seven.

The sudden stampede might have muddled Purple's serene self and instincts because he started to run in the opposite way from the palace. "Easy, Purple! Woah!" she tried her best to twist the halters ropes, but all in vain. "Hey, I-I am no expert to tame you dear, Please!" she then pushed his reigns with a screech and suddenly a rough voice came in.

"Princess, is there any trouble?" a black horse approached near Purple, and the man riding that horse crossed over them, tugging the reigns of her horse.

Not much to her amusement, Purple stopped clopping his hooves getting back to his routine state. "Are you alright?" the man asked scanning her from head to toe.

He seemed to be a royal with his fine jewels and silks. There was a tinge of green in his blue hooded eyes and his hair were tawny. He looked someone from the far northern kingdoms. Howbeit, the aura he was emitting, comprised eldritch stare, something that made her uncomfortable.

"What are you doing here all alone in this deep forest?" his asked. "That doesn't concern you, but I must say that you scared the life out of that boy! What has he ever done to you?" she stated. "May I know your name?" he again questioned, ignoring her statement. "I don't find any particular reason to let you know my-" the man interrupted her words. "Is he your friend?" he asked looking at the boy who had passed out in fright. "Perhaps, I don't saunter around just to make acquaintances. I just want that it'd be kinder of you to let that boy go. If I suppose you're an army chief-" he again intervened her which was stern enough for his military to halt their actions.