Changing Of Course [✔]

22. Intimate conversations

| Edited |
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Moonlight peeked through the curtains, along with burning mashals illuminating the chambers of Hastinapur.

Karna paced back-and-forth. He felt distured. Pandavas, with Draupadi and Vidur, left for Hastinapur a few days back, perhaps near the same time, when he left to come here as well. They would be in Hastinapur very soon.

How was he going to face them after such a depravity?

Karna felt ashamed. He was lost in thoughts, when a guard entered inside,  "Angraj ki jai!"

"What is it?" Karna asked, looking sideways at the guard, who was facing his back.

"Yuvraj is here to meet you,"

"Duryodhan?! At this hour?" He mumbled. Confused, nevertheless, he told the guard to ask Duryodhan to come in.

"Hope you were not sleeping, friend." Duryodhan smiled, entering the chamber with Dushasan.

"Not at all," Karna replied, "You tell. What brings you here at this hour? Everything is fine?" He asked, concerned, as Duryodhan took a seat.

"Does one come to his friend after seeing the time?" Duryodhan joked.

"Of course not," Karna sneered.

"Well, you tell me— these lines of anger on your forehead. What's wrong, friend?"

"I," Karna clenched his fist, as he sat on the chair opposite to his friend, "I am angry because of Gandhararaj Shakuni."

"Mamashri?" Dushasan asked perplexed, "What has he done?"

Karna looked at him, "Because of him, we can't even look in the eyes of the Pandavas. The world may or may not know, but Pandavas knows for sure that Lakshagrah was indeed a conspiracy."

"They are not fools. They definitely know who must've hatched the Lakshagrah treachery." He added.

The two Kauravas looked at Karna, as the latter stood up. "And the sad part is, even after this, your uncle won't back off from hatching another conspiracy against them."

"And you," Karna taunted at Duryodhan, "Again, you would listen to him and behave like a coward!"

"My friend, you're a warrior, a student of teachers like Dronacharya and Shri Balram." Karna's voice softens, "But you trust your uncle's conspiracy more than your own strength. These kinds of tricks don't suit you."

Duryodhan stood up with the disturbing look on his face as he spoke, "When you say this, it all seems right. But..." He carried on after a small pause, "When Mamashri begins to speak, it feels whatever he says is only right, and I become helpless."

There was complete silence in the chamber. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of wind.

Dushasan looked between Karna and Duryodhan, and said, "We also have to find out how the Pandavas and Choti Ma, Kunti were saved." Karna and Duryodhan looked at him, then at each other.

Karna looked away. He got to know the Pandavas, and their mother were alive, a long back. But stayed quiet. Even he was wondering who must've informed the Pandavas about the trap.

★

The next morning, the city of Hastinapur was rejoicing the return of Kunti, Pandavas, and Kuru bride, Draupadi, who were on their way back to the capital. But inside the royal palace, everyone didn't share the same mood, and most of them were having sleepless nights.