The Gall of Gammon

Chapter 28

The Gall of Gammon

Disclaimer: This story is my humble attempt to write a fanfiction of the epic Mahabharata. My intention is not to hurt anyone's sentiment.

Aum Namah Shivay!!

Major Jayant Roy, SM is a fictitious character. Any similarity with any living person is merely a coincidence.

Chapter 28

Hastinapur, Dwapar Yuga

Vidura POV

Twelve years had been passed.

The young princes would come back tomorrow from Guru Dronacharya's Gurukul. From the last twelve years, they were trained in both the 'shashtras' and 'shastras' there. Now the time had come to choose a successor for the throne and this was the situation that feared me.

Yudhisthir was the oldest among the Kuru Princes. He had become a great warrior under the tutelage of Sage Drona. He was also well versed in the shashtras, and his heart was full of righteousness. So, in the entire basis, he was the most eligible to be the 'Yuvraaja' (crown prince).

But there was a very big problem. The problem was none other than the eldest son of Maharaja Dhritarashtra, the one and only Duryodhana.

Duryodhana would never agree to accept Yudhisthir as the Yuvraaja of Hastinapur. He was the result of every single ambition of Maharaja Dhritarashtra. I had to oppose his coronation because only a fully able man could sit on a throne. Then brother Pandu became the king of Hastinapur. Everything was going well until the accidental death of Sage Kindama at the hand of Maharaja Pandu and the curse given by him.

My wife, Sulabha's voice entered my ear, "What are you thinking, arya?"

"I am thinking about the time and fate. They are the most powerful forces in the whole world. Now, I am worried about the fate of Hastinapur. I can clearly see the clash between Duryodhana and Yudhisthir. We all have thought that the sacred environment of the Gurukul would change his mind, but after the incident of Eklavya, this hope became shattered. That incident increased the hatred of Duryodhana for the Pandavas."

The name of Eklavya made my wife's eyes moist. She wiped her eyes with her cloth.

"Arya, do you still remember that night, when Duryodhana took the injured Eklavya in our house?"

I nodded affirmatively. That night was something which I could never forget in my whole life.

Flashback:

A powerful thunderstorm struck Hastinapur that night. Dark black clouds were covering the sky. Due to the bad weather, the royal assembly closed before it's time. With the passing times, the storm started increasing along with the thunder.

We both slept earlier than our usual time. But I was having trouble sleeping. I didn't know how much time passed like this, when suddenly I heard a sound. The sound was unfamiliar to me. It was not the sound of any animal, or not a sound of metallic clanking. The strange sound ceased then I heard someone loudly knocking at my door.

The knocking woke up my wife too. She hurriedly lit up a small lamp in our bedroom.

"Who is it, arya?" She asked.

"I don't know. Let me check." I took a knife in my hand then went to the door. Sulabha followed me with the lamp. But, when I opened the door, I was shocked to my core.

Duryodhana was standing outside the door. He was totally drenched in the rain water. But he was not alone. There was another boy on his shoulder.

"Duryodhana, what are you doing here? You are not allowed to leave the Gurukul..." I could not finish my sentence, because a horrific sight greeted me.