SWEETHEART DRAUPADI (INNOCENCE OF THE FLAME)

97

ALL THE ELDERS AND GAVE THEIR BLESSINGS TO THE NEWBORN PRAKRITI. "ARYA." DRAUPADI CALLED. "YES PRIYE?" ARJUN REPLIED. "PRAKRITI AND DYUMNA.." DRAUPADI SAID. "YES, PRAKRITI AND DYUMNA?" YUDHISTIR ASKED.

"FIVE AND HALF MONTH ARE LEFT FOR OUR AAGYATVAS." DRAUPADI SAID. "YES WE KNOW." BHEEM SAID. "WHAT ABOUT DYUMNA AND PRAKRITI?" KARN ASKED AND DRAUPADI LOOKED TO NAKUL WHO UNDERSTOOD WHAT SHE MEANT.

"YOU MEAN WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO OUR CHILDREN RIGHT?" NAKUL ASKED MAKING HER NOD. "NOW THAT'S A TOPIC TO THINK." SHAHADEV SAID. "NOTHING. JUST SAY THE TRUTH." KRISHNA SAID. "BABA!" PRADYUMNA SAID. "OH MY GOD! FINALLY AFTER CALLING EVERYBODY BUA, KAKI, MASI AT LAST HE IS CALLING ME BABA!" KRISHNA SAID SARCASTICALLY MAKING EVERYBODY CHUCKLE.

"SHH!" PRADYUMNA SAID. "OKAY OKAY!" BHEEM SAID. "WHAT DID YOU MEAN MADHAV?"ARJUN ASKED. "SAY THAT PRAKRITI AND DYUMNA ARE YOUR CHILDREN." KRISHNA SAID TO DRAUPADI.

"BUT WON'T BHRATA DURYODHAN KNOW THAT ITS US AS I HAVE TWO KIDS AND ARYA-" DRAUPADI SAID. "WHEN DID I SAY TO SAY THE WHOLE TRUTH?" KRISHNA SAID. "MEANING?" DRAUPADI ASKED.

"DISCUSS WHAT AND WHERE WILL YOU BE AND YOU WILL GET YOUR ANSWERS." KRISHNA SAID AND EXITED. "WHERE WILL WE STAY? BHRATA DURYODHAN WILL EASILY FIND US IF WE GO TO ANY PLACE NEAR OR KNOWN." DRAUPADI SAID.

"BHRATA.." THE PANDAVAS WHISPERED UNDER THEIR BREATH AND CLENCHED THEIR FIST. "WE HAVE TO GO TO A PLACE WHERE ITS UNDER DEVELOP AND NOBODY CAN THINK ABOUT IT." KARN SAID. "AND WHAT IS THAT?" NAKUL ASKED AND EVERYBODY WENT IN DEEP THINKING.

"VIRAT.." NAME LEFT OUT OF DRAUPADI'S MOUTH. "VIRAT?" THE PANDAVAS ASKED. "IF WE TAKE A CLOSE LOOK VIRAT IS IN A POOR CONDITION AND HAS NO CONNECTION WITH HASTINAPUR AND INDRAPRASTH." DRAUPADI SAID MAKING THEM NOD.

"FOR VIRAT WE HAVE TO START OUT JOURNEY A MONTH EARLIER AS WE HAVE CHILDERN WITH US." YUDHISTIR SAID. "BUT WHAT WILL WE BE?" BHEEM ASKED. "THE BIGGEST TASK IS TO COVER UP DRAUPADI'S BEAUTY." SHAHADEV SAID. "I WILL JUST KEEP GHUNGHAT OR ANY OTHER VEIL TO COVER MY FACE." DRAUPADI SAID.

AFTER AN HOUR OF TALKING DRAUPADI FELL ASLEEP ON BHEEM. SEEING HER SLEEP BHEEM CARRIED HER AND LAYED HER  ON HER BED. "LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER." KARN SAID SEEING PRAKRITI ASLEEP IN YUDHISTIR'S ARMS.

YUDHISTIR SLOWLY LAYED PRAKRITI BESIDES DRAUPADI. AS HE LAYED PRAKRITI DRAUPADI'S MATERNAL INSTINCT QUICKLY KICKED HER AND SHE TURNED TOWARDS PRAKRITI'S SIDE AND WRAPPED HER HAND AROUND HER LIGHTLY.

SHE PLACED HER RIGHT HAND LIGHTLY ON PRAKRITI'S STOMACH DISMISSING THE POSSIBILITY OF HER TO ROLL AND SLEEP ON HER TUMMY. DRAUPADI LAYED HER HEAD ON HER ARM WHILE SHE WRAPPED HER FOREARM AROUND PRAKRITI'S HEAD AREA LOOKING LIKE A CIRCULAR PROTECTIVE SHIELD.

"SUDDENLY SHE FEELS MATURED TO ME." KARN SAID. "DON'T WORRY LIKE I LAST SAID HER MATURITY IS JUST A BLOW OF WIND WHICH LASTS FOR 4, 5 SECONDS. SHE DIDN'T MATURE DURING DYMNA WHAT WILL SHE MATURE DURING PRAKRITI'S?" ARJUN SAID MAKING THEM A ALL CHUCKLE.

"OKAY NOW LET HER SLEEP. SHE GAVE BIRTH JUST FOUR AND A HALF HOURS AGO. SHE MUST BE TIRED." YUDHISTIR SAID. "I WILL STAY HERE WITH HER WHILE I MAKE SOME MEDICINES FOR HER." NAKUL SAID BRINGING JARBUTIS. 

"WHY?" BHEEM ASKED. "WHAT WHY? WHILE GIVING BIRTH HIP BONES BREAK." NAKUL SAID. "WHAT!" THEY ALMOST SHOUTED MAKING THE MOTHER DAUGHTER ALMOST AWAKE. "CALM DOWN PEOPLE!" NAKUL WHISPERED.