Kairavi

Chapter 83

9 months later:

"It's a healthy boy!" Arjun's eyes closed in relief, hearing the news from Kairavi.
The child Draupadi had given birth to, exceeded Gandharv Raj Dramila in beauty and Agnidev in radiance.
He was of umber skin, since both of his parents were dark-complexioned.

Chandraputri deserved a pat on the back for handling Parshati's parturition single-handedly.
There were times when Vibhatsu wanted to rush inside and aid his sister-in-law with the delivery, but Nakul and Sahadev kept him from going past the tangerine sheet which was being used as a curtain.

The screeches that escaped out of Draupadi's throat had her husbands' hearts trembling with anxiety.
They were enfeebled by the mere sounds.
The Kaunteyas couldn't even begin to imagine how hard would it have been to bring a fetus to the world.

They continuously prayed for the well-being of the mother and child while squirming in their seats.
The hours felt like years, but finally, Arni had emerged from the hut, carrying the delightful news of the birth of another upapandav.

"I shall go and quickly dress her wounds.
Then you all can go and meet the little angel. He's sleeping right now." Kairavi smiled.
The Panduputras nodded and proceeded to celebrate the new addition to the family by embracing the living daylights out of each other.

In times of hardships, these were the only things that brought them joy.

Draupadi's face looked like she had climbed Everest with weights tied to her feet.
She was still out of breath, consciousness slipping out of her hands.
Kairavi returned to the shack, carrying some rags and a pot of freshwater.

"You should get some sleep, jiji. I can see the exhaustion on your face." She said while dipping the cloth in water and wringing the excess out of it.

"I want to see Arya's face when he looks at my son for the first time." She moaned in pain.
"Okay, I'll make this brisk then." Saying that, Kairavi's adept hands got to work, wiping the blood off of Yagyaseni's body.
She dressed her as fast as she could.

Panchali groaned and whimpered in pain, but her lotus-shaped eyes refused to close before beholding the scene she desired for.

No matter how many other women Arjun, Bheem, and Yudhishthir had married, Parshati's love for them never lost its lustre.
Even after being staked in the dyut sabha, she never said a word against the eldest brother of the pandavs.

Her resilience and strong-headedness was the reason why they all had been able to take numerous oaths to sabotage the kaurav lineage.

"And done." Kairavi smiled and stroked Draupadi's cheek. "I'll call them in." She stood up from the ground and skipped outside.

"You can come inside now." Before she could complete her sentence, Arjun had already barged into the room.
He went straight to Panchali's side and kneeled on the floor, weaving his calloused fingers with hers.

She beamed at her husband, the great Parth, who had won her hand in the swayamvar.
He kissed her forehead lovingly.

"That's our son," Yagyaseni whispered, watching his little chest rising up and down.

"Our son, Shrutakarma." Panchali was visibly thrilled with the name
Dhananjay had christened him with. She looked at him with twinkling orbs and silently prayed that her son bore the same valiance and skills as his father.