Journey through the Grand Canyon (Drisana's Mahabharat #2)

Chapter 2

"It's my fortune that you considered me capable of Rajkumari Subhadra." Duryodhan said after taking Vasudeva's blessing. Everyone was present at the great hall of Dwarka Palace. Discussing with everyone in the family and with Balaram's persuading, all of them had given their acceptance for the alliance. Krishna neither said yes nor refused. His rounded words were taken as his acceptance. Subhadra hadn't said anything and that was also taken as her acceptance. After all, there wasn't any reason for her to refuse when her entire family was happy with the alliance.

"Pitashree?" Subhadra's soft voice rang out in the hall. All looked towards the entrance where she stood. Everyone was shocked to see her. Subhadra looked down only, letting them reach to the conclusion.

There was a garland consisting of only red roses on her neck and a red dot on her forehead which indicated only one thing. Subhadra had done Gandharva vivha. Everyone was too shocked to react for a while.

"Subhadra!!!" Mata Devaki gasped. Mata Rohini was too shocked to say anything.

"What is all this Subhadra?" Balaram asked still not believing his eyes.

"Exactly what you're seeing bhrata. I have gotten married." Subhadra said finally meeting his eyes.

"What - how can you - Is marriage some joke to you? Why? And whom did you marry?" Her Pitashree asked in an angry voice.

Just then Karna came to stand beside her. Getting another shock after the first one, Yuvraj Duryodhan and Gandharraj Shakuni was almost paralysed. Subhadra married Karna!!!

Karna and Subhadra came to stand in front of Vasudeva after sharing a glance.

"I ask for forgiveness to you first. I married your daughter without your permission. But I didn't find or trusted any other solution to the situation." Karna said folding his hands. "Subhadra and I got married in Dravida only." He revealed and explained what happened there.

"We both were confused and didn't know what to do. It would have been easier to forget everything but not when our hearts consented to that marriage. We were afraid our tribal marriage won't be accepted that's why we got married again." Karna completed.

"And you didn't thought to consult us before taking such a decision? You didn't for once doubted either we will accept you for our sister or not." Balaram shouted at him in anger.

"Yes. I thought. Not once but several times. But didn't dare to say anything when you almost arranged her marriage with a suitable groom." Karna replied calmly.

"How dare you!!! How can you backstab me like this? I considered you my mitra. I gave you so much respect and love, and this is how you repay me???" Duryodhan started screaming. Shakuni was enraged too.

"No mitra. I didn't backstab you. Even if I silently watched everything, Subhadra would have never been happy with you. And in turn you would be unhappy too. And I would be left with guilt and regret. How could I let that happen?" Karna said trying to make him see reason. But Duryodhan was angered beyond reasoning. First Karna kept it hidden from him and then insulted him in front of the Yadus by coming here like this. He had made him a laughing stock in front of them. Duryodhan who had come to marry Subhadra with his friend and his friend himself married her.

"No, no, no. Don't try to manipulate me. You could have said everything to me at Dravida only. But you chose to remain silent, so you could humiliate me like this. You did this deliberately." Duryodhan screamed again.

"No mitra, you're misunderstanding me." Karna tried to explain again but was stopped by a raised hand of Duryodhan's.

"No. Only now I have come across to understand you finally. You're like a snake only who bites it's shelterer. I have done a grave mistake by trusting a snake like you. If you have said only once, I myself would have helped you in getting Subhadra. But you- you chose to betray me." Duryodhan shouted at him again.

"No. It's not true. I have not betrayed you." Karna said shaking his head to emphasis his words and kept a hand on his shoulder which was roughly thrown away by Duryodhan.

"This is the truth only. You have betrayed me. Actually the fault is mine only. I trusted you. Even knowing you're siding with Pandavs, I trusted you. You did the drama of leaving everything and I thought how great you are. I came behind you to apologise. This is my fault only.." Duryodhan kept shouting and refused to listen anything. He was both hurt and angered. Everyone was watching silently.

"No mitra -"

"Don't call me Mitra. Don't you ever dare to use that word with me again. In fact I shouldn't have extended my hand to a Sootputra lowering myself in the first place.
I hate you.
Did you hear me, I hate you. And I will never make the mistake of trusting you again." Duryodhan said with bloodshot eyes which held his unshed tears.

"God is the witness. I have never even thought of betraying you once. I have always fulfilled this friendship with a clean and honest heart." Karna said earnestly. The word Sootputra didn't bother him anymore. He was only feeling the pain of getting mistrust and hatred from his mitra.

"Don't pretend now. I'm never going to fall for your drama again." Duryodhan gritted out with hatred in his eyes.

"You're misunderstanding him, Yuvraj Duryodhan." Subhadra interrupted being unable to see Karna's pain silently. He was losing a friend because of her and getting blamed for things he shouldn't be.

"Don't!!! Don't you dare to utter a single word, you eloper." Duryodhan shouted at her and took a few steps towards her in anger. Duryodhan had forgotten in his rage that he was standing in a place where more than thousand swords would raise to behead him at the slightest insult of Subhadra.
But before anyone could react, he was blocked by Karna himself who shielded Subhadra from his view and stopped him by keeping a hand on his chest.

"Say whatever you want to me. But not one word against my wife." Karna said being angry for the first time. Duryodhan's anger rose more by this.

"Wow! So much love? But I will say. What a couple you make! One betrayer, other one eloper." Duryodhan spat out vehemently.

"Duryodhan!!!" Karna's loud voice rang through the room.

"What? What will you do? You will raise weapons against me? You will kill me?" Duryodhan asked screaming at him and hitting his chest.

"Mere bacche - " Shakuni tried to interrupt as the situation was going out of hand. Duryodhan had lost his senses in rage.

"No mamashree. I want to see what this Soota will do. Come on! Raise your weapon! Come on!" Duryodhan said hitting Karna's chest again. Karna took a deep breath to calm himself. Fault was his, he reminded himself.

"I will never raise my weapon against you. You know that very well." Karna said after a while. Duryodhan's mind was clouded by rage. He had to reach to Duryodhan, his friend behind this anger.

"Why not? You're a betrayer. What worth your words hold? Nothing." But no word reached Duryodhan's anger clogged brain.

"My words to you, my vow will always remain true. I won't raise my weapon against the one who gave me the right to hold them." Karna said with honesty. Duryodhan gave a humourless laugh at that.

"Really? You won't? But guess what? I will." He said and took a sword from the nearby soldier and raised it to behead Karna.

"Vrisha!!!"

Subhadra cried out as everyone's breath caught inside.

A arrow came shooting, effectively throwing the sword of Duryodhan's hand just at the right time. Utter silence enveloped the hall. No one even dared to breath loudly for a moment.

Karna looked shocked that Duryodhan, his Mitra Duryodhan had tried to kill him. Then coming out of his shocked state, he looked at the direction from where the arrow came.

There stood Arjun with his bow raised. Behind him stood Rajmata Kunti and Yudhisthir.