LOVE: To Infinity And Beyond

An Occasion

"Where were the two of you ?", Satya both chided and teased as Krishnaa and Arjun entered the event venue. Krishnaa rolled her eyes, as her cheeks warmed... "Suitor...", Arjun murmured. "Yet another!", Krishna exclaimed, while Satya's eyes travelled between the two friends, as she failed to hear their conversation. "Oh.. Don't blame me please...", Arjun almost purred, as his face fell, and he side-glanced at his wife, who's eyes immediately shifted away from him. Arjun could almost feel the hidden distress in her heart. He glanced expectantly towards his Sakha, who might once again save him quite literally by another bizarre suggestion. Krishna shrugged, proving his expectation wrong. Arjun turned his eyes back to his love, whose gaze still averted his...

Arjun's P.O.V.:

Irritation.. that's the feeling most dominant in mind and heart at the moment. This is how that dancer repays us for our generosity towards her talent, Brilliant! Krishnaa's mood is totally downhill now, and I can now only imagine the sort of silent battering I'll have to face from her tonight. That is the biggest problem. Her batterings are always too silent, and even more intolerable. Why can't she just have a good screaming session on me, and get over all the stupid sins I have meted out to her?? That would feel so relieving, that even thinking of it at this moment has made me sigh, actually quite aloud, and the large blue eyes have already shifted focus towards me. Oops.. Still, some good this sigh has done to me. The curiosity and innocent worry in those eyes suddenly made me feel like some hopelessly romantic teenager whose fresh first love's sudden gaze has set his heart fluttering at hundreds of miles an hour. Honestly, that sounds so relatable, because I can already hear my heartbeats accelerating, though I'm more than just sure that it's just MY ultrapowerful senses which can hear this change. When would her eyes, her touch and her scent stop overwhelming my senses and driving my thought off-track? I guess 'never'. Atleast that's going to keep the spark between us from dying.... I grinned and immediately found those blue eyes focussed on me, yet again, but this time not scrutinizing, but glaring. That's fine, she should know how crazy she has already driven, and is still continuing to drive me...

I enter the guest's hall, and my eyes spot Mata and Angraaj... Oops (second slip in less than a few minutes) -- Jyeshth-- I need SOME time to adjust to this new change (obviously for the better)-- sitting together in the farthest end of the hall. Mata was seated on one of the seats meant for the special audience (the extraordinarily special ones amongst all the royals-- which Mata herself certainly was), while Jyeshth kneeled in front of her, his head on her lap, her fingers stroking softly and caringly through his hair. The way his body was mildly trembling every now and then, I could easily understand that he was crying, crying with hysterics. For a moment I wanted to go ahead to help Mata calm him, but I felt the most familiar touch of my life restraining my arm, and I halted, understanding their need of privacy, without needing to look back to check who's hand it was. Whether she was mad or severely disappointed with me truly didn't matter in such situations. She would anyways, always stop me from doing anything wrong, or atleast try her best to do so, within all her capability, and I knew that as well as I knew the intensity of her love for me and vice versa. I exchanged quick glances with Satya and Madhav. Madhav batted his eyelids softly, reassuringly, as he gradually headed through the vacant hall towards Mata and Jyeshth.

"Bua.." Mata looked up at the sound of Madhav's magically soothing voice, as His one hand stroked lightly on Jyeshth's arm, and the tremblings stopped once and for all, immediately; and I and Krishnaa both smiled, knowing that the magic has begun. 

The hall was now full of guests. Satya was constantly prying the know-it-all Malini, who had a terribly good memory, further given her age of just seventeen, with questions and tried her best to squeeze out as much information as possible about the various artistic talents of all the people in the family. Actually--- Satya knew it all about the family members, but she was hell-bent upon gathering info about the so-called family members, like and mostly my other five wives besides Krishnaa and Subhadra, the kids, my brothers' wives including Vrishali and Uruvi as well, Bhanumati even, and even Nitambini herself. Madhav was sitting right next to me, while Krishnaa and Nitambini were running chores, as agile and wild  squirrels, perfecting out the last minute preparations before the functions began. Krishnaa stopped by her parents and siblings sometimes to exchange quick words and smiles with them. I loved watching her oozing with happiness at the close proximity of her family, but I couldn't stop myself from commenting on Satya, rather complaining about her, to Madhav, my closest confidant, besides Krishnaa. "Satya can really be so supremely irritating if she intends to be!" Madhav just chuckled, clearly dodging off my childishly angry complaint. Satya obviously heard it and turned around, only to scowl at me, and I returned to with equal fervour, while Madhav let out another chuckle, followed by Malini's short giggle, before Satya again continued with her enquiry session. A minute later, I couldn't hold back by annoyed frown when I heard Satya ask Malini specifically about Rekha, who mentioned Rekha's talent regard playing the Veena; while my frown reflected on her face. Really?? Was Satya crazy? She can't be seriously planning to make Rekha put up a show. Well, I'll storm out the moment anything such would be about to happen. 

Soon the function began. And well, I had to sit and endure that girl (whose name was most probably Jayanti, though I'm the least interested) presenting her dance, which was a form of Prem-Nritya, an over-the-ages modified version of Lassya. Memories of the real dance in some long ago era, in another life, rather-- beyond the shackles of 'life', rang through me along with my constantly escalating rage and irritation. I noticed Krishnaa's vision shifting from the present to those days, till Pragati, sitting on her lap, interfered her reminiscion reverie, and she smiled sweetly back at our little doll, who smiled back flashing the cute dimples she has inherited from her mother. I, Madhav, Krishnaa, Satya, Rukmini Bhaabi, Subhadra, Malini and Nitambini were almost sitting in a group, with the five most hyper-active kids in the whole  palace, and probably in the whole clan. My other five brothers sat like nuclear families, near us, with Nakul as my closest neighbour. He, along with Bhrata Bheem were constantly keeping a track of Bhrata Yudhishthir's (no longer 'Jyeshth') mood. He seemed to be a little too quiet, inspite of his usually silent nature, today. Rest, all was fine. Our dear preys were all here, ready to be trapped. But, at this moment, Krishnaa was wavering from her resolve of punishing these people on face. She was relying more on the prospect of correcting all the sinners and bringing them back to the path of righteousness. How could she be serious with this extent of forgiveness. Every time she insisted against my older plans, in firm whispers, and Madhav shot her an approving glance, I nearly combed my gaze through her face and her eyes to find any hints of doubts or sarcasm in her suggestion-- but I could find none. She WAS serious! She WILL make sure these morons went unpunished! I don't believe that. There is a certain depth to her suggestion, which I need a moment to think about and discover...

Suddenly, the announcement of Rekha's name by the announcer reminded me of my recent resolve. I stood up, gently giving Pragati to her second, or may be (just maybe) third favourite person, Madhav, and got up, as apparently gently in this guest-filled hall, as possible with my rage trying its best to get the worst of me out on any of the announcer, the performer, or Satya herself. I darted down the corridor, straight to my favourite balcony, right next to my chamber. Well, the irony is, my chamber, practice zone, Pooja grah.... or whatever else, are all actually an extended potion of Krishnaa's Mahal, because inspite of everything else, the royal men can't have Mahals named after them. So, unlike other royal men who live in nameless Mahals, I chose to live in my wife's (then my only wife) Mahal. Whatever.... I stood alone in the raging wind. A storm will hit the city tonight, that was evident. Pitashree always does this. This reaction to my torments was probably naturally impulsive to him. I heard the tinkling of the most familiar anklets, one of which had spent a good deal of its lifetime with me on my conquests. I closed my eyes. I knew she would obviously follow me here. The warmth touched my shoulder, and before I knew anything, my arms were wrapped around her. She stayed still and let my lips find hers, as my rage poured out in a loving desperation.