karna's struggle: fulfilling the destiny

Adorable Siblings

Karna was moving through the corridors,when he sensed someone following him, he had an idea ,who this could be, he turned around and captured that person under his arm.

"Dada,it's me.please don't crush me." Sahadeva pleaded.

Karna laughed and let him go.he looked at Sahadev and found his baby brother grinning,karna felt his heart swell with happiness.
"I know, but you should not have followed me,what if someone sees and identifies you?"

"No one saw me , everyone is busy with the drama at the Swayamvar. I wanted to meet you and Shakti , it has been so long since, I saw you two,I missed you so much. " Said Sahadev.

"We missed you too, how have you and your family been, it must have been tough ,are you guys alright?" Karna asked unknowingly showing his worry towards his brothers and mother.

"Aww...I know you worry about us so much, just like an elder brother if only my other brothers could understand , but we are fine ,mostly because of help we received from friends and now family." Sahadeva said innocently.
Karna tried to deny that he constantly worried about them but could not,he knew his eyes will tell the truth, no matter how much he denied to himself but they were his brothers,so he asked sahadeva to follow him to his chambers ,where they would be able to talk more freely and afterwards he will take him to see Shakti.
They did not had much time to talk as sahadev would need to go back to his remaining brothers.

So, Sahadeva filled him on how they met Uday and Eklavya,how they helped them,he also said thank you to karna for helping saving their lives. Karna feigned ignorance, acting like not knowing what Sahadev was talking about.
Sahadeva just smiled , knowing the truth ,he also apologised to karna for all the insults ,he had to go through and told him that he wants to fight against everyone ,who dares to insult him or Shakti but karna told him not to bother as Shakti and him were fine and do not wish to take revenge,but he was happy to see that sahadeva loved them so much.
Sahadeva blushed.
He later told karna about Hidimba and ghatotkach also .
Karna was silent after listening about them,Sahadev's knew that karna was also thinking the same as him about hidimba bhabhi shri and ghatotkach, how they were discarded after use , poor ghatotkach could not even got to live a single day with his father.
Later , karna told him about his killing mundaasur with Shakti and becoming king of newly established Suryanagar.
Sahadeva was very happy as karna deserved to be a king.

Later karna took him to shakti's to where she was sleeping, karna also told Sahadev ,what happened to Shakti and why they were here.
Sahadeva filled with worry for Shakti.
On entering the room,Karna sent all the servents away and Sahadev went near Shakti ,who was sleeping peacefully,looking at her sahadeva was filled with compassion.
He moved his hand forward to put on shakti's head and check whether she had fever or not but stopped himself in the mid,he looked towards karna and asked permission,
"May , I"
Karna sighed ,he does not want sahadeva to feel like an outsider needing permission to do something for his sister,he nodded and said,
"You don't need my permission to do anything for her ,she is your sister also."
Sahadev smiled slightly and touched shakti' s forehead,she immediately opend her eyes and smiled at Sahadev saying,

"I missed you so much, bhaiya."
"I missed you too, anuja."
And then they hugged.

"This is not fare, Shakti.you are hugging him even before you hugged me ,I thought I was your favourite brother." Karna said teasing the duo, mocking anger.

Sahadeva and Shakti let go of each other and looked at karna ,who was smiling after teasing them.
Shakti took hold of karna's hand and said,
"Always,you are above everyone else for me."
They both became emotional , sahadeva seeing this ,tried to lighten up the situation.
"Now, I am jealous, you two are leaving me alone." He said.
Karna and Shakti looked towards him.
Sahadeva laughed.
Karna and Shakti also started to laugh heartily.
Later karna took both his siblings in his embrace and told them that no one need to feel jealous.

Sahadeva also checked on Shakti's puncher wound and told her that she is fine now.

After that they talked some more before sahadeva took his leave to go back to his remaining brothers.

Shakti looked at his disappearing back with a somber face ,karna noticed this but decided not to ask anything and put Shakti in an odd spot again.
If it is something worth mentioning ,Shakti will tell him herself.

He asked shakti to sleep some more, while he went to meet Krishna,who told him,rather seriously that Arjun had won the Swayamvar.
-
Shakti was in deep thoughts, she knew what was going to happen after Swayamvar today and she wanted to stop it.
One day when she was awake and Krishna was in her room,while karna went to do his evening prayer ,she talked to Krishna about Draupadi's future and married life ,she liked Draupadi very much and does not wanted her to get hurt but Krishna told her that whatever is going to happen at the Swayamvar is because Draupadi asked for it herself in her previous incarnation and Mahadev's
words can never go unfulfilled. So, they would have to let whatever going to happen ,happen.
It took Shakti a very long time to make peace with Draupadi's predictament ,no she still was not at peace,how could she accept such a life for a women,when she too was one but had to stay silent and see everything in distress.
She knew that when karna will come to know about it ,he will surely protest and would be very angry ...but the most anyone who would suffer that would be Draupadi.
***************************