A Different Turn of Events

The Sad Surprise

"Someone, go get Das Karna," Arjuna says loudly, "There are some surprises waiting for him."

In Karna's room -

Karna awakens by a knock on the door. He felt down all day and decided to sleep in his chambers instead of attending the Sabha. He was surprised to be woken up since he asked his guards and servants for silence.

"Come in," Karna says. A servant opens the door and walks into the room. He looks at Karna with pity and sadness. Karna does not understand the reason for the servant's expression but gets a bad feeling.

"What did you need?" Karna questions. The servant does not know what to say. How do you tell a king that he is now a slave? The servant decided to let the truth reveal in the Sabha. He does not want to get in trouble.

"The Sabha requires your presence," the servant says without mentioning Karna's titles. He hopes that Karna will not ask any questions about it.

Karna realizes something is wrong when the servant does not refer to his name or titles. He does not know what is happening, but he has an idea. Dread creeps into his soul. He hopes that he is wrong but prepares himself for the worst.

"Please give me a moment. I will come to the Sabha. You may go back," Karna says. He sends the servant away, knowing that the servant is probably confused and scared. He gets ready but does not adorn anything too heavy or elaborate, sensing the events to come.

Karna walks towards the Sabha. As he gets closer, he slows down a little. He tries to collect himself. Karna knows that whatever happens today will not be reasonable for him. He reaches the entrance of the Sabha before stopping for a moment. Karna takes a deep breath and opens the doors to the grand hall.

Hearing the doors of the Sabha open, everyone looks towards the entrance. There, they see the one man in the middle of this accursed game. Karna stands there with a confused look. Karna does not understand why the youngest Pandavas are on the ground without their crowns. He does not understand why the other three Pandavas seem to be happy and why his friend is sad. What confuses him the most is the relieved expressions on most of the faces of the onlookers.

"What is happening here," Karna asks.

Before Duryodhana can explain the situation to his dear friend, Arjuna cuts in, "You have no right to ask any questions, Das Karna. You are our slave. I would punish you for wearing the crown and jewelry of a king, but I will be kind and let it go once you remove is the ornaments and crown and kneel at my feet."

Arjuna's reply had confirmed Karna's beliefs. Karna was dejected, but he schooled his expressions to show no emotion. He removed the jewelry and placed them on a platter. Then Karna went towards his friend and set the crown atop his head at his friend's feet. He looked at his friend with disappointment and resignation but said nothing as he went to kneel by his masters.

Before Karna could kneel, Duryodhana said, "Stop! I cannot watch you do this, mitra. Please talk to me. Yell at me. Hit me. I can handle anything, but your silence is killing me."

Karna looks towards his friend and says, "What more is there to say mitra. I am not stupid. I can tell what is going on. You bid me thinking you would win, but you lost me in the end. I told you that this would not work. I warned you that you would regret your actions. I pleaded with you to stop before something important is lost, but you did not listen. I consider you more than just a mitra. You are the only family I have left, so if I am now a slave due to your actions, then I will bear the consequences without resistance."

Karna's words shocked the Sabha. No one realized how deep Duryodhana and Karna's bond was. Duryodhana, on the other hand, was in despair. He wanted his friend to blame him, so the guilt he felt would lessen. His friend's words made him feel guiltier. He only knew one solution to this problem.