Travelling Worlds to Save Us (A Karna-Arjun story)

Realization

Pov: Arjun from the world of light

Arjun was running out of options now.

He had expended every bit of leverage information he had learnt from Madhav an hour ago. From the way Madhav had told him of the past, Arjun was surer than ever that he knew something unusual was up. All the same, he had not posed any direct questions.

Once or twice, Arjun had caught a deeply contemplative look in his eyes, like he was trying to work something out in his head.

But the information had all come to nothing. Karna would not be persuaded into opening his eyes even a little bit. 

How could he not realize what he was losing out on? Did he not know what brothers were?

Brothers were God's dearest gift to a person, Arjun thought. Brothers would support you through thick and thin, hold your hand and have your back every time you needed. Brothers would lay down their life for each other without blinking. Brothers were your best friend, your most satisfying companion, the one you would always approach in times of joy and sorrow. 

How could a life without brothers appeal to anyone compared to one with them?

So he took another shot.

"I think you don't know what you are missing out on by maintaining enmity with your brothers, King of Anga."

It was the wrong thing to say; Karna's eyes flashed.

"I am maintaining enmity with them? When have they showed me anything but animosity? And scorn for my birth?"

 "I am now," said Arjun.

"You are scheming something, Arjun," said Karna with finality. "I cannot imagine what, and I do not know why; I thought you had that much faith in your skill alone. Whatever I have ever thought you are, I never thought you were a coward."

A line spoken in Madhav's voice, which Arjun had never truly heard, sounded in his ears like he had heard it sometime in the past.

"Sometimes running away from the battlefield yields better results in the long term," he repeated.

Karna scoffed.

"I have never known it to be true."

"You, just like my jyesht, is too bound by your own dharma to accommodate a new viewpoint."

"Only my dharma is solely that of a warrior; your jyesht's dharma pushes him to put his brothers and wife up for gambling."

Arjun had meant his own oldest brother by 'jyesht', but Karna had clearly referred to Yudhishthir. Arjun was about to fly to his defence, but caught his tongue at the last minute. 

My jyesht Yudhishthir would not put us and Draupadi on the stake, he realized. This world's Yudhishthir might be perfectly capable of that--he wouldn't know.

'We do not know them; they are totally different people.'

'No, Arjun, they are not you and me. You have got to understand that.'

He heard his oldest brother's voice so clearly, it was like he was sitting beside him and scolding him in person.

And then he suddenly missed his jyesht so much, his chest hurt. Of course he loved his jyesht in this universe too, but nowhere close to his own.

For the first time, Arjun wondered if he should be thinking of going back. There did not seem much point reasoning with Karna; he was unbending regarding the fight to death tomorrow on the battlefield--or today. 

There would be hardly around two hours to go for sunrise.

He was a different person from his brother. His brother would simply never hold on to the idea of a fight to death with anyone if his rival came and begged. His brother believed in second chances. His brother embodied forgiveness.

And his brother lived for his younger brothers.

Of course, he did not blame the person sitting beside him for being different. He had faced much worse hardships than could be imagined, and was single-minded on the desire for revenge and consumed with hatred owing to his past experiences.

'Circumstances are the very thing that shape a person's character!'

Why could he not have listened to his older brother?

He was always right. About everything. Guilt swooped inside him as he remembered he had disappeared for hours; everyone would be so worried. 

He had been so stupid. So, so stupid.

"I'm sorry, jyesht," he told him in his mind. "I will always listen to you in the future."

"What?"

The King of Anga's voice told him he had spoken out loud.

"Sorry," said Arjun, standing up. "But I had to try. Farewell, King of Anga."

Karna stared after him uncomprehendingly; Arjun did not look back as he strode into the forest.

****************

"There you are."

On his way to the portal east of the Pandava camp, Madhav stopped him.

"Not a good time to disappear, Parth. Everyone back there at camp is fretting."

"I'm sorry--I--"

"An hour and a half to go for the big day." Madhav looked at him intently. "Are you ready?"

Arjun swallowed. "Yes, of course. I will just--"

But Madhav slipped his arm through him in a gesture of friendship and started heading for their camp, talking about tomorrow. Arjun dared not make another excuse. He had already slipped away from Madhav with excuses, twice, that evening. He did not want to lie to him yet again.

"You have evidently not caught a wink of sleep. Thanks to you, nor has anyone else in the camp. The good thing, however, is that the war is certain to get over by tomorrow or the day after."

They entered the camp.

"I am sorry for the in-inconvenience--" Arjun wondered where the Arjun of this universe had disappeared to, today of all days. If this world's Arjun turned up, he could comfortably slip out of camp.

Of course, even if he did not turn up, he would have to give them the slip at some point.

Only an hour would be left for sunrise.

"Sister," Madhav hailed with a smile. "Look, I have found him. Finally."

Subhadra, looking the picture of relief, rushed up to them.

"Where were you so long, dear?"

Arjun felt his face heat up.

"I--I--"

Simply looking at Madhav's sister made Arjun feel uncomfortably that he was being unfaithful to Draupadi.

"Come and eat something, rest for a while. There is not much time left to do anything--"

Arjun nervously stepped out of reach of Subhadra's outstretched hand as he followed her, keeping an eye around. 

Here and there, people would keep hailing him, asking where he had been. He tried to avoid all questions. Instead he focused on staying out of Subhadra's reach and looking a way out of camp.

He would have to leave very, very soon. Once the battle started, he could not stay in this world. 

He could not be witness once again to his brother's death.