The Bend in the Road (A Karna-Arjun what-if story)

Bheem's oath

Karna's pov

Day 11 of the Battle of Kurukshetra

With Bhisma out of the way, and with the Kauravas understandably requiring some time to get used to their new commander Dronacharya, the scales inevitably tilted in favour of the Pandavas on the eleventh day.

Karna and Arjun had never fought together this well. Arjun, luckily, had converted yesterday's grief into rage on the battlefield.

Lucky for the side, Karna thought. Not for me. 

He had not met Duryodhan since the day he had left their camp. He felt sure Duryodhan must have waited every day, but he could not bear to live with his body in one camp and his heart over at the other camp anymore.

After Duryodhan won the war, there would be plenty of time. Yet, if they went on this way, Duryodhan would not win.

Karna, like Arjun must have done, shut his brain off and immersed himself in the battle.

That day, Karna and Arjun killed thousands and thousands together. They took on each reinforcement side by side, and two together could do so much more than one and one alone. It was a beauty to behold; the heavens watched too as the world's best archers took on Dronacharya's army and decimated it.

Eventually, Dronacharya would have to be killed; Karna sensed another tumult coming up when the time came. Fortunately Dronacharya's death was destined at the hands of their commander,  and Vasudev could not get Arjun to do it.

Arjun would still be devastated, though.

And what of when, with Bhisma and Drona out of the way, the dearest parts of the Kaurava army would be exposed to Karna?

He ordered his brain to shut itself off again. How he could fight and undergo such excruciating conflict inside, he had no idea, but he was pretty sure, from their occasional glances at each other, that his partner was afflicted just the same.

***

A defensive formation met them around midday, protecting the next legion of enemy archers. Arjun looked at Karna and gave a single nod, confirming that they were to break it from either end.

Arjun's chariot went west. As Karna rode towards east, he found Drishtadyumna and Abhimanyu trying to get to the defense line, too. The Akshouhini of Sindhu, led by King Jayadratha, blocked their way. 

Jayadratha was Duryodhan's brother-in-law, but unlike Duhsala and Duryodhan's brothers, even the ones Karna did not know well, Karna had never liked him. Fixing his marriage to Duhsala based on a political alliance with Sindhu had always appeared a mistake to him.

Karna took up his bow to join them in fighting off Sindhu's army so that he could push his way beyond. Abhimanyu looked around at the aid and beamed at him.

"How can you smile in the vicinity of this swine of a king, Abhi?" Drishtadyumna shouted, beheading two dozen with a single swing of his sword.

"What?" Abhimanyu asked as he and Karna shot side by side; Arjun's son's style was much like his father, even if he had not trained him, and Karna had no problem falling in sync with him.

"He abducted your jyesht Mata during their exile." Drishtadyumna's eyes were fire. "Yudhishthir insisted they let him go out of affection for his sister--but not today, King of Sindhu."

Having killed all the rathis in front, the three of them faced Jayadratha's line.

"You go on, Angaraj," Abhimanyu called. "Break Dronacharya's formation--we will take care of--"