In the Wake of the War

Chapter-14

Vrishaketu fumed as he shot arrow after arrow at the faded targets painted at different levels on the trees all around the clearing, only for him to pull on his bowstring too hard and break it with a crack.

He growled and thew himself down, keeping his bow aside as he leant against a tree.

Every time he thought about Rajkumar Arjun's parting words... How dare he?! Was the damage he had done to their lives not enough? Did he have to go around mocking his father after death as well?

And then suddenly, out of nowhere, his rage was morphing into grief and Vrishaketu broke down into tears, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his head on top of them.

He cried and cried and cried. 

Why did they have to come here? To Hastinapur? Why couldn't his grandparents and kakis come with them to Anga? Why did they have to live with the Pandavas? Why did he have to face Prince Arjun? Why did his Father have to die? Why did his brothers have to die? Why did his mother have to be widowed and almost childless? Why did this war have to happen?

WHAT WAS HIS FAULT IN ALL THIS?! 

Why did he have to suffer?

 Vrishaketu rocked back and forth, lifting his head up to look at the full moon overhead.

Why did it feel like the Sun would never truly rise again?

Without his father... without his father and brothers, Vrishaketu didn't know what to do. He had always been the baby of the family. His brothers had teased him and fussed over him, his parents had been the most lenient with him(he didn't think his father would have ever let any of his older brothers get away without punishment for disappearing into random forests for hours). And they all always attempted to protect him from the worst of the world.

And now his Father and older brothers had all left him and Ma alone.

What would he do without Jyesht Vrishasena who they all got really annoyed by, because he was good at everything he did and often got really smug about it but they all loved anyway because he would spend hours patiently teaching them whatever they wanted to learn.

What would he do without Bhrata Chitrasena pestering him about finishing his work on time? He'd probably never get anything done ever again.

What would he do instead of annoying his Bhrata Satyasena for being so nitpicky about everything?

What would he do, if not tell his Bhrata Sushena that he could be a healer if he really wanted to, father would never be disappointed in him and would definitely support him?

What would he do without Bhrata Shatrunjaya's overly affectionate nature that they all pretended to be annoyed by, but actually loved?

What would he do without Bhrata Dvipata's quiet but understanding smile, always willing to lend an ear to anything that might be troubling him, always willing to cheer everyone up?

What would he do without Bhrata Banasena, who always got into terrible rages during which their family would just have to wait it out and then, feeling guilty, he would do the nicest things to make it up to them? Vrishaketu let out a broken chuckle thinking of how, in the end some of them had even started to hope he would rage at them, if only so that they would get gifts later.

What would he do without Bhrata Prasena's extraordinary brains behind all kinds of mischief they plotted, after which he would somehow be the only one to escape punishment from their parents because of the innocent face he had been blessed with?

And ... what-what would he do without Pitashree? He had been a strict man, but he had never hesitated to praise them or provide them with reassurances and guidance or shower them with love. Their Father had been their Guru as well, given that not many people wanted to teach Sutaputras. Everything they were, everything he was, was because of his parents, because of his father.

Above all, his father had wanted to make sure that his sons would not repeat the worst mistakes that he had made. He had told them the worst of what he had been part of, even though it caused him shame to admit it all to his sons, simply so that they would know it was wrong.

And his father would always give the best embraces. He was always warm and the comfort of his strong arms felt like the safest place in the world.

What would he do without the loving warmth that his father always radiated? With him gone... everything seemed to have gone cold.

Vrishaketu shivered in the cool night air. He looked around to see that it had gotten rather late. He probably needed to go back soon. His mother would be worried and he should not have let a paltry statement spoken by Rajkumar Arjun affect him so much.

Vrishaketu dried his eyes but try as he might, he could not leave this place.

Suddenly he heard footsteps. His senses refocused and he figured that it was a well built man, almost certainly armed, coming his way. His footsteps were quiet and anyone who was not a warrior would not have heard them, so the man himself must be a warrior as well. And there was no reason anyone should be sneaking up on him at this time. Then he came to the keen realisation that the bowstring  of his bow was broken.

He felt a rush of adrenaline and heat swept over his body as he stood and picked up his bow and scrambled to restring it and nock it with an arrow.

Then the bushes parted and as the tall figure holding a heavy bow stepped forward, something happened. Something that his father had trained them all out of. Accidentally releasing an arrow while pointing it at someone.

But this figure had haunted his nightmares, its silhouette towering over his fallen brothers, over the body of his infallible, indomitable father.

Even though Vrishaketu knew that this figure in its right mind wouldn't really hurt him now, he could not subdue his subconscious fear at seeing him in the dark, alone, isolated.

And so, his fingers slipped.

Let me tell you, it was pure torture thinking of something specific to attribute to each of the brothers. Everything else did not take as much time as that.

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