The calm before the storm: The sanguine Krishna-Arjun journey

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟜: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕒𝕣

Krishna's pov

Abhimanyu badgered Krishna with questions from the crack of dawn of his wedding day.

"What is expected of me once the marriage is done, Uncle Madhav?"

"Take care of your wife."

"And?"

"Be a bit responsible."

"In the sense?"

"For example, don't jump from furniture to furniture."

"What--you have over ten thousand wives and you jump from furniture to furniture with me, Uncle Madhav!"

"I am not the ideal," said Krishna, snorting with laughter.

"Father seems to think you are," insisted Abhimanyu.

"Your Father is blind," said Krishna truthfully, and jumped out of his skin as a screeching crash resonated outside. "What the devil is going on?"

He set out to investigate, his nephew at his heels.

It appeared that Satyaki and Drishtadyumna had struck up an alliance. Krishna was not surprised--like called to like, after all. The pair were busy designing some sort of an elaborate machinery in the wedding room. The noise seemed to have originated from a set up collapsing. Arjun was picking up metal equipment.

"What are you trying to do, Uncle Drish?" Abhimanyu asked avidly.

"You wait and watch," said Drishtadyumna grandly.

"Or not," said Draupadi. "Something is about to break today, and you can answer Queen Sudeshna, brother. And there you are, Abhi, come with me at once."

"What for, Jyesht Mata?"

"You have to start getting ready, child."

"It is not even morning properly," said Abhimanyu, alarmed, and glanced at Krishna and Arjun, both of whom nodded.

Draupadi caught his arm firmly and led him away. Krishna joined Arjun, who was piling up the fallen devices on the floor.

"Why are you acting as their servant, Parth?" asked Krishna.

"They have a brilliant plan, Madhav," said Arjun. "Abhi's wedding will have something even more spectacular than Panchali's swayamvar."

Krishna glanced up at the ceiling, frowning slightly. 'Brilliant' was a word Parth associated with him, and him alone. Surely Satyaki and Drishtadyumna would not come up with something all that brilliant.

It was simply impossible.

***

Unfortunately, the pair succeeded in what they had been trying to do.

When Uttara entered the wedding hall, a shower of floating white blossoms and  encircled her head and moved with her till she reached the holy fire. When she took her seat beside Abhimanyu, studying the flowers in wonder, they rained down upon the couple. Everyone applauded as Abhimanyu and Uttara laughed in delight.

Satyaki and Drishtadyumna slipped up to where Arjun, Subhadra and Krishna were standing, beaming.

"That was so brilliant," Arjun told them. "How did you do it?"

Drishtadyumna explained. It was nothing extraordinary, but Arjun's eyes were shining with admiration. Krishna scowled deeply.

Parth was not supposed to acclaim such feats when his forever companion was the world's greatest trickster. Krishna could beat these witless tricks any day.