WEAPON OF GOD :: Mahabharat

CH.22. DEAL BREAKER

Shishupal's face turned pale. He was one of the kings who couldn't even lift the bow, but had the ego of a God.

" There's no king who can complete this task. CLEARLY this is set just to humiliate us. How are we just sitting here and letting this competition go on like this?" Shishupal exclaimed, even though it sounded more like a plea to convince Evi, whose deathly gaze was still set on him.

"Yes! We should revolt right here and now. This was just a set up!" A king spoke up.

"King Drupad has made a spectacle out of not only them, but us the Brahmans too. Why are we sitting still? Its the matter of Kshatriya and Brahman pride, if it shatters our society would be meaningless!" The Brahmins raged.

Soon all the kings present started to tread closer to the idea of a coup as Drupad watched the scene in fear.

"Everyone please calm down!" Shikhandini and Drishthdyumn tried to control the situation.

"We should kill the king and abduct the princess whoeverso is worthy!" Evi heard someone say through the chaos. The whole time she was trying to stop herself for puking, and thus stayed shut, but now she had to intervene.

"EVRYONE SHUT THE SHIT UP!" Evi used her sound amplifier, as the whole court shook up at the bass. Her own head hammered because of the migraine, but it was necessary.

Everyone's eardrums were busted, as if they had heard Indra's rage. They looked at Evi, who was now standing at the center, addressing the court even though she wasn't at a position to do so.

"Its not that the competition was set to humiliate you" Evi breathed out, her voice getting mulled over as her head spinned, "its just y'all are unworthy of Rajkumari Draupadi"

The court raged even more.

"The bow is light, the only thing it should have depended on was your archery skills, but even that y'all don't have. What will my Sakhi get if she married anyone of you? Either a person who is strong but not skillful, or a person who is weak. I would rather have her wait for the right man to come along or not marry as she is Yagyaseni. She was born out of fire itself, and you all expect her to just marry ANYONE?" Evi spoke, gulping down on a cough.

"THE BOW WAS LIGHT?" Jayadrath spoke up. He was one of the few who could lift it. "I GUESS YOU ARE MISTAKEN"

"I am not" Evi choked, but somehow was able to get her voice out.

"It seems being Vasudev's Fianceé creates illusions in one's mind" Shishupal sneered. " how else if not by his manipulation can he acquire any woman to marry a cowherd like him"

Evi wanted to chuckle at Krishna's mockery but her health wasn't letting her humor herself. She could feel a sinking feeling , just when she heard Draupadi.

"Sakhi, why don't you show them that the bow is as light as any other bow? Maybe they'll understand where you're coming from"

Evi shot a questioning glance at Draupadi. At a moment when she was trying to stand straight, how could she lift the bow?

"Ok" Evi still agreed. "Judging how light it was last night, it should still be very easy for me to lift it" Evi wondered. She was sure that if she could lift it, the swayamvar would be over.The kings would be too ashamed to talk further, and would leave. Draupadi too hoped for that, and thus asked her to do so.

She strutted towards the bow, saving her gaze from Shikhandini and the Pandavas, as she knew she was getting berated by them. Her legs were slowly getting wobbly, but she concentrated on her hands. As long as they were composed, she could do the task.

She stood with the bow kept in front as all the attention of the court went towards her.

"Ah shit what if it doesn't move now?" Evi started sweating. "Let's test the waters first"