WEAPON OF GOD :: Mahabharat

CH.67. TIME FLIES BY

Karna's coronation got accepted way quicker than he believed it would be.

He would spend days in Duryodhan's room, thinking if he was betraying his friend by taking the position he lived for.

Pacing in the room, he looked through the stuff that Maharani had ordered to be left untouched. Everyone wanted to preserve his memories, but sadly, the decoration, the bed, the couches, everything was slowly gathering dust.

He sat down on the couch that he would always claim whenever Duryodhan would explain his plans to him, and tried to imagine his friend, talking, laughing, snickering, just when a pair of payels were heard from a distance.

He knew the sound, but the pace was different. The payels of Dusshala, but the footing of Bhanumati. He smiled, wondering how difficult it was with women and their jewelleries.

He got up to leave, but Bhanumati instead stood beside him, admiring the room just like he was.

"You have known your friend for quite some time" she spoke, " but I have only known him for a few months.... And I still feel bad that I couldn't make him stay alive"

"It is not your fault Rajkumari" Karna spoke, "its just our fate. I cannot stop blaming myself, and the same goes for every single member of the family. All we can do right now, is pray for the souls of  the dead"

He looked at Bhanumati, noticing her red nose and swollen eyes. She was crying, yet again.

"How's Baldev?"

"I know you hate that name" Bhanumati smiled, "so its better if you call him Mohak.... And he's.... Agitated"

" Its weird.... That Meenakshi left him here.... He's just six months old-"

"And the last trace of Duryodhan" Bhanumati exclaimed, " I don't think I can let him be separated from me.... Its sad... I couldn't get pregnant sooner, but now with his child in my arms.... I feel like I can breathe now"

"Even though Pitamah and the elders have accepted him... People will talk" Karna said, " and I need you to tell me whenever you come across such people. I assure you, I will punish them severely"

" Of course, Jyesth" Bhanumati nodded, but the word didn't escape Karna's ears.

'Jyesth', a word he never thought would be used for him, by the same royals he hated.

But again, when he saw Arjun's eyes lit up when he heard the truth instead of showing disgust, Karna felt a sense of belonging with him. Nakul and Sahadev were the cutest younger brothers he could have ever asked for, whereas Bheem was yet to come around.

The closeness was still lacking, and why not, the Pandavas lost one of them recently. And the pain would have been better healed if their Bhabishree was there, but she too ran away the moment the war was declared over.

None of the four could believe, that the person they depended on for their whole lives, was now gone. They could feel themselves falling out, breaking under the news. And just when they thought everything was over, Kunti informed them of their actual Jyesth.

Their eyes, although saying "you'll never replace him", Karna realised that they were too broken to protest. He kept his distance from them at first, and indulged with the Kauravas who instantly welcomed him, but soon the four Pandavas came around too.

With the death of their common wife, as well as of their brothers, it was imperative that the five bond well. Hastinapur had regained its position, with the war showing that they had some deadly weapons, and that the royals would only be using it on other Kshatriyas and not the common people.