Rājākārasya Nirmāṇam [ON HOLD}

|2| Brewing Trouble

Hastinapur

'A great king he was, our father he was. Hastinapur has not only lost a monarch but also lost her son. Her father was a kind soul. Promise me that dharma shall again sit on this throne. Fulfill the dreams of our Samrat'

The words of various subjects filled Amrita's mind as she looked at her brothers and cousins, who played amongst themselves. Events of the past played on her mind as if they were happening right in front of her.

"Jiji, see, the floral pattern looks so pretty," a sixteen-year-old Dusshala said as she proudly displayed her recent embroidery artwork, making Amrita smile at her excitement.

"That's pretty. Will you teach me how?" Amrita requested with a sweet smile as she watched over the brothers. The knowledge of the future did no good, as she was extra cautious, especially when the sons of Dhritarashtra were around.

"Sure, anything for my Jiji. You know I was alone until you came, no one to play with other than my handmaids. But now, you are here, and it makes me happy to have an elder sister," the young girl's voice and eyes reflected her excitement.

"But now Jiji is here, right? We shall do a lot of things that sisters do. It's going to be a lot of fun," Amrita said, matching Dusshala's childlike excitement.

It had been three months since they arrived in Hastinapur. During the first month of Pandu's grievance, everything seemed fine; it was a family that cared for them. In the succeeding two months, the royals started showing their true colors. Irritated was a small word she used to describe her interactions with some of them.

"Bhratha Bheem! Put him down, now!" Arjun yelled as Bheem held Dusshasan upside down and laughed sadistically at the young lad's inability to defend himself, shocking his brothers.

"One second, I take my eyes off. These boys behave like chimpanzees. Give me a moment, Dusshala. Maa is right to call them monkeys," Amrita grumbled as Dusshala tried to hide her giggles and walked along with Amrita, who was already making her way to the princes.

"Bheem, put him down now," Amrita said sternly, crossing her hands across her chest and glaring at the two boys. Nakul and Sahdev immediately shifted to Amrita's side.

"Do you even know what he did, Jiji? If you knew, then you would do the same or worse, drown him in a lake filled with crocodiles," Bheem said nonchalantly. Amrita sighed, and Dusshala looked on curiously. It was not a surprise if her brothers had offended her cousins. But what had they done that Bheem was ready to drown them?

"Leave him, Bheem. Staying upside down for a long time can kill a person. I don't want you being accused of killing this spineless idiot here," Amrita's voice was firm and steady as she grumbled the phrase 'spineless idiot' in English. 

Couldn't these sons of Dhritarashtra at least let them be in peace for some time? But what was she expecting here when most people were heartless?

"Just because you are saying," Bheem said as he practically dropped Dusshasan, who groaned in pain as the boys laughed at him. However, the Pandavas quietened the minute they noticed Amrita's stern gaze.

"Tell me what happened first? We shall see what to do next," Amrita said in a slightly higher voice, making the Kaurava brothers look at her.

"Pita Maharaj says women do not order around, especially the children of forest dwellers," Duryodhan said. The boy always got on her nerves, whether in a fictional retelling or reality.

Amrita thought one needed courses to handle the nonsense named Duryodhan. She needed to talk through this with her mother and Vidur. Both knew about her and her past and would also have the best advice.