Sojourn : mahabharata's era

CHAPTER 8 : Arjun

A day or so had passed, and the ashram seemed familiar now, I had commenced to embrace things and the lifestyle here. The morning was the busiest, as we fetched water from the well and prepared for the day ahead. Since my first day at the ashram, and the happening at night I had begun evading Ashwattama, his existence would upset me. I felt hazardous with him, he was mean rude and arrogant, and whenever possible I tried to evade him.

The lessons had begun, and most of the students would sit under the banyan tree for the classes of Arthshashtra or Yuddh Niti. Meanwhile, I sat near the fencing, with Nakul and Sehdev organizing myself for my next class of archery. I was very much impressed by the education system of this era, and gradually I began to forget my life back in the Kaluga. Occasionally I missed everyone, and the affection they had for me, but now it all felt like a dream.

Abruptly I saw students moving toward the backyard of the ashram, as we thought back to it to be our first class of archery in this session, everyone was called with their Dhanush, Gurudev was an exceptional archer, and elucidated he was a proud moment for all of us, Arjun, Bharata bheem and yudhisthira, traversed us moving towards the backyard, Arjun through his eyes told us to come along, but apprehension and anxiety engulfed three of us, sitting aside the fencing we saw each other, with a feeling of disappointment of being bad in the subject.

"I feel dreading, I don't like archery," said Nakul in a husky voice, while getting up from the ground and dusting off his clothes from the damp soil. His utterances indeed showed how bad he was at archery and how frightened he was of showing off his dire skills to Gurudev.

"Bhrata Arjun likes it the most, I feel we can just read up from them," said Sehdev, comforting Nakul.

"what if they punish us if we perform badly-?" said Nakul.

"No-come on Nakul, it's our first class. Why would they punish us if we aren't good at it," I said veering around to look at Nakul, who wasn't even moving from his place.

"hmm, Nakul she's right," said Sehdev mashing his lips and nodding.

"Okay, I'll just hide behind Bharata Bheem," said Nakul sauntering at a pace all of a sudden, meanwhile me and I stood there looking at Nakul and his weird acting. Sehdev shook his head in dismay seeing Nakul forgetting his Dhanush there, i picked it up with a little chuckle and we moved into the assembly area.

Reaching there, I saw Duryodhan and his gang standing at the front, ashwattama standing beside him, coming into the woods, as I looked at him for once he instantly rumbled his eyes, avoiding any eye contact and I too gave him an eye roll, looking at duryodhan who gave me a little smile, before Dussassan broke in him and began to speak something in his ears, the congregation of students was so noisy, each student talked much, I stood beside Arjun who was teaching Nakul how to hold a Dhanush adequately.

"Look, you don't have to worry just say to Gurudev you don't like archery," said Arjun making him hold the bow, in his hands.

"hmm, you brothers are so disgraceful that you are polluting the name of our Kuru kingdom. How can you not know how to use a Dhanush-?" said Duryodhan loudly with his evil smile and narrow eyes.

"I know how you use a gada, would you like to test its priye, Anuj Duryodhan," said Bhrata Bheem laughing from behind, he shifted forward siding Nakul and Sehdev from their way and walked towards Duryodhan. He stood there, as Bhrata Bheem moved toward him, they were face to face almost on the impulse to fight. Duryodhan conveyed his Dhanush from Dussassan bringing it up in front of Bhrata Bheem, meanwhile, Bheem made a large fist out of outrage clutching his jaw tightly.

"back off Bhrata Bheem, before you fall onto the ground, and that would not look that great," said Duryodhan moving a bit closer to Bheem who was double his size and height. Duryodhan looked like a child in front of him, looking at Bheem with his face up whereas Bheem looked down at Duryodhan with a little smile spread over his lips.