ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇꜱ | Republished ✓

52. The Invitation/ The Trap.

We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future. Men of
discernment deal only with the present moment. - Chanakya Neeti.

Indraprastha:

The sky transformed into a splendid array of colors as the sun rose, radiating its usual brilliance and golden aura.

A man stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the sky where the sun lay, as if all his questions would be answered by simply staring at the burning ball of fire. In his hand, he held a parchment delicately written in red ink—an invitation that felt like a trap.

Two small delicate hands wrapped around his middle, though they couldn't completely encircle his well-built, broad torso.

He smiled as he turned around to see his little princess standing in front of him with a soft smile. She was his eldest daughter, Aparna, named after his wife's godly mother, Mata Parvati.

"Pitashree, aap yeha kya kar rahe hai?? Mata aapko bula rahi hai bhojan ke liye! Shigra chaliye!" said Aparna, her eyes filled with delight as she dragged her father.

The daas and daasis smiled at the familiar scene of the father-daughter duo walking quickly towards the dining area, where their entire family awaited so they could begin breakfast.

As the heavy doors opened, Karna gulped at the stern look on his wife's face before giving an apologetic glance for being late.

Advika sighed before smiling at him, understanding that whatever kept him busy was genuinely important. "Now, pitashree is here... can we eat now maa?" asked a teen, his face radiant like his father, and his smile mischievous like his certain uncle.

"Advait, yes, you can eat!" answered Karna, laughing as he looked at his eldest child.

Advika simply smiled fondly at the familiar banter of father and son. "Yayy!" cheered a young boy, utterly cute with his sweet and adorable face. He was Mahesh, the second son of Bhima and Vandita. Ghatotkach, their first son, spent time with his Maa and Pitashree in Indraprastha, while his Maa Hidimba handled matters at the Forest Kingdom.

Vandita had lost a significant amount of blood during her labor, rendering her unable to conceive again. Another pregnancy could pose a serious risk to either her or her future baby's life. Despite this, she found contentment in having Ghatotkach as her first son and was happy with her two sons.

"Badi maa, where are the ladoos?" asked a boy with a calm and gentle face. He was Virendra, the only son of Yuddhisthir and Devanshi.

"Arre bhratashree, instead of questioning Badi maa, look over there!" pointed out the beautiful melodious voice of Dhruvi, the younger sister of Virendra and the only daughter of Yuddhisthir and Devanshi.

Everyone turned to find Mahesh lost in his own world, eating those ladoos.

"I wanted another laddoo," pouted the handsome face of Raghav, the son of Arjun and Draupadi.

A small hand holding a laddoo appeared in front of his mouth, and a delicate child's face came into view.

"Anaya??" asked Raghav, shocked.

"Ye lijiye bhratashree!" said Anaya, chirpily.

"But... this is yours!" protested Raghav.

"I am giving it to you! Have it," Anaya insisted, pushing the laddoo into his mouth gently.

Karna, Advika, Yuddhisthir, Devanshi, Bhima, Vandita, Arjun, Nakul, and Sahadev watched as their children mingled and ate among themselves, blending as readily as water does with salt.