Another Chance for Lives

Old Walls, New Walls

KARNA

"Why did you bother coming here, mitra? The journey must be tiring." I ask Duryodhaan. He came to Anga to meet me. It's been almost 2 years since we met.

Duryodhaan let out a scoff. "Why do you think? You didn't reply to any of my letter, you didn't come to meet me. So I came myself. Have you forgotten about me?"

"Is everthing fine is Hastinapur?" I ask.

"What will happen to Hastinapur? But I am not fine, mitra."

"Why? What happened?"

"Bhrata Yudhsithir is having his Rajasuya ceremony in two months. Everyone is excited in the family. But I am not. I don't even want to attend it but I have to go, even you must have gotten the invitation right?"

It's true I have gotten the invitation but I don't intend to go. "I don't plan to go, mitra."

"You have to come with me Vasusen. How can I go there alone? Bhanu is not coming since she's pregnant. Everyone will be busy glorifying the Pandavs, I can't tolerate them alone. I need you." He pled.

"If you are facing them in a battlefield, sure I will be there but I just don't want to go to their court." I say.

"Please, mitra. Don't do this to me. I already hate it so much that I have to go. I heard their palace is very beautiful and the land has developed so much in these 2 and half year that it's not Khandavprasth anymore, its's Indraprasth. There is no conflict here in Anga anyway. You chamber is also ready. You have to come with me and stay in Hastinapur."

I don't like Pandavs either, but everyday Suryadev reminds me to be a better human, not to make a mistake which I will regret forever, "Don't hate him so much, mitra. Your time will also come. We will make you also an emperor."

"Well, if you say so. I have been doing what you ask me to do, mitra. I pray to god everyday, not only when I need to. Even when Arjun took Subhadhra away I was still nice to him and attended their wedding. I never say no to you so please come with me."

When Duryodhaar first told me that Arjun got married with Subhadhra I couldn't believe. How can he marry someone else when Draupadi is right there? Duryodhaan wanted to marry Subhadhra only for alliance with Dwarka, but when Bhanu got angry, he swore never to get marry again. Then I heard all of them got remarried except for Bheem. I worried about Draupadi but decided not to think about it anymore. I asked her to come with me two times even after I was insulted in her swayamvar. I was ready to risk everything, even Duryodhaan might get angry, she's the pride of their family. But I was ready to risk. Now I just want to move on so I stopped listening to what's happening in her life even though I sleep everyday thinking about her.

Before I could say anything Maa Radha comes in, "Take him, take him. Since he lives here alone I cannot go back to Hastinapur, but I am worried about my husband too. What's the use of living in a palace when there is no one to look after the King?"

She has been taunting me to get married almost everyday.

She gives us food. "Tell me honestly, Yuvraj, is my son not popular among women? Does he not know how to talk? If that is so, you should help him."

Duryodhaan laughs, "Matashree, please don't keep me in distance by calling me Yuvraj. I am also your son. And I have seen him talking pretty well with women."

Yes, being a king comes with it's perks. I have flirted with many women, I have been with many women, beautiful women, but none of them had me thinking about them for more than a week.
It's like I have a Draupadi shape hole in my life and no one else fits there, if I try hard, it just hurts me more.

"Maa, I am leaving soon. Shouldn't you pamper me instead?" I say.

Matashree says, without hesitating a little bit, "You are almost 30 now. Your wife should be pampering you not me. I am supposed to be living a stress free life. And I am also coming with you. I miss Hastinapur." She walks away saying, "I will prepare for the journey."

Duryodhaan laughs out loud. "Don't worry, matashree. Bhanu's friend Subhita's been asking about him. I will keep him in Hastinapur and make sure they meet."

After matashree left the room, Duryodhaan ask me, "You are now over with whatever you and bhabhishree had going on, right? Because if you are not, I will go alone."

I don't remember the last time someone mentioned her and my heart didn't skip a beat.

"I am over it long time ago, I will come." I lied. I can just ignore her, I should go as king anyway.

DRAUPADI

With the Rajasuya ceremony approaching, many family members have already reached Indraprasth. They praise a lot and my husbands gives the credit to me. But I think they are just doing it as a compensation for what I am going through. All their other wives are also here. On Krishna's adivce, Hindimbi is also here so she won't feel ignored but she said she won't come out. Among all the other wives of my husbands I like her the most. Subhadhra is nice but she never wants to leave Arjun's side and often tells me she's insecure. And all the others think I am breaking up their family by still not choosing one, that I am keeping them hanging. They want to live here and I don't object. After all they all have children together and Subhadhra is also pregnant now.

I told them that I will skip the ceremony and Devika should sit with Yudhisthir which made her happy but the idea was soon shot down by everyone, especially Yudhisthir. Matashree is also occupied with her grandchildren and at the end of the day they all goes to their own chamber with their wives and I just stay alone in my chamber, staying up most night.

When my father heard about the curse and whatever has happened, he told them that one of them should step up fast, but now that they have got their happy family they all hesitated. They keep saying Arjun should do it, Jyesth should do it. I never felt this unwanted in life. I wanted to go back to Kampiliya now that their family is whole, I don't feel like I belong here. But Krishna always says I should not go yet, that Kampiliya cannot decide my future yet, so I stayed. I stayed in a palace where the walls doesn't know me. A home where my family doesn't need me or want me. They often says I am the essence of the palace but they make me feel like just another pillar, holding up the roof. Soon I am to be crowned as an empress but I don't even feel like a princess anymore.

I often wonder how Karn must be doing. I don't speak about him but I always hope someone will bring him up. When we were talking about sending out the invitation of the ceremony, Yudhisthir asked his brothers to send invitation to Anga also.
Arjun didn't like the idea, he said, "He's not born as a king, why do we need to invite him?"

But I shot him down fast, "Even the first king of the world was not born as a King."

He didn't like it but couldn't go against Yushisthir, matashree and me.

'How must he be doing?' I wonder. Life would have been so much different if he was my husband.

!!!

GUYS I AM THINKING TO STOP AFTER THE NEXT TWO CHAPTERS, I WILL UPLOAD IT SINCE I ALREADY HAVE THE PLOT.
IT'S REALLY DISHEARTENING, SOME PEOPLE TEXT ME BECAUSE THE STORY IS NOT FOLDING OUT THE WAY THEY WANT.

I STARTED THE STORY WITH A POLT IN MY HEAD BUT WANTED YOU GUYS TO LIKE IT TOO SO I HAVE CHANGED A LOT OF SCENES NOT HURT ANYONE'S SENTIMENT BUT I CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS.

THE COMMENTS AND VOTES ARE THE ONLY MOTIVATION I GET.
I WELCOME FEEDBACK AND CRITICISM BUT PEOPLE ARE JUST TEXTING ME ON WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT. I CAN'T DO THAT. BUT THERE IS ALSO NO POINT WRITING IF NO ONE ACTUALLY LIKES IT WHEN I AM HERE TRYING TO UPDATE IT ON DAILY BASIS.

SO I AM PLANNING NOT TO WRITE ANYMORE, I WILL TRY AGAIN WHEN I GET BETTER AT WRITING BUT PLEASE DON'T BE RUDE TO ANYONE ONLY BECAUSE THE STORY IS NOT TO YOUR TASTE.