Another Chance for Lives

Now or Later, Which is Better?

DRAUPADI

I wanted to get out of the court so I start walking away from the throne. Yudhisthir came after and stops me. "Wait, Panchali." He grabs my arm. All the kings, rishis, citizens who came to attend the ceremony is simply staring at us. 
"I am no longer 'Panchali' to you. To any of you." I shout. 

"Ask everyone to leave who is not family." Vyas says to Pitamah.

"I am so sorry for the commotion, but please leave the court. Only family members, which include those from Hastinapur, Rishivar Vyas, Maharaj Drupad, Krishna and Balram, please stay back." Pitamah  folds his hands and request the crowd.

Everyone starts leaving one by one. "Duryodhaan, you are family. Sit down." Patamah say.

"I am taking my daughter away from here. And don't you dare touch her." my father tells Yudhisthir after everyone leaves. My body is shaking from the anger. 

"Please understand, we couldn't do anything because of the ceremony, or else I would have killed him myself for talking like that about Panchali." Arjun says. 

My father laughs, "You? You who couldn't object when your wife was making a common wife will do justice for her?" Arjun looks at my father in shock, he always knew my father liked him so it was unexpected to him.

"I understand your anger but Krishna, Vyas, and everyone said the ceremony will e incomplete if we pick up our weapon today." Yudhisthir says. 

"That's not true, bhratashree." Krishna says, his voice fills with anger. "We all said 'if you pick up your weapon for unnecessary things. Protecting your wife surely is more important than becoming an emperor."

Before Yudhisthir could respond to Krishna, Vyas speaks up, "Vasudev Krishna is right. Even if you had killed him, it wouldn't be a sin. Your wife comes first, your ceremony would still be completed. Not only you did nothing but none of your brothers also did anything. You should decide what is important and what is not. "

"We couldn't pick up our weapon without the permission of our Jyesth." Bheem says.

There excuses baffles me. "Men don't stay silent when their mistress is insulted, and you guys just stood there and listen when you wife was being called a vyasa. Shame on all your strength. Even if someone drags me from here, you guys will just wait for the ceremony to be over." 

"Panchali, it's not like that. Madhav, tell her." Arjun looks at Krishna.

Krishna stares him down, "I am not your friend today. I don't have friend who think keeping other kings under them is more important than protecting his wife's honour, until Draupadi forgives you, I can't forgive you."

"They won't understand, Govind." I say. "Shishupal was right to some extend. I am just here as a decoration. I am everyone's wife, yet I am no one's wife. I am everyone's responsibility, yet no takes responsibility to protect me. They think its fine because they are making me the queen, the empress." 

I turn to my husband, unable to stop my anger, and tears, I shout. "Do you know what life for a queen is without any child? I have a big chamber, a chamber filled with many empty rooms, because I thought I should do my duty to all of you equally and have at least one child from you each, so that none of you fill injustice. But all those room are empty. My chamber echoes from emptiness. Queens get dispose for not having a child but I thought it will be fine for me. But after looking at you all today, caring about the damn ceremony more than your wife's reputation, I realise I was wrong."

I turn to matashree Kunti. "You tell your sons, matashree. After the curse your husband got, why did you pray to Gods to have your sons? It was because you knew that without having a child, your life as a queen is over. You might even be killed by the new queen."