Aaghnya - The Sister of the Pandavas.

What is dharma?

"I bet my younger brother, Vikarn." Duryodhana announced proudly, a smirk playing on his lips. Yudhishtira's heart stopped. He turned his head and faced his brothers, who looked as shocked as him. 

"Mitr, what are you doing?" Karna asked, he was told that this was just a little game with the Pandavas to make them like him. Duryodhana just indicated Karna to watch. "This isn't right mitr!" The Pandavas looked at Karna with a hint of surprise and thankfulness in their eyes.

"Mitr, you are not playing, I am." Duryodhana replied, and Karna sighed, he can't do anything right now.

No. I-I can't do this. L-leave the game when I need to, oh, I should have promised her that! Then I could have left, I would have had a reason to. No. I won't do this, I can't do this. Yudhisthira paused, remembering something. 

"May I ride with you, jyesht?" Agni asked him, standing outside the carriage that was supposed to take them to Hastinapur.

Yudhisthira smiled, "Me? Have you talked to Draupadi and the twins?" Agni nodded, she usually rode with the twins, so Yudhisthira was surprised, but happy that his sister wanted to ride with him. (I'll add this scene in the actual story with more dept.)

"Then sure, Agni." she smiled, content. Throughout half the ride, Agni was deep in thought. If this had happened a few years ago, Yudhisthira would have been very shocked, but nowadays, it was usual. She looked up at him, then pointed towards his shadow, which was now visible outside the chariot.

Yudhisthira looked at his shadow, "Do you see it, jyesht?" she asked, and he nodded. "It's part of you, but it isn't at the same time." she smiled, "It's one of the many things that cannot be given away, though it's ours, and not ours at the same time."  

Yudhisthira had smiled at his sister's words, nothing understanding the deeper meaning behind it yet. His eyes widened as he grasped the inner meaning behind the words. She wasn't talking about shadows, she was talking about them. 

He looked a Duryodhana, and placed the die down with a thud. Sahadeva let out a sigh of relief, almost leaning onto Nakula. Agni had no reason to worry now. Bhishma and Vidura also looked at each-other happily. Yudhisthira was going to end the game. They had no reason to worry. 

"Please, forgive me, I cannot stake my brothers as bonds are one of the many things that cannot be staked away. My brother's are mine, and I am theirs, but they are not mine, and I am not theirs at the same time. We are all our own person." Duryodhana's smiled dropped. No, this wasn't supposed to happen.

***

My gosh, sakhi, you're turning into me! 

What?

The shadows talk. Hidden meaning behind words. Wow, I'm proud.

Agni's eyes widended, It worked? H-he stopped the game?

Haan. He stopped it. Let's hope that Shakuni won't change his mind.

Shakuni mama? That rat-

***

Shakuni clapped his hand slowly, standing up from his seat. "Samrat, I have a question for your brothers." he looked that the younger Pandava brothers. "Does a parent have rights over you?" they looked at each other, then slowly nodded. "If you consider someone your parent, or you place them in the place of a parent, then don't they have rights over you." Sahadeva gasped, he knew where they were going. He looked at his brothers, they knew where Shakuni was going with this. "Answer me, Rajkumaro." they sadly nodded a yes. Arjuna looked at Bhishma, who was holding his temples. "After your father died, whom did you put in the place of your father." Yudhisthira looked at his brothers, blinking away his tears. "Rajkumar Nakul, why don't you answer?" 

"Jyesht." he mumbled,

"I couldn't hear you, could you repeat it?" Shakuni asked with a smile.

"J-jyesht." he repeated, a little louder this time.

"Aah. So that means, your jyesht has adhikaar over you, right?"

***

Shakuni mama! Ende Narayana.

Yes?

Agni rolled her eyes, should I go again? They haven't come back yet. T-that means.. 

Agni got up, dusting her clothes. "Putri, where are you going?" Kunti asked her, Agni mentally sighed.

"Bathroom..?" she replied, as Kunti looked at  her worried. Agni heard Krishna laughing at her inside her head. She smiled embarrassed, then quickly went away.

"Putri! Wrong way again!" Gandhari yelled out, again.

***

"Move." she told the guards, who looked away, not meeting her eyes. "MOVE."

"Please forgive us, rajkumari, we have orders to not let you in."

"You. Are. Going. To. MOVE." she yelled, trying to keep her cool. She hated being rude to the servants. "Please," she quickly added. They looked away from her, sad to not follow her instructions. Agni was very close to everyone in the palace when she was younger, and they all loved her like their daughter, or sister, so it was heard to keep her away. She looked at them sympathetically. "Look. I didn't enter last time, and I won't enter this time either. You will be keeping your word. You know what's going on in there is adharma, right? Please. Let me at least try to help." The guards looked at each-other, then nodded, moving away. "Thank you, ji.'

Yudhisthira had sat back down by the time Agni had gotten there, and was about to stake Nakul.

"JYESHT!" she yelled, as everyone stared at her. Before Duryodhana could oppose her, she looked at him straight in the eye, which shut him up. "I had told you this before too. Not following YOUR  dharma for the right reason is better than following your dharma for the wrong reason!" Yudhisthira looked away, Agni was about to say something, but stopped herself. No matter what, she wasn't going to embarrass her brother in front of so many people, but her anger was still palpable. "Dharma. Do you know what dharma is? Dharma is righteousness. There isn't a rule book for dharma, deep inside, you yourself know what true dharma is." Her words seemed to have slightly affected Yudhisthira. Slightly.

"And how would you know what dharma is, Rajkumari Aaghnya?" Shakuni asked, rubbing his hands against each other, "Samrat, rajkumari is young. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Are you really going to let her educate you, dharmaraj, on what dharma is?" 

"So what if I'm wrong?" she asks him, "Even Narayan had done bad deeds for good reasons, and accepted punishment for it! Like in his Rama avatar, he had killed Bali while hiding, and then in his Krish-" she paused, mentally slapping herself, as everyone's eyes grew wide, "A-and he would definitely accept the punishment in his next avatar. Jyeshta, please, do the right thing." she said, quickly walking away.

Arree, Agni! 

Don't act like people already don't know that you're divine.

"It's your choice, samrat. Either choose to follow your dharma, or leave it after all these years."

***

Wowie! A not-short chapter after such a long time! Wowww.