𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒌𝒉𝒂, a young cheerful girl from Kaliyug, is reborn as the sister of the Pandavas after she dies. She was the apple of their eyes, their soul, their peace.
She was Yudishthir's mind.
She was Bheem's strength.
She was Arjun's eyes.
She...
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Day 3
Dawn
Kauravas' Camp
Kurukshetra
The morning was here, with the sun's glare and the singing of the birds. Soldiers sharpened their weapons, humming the melody of war. The Maharathis were scattered about in camp and maids attended to them with fruits and drinks, preparing them for the day.
A calm start to a day of bloodshed.
Shakuni sat beside his nephew. The man, lying unconscious on the bed, was found on the outskirts of the Kauravas' Camp.
"Mamshree, has Bhrata Duryodhan woken up,yet?" Dussashan entered the tent with a jug of water in his hands. Shakuni sighed, glancing at the eldest Kaurava in dismay.
"You need not call him 'Jyestha', anymore." The words stabbed Dussashan right where Shakuni intended them to, his heart. He slightly winced, placing the jug of water on the table beside the mattress.
"He's still my brother, Mamashree." He sat down on the mattress, avoiding his uncle's sharp eyes which threw daggers at him.
A moment spent in silence was enough for Dussashan to realise that Shakuni was, yet again, plotting something. But their thoughts were interrupted by Duryodhan's groans.
"Jyeshta?"
"Mere bacche? Bacche Duryodhan, utho?"
(My child? Child Duryodhan, wake up?)
Duryodhan's eyes remained closed as he shifted around in the bed.
"Woman, you shall answer to my mace, if not me!" He mumbled, then woke up with a jolt.
"Oh, Narayan!"
"Mere bacche! What happened?!" Shakuni tried to calm him down. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Bacche, you're married. Don't dream about other women. God knows what your wife,Bhanumati, will do to me once she hears about this. She's already after me about the Dyut Sabha incident." He panicked as he paced around the room, sometimes mumbling to himself and sometimes to Duryodhan. Dussashan looked at the scene dumbfounded.
"Mamashree, stop, will you? I wasn't dreaming about some woman. Indu, darn that wretched woman, she did this to me. She sent me somewhere, someplace weird and freakishly small and ugly. I think it was Kaliyug. Narayan, how awful that was!" Duryodhan grimaced, grabbed the jug of water and started to drink it. He smiled, slightly.
"The water's slightly sweet; just how I like it. You brought this, Mamashree? You remembered to add sugar this time?"
Shakuni stopped, eyed Dussashan and rolled his eyes. He, then, continued pacing around the room and wondering what Indulekha had done to Duryodhan.
"I brought it." Dussashan waved, a habit he'd picked up from Indu. Duryodhan looked at him on the bed. He'd ignored him for the time, acting as if his presence on the bed wasn't comforting for him. He, in an instant, placed the jug down.
"It's not good." Duryodhan rolled his eyes, still licking the remaining droplets of the water from his lips
"Doesn't matter. That Kaliyugi woman can come to the past and sure as hell send us to the future as well. We need to be safe from her. Make sure none of our important personnel go near her during the war, we can't risk their misplacement in time." The eldest Karuava nodded as he saw the gears turn in his Mamashree's head.
"We must eliminate that woman, without letting her hurt us. We need to turn her loved ones against her." Shakuni mumbled, stroking his beard.
"Time for another treacherous act! Yay!" Duryodhan rolled his eyes sarcastically, taking hold of the jug again, once Dussashan left.
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In the Pandavas' Camp, a shroud of soberness enclosed the area. The tents were full and cramped up, the women rescued took shelter under the rising sun and slept in the dirt. The place reeked of dirt and unwashed bodies, but the Pandavas rather focused on feeding the crowd with breakfast. Though the women were conflicted between feeling exhaustion and gratitude, the children giggled around with others and played the tune of innocence. The cry of a baby resonated through the camp, lighting up a smile in the faces of some and striking tears for others.
"Hush, Chirayu. You're Mata's close. We'll search for here. But don't worry, she's right here." Indu hugged the little baby in her arms, swaying outside the camps as the women stared at her in awe. The children danced around her, trying their best to entertain the baby in her arms.
"Chirayu?" A woman called out. In an instance, Indu turned around, hoping the voice to be of Jyoti's.
Instead, she met with an unfamiliar woman, her hair greying at the top and strands of white going through it. She wore a dull sari, something similar to what the other women wore.
"Maharani, Chirayu's cries are understandable. He longs for his mother." She spoke, her eyes glistening with tears. She looked around at the other women who sat down on the soil, leaning on the tents for support. Indu's eyes immediately went to them as well, seeing sorrow and guilt etched over their faces.
"Jyoti was a brave woman. She had revolted against the system which the wretched Kuru family had applied. She got," The woman's breath hitched. "She got beaten to death."
The cries grew louder.
But this time, Indu and Chirayu's wails got mixed as the sound created a harmony of misery. Arjun rushed to her side, seeing her steps falter. He stroked her arms, each touch reminding Indu of Jyoti's love for her little one.
"I should've done this earlier. I could've, I could've saved her, Bhrata, I would've." Her voice grew rougher by the moment, tears restricting her from getting words out of her mouth.
"No, no. It's not your fault, Indu-"
The baby she held threw its tiny arms around her neck, trying his best to replicate a hug. Indu took a few breaths in, her breathing still uneven from crying. She drew Chirayu closer, planting a kiss on his forehead. An unspoken bond formed, urging her to not dwell on the matter of Jyoti, at least in front of the baby.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring." Indu's voice faded out as Chirayu grew comfortable in her arms.
"Go to sleep, little one, It's just you and me now."
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Now, I won't be updating for a few weeks. Bear with me :)
But stay on your toes and get prepared for the next few chapters, because Shakuni Mama's mind is conspiring again.
Bye!
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