The Man Behind The Beauty- Nakul (The Mahabharata Retold)

Part 2

Uttmajaus is, for some reason, pleased to see him.

"I remember you," his brother in law puts a hand on his shoulders, and turns towards his sister. "During the war, he fought with me for a bit, Krishnaa."

Draupadi smiles, and it lights up her eyes. Brushing away the curls from her face, she asks, "Who won, Bhrata?"

"He did," Uttmajaus says, far too excited for someone recounting his own defeat. "But when he striked the horses, he looked like he'd committed some unforgivable crime."

Nakul looks away, embarrassed at the memory, and guilty at the deed still.

Before he can speak, Drishtadyumna and Krishna come and whisk Draupadi away. And it is only when the smell of the blue lotuses is gone that Uttmajaus turns his attention back to him.

"You're a fine warrior, son of Madri. But you hesitate to take lives."

"Good thing I do," he thinks, but holds his tongue. "Or we'd not be having this conversation now, for you'd be dead."

***********

"Write a letter to Mamashree Shalya, informing him you're alive," Jyesth advises them the night before they leave for Hastinapur. "We must have given him quite a fright."

"I am sure he knows by now though," Sahadev says. "The word has spread."

"Yes, but it'd be polite, isn't it?" Jyesth asks, and Nakul doesn't have the desire to argue. He's right, they should inform him.

"I'll send the message right away," he says, and walks away to his chambers.

The letter he sends to Madra has no information of when they'll come to Madra for the second time, only apologies for not telling Uncle Shalya of their whereabouts for two entire years.

************

When they return to Hastinapur, they are met with shocked glances. Nevertheless, the elders welcome them, some relieved to see them alive, others pretending to be glad.

Of course, Tatshree Dhritarashtra is hesitant to give Jyesth his position as Yuvaraj back. It's not helped by the fact that Duryodhan keeps raging about the Pandavas having abandoned their duty by not returning to Hastinapur after the incident at Varnarvart.

Nakul has half a mind to strangle him, but he resists the temptation.

As compromise, Tatshree gives them the land of Khandav Prastha to rule, allowing them to take the subjects that wish to leave.

Why would anyone want to live in a land as barren as Khandavprastha anyway?

***********

Nakul doesn't know what to make of Vasudev Krishna, with his jovial, nature and his deep wisdom. He also most certainly didn't appreciate the man creeping up on him from behind, silent as a cat.

And then there was an aura of transcendental calmth and undeniable power around him that left him both strangely peaceful and somewhat uncomfortable.

He was divinely favored all right, his mother's stories made it abundantly clear. But it made the hair on his arm stand on its end. That was jarring, to say the least.

But his brothers had taken a liking to him, especially Bhrata Arjun who bordered on downright devotion at times. So, Nakul had done the same. It wasn't hard, he had the Yadava charm in an uncommon degree, and anyone who his family loved, he would too.

No one said love and unease were mutually exclusive.

Yet, it is only when Vasudev declares his willingness to stay with them while they rebuild Khandav Prastha from scratch that he starts to truly respect him, although he still doesn't quite feel comfortable around him.