There is a thin line between DESIRE and REALITY.
Reality is thorny, hard, cruel, something which a person wish to run away from and that's when a person's inner demons comes out in a way of desire, desire to get those things which a person can only...
"I see, you can go. I will tell the princes about your absence.......but only for one week"
"thank you, Mahamahim ji" Karna said bowing down before walking outside the palace. It is not like he hates Bhisma but still in his eyes, Bhisma's vow has only cause harm. The selfless vow shows the respect he held for his father yet this vow has only cause pain to people like Kashi eldest princess Rajkumari Amba, Maharani Gandhari, his Gurudev too even. His obstinate of making Hastinapur powerful and seeing Kuruvansh in secure hands only made the thin thread of bond inside the palace, weak.
"I should leave now so that I can reach before dusk"
Karna, left Hastinapur after meeting his parents one more time as he ride his horse, still occasionally giving break to the horse and himself before continuing the journey again.
AT SINDHU RAJYA
"Sindhu is quite beautiful place but I can't have myself running out of time cause of exploring this place. Where will I find the best person to ask about vrushali? I don't even know where she is" Karna mutter to himself as he roam around the market until his eyes caught a board above the small hut.
"keep information about everything"
Karna observe the board for a while before walking inside as he took a notice of the place from inside. It is a small decorated hut with different kinds of small painting hanging from the ceiling and there is a small desk in front of him but the sit opposite of him is empty.
"is he even trustful? Where is the person who-"
"are you finding me?"
Karna came out of his thoughts by a voice as a middle aged man came to sit on the empty sit before observing karna for a moment as he hummed to his own thought while looking through the papers in front of him.
"what kind of information do you want?"
"about a person"
"and? Who is that person?"
"a girl. Vrushali, a small trader's daughter who usually come from Hastinapur to here"
"Vrushali?............Are you talking about Sindhu Naresh's passed away wife? The deceased Maharani of Sindhu?"
"de......deceased? Maharani? I think you have mistaken a bit-"
"calm down, you are talking about Azad's daughter, right? The person who came two years ago in winter with his daughter?"
"yes - yes-"
"then I am right. Maharani Vrushali was Sindhu Naresh's wife"
Karna felt his whole world spinning as his mind try to grasp the information. Vrushali was Sindhu Naresh's wife........and what do you mean by 'was'?.........No, it can't be. There must be some kind of mistake.
Karna mutter a thanks to the person before he walk towards the palace as he jump on the nearest tree of the palace, getting a direct view of palace from inside by the open windows and balcony. Not all palace windows are open but still some of them are as Karna look around while hiding on the tree before tying cloth around his face so that no one will see his face as he jump inside the window directly.
He cautiously look around, trying to find the Maharani's room as he has an idea of how it looks due to Magadh and Hastinapur palace. After much of hiding and running from this corridor to that corridor, karna find the door of maharani's room as he push the door lightly and to his luck, it is open. Checking once again, karna enter the room before closing the door without noise as he push past the dusts and spider webs before he got a proper view of the room.
The furnitures are covered in white clothes and jhoomer at the ceiling has too much of spider webs, the room has a big window and right in front of the window is a big tree..........
"huh?" Karna notices a large red cloth covering something on the wall as he pulled the cloth while shaking the dust until his eyes widen by the view in front of him.
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It is a big painting, covered in little bit of dust but but still Karna could feel some kind of familiarity by the dark beauty which only get enhanced by the smile. For a while he observe the painting until he notice something that there is a diya and some dry flowers near the painting which seems like lavender, symbol of peace.........vrushali's favourite flower....wait- vrushali's favourite flower? Then it means.
"a painting of a women........inside Vrushali's room" ...................Oh! It is Vrushali's painting. This painting is of Maharani of Sindhu.
Karna felt his eyes sting as he brought his trembling hand forward to touch the painting. She looks just same..........as their childhood. The same happy smile, the same bright eyes that can take karna's attention anytime. She looks happy...........and beautiful. He still remember the time when the kids around them tease vrushali in childhood about her skin colour but vrushali always retorted back with confidence.
"so what? I am unique...........and see, I will be so much beautiful in future that you will regret teasing me"
She truly stand on her words. She has still same flawless, beautiful face, her skin is dark but still lighter than Dwarkadheesh though they both are very beautiful.......................now, from where did this Dwarkadheesh came from?......let's forget about it.
"how did it happened?" Karna grit out as he jump from the window after again covering the painting, not wanting to hurt her husband who must have been visiting her since the door of her room is open.
----------------------------------------------
"why is........just why is it happening to me only? First shon and now vrushali"
Karna mutter to himself as he stumble across the woods while questioning himself. It is normal to feel to hurt as she was his childhood best friend but what is this unknown broken feeling inside him? Something is shattering inside him by the reminding fact that she was married and it was not karna who married her. And he feels guilty for having these feelings as he kept walking until suddenly rain started but it did not stopped karna. He kept walking until he saw a small hut making him immediately go towards the alone open hut, only to grasp hut's door to save himself from falling down by the scene in front of him. There are no words to describe his feeling as he walk forward, inside the hut with trembling steps while muttering to himself.
