As Karna - Out of my depth

twelve

Chapter 13: Twelve

Chapter Text

Time flies like wind. The past seven years, my mandatory service in the army has flown in what felt like a blink of eye. I still remember the Princes leaving for education as if it was just yesterday not years ago. These seven years have been good to me and my family. I have finished training my brothers in war arts, medicine, architecture and music. They have also become proficient in carpentry and cooking by assisting my father and mother in chariot making and household duties. At just the ages of 20 and 22,they have finished their training with the exception of higher celestial weaponry. Even now they are near Atirathis in their strength after learning the higher celestial astras, they are surely going to be near Maharathi class warriors. As I discussed my plans with my parents, they accepted my decision to quit the army on the condition that I will marry before we look for a place outside Hastinapur.

The idea of marriage never entered my mind till now and I don't even have any friend named Vrushali like in many fictional stories I read about Karna. It appears I have become so single minded on my family, power and the army that I have neglected my surroundings and my parents plans for my future. My parents have always been my well-wishers and I know they will find a suitable bride for me, so I accepted without any hesistance.

I met with Mahaamahim Bheeshma, the Commander of the Kuru army and my immediate superior that I would like to leave the army as I have completed my mandatory service and have assured him that I have no plans of joining any other army for the period of next two years as per the general agreement at the time of joining. The Esteemed Elder of the Kurus accepted my resignation and said that he was sad to see a talent like mine go.

I thanked him for providing a chance to me early and for allowing me to work with the army all these years and for being a mentor to me during my service. I told him the I am planning to become a healer, as vaidhyas are well respected and they save lives. He congratulated me and wished me the best and said that it is indeed a noble profession as saving a life is much harder than taking it.

After taking my leave from the Commander's presence, I went home and shared the news with my parents. I spoke of opening a clinic, vaidhyashala, near my father's shop so that I and my brothers can work as healers and also assist my father in the shop. They heartily accepted, but they reminded me of my promise to marry after quitting the army and I said I have no objections. It seems my parents had been planning my marriage from a long time and have already selected a suitable bride and spoken with the family, as my father was a childhood friend of the lady's father. The bride's father, sudhama was a weapon smith who also had a shop near my father's shop and his son Satyasen works in the army as a charioteer for the Royal Family. The bride, Padmavati, named for lotus like eyes my parents said, was known to very beautiful and wise and was said to be expert charioteer, learned with her brother, who won many races in childhood. These days, she spends helping her father in the shop and assisting her mother and sister in law with household chores.

The marriage was not a huge fanfare and was performed in the community with only our neighbors attending. It seems I am well liked in the neighborhood because my father in law accepted the proposal immediately. Padmavati has admitted to me after the marriage that she has known me since the trial of my brother and admired me for standing up for the family and hoped for a husband like me. That is why her father has accepted the proposal immediately even after knowing I left the army and a high paying position. She said the she used to call me Vrisha in her mind because I stood for the truth and she hoped to be the aali(wife) of the Vrisha. It was as if a hammer struck my head with those words Vrisha's wife meaning Vrisha's aali meaning Vrishali. My Vrishali, I have my Vrishali just as Karna had his Vrishali. I don't care if she is the Vrishali of the epic, she is the Vrishali of my heart forever. I then informed her of my thoughts and fears during that trial and spoke about how terrified I was, of failing my brother failing my parents,of dying with my brother and leaving my grief for two sons. She listened to everything calmly and then she hugged me and comforted me saying that I didn't fail, that even terrified, I stood up for my family and that makes it even more admirable. I didn't know what good deeds I did in all my lives to get such a beautiful and understanding woman as my wife and said as much to her, but she denied saying she is the blessed one for getting a kind and good husband like me. One look at those beautiful eyes let me know that I am never going to win any argument with her.

My life was a smooth sailing boat for my family after my marriage. My parents accepted my wife as their daughter and my brothers treat my wife as their second mother, My wife has mixed with my family so seamlessly that it was as if she was part of our family for our whole life and we just realized we were missing her without knowing all this time. Gods have blessed me and my wife with twin sons just an year into our marriage and we named them Aadhisena and Chitrasena for both of our father's. I became a father now and I am just 26,according to the standards of this world I am still in my youngster stage. My mother, Radha was a proud grandmother and she is all but jumping in joy and was gushing about her beautiful grandchildren to any body who listens. My brothers left no ear in our community with out filling it with their talk of their adorable nephews. I thanked my wife for giving me the precious gift of fatherhood. Her tired face after delivering our children was one of the most beautiful things I ever saw in this life and I am saying this after laying my eyes on literally Gods. In the moment, I could see the beauty of Maatha Paarvati in the love my wife had for our children. I could see the glow of motherhood in her eyes rival hundred thousand suns in radiance. When I named our children, I could see her love for me grow even more. 

Next two years passed swiftly for my family between taking care of children and working as healers and helping in our father's shop. My parents started looking for matches for my brother Sangramjeet, who became famous as a good healer. Meanwhile, the rumors also spread about how the Yadavas under Sri Krishna fled from the armies of Jaraasandha, abandoning Mathura and building a new city rivaling the heavens in beauty.