Her eyes, brown like the mud she fell on, shed tears.
Her hair, soft like a silk sari draped around her, laid on her shoulder even though they were ruffled.
Her breath, like the winds in a monsoon, stops.
Maybe Div wasn't meant to be taken to Dwapar...
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(All the characters mentioned in Kosala are fictional and purely from my imagination.)
In Dwapar Yug
<Kosala>
Whether they liked it or not, this was their home.
The one in which they'd run around all day, the hallways seeming to never end. The one with the big rooms where Divya's mom told the two mythical tales. Where they'd play in the swings, and plant new saplings. Where they'd giggled until their stomachs hurt. The one where they'd learnt all the combat they knew. The one where they learnt to be wary of everyone. Where they learnt to talk, behave and manage. The one where they lost Divya's parents.
The one where they grew from innocent children to never-trusting adults.
"It's exactly the same," Aaditya spoke, eyeing the palace with glee as the lot walked in. Divya, right beside him, nodded. Her eyes ran over the long garden, where they grew up, devoid of all the swings.
"We are in Lucknow, then." She concluded, seeing the Kosala's royal family approaching. They stood to welcome them, looking as regal as the family of Hastinapur, though this family wasn't as large. There was an old woman, a motherly aura radiating from her—the same Div and Aadi had gotten from Gandhari. She was dressed in jwellery from head to toe, her hands holding a veneration thali. Beside her was the king. He was old, maybe even older than her, and he was most definitely her husband, Divya thought. He wore a crown, jewels carved in it more so than any other crown there.
The two approached the group first, and Krishna walked ahead to them, leaving the rest four behind. The two Kauravas exchanged looks while the two Kaliyugis eyed the palace in nostalgia. The descendants of Shri Ram, this family, were homely and felt close to the heart.
Krishna touched their feet for their blessings, bowing down with a smile. The couple laughed at something he said, their blessings always with him. They seemed acquainted, giving Div and Aadi no reason to suspect them.
"Come on, you four, let us welcome you to Kosala." The woman smiled as she gestured to the thali with her eyes. The four reluctantly walked towards them, having a small smile as to not seem rude. Aaditya, unsure of how to greet the monarchical couple, joined his hands and bowed. Div nudged him once she saw the amused looks of the other young royals.
Behind the couple were six more people. A lot of new faces, which Divya believed she could remember the names of. I mean, she learnt the names of almost all the Kauravas in a few days, what was this in front of that?
The welcoming ritual wasn't as long as the two thought it would be, actually it got over pretty quickly. The whole crowd was heading inside to their respective chambers, and they were to assemble again in the common room, again.
"Why'd we leave Angraj?" Aaditya asked as he paced beside Duryodhan.
"He can still win the swayamvar. We are out of it, so we came." He replied, resting his arm on Dusshasan's shoulder as they walked.
