God of War

Danger everywhere

Anga Palace

The entire Anga royal family, including Adhirath and Radha, were gathered in a common room, a space usually reserved for their post-schedule gatherings. Today, however, they were drained both physically and emotionally. Susshasshan personally administered the herbs prescribed by the doctor to his son and wife, his eyes filled with tears as he saw their wounds and heard of Hidimba's near-sacrifice. Bhanumati brought warm water infused with soothing herbs and suggested to Hidimba, "Sister, soak your feet in this warm water. It will ease your pain and help you relax."

Hidimba responded, "Please don't be so distressed. I'm alright."

Subhadra added, "Alright? You and Putra Ghatotkach nearly died, jiji. I was terrified."

Radha said, "My daughter, try to set aside those painful memories. What happened was unfortunate, but by God's grace, everything is now fine. Everyone is safe."

Dhritarashtra agreed, "Adhirath is right. We have the almighty's blessings, which is why we have overcome these obstacles. Now, we need to relax."

Gandhari reminded them, "From tomorrow, we need to focus on strategies and planning to protect everyone."

Krishna noted, "We also need to devise a plan to free the prisoners from Danavlop. But for now, let's enjoy this moment of peace."

Amidst the conversation, Susshala sat alone, her joy in her family's safety overshadowed by worry for Aswatthama. She didn't want to dampen the mood, so she quietly wiped her tears. Her brothers noticed her distress, and to lighten the atmosphere, Vikarna reminisced, "Do you remember when we were children and we had a mango tree in our garden at Hastinapur? Susshala always wanted the mangoes from that tree."

Yuyutsu, 'But that mad elephant Bheema never let us take the mangoes.'

Susshashan chimed in, "Yes, he'd climb the tree and take all the mangoes. Whenever we tried to climb, he'd shake the tree, causing us to fall."

Suyodhana recalled, "I remember. Once, Susshala was ill and would only eat those mangoes, but Bheem refused to give us any, claiming the tree was planted by his father and the mangoes were only for them."

Gandhari and Dhritarashtra flinched at the memory of their sons' suffering. Vikarna then shared, "But Karna's way of dealing with Bheema was quite amusing."

Suyodhana asked, "Karna dealt with him? I had tried to confront Bheema but was sent away by the elders."

Curious, Adhirath and Radha listened as Vikarna explained, "No one knows the exact details, but one day, Karna spoke to Bheema after seeing Susshala. Bheema insulted him, but Karna told him and no one has ultimate right to nature. By doing this he is insulting the nature goddess and only nature will show him his true nature. Saying that he left  and the next day, he brought mangoes for Susshala."

Adhirath was surprised, "I didn't know those devputras were so petty. Was it the same tree that was rumored to be haunted?"

Vikarna responded, "Interestingly, Karna managed to get mangoes despite the tree's heavy guard. He even mentioned that if someone could not share, they had no right to nature's gifts."

Susshasshan added, "I remember that whenever Bheem or any of the Pandavas tried to climb the tree, they would start screaming about being seen naked in public."

Krishna and Balram laughed, with Krishna saying, "Indeed, from that day, whenever they climbed the tree, they saw themselves without clothes. No one wants to be seen naked, so they stopped going near the tree and even claimed it was haunted."

Everyone laughed heartily. Gandhari then inquired, "But how did Karna manage that? He always seemed to have a solution to our problems."

Radha wondered, "Then why isn't he here in this dire situation? He must know what's happening. Why has he not come?"