Sootputra: The Unsung Hero

A New King

Suffocation gripped me as I tried to find a bubble of air in this thick dense liquid surrounding me. My armor came on, glowing, and boiled the surrounding water. The hot river evaporated in a burst of steam in front of me. It wasn't hot; it felt nothing. The heavy mud trapped me like always. Struggling, I glanced upon her misty visage. On the banks, they were behind the woman in my dreams. All 5 brothers and their Mother. In front of them was the lady who now had the empty basket in her hand. But before she could place it in water like she usually does, it caught fire. The smoky woman unaffected by the flames was cushioning it like cotton. The rest of the brother and their mother started burning. The horror was enough to send a man to his last breath.

Sweating all around, I was now looking at a familiar ceiling. It was my room in Anga; the moonlit it like paint on a canvas. The cool breeze shuddered the curtains. But it wasn't enough to cool off my body. Half of my bed was a mess now. I would not get some sleep today.

It was maybe one selfish reason that I wanted Ma to be at Anga with me. Her lap and lullaby maybe wasn't enough to bring me to sleep, but it sure had enough strength to calm me down. I miss her. I trusted Duryodhan, but I don't trust Drona. Death of his finest students can make him do the worst things. One filled with hatred and revenge that he can't exact on the kaurav princes, but he can exact them on the parents of a soot. No one will even blink an eye. Not against a Raj Guru. It was a relief that Ashwathama was keeping an eye. He has to be. Or I will make sure he loses a father too.

From a distant capital still looked like the old city I was all too familiar with by now. But as I got closer The view changed. The palace that I called home had a complete makeover in my absence. Especially the gardens, which now had more flowers and fresh green grass. Shon was cheerful and excited enough to take me to a tour of all the places they have renovated in my month of leave. He told me that Vrushali herself had worked hard on the gardens that were now full of fragrance from flowers like lotus, rose, lily, jasmine, and her favorite sunflowers. The palace now had an unfamiliar bath area that it previously lacked. They refurbished the walls and termite-infested doors that were crumbling before with new marbles and wood. Especially the doors of my room, made from sandalwood similar to the throne room, filled the air with their strong fragrance. Anga seemed to be the major producer of the wood. Especially its forests which were dense as Khandavprasth. Not that big, but an area that grows a major supply of Sandalwood. The throne area has also seen a little recent addition in the form of a new throne filled with rubies and emeralds. Though small the palace was now looking like it belonged to an Emperor.

"I knew that you would not approve of the gold spending therefore we asked prince Duryodhan to call you away for some time.

He was also generous enough to provide the money for it all. We spent not a single coin from Anga treasury. In fact, I believe some of that gold is still in Anga's Treasury." Shon said.

"Do..Do... you like it?" Vrushali was here too.

After all this time the tension between us had suspended a little,, but it was still there. She was hesitantly fidgeting her fingers behind her back. Hesitant around a friend. Though I was glad she was taking the initiative in closing the gap. But this time she was in for a shock.

"General!! Did you approve it?" I asked him.

"It was... It was prince Duryodhans orders, sire.

I couldn't refuse." He said.

"His orders?