The Tumble Through Time

52.Execution

"Please call the groom. The muhurt is passing by and if not within thirty minutes, then this marriage will have to be stalled for weeks."- the Rajpanditji was getting restless.

Hearing this a panic spread among families of both sides.
A few more of Shantanu's family ran to the groom's chambers.

There were hushed conversations among the guests.

In the society, the fate of a marriage was decided by the smoothness of the procedures, and a delay by the bride or the groom was considered inauspicious.

Soon, a few of Shantanu's relatives came running back into the mandap and whispered something into Saanvi's would be in-laws' ears.

Everybody was watching them hawk-eyed.

Shantanu's parents appeared horrified at the news and soon scrambled back to the palace, probably to Shantanu's chambers.

'Did something happen to Shantanu?'- Saanvi thought.

A moment later, Shantanu's parents returned with a paper in their hands.

Shantanu's father spoke- "I apologize to the King of Hastinapur, Maharaj Dhritrashtra; Bheeshma Pitamaha; Maharani Kunti and Gandhari. It saddens me to inform you that we will be taking only one bride with us tonight- Putri Dushala."

Everybody was horrified at the news. The hushed conversations were now out and loud.

"What do you mean by this King of Kanchi? Explain yourself!"- Pitamaha ordered.

"I am ashamed to tell you that my son, Shantanu is not present in his chambers. He fled from this marriage and has left a note on his behalf for Sa..Saanvi putri."

The king of Kanchi, my to be Father-in-law, handed Saanvi the letter.

"Read that aloud putri Saanvi!"- Pitamaha ordered again.

Saanvi opened the letter and began reading-

"Priye,

I know I promised you marriage to seal the love we had, but I am obliged to tell you that what we had was not love. It was a mere attraction on my part. And this I reasiled only when I met my true love.
Yes dear, I met a girl a few days ago. She has shown me what love really means. I want to spend my life with her.
I am sorry for hurting you this way.

Yours,
Shantanu."

An eerie silence spread in the mandap.

Saanvi was confused.
'Shantanu bailed on me? But only yesterday he came to talk to me and confessed his love and promised me the world! This letter and his actions do not match at all.'- thought Saanvi.

"The groom does not want to marry the girl. This means only one thing. This girl is inauspicious."- Said someone from the crowd of guests.

"Yes! This girl is a bad omen. Being left on the verge of marriage! Shame!
Now no one will marry this girl."- Said another.

"Quiet!"- Roared Pitamaha.

Kunti Maa was distraught. Tears escaped her eyes.
Saanvi was very confused at all the happenings.
Usually she was the one to run away from a marriage but today the opposite happened.
Though she wasn't much upset but seeing Kunti maa crying and pitamaha angry, she felt bad.

'So this is how Brijesh and his family suffered after my little stunt back in my era!'- Saanvi murmured.

"You may shout all you want Mahamahim Bheeshma. But that will not change the truth. This girl is now impure."- Said another guest.

A heated discussion soon echoed throughout the mandap to decide whether I was pure or not and of someone will marry me or not and even if somebody marries me, what will that man's future be?

Clad in a wedding lehenga, sitting in front of the hawan-kund, eyes lowered, face shadowed by the veil was sitting Saanvi, silently bearing all the humiliation being thrown up on her.

"It is the society's vote that it is a god's sign that this girl is inauspicious and nobody among us will marry this girl as whomever she marries will have bad omens upon him."- declared the congregate of the kings present.

"It is all bullshit. It was the groom's fault that he left. There is no need to shame the girl here.
The groom here is shameless and inauspicious. Today he ran away from this girl, tomorrow he will leave your girls at the mandap. Will you still blame your daughters then also? It is a God's sign that this man was a bad omen and the God himself saved Saanvi."- came a roaring voice of none other than Saanvi's love of the life- Karna.

"And being the eldest heir to the throne of Hastinapur Kingdom and thus your future King, I assure you that Saanvi is not a bad omen by marrying her right here, if and only if, She accepts me as her husband with her own free will and not due to any other pressure."- Karna roared once again.

Karna looked at Saanvi.
Saanvi looked at him.
They kept staring at each other for a while.
The rest of the pandavas smiled.

Karna walked up to Saanvi.
"Will you marry me?"- he asked her.

"Why are you doing this Karna? I am a bad omen. I do not want to ruin your life."- Saanvi replied.

"No! You have got it all wrong. Didn't Yudhisthir tell you we had a plan?"- Karna asked.

"What? This was all a plan?"- Saanvi whispered astonished.

"Obviously! I will explain it all later. But answer my question now. Will you marry me?"- Karna asked again.

"Yes!"- Saanvi replied.

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