Arjunsangini - An Ardi Novel

The Exceptional Archer and the Divine Beauty

"Take this scroll to Jiji and make sure she reads it this time!" Drishtdyumna said to his assistant. There was a feast next month in the Kampilya palace and the prince had earlier sent a message to his elder sister for inviting all the prominent personalities in all of Panchal but Shikhandini busy in her chores had forgotten to read it. Drishtdyumna started to turn away but stopped in his tracks when he heard a familiar sound. The pleasing tinkle of ghungroos. He smiled and made his way to the source of the voice. He knew it was his sister. Not the busy one who forgot to read scrolls sent by him but the one who was in pain of divergence. Besides being the fierce warrior she was also an exceptional dancer. As he got closer he observed the voice seemed to be more strident. The young prince raised his eyebrows in confusion. 

The area was located near the heart of the palace. The floor was tiled with stones of various colours resulting in the image of fire whose flames ascended radially. The area was enclosed within four walls but it wasn't suffocating. The enclosure was packed with white net curtains which were working as back dancers flowing in the breeze that was playing. Some plants were growing on the boundaries and the walls were decorated with artworks. The enclosure was breathtaking but it wasn't what Drishtdyumna was focused on.

In the centre of the flame danced a woman not more than twenty years of age. Her blouse velvet black and crepe looked marvellous with the multilayered red and white long pleated skirt called ghagra she was wearing. Her gold embroidered red angavastram was pleated and tucked in the front and its other end went up to her right shoulder and travelled through her back and was tucked roughly to the left side of her belly giving it a dishevelled look. Her hands were adorned with plain silver bangles. Besides these two the only jewellery she wore was her huge gold earrings and her hair was loosely tied in a bun. She looked breathtaking but Drishtdyumna felt that there was something wrong.

The floor was smudged with some red substance which seemed to flow out of her feet. Drishtdyumna looked closely, some metals beads of the ghungroo had come undone and were lying on the floor and the dancer ignoring them kept moving in circles sometimes stepping on them, the impact infusing blood.

"Drau!" Drishtdyumna shouted running towards her.

There was no music playing but she was so immersed she didn't hear him.

Drishtdyumna had almost reached her when she fell to the ground. He reached out and placed his hand below her head so that it didn't touch the ground. She wasn't fully unconscious yet. Her eyes were half open and her forehead covered with beads of sweat. 

"Drau!" Drishtdyumna whispered, tears flowing down his eyes. Draupadi didn't reply but she mouthed something and her head lolled to the left.

In a swift motion, Drishtdyumna bundled her up and was scurrying towards the ayurlay. She hadn't said it aloud but he knew what she had said. He couldn't see his beloved sister like this, broken. He had to find him, but how?

-:-

A month had passed since the incident and due to Draupadi's request, it was kept between Drishtdyumna and the doctor who healed her. It was time for the feast and thankfully there wasn't a lot of damage done to her feet.

Drishtdyumna thought he looked dashing with his elegant beige dhoti lined with a gold border paired with a net cream angavastram which had gold embroidered patterns on it. Instead of wearing it the general way he had just draped it around his shoulders leaving his torso exposed and his back covered. His wavy black hair was left open and his earrings were just simple bands of gold. To balance that he was wearing a heavy neckpiece made up of gold concentric circles. 

"I am not going to sit next to you today." 

Drishtdyumna turned to see his elder sister smirking. She was wearing a simple light blue dhoti and blouse paired with a dark blue angavastram and minimal gold jewellery and her hair were tied in a braid.