My Version Of Mahabharata

Childhood

Many years later

In Hastinapur, Satyavati was watching in sorrow and guilt as her entire fishing community was leaving Hastinapur on Dhritarashtra's orders. They had been accused of harming and injuring Duryodhan. Dhritarashtra, out of blind love for his son ordered them to be executed, but changed his decision on Satyavati's insistence.

One of the fishermen went upto Satyavati and said,

" The queen mother and maharaj are not questionable by us, but you are my sister, therefore I am asking you this. Many years ago, had you not been rajmatha but a member of our family, would your tears have been sanguine? Just answer me that."

Tears were flowing from his eyes. Satyavati too was weeping. He continued,

" The rivers here are filled with our blood and sweat, even after we die our ashes flow in them. So please tell me, why are we being banished from here Satya! Rajmatha?"

Satyavati eyes were filled with tears as she stuttered,

"I..I am helpless,"

"We know," he said " The whole province in helpless. Today had King Pandu been on the throne, he wouldn't have sided with his sons, in fact his sons wouldn't be like these princes. God only knows, where Pandu is, where are his sons!"

In the forest

"Arjun!" Bheem yelled.

Detecting the sound of his brother's voice, Pandu putr Arjun shot an arrow towards that direction, as it splattered a falling dew drop and hit the tree under which Bheem was standing.

" Arjun!" Bheem yelled again, towards the direction of the arrow.

Arjun smiled and yelled "Sahadev! I have found Bhrata Bheem!"

Sahadev, who was standing on a tree smiled and jumped down. Arjun and Sahadev ran towards the tree where Bheem had been standing. But he was not there.

" Where is Bhrata Bheem?" Sahadev asked Arjun.

Bheem was pushing a boulder  to hide  and eat by himself.

"You should ask this question to Nakul." Arjun said smiling. Then he called "Nakul!"

A bird who had been watching Bheem flew away and landed on the arm of Nakul, who understood what he said.

"Arjun! Bhrata Bheem is behind that rock!"

Bheem was looking at the laddoos hungrily, and quickly said his prayers. But before he could put his laddoo in his mouth his brother's called "Bhrata!"

Bheem looked disappointed but ushered them to sit down.  Nakul and Sahadev were just about to put the laddoos in their mouths but Bheem said, "Wait! Aren't you going to pray first?"

Nakul and Sahadev nodded and began their prayer. Seeing this opportunity, Bheem popped both laddoos in his mouth.
When Nakul and Sahadev finished praying, they were shocked to see their laddoos missing. As Bheem was about to pop a third laddoo, Arjun shot it out of his hand and caught it, laughing.

"My laddoo!" Bheem cried. Angrily he said, " Arjun, I will beat you up!" Laughing, Arjun quickly ran out of Bheem's reach. Nakul and Sahadev, seeing this as an opportunity, grabbed a laddoo each, and ran laughing.

"No! My laddoos!" Bheem cried. The. Loudly he called, " Bhrata Yudhishthir!"

Yudhishthir, was practicing silambam
Nearby.  Arjun seeing the two laddoos on the plate, brought back his arrow and shot at one. It flew and landed in Yudhishthir's hand. He looked at his brothers and said,

"Enough, you three won't even be able to eat one laddoo each. Give all of them to Bhrata Bheem." He put his laddoo in Bheem's plate.

"Jesht Bhrata, they took for of my laddoos! How will I eat this? You know, My other name is Vrikodar."

Yudhishthir smiled and said,
" Eat the laddoos in peace Bheem, then have some fruits as well."

Nakul took both laddoos and put it back on Bheem's plate.

"Here you go Bhrata, we three will eat half a laddoo each."

Bheem looked at his plate, then at Nakul and said, " If you three eat half a laddoo each, then there will be one more half left. Go and bring me that half as well."

Nakul frowned. Yudhishthir shook his head smiling. Nakul was Just about to go when Bheem said, "Wait!" Bheem grabbed Nakul's hair and pulled him towards him and kissed his cheek.

" Come! We shall all eat together! Arjun! Sahadev! Come!" The brothers beamed and went and sat. Nakul, rubbing his head asked,

"Bhrata, was that love or an assassination attempt?"

They all laughed and we're about to eat when Yudhishthir said,

" Wait! Where's Anu?"

The boys gasped as they had forgotten their sister. Arjun stood up and called

"Ananya!"

Their sister Ananya was sitting on a rock nearby, playing with her clay doll. She didn't seem to hear Arjun.

"Ananya!" Arjun called again, but Nakul stopped him and said.

" Bhrata Arjun, if you want to call Anu you need to speak her language."

"Language?" Arjun was confused.

Nakul just put both of his hands in the form of a conch shell near his mouth and made the sound of a peacock. That sound got Ananya's attention. She looked excitedly at the direction of the sound, and grabbed her clay doll and ran in that direction.

Soon she ran right to where her brothers were sitting. With a confused face she asked.

" Where is the peacock?"(mor kaha he?)

Nakul and Sahadev laughed and said,

"You just missed it! It was right here!"

Anu looked surprised and disappointed. Yudhishthir gave them a look and said,

" Don't worry Anu, your brothers were just playing a prank on you. Come and eat with us."

Smiling, Anu went and sat down. Before she could touch her laddoo however, Bheem stopped and asked,  "aren't you going to pray?"

Nakul and Sahadev rolled their eyes and mouthed 'again?' but Anu closed her eyes and prayed. Bheem tried to grab her laddoo but she slapped his hand away, her eyes still closed. Bheem looked surprised and asked,
"How did she know what I was doing?"

Yudhishthir just smiled and said,
" This isn't the first time you tried this on her Bheem."

A few minutes later all six of them were eating happily. Anu fed half of her laddoo to Bheem and Yudhishthir fed half of his to her. They all happily sat and laughed in the calm soothing forest.

End of second chapter

I don't own any of the characters except Anu.