Adrika's POV
      Well that was not expected. But it felt good. I wasn't that hopeless in romance after all. After the second kiss we both looked at each other's eyes and laughed. Now what? He wasn't saying anything. I grabbed my clothes and started putting on. He was just staring. After a while I could not bear anymore and said
"What are you staring at?"

"You. You are just so beautiful..." He said. I blushed. He was a charmer. He was the most handsome prince of his time. What did you expect Adrika? It would be such a waste if he doesn't have some skills up his sleeves.

"Cold and hungry too. Let's go back." I said turning to return.

"No. Please. I wish to spend some time here. Its been years since we last talked to each other well." He said holding my hands.

"Fair enough." I said sitting down near a tree. But he started looking here and there.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Some fruits, we will need some fire wood too." He said. I smiled. Clearly he remembered my words.

"About some 50 steps that direction, I have seen some sugarplum bushes." I said
.
He looked towards it and said
"I'll bring them, you light some fire."

       After a while we were sitting comfortably near a fire with enough sugarplums for all our family. I was sitting in between his legs leaning on him, and he was leaning on the tree.
"Adrika! What next?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What next with us? Marriage?"

"Yah, if you are not having second thoughts." I teased.

"Don't. Just the thought of separation from you is painful." He said.

"For me too. You know my world was crushed the day of your marriage." I said. I could feel a sharp intake of breath.

"It won't be enough if I beg for forgiveness all my life." He said.

"I do. I forgive you. What's more important is to live with you. Have a family with you. Not the grudge." I said.

"But the pain is there. And I understand. I want to tell you, Droupadi is totally in love with you. I don't think there will be conflict between you and her about this. We can have that peaceful future we dreamed." He said.

"She is very dear to me. Like my Subhadra. I don't know how but she is." I said not exactly to anyone. "Let's talk about something else."

"Tell me about what you did all this time in island. I know the whole kingdom is enough to keep you occupied. But as much as I know you, you must have doing something else.." He asked.

"I was experimenting. Different drug and medical procedures. Island is full of many rare herbs. The more I discover more it feels like much, much more is left. I have been making potions. I wish you and Chhote Kumar was there. We could work so much efficiently." I realized that I was rambling.

"I never heard anyone talk about their work so passionately." He said. "You have so many looks. But don't know why I always admire this look of yours." I suddenly remember Sky. He used to say this.

"My friend say that too." Shit.. I should not have said that. What if he asks which friend?

"The prince of woodland releam?" He asked. Well saved.

"Yah. He. He says I'm most cheerful when I'm talking about my work." I said.

"He isn't wrong. You know whenever Sahadev talks about you, which happens a lot, he always talks about how you look so happy and peaceful when you are working or talking about your work. I don't know why Love but I feel you are always very distant. There is things that aren't known to anyone. Things that bother you. All your behavior is more of a stint. I feel you are not present in those situations despite of being in them." He said.

        That was what I feared the most. Someone seeing what's beneath the surface. This was not my time. And that was showing in my behavior. Now i had to say something to cover things.

"Now also you are feeling the same? Does my love feel the same? Stint? Facade?" I said in a desperate attempt to diverted his mind.

"No my Flower... Your love is the purest thing in this world. Its devoted to the person. That's why you look so peaceful when you talk to your Bhrata Krishn. I want you to be that recline with me. Jyesth Bhrata said people with such knowledge often have tendency of reticent. That is the cause of this trepidation...." He stopped for a while. Maybe thinking how to put it right. "That one day you will want to leave, and I will not be enough to keep you here."

      That did hit me hard. That fear wasn't gratuitous at all. What if he was right? I didn't know when my work in this time would be over. I needed to talk to bhrata Krishn. But before that I need to save this man who loves me with such a passion that this thought was worrying him alive. I turned to face him.

"Kumar! You are enough. You have always been enough. If you fear that one day I will leave everything and go, you are not wrong. I have done this before. But I also want you to know that when I did that there wasn't any reason for me to stay. Knowledge was the only reason for me to live. Now I do. I have this beautiful reason to stay. That is you. You give definition to my life. I can't leave. Even if I want to." I said. His face lit up.

         When we returned to the palace it was quite late still everyone were in my room. So was mahamantri vidur. They were all sitting around my room. Sahadev was reading one of my diaries about my experiments. Maybe Karn put those out from my boxes. Kumar Arjun noticed us first. He smiled at our linked hands, which by the way I didn't noticed.

"Nakul and Adrika are here." He said to draw everyone's attention towards us. Nakul went to sahadev and I went to Droupadi.

"This is not fair. We always sit together. Now that you have a girl with you you are changing your place?" Kumar bheem said.
      
         He wasn't wrong, intentionally or unintentionally we always end up sitting together. Maybe because Kumar Nakul and Sahadev always sit together. And jyesth was too older to behave friendly and Kumar Arjun was quite younger to be physically comfortable with. So he was the perfect option for me. We all laugh at that.

"You should get used to this Arya. I'm planning on keeping her as close to me as possible." Droupadi said. I like this girl. Just like My Subhadra. But not silly like her. I liked her silliness, but Droupadi could offer an intense conversation as well. She was the perfect mixture.

"Change of place is necessary bhrata Bheem. Like here, you can not stay here after what happened today. You need to change as well." I said.

"She is right putra. But they won't be happy to give you anything." Mahamantri vidur said. We all think for a while before Droupadi said.

"What if we ask something that they can't refuse. Like a troubled part. Which part of the kingdom is like that?

" Khandavprasth. But that place is not habitable putri. Demons.. Serpent what not? How will you survive there?" Mahamantri vidur said.

"We can. And that place has nothing valuable for them they will be happy to take it out from their hand. Brilliant Droupadi." I said. That girl had some brain cells. Just a little unrefined.

"We have Nature herself with us. Don't worry about us. Adrika I presume you will be coming with us." Kumar Arjun said. I nodded. That delighted them all.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Not until... " I stopped to look at My Kumar.

"I promise Adrika. We will have a grand wedding of you and Nakul in our own kingdom." Jyesth said. I looked down at the direct mention of marriage.

"That's wonderful Arya. What will be a better start of the kingdom?" Droupadi said. I looked at her. She was so pure. So innocent. She was talking about a matter so cheerfully that was bothersome for her a little while ago.

"Don't agonize yourself a lot meri pyari behna. You are the stream of mystery. Those who don't know you are threatened by you. And those who understand you, they know you are no one to be threatend of but surrender to. They know they can lean on you my dear." Bhrata Krishn's voice said in my head. Before I could ask him anything my reverie was broke by Droupadi holding my hand. She was trying to put a gold ring on my finger.

"Droupadi? What are you doing?" I asked.

"I can't wait to the day you will be my sister. It is only a remembrance of this evening." She said.

"We would not find any more suitable bride. For our son. This news will definitely delight Pitamah. That his favorite will be a part of family." Mahamantri vidur said. I didn't think I was ever so red in my entire life.

"True. It's our honor that we get such a great girls as daughters." Mata Kunti said looking at both of us.

"Yah.. Such a great bride. If only our brother could match her." Bharat bheem teased. We all laugh at that.

"Bheem.... There must have something in our Nakul that Adrika saw. Don't tease him." Mata kunti said.

"Before all this we need to make sure they don't deny our claims." I said to divert the conversation towards something else.

"Putri. What you going to do in the court tomorrow? About Duryodhan?" Mahamantri vidur said.

"I will use this to benifit our claim. Or a wish from maharaj. What do you think?" I said.

"Wish will be right. Because you will get the chance to discuss first." He replied. "Its late. You should rest. It was a long day." We all wished him good night before he left.

"Good night Adrika. Droupadi let's go." Mata kunti said.

"Mata can I stay with Adrika tonight? If she doesn't get bothered." She asked.

"Soch lo Maharani. Maids are not allowed here. You have to do all your work by yourself." I said in a teasing tone.

"Adrika you do it everyday. Then its a good habit for me to learn." She replied. We all smile at that.
     
        That night with Droupadi wasn't different from ones with Subhadra. She made our bed. Combed my hair. We talked and eat sugar plums. We stayed up quite late discussing about various things before she drifted out while I was explaining about some economy factors. That gave me some time before sleeping to muse one some facts myself. Next day was the court date. We all went to the Court Room. I went to Mahamahim Vishm to touched his feet but he hugged me instead.

"I'm unable to explain my happiness my dear to know that you are going to be the part of the family. Nakul and your relationship is one of the best thing that happened with me in my entire life." He said atill holding me.

"Mahamahim.." I started but he cut me.

"Pitamah. Now please address me as pitamah putri." He said. I smiled.

"Pitamah. Relationship with Kumar is my destiny. But relationship with you is my choice. And we all know choice is always dearer than destiny." I said.

          We all took our place. I was near Angraj Karn. We exchange pleasantries. Then I looked at Kumar Duryodhan who was giving me death glares. I smirked at him. Which caused him to rage some more.

"Queen Adrika! I agree that Duryodhan should not disrespect you. But his actions were not intentional. So I request you to forgive him for that." The king said.

"A kings responsibility is to make justice not to beg. What message you are giving to your people by doing so?" I said.

"I'm a father as well queen."

"Oh.. It's Kumar Duryodhan, so you are a father. And you are just the king while it was Pandavas." I stopped to give a look to pitamah. "He insulted me twice. And you did once by not showing respect to our agreement of fair conduct. I want his exile and your decownation. It is not righteousness that someone who can't conduct a fair court is on a throne. It is the defamation of the throne." It was pin drop silence.

"Putri. I think it is too harsh. Can you please reconsider?" Mahamantri vidur said. I thought for a while.

"Only to respect your request. I want 3 wishes from the king anytime of my life." I said. They all looked relieved.

"Whatever you want." King said immediately.

"There will not any punishment for Kumar Arjun. The rest two i want to save for later." I said. He nodded. Pandavas were looking at me. I turned to them. They were delighted.
    
       The Incrownation of jyesth was completed without any problem. Pitamah was not very happy about us claiming Khandavprasth. He also tried to warn us about the problems associated with the place but we made him sure that we thought about it well. The king present us a substantial amount of gold and cows. Then he said,

"But remember, you will not be declared independent, until 100 kings accept you as their leader."

"Then let me start the process." I said and leave my seat to go to jyesth. I took out my dagger. And leaned down saying
"The mysterious kingdom of The Island is accepting your leadership my king. We will be your in your support till the date you are the king of Khandavprasth."

A/n
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Love
Pragyna.