-"Chitra, where is Shyama?" Draupadi asked one of her maids as she looked at herself one last time in the mirror. 

Only two days were left before Yagnaseni's Swayam Var. All guests, the kings, and princes of many kingdoms had started to arrive and the rest would arrive by the next day. The Dases and Dasis were all running around the palace, some to serve the guests some to get the last-minute arrangements done. 

Almost a month ago Draupadi's dear Sakha Govinda or as everyone else calls him Vasudev, brought a woman named Shyama with him to Panchal. Initially, Draupadi liked her very much. She even called her Sakhi for a while before her father corrected her. 

-"But Pitashree, Govinda calls her his Sakhi. And if she is his friend then she is my friend too." Draupadi tried to reason with Drupad.

-"Your friend, my dear, is too kind at heart. He didn't want to disrespect that girl and thus called her his Sakhi. He is a king, the face of the Yadavas. He can only be friends with someone like you, the princess of Panchal, not some low-born orphan woman. Always remember, you are a princess, you will soon be a queen. She is dasi, a lower-born, your subordinate. She is not worthy of your friendship. No maids are worthy of the friendship of a princess or a queen. You are their superior."

Draupadi obeyed her father.

 Krishna told Drupad that until her Swayam Var, Shyama would be Draupadi's companion. She will accompany Draupadi everywhere she goes and will be the one to arrange everything for the Swayam Var. Drupad had no other option but to agree. Except for the Dasis, his palace was devoid of females, who could take on the responsibility of arranging a Swayam Var and a wedding. 

After the death of his wife, the Maharani of Panchal Drupad didn't remarry, despite the offers of many kings to take their daughter's hand. He hoped that place would be filled by his daughter-in-law when he arranged a wedding between his second eldest child Shikhandi and the princess of Dasarna. If only he was fortunate enough to have a big happy family. One week after the wedding Shikhandi decided to go on a quest to become a man. The poor girl Shikhandi married was left behind alone. After waiting for his return for several months she decided to go back to her father's house heartbroken. His eldest child Satyajit went away to rule his mother's kingdom as Drupad's father-in-law didn't have a son of his own.

Drupad took pride in saying that his daughter, the fire-born princess of Panchal, Yagnaseni Draupadi was the most beautiful woman to ever walk on this earth. But when he saw this girl the castle of his illusions shattered. Draupadi was beautiful, but this woman was ethereal, divine. Drupad had to close his eyes for a moment to regain control of himself. It felt like one look at her could make people go insane. 

Vasudev told him that this girl was his friend. She was an orphan from the faraway land of Banga. 

The common people from Banga Pradesh were considered lower-borns in Aryavarth. The fact that an ordinary orphan girl from Banga Pradesh could be considered a competition for the princess of Panchal made Drupad dislike her from the very beginning. Over time, Drupad realised this girl was not only beautiful but she was extremely intelligent and wise. This made him despise her even more. But he couldn't throw the girl out of his kingdom because she single-handedly managed the entire arrangement of the Swayam Var ceremony. She didn't leave the tiniest gap in her work for Drupad to criticise her. 

He didn't like how she was getting close to Draupadi, so he took it upon himself to create a distance between them. And he succeeded in doing so. He sowed a small seed of hate in Draupadi's heart which only grew more and more with time. 

The maid named Chitra helped Draupadi wear her Uttariya and answered, "Devi Shyama has gone to welcome Dwarkadheesh on the gates, Rajkumari."

A smile appeared on Draupadi's face for a fraction of a second before her face turned hard again. 

-"I am the princess of Panchal and Govinda is my Sakha. She is my Dasi. I shall be the one to welcome our honoured guest at the entrance. Isn't she supposed to accompany me and stay behind me, when I welcome Govinda?" 

Chitra remained silent. The entire palace knew that their king and their princess hated this woman without any particular reason. Prince Dhristadyumna on the other hand was very fond of Devi Shyama. He openly never showed his liking towards her in front of the others but they often practiced sword fighting together, in secret. 

Draupadi got up and marched towards the entrance. When she reached there she saw her Sakha laughing over something. Hearing him laugh her heart filled with joy and she rushed towards him. Soon realising that the reason for his laughter was Dasi Shyama, her smile dropped. 

 Tiasha heard a stern voice and turned to look at a very agitated Draupadi. 

-"Shyama, weren't you supposed to help me with my shringer, instead of standing here and laughing like a shameless woman." 

Krishna's laughter died down and his eyebrows knitted together into a frown. 

Tiasha passed him a look as if saying she would explain later. She bowed her head to Draupadi and said, "Forgive me for my mistake Rajkumari, it won't happen again."

-"You are forgiven. Now go and see if the guests are being served properly or not."

Tiasha bowed and left. Before disappearing behind a turn she looked at Krishna one last time and smiled. 

A joyous grin appeared on Draupadi's face as soon as Tiasha went out of her sight. She held Krishna's hand and tugged him towards her own chamber.

The rest of Tiasha's day she went in doing various chores around the palace. She was able to exchange a few words here and there with Krishna before she was called by either Drupad or Draupadi.

--

The next day, Tiasha accompanied Draupadi to the temple. Draupadi was decked up in heavy golden jewellery with precious stones studded on them. The blazing red garments she wore went in perfect contrast with the dark almost blueish complexion. A few loose strands of hair fell from her tight updo framing her face, and making her already sharp features look even sharper. Heavy kohl added more mystery to her enigmatic eyes. The heart-shaped rosy lips held a small smile adding a softness to her intriguing aura. The princess of Panchal, Agni-kanya Panchali, could only be compared to fire itself. Beautiful but intriguing enough to make people keep a safe distance from her. 

Tiasha chose to wear the same off-white cotton Sharee with a red border that Krishna gave her. A single long golden chain adorned her neck with a pair of small Jhumkas on the ears and a Nath on her nose. Her half-dried long hair was left open. Just like the ocean, she held calmness on the surface and the power within ready to cause destruction when needed. The assuring, always pleased smile playing on her lips made people trust her with blind eyes. 

From a distance, Tiasha noticed five hermits sitting on the stairs of the temple, she recognised them. She bubbled up with excitement on the inside but maintained her composer above. As much as she wanted to witness the first encounter of Draupadi and the Pandavas, she knew she couldn't let them see her. 

Tiasha quickly came up with a plan. She let go of her body and acted as if she felt dizzy all of a sudden. One of the maids held her before she could fall to the ground. 

Draupadi looked at her concerned, "What happened? Are you ok?" 

Tiasha steadied herself and replied, "I don't feel so well all of a sudden, Rajkumari. I don't think I would be able to accompany you to the temple." 

Draupadi frowned, for the strong-headed girl who always kept herself busy with something, it felt unusual. Nonetheless, she let her go back to the palace as she went to the temple.

Tiasha came back to the palace and happily skipped towards Krishna's chamber. Finally, she got some time to talk to him in private. 

But if only her luck was ever in her favour. She met with an unexpected obstacle on her path.

Chadiraj Shishupala.

He was going back to his chamber after meeting Rajkumar Duryodhan when he stumbled upon her. He stood there stunned for a moment. Seeing the ethereal beauty in front of him, he was left speechless. The next second his usual crooked smirk returned on his face.

-"Well well well, who would have expected to stumble upon the princess of Panchal on the way like this."

Tiasha's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It took her a moment to realise that Shishupala had mistaken her to be Draupadi.

Although his lustful gaze on her body made her uncomfortable, she tried to maintain an unbothered expression. She offered him a fake smile and said, "I am flattered to think that you have mistaken me for Rajkumari Panchali but I am not her. I am her maid."

Shishupala raised his eyebrows as his smirk became more crooked. His eyes were set on Tiasha's body as he said, "Oh! Is that so? Then I wonder how beautiful the princess will be. What's your name?"

Tiasha looked down towards her ground. His stare made her skin crawl. She pulled the loose end of her share over her shoulder and shifted from one foot to the other. She didn't want to answer him. But more than that she didn't want any drama to happen before the Swayam Var the next day. So she answered, "Shyama."

Shishupala took one last look at her before saying, "You may go." 

Tiasha tried to move past him as fast as she could but his words stopped her in her tracks. 

-"By the way, if I win Rajkumari Panchali's hand tomorrow in the Swayam Var, will you be accompanying her when I take her to Chedi?"

Tiasha turned around to face him. She asked, "And why does that matter Chediraj?" 

He avoided her question and continued staring at her. He said, "Although if you don't come willingly I can always ask Panchal Raj for a wedding gift. I am sure he wouldn't deny his new son-in-law's wish..." He took a step towards her and said, "...Don't worry you will have the position of the head of all my mistresses. I will give you anything you want. You will be treated no differently than my queens." 

Tiasha's blood boiled. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. When she opened her eyes the cold look on them and the dangerous smirk made Shishupala take a step back. 

-"Don't you think you are planning everything a little bit too soon, Chedi Raj? You need to win the Swayam Var, in order to ask Panchal Raj for a gift. I think you should focus on that first." Tiasha dropped the cover from her shoulder and walked away.

Shishupala narrowed his eyes. Gritting his teeth he murmured, "I will remember this insult, Dashi Shyama. I won't let you get away with it."

--

The rest of the day Tiasha avoided going to the guests' part of the palace not wanting to come across Shishupala again. 

Tiasha's room was adjacent to the palace garden on the ground floor. She was lying on her bed thinking about the events of the next day when she heard a knock on her window. A Kadamba flower flew across the room and landed beside her. 

She got up only to come across a grinning Krishna peeking from outside.

-"What are you doing, Jayantha?" She asked looking around for any guards or maids.

-"Kidnapping you." He scanned the surroundings and said, "The entire day you are running here and there doing God knows what. You don't even have any time for your brother. So, I decided to kidnap you to have a chat." 

Tiasha narrowed her eyes at him, reapproaching his mischievous smile. She jumped down from the window and the duo ran through the garden hand in hand.

They reached an artificial lake in the garden. Krishna sat her down on a swing hanging from one of the branches of a big tree. 

He pushed the swing and Tiasha spread her legs forward. Her open hair flew against the motion of the swing. Cold night air caressed her cheeks making her giggle. The silent garden was soon filled with gleeful giggles of the duo. 

Shishupala, Duryodhan, Dushasan, Karna, and Ashwatthama sat together, drinking inside Duryodhan's chamber. Shishupala was sitting near the window. He heard the sound of giggles from the garden and looked outside curiously.

The sight made his blood boil. A woman and a man laughed with each other happily, as the woman sat on a swing and the man pushed it from behind. The woman had her head turned the other way so he couldn't see her face clearly. But, he had his doubts.

And the man...

Shishupala could never fail to recognise that man with bright yellow attire and peacock feathers. His dearest cousin Vasudev Shree Krishna. His jaw clenched remembering the incidents in Rukmini's Swayam Var. 

Duryodhan noticed Shishupala's gaze outside and asked, "What got you so worked up, Chedi Naresh?"

-"Looks like Vasudeva Krishna's Ras Leela is not limited to Vrindavan anymore. The Palace Garden of Panchal has become the new location for it, Mitra Duryodhan." 

The others curiously looked outside and saw the same as Shishupala. 

He started leaving the chamber. Karna asked, "Where are you going, Chedi Raj?" 

-"Never let pass a chance to insult your enemy, Angaraj." 

The remaining four men looked at each other and followed him. Karna and Ashwatthama tried to stop Shishupala, but all of it fell on deaf ears. Duryodhan and Dushasan solely went to enjoy the drama unfold.

Both Tiasha and Krishna noticed a shadow move from Duryodhan's window. Earlier they got a glimpse of Shishupala as he was standing there before.

-"Looks like my dear cousin is coming this way." Krishna said with a mischievous smile.

Tiasha got down from the swing. She collected some pebbles from the ground and said, "I want to teach him a lesson." She passed Krishna a look which said, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' And climbed up on a branch of the tree. She sat in a way that people couldn't see her face, only her legs and feet visible from behind the dense leaves.

By the time Shishupala arrived at the spot, Krishna sat himself on the swing. 

Shishupala was shocked to see Krishna on the swing and no sign of any woman around. The other four were also surprised and looked around in confusion.

Krishna innocently asked, "Bhrata Shishupala, are you looking for something?"

Shishupala threw a dirty look at him. Krishna got down from the swing and stood beside him, looking around mimicking his actions.

Karna and Ashwatthama tried to control their laughter watching Krishna's actions. Shishupala turned towards him and gritted his teeth in frustration. Krishna stood up straight and shifted his attention towards the other four. He greeted them all one by one. 

While everyone else was looking around and greeting Krishna, Dushasan's eyes were stuck on a pair of legs hanging from a branch. 

Duryodhan felt a tug on his Angavastra from his brother's side. He asked, annoyed, "What is it, Dushasan?"

Dushasan pointed upwards to the branch. His eyes were wide and full of fear. His voice quivered, "Bh...Bhra...Bhrata!!"

All the eyes went where Dushasan was pointing. A very high-pitched nasal voice spoke from the top of the tree, "Shyam, your cousin, and his friends are very rude. They didn't even acknowledge my presence. I don't like them. But they look very delicious, especially the ones wearing black. Ehehehehe Ehehehehe" It seemed like the laughter was echoing from all directions. 

One after another pebbles came shooting towards Shishupala and Dushasan as they were the ones wearing black. Their intoxicated brains couldn't fathom what was happening and fear consumed them. Three of them started stepping backwards. 

Krishna hurriedly said, "Oh no Bhrata Shishupala, see what you did. Now either she will eat you or I have to bring something to please her. Run, there is no other way to get away from her. I will go see what I can do." 

Karna and Ashwatthama tried their best not to laugh at the three men who ran away from the spot. Dusshasan stumbled on his own dhoti and fell to the ground. He got up quickly and hurried behind his brother and Shishupala.

Ashwatthama looked towards the branch and said to Krishna, "Your friend can come down from the tree now Vasudev, they are gone."

A small pebble hit Ashwatthama square on the shoulder.

Krishna smiled looking in the same direction as Ashwatthama he replied, "She is very shy."

Another pebble came flying towards them. This time it hit Krishna's shoulder.

Ashwatthama laughed. Shaking his head he said, "I will go see where they went. Mitra Karna, you coming?"

Karna nodded saying, "You go ahead. I will be right behind you."

After Ashwatthama walked away, Karna folded his hands in front of Krishna and said, "Forgive me Vasudev. I couldn't stop them from coming here."

Krishna patted his shoulder, "Until you choose to be a part of it, you are not responsible for their actions, Bhrata Karna." A wave of shock passed Karna's face hearing Krishna's words. 

-"Vasudev..."

Krishna offered him his brightest smile and said, "Yes Bhrata Karna..." He paused and his lips came together in an 'O' shape. "...Oh I called you Bhrata Karna without any prior warning. My bad Bhra... sorry, sorry Angaraj." He folded his hands in front of Karna.

Karna smiled at him, "Don't say sorry to me Vasudev. It was just unexpected that you would call me Bhrata."

-"If you are accepting me calling you Bhrata, then you shouldn't call me Vasudev anymore. Everyone calls me a different name as they wish. You should too."

-XX-

 I had so much fun writing the last bit of the chapter. I hope you had fun reading it too.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

What could possibly be a better way to celebrate Holi than this? I wish you all a very very happy Holi. May Krishna fill all our lives with lots of colours.

Take care of yourself and have lots of fun.

See you all soon.

Adiós, lovely people ❤️.