Hey Guys!!!!

The fifth chapter.

I don't own Mahabharat.

A long chapter for my lovely readers.  

Happy Reading!!

**********

Third POV

The sight was one to behold.

The legendry fighter, Maha Mahim Bishma was running around in his chamber.

Why you ask?
Well, he was looking for his three- year- old son. Who presumably was enjoying seeing his slightly old father, run around the room, look for him all around.

Bishma used his sharp ears to hear the slight giggling sound of his son, which was bound to occur. Karn loved looking at his normally impassive father run after Karn, he found it a lot amusing too.
As expected, Maha Mahim, found the suspicious voice coming from the slightest of space behind the large bed in the chamber.

Turning slightly to the voice, he abruptly leaps to where his son is and effectively catches him.

"Papa" Karn giggles as Bishma holds his son close to him, hugging him.
Karn couldn't pronounce Pita shree, at such a young age, so he started to call Bishma as 'Papa'.

"Why do you make me run around so much, huh?" Bishma asks his son.

"If you won't run then who will?" Karn asks, looking at his father with big eyes and a cute pout.

Bishma narrows his eyes at his son. "Why do you have to run around?"

"If I won't run, I will turn fat like you." Karn answers, proudly folding his hands on his chest.

"You think I am fat?" Bishma asks, flabbergasted.

"Yes." Karn answers grinning, knowing that his father will most probably get angry he again runs away.

"Karn" Maha Mahim calls, before taking off after him.
Hey Mahadev! He is going to break my hip one day, with all this running.

"Catch me, Papa." Karn shrieks in joy, running through the corridors of the royal palace of Hastinapur. The guards smile at the young boy and then bow their heads in respect as Maha Mahim follows, the boy hastily.

"Karn!" The young boy, who had been running, ran in to the Queens, Ambala and Ambalika. The two ladies had exclaimed.

Karn steps back from their arms. "Pranipatra Rani" he greets.
Slightly shuttering at using such a big word.

"Pranipatra Karn!" the ladies return happily.

"Karn!" Maha Mahim calls, before stopping as he sees the two Rani's. And nods his head in respect. The ladies return the nod.

"Running around again?"

"Sorry, Rani." He bows his head. Perturbed at the gaze on him.

"You were running again?" A sharp voice calls.

"No, Dadi. I was just making Papa exercise." The boy grins at his grand- mother. He enjoyed her company a lot, second to only his father.
The ladies laugh at the young boys' words while the said man sighs at the predicament.

"Aren't you getting naughty?" Raj- Mata Satyavati asks, pulling her grand- son's cheeks.

"Dadi!" the boy shrieks, rubbing his cheeks and pouting at his grand- mother.

"Come I have made Kheer, for you."

"Kheer!" He shrieks in delight. Catching his grand- mothers hand, he tries to drag her away.

"I am coming. Coming ba... ba." Raj- Mata Satyavati laughs and obliges him, walking along with him, almost running with her grand- son.

Bishma awkwardly nodded at his brothers' wives and followed his Mata and son. Karn always loved Raj- Mata Satyavati and Mata Ganga, he always accompanied, Bishma whenever he went to Ganga bank.

But that was the only two ladies he ever interacted with, with others he always used to awkward and nervous or anxious. Bishma never knew the reason but Karn always was like that, as a baby, toddler and now as a kid.
Both of Bishma's mother told him not worry about it but he was a father of course he worried.

Surprisingly, Karn never had questioned about his mother so Bishma never told him anything about it. Bishma wondered what he would say, when Karn would know when he is not actually Bishma's son.

Bishma entered the kitchen to find Karn sitting in Raj- Mata Satyavati's lap, as she fed him Kheer. Karn loved the Kheer Mata Satyavati made.
The most surprising thing is that Raj- Mata Satyavati had never before cooked anything for her Grand- son but she did for Karn. She was Raj- Mata to her grand- sons, had a formal relation with them but was a normal grand- mother to Karn, perfectly informal with him.

Bishma's mind drifted to the one time in the court, as he stood his shoulders against the pillar, near the entrance of kitchen.

Bishma was in the court and the court was working in full swing, Mata Satyavati was also there in the royal court, like she did most of the days.
To talk easily to the old man whose case, Bishma was working on, he was standing beside the old man in middle of the room.

When a shriek stopped the court room, it came from the entrance, all eyes turn towards it and they were surprised to find a toddler stumble in the room and ran directly to Bishma, only stopping to hug Bishma's legs.
It was the first time Karn had walked, Bishma was just too surprised to say anything. He didn't know what to do, he was too happy and amazed.

But so was the court, they knew that Bishma had adopted a son and various things were said but nobody once questioned Karn.
Raj- Mata Satyavati was the first one to break from the trans. She walked down the stairs in front of her and clapped.

"Karn!" Mata Satyavati motioned for him to walk to her. And Karn did, laughed gleefully, walking to his grand- mother.
Once he reached her safely, she picks up in her arm and the court dissolved in cheers for  one and only Devrat Karn.

"Bishma?" Mata Satyavati bought me back to reality.

"Ji Mata?"

"Won't you have Kheer?"

"Sure Mata." I nod, walking up to where they are sitting. I observe as she wipes some Kheer, that had stuck on Karn's cheek, using her royal dresses end.
I had never seen her do such kind of thing ever, it was weird to see but at the same time bought me happiness, at least he got some love from lady. He normally runs away from them.

Karn had his one- year- old birthday, Ambala and Ambalika had prepare some food for him but he outright refused to open his mouth to have the food. I didn't knew he could understand, when Ambala said that they had prepared it but he refused to have it.

Later, Mata Satyavati prepared some Puri's hastily, in front of him. And he had them happily. Talking in his baby language constantly as he happily was fed by my Mata Satyavati.

I shake myself from the thoughts as I Take the bowl of Kheer from the table and take a bite.
Uhm! This is awesome, as always.

"Karn! Don't do that." Mata Satyavati laughs as he hides behind her. "How will I move if you do that?"

I remember, I used to do the same thing, with my own mother- Mata Ganga. And my mind goes to when Mata Ganga met Karn after he started to walk.

Karn and me were walking to the place where I found him, to meet my Mata Ganga. Karn was running, he raced to the edge of water and was about to fall in it.

"Karn!" I had shrieked in dis- tress but a hand a caught him and now he could not move. It was Mata Ganga.

Karn had turned to look in whose arms he got trapped and started with awe at my mother, before remembering something. Because he had jumped a little and at the same speed, he had raced back hiding behind my legs.

I had laughed and told him that she was my other mother and he could be- friend her and that what was happened. Now, he was always ready to go to the banks of Ganga, just to meet Mata Ganga.

"Papa?" 

**********

What do you think?

Looks like he is quite happy here. 

Will the happiness be eternal?  

(1425 words.)

--Sxxxxx