Glossary:

Terms:

*Param Sakha – best/true friend

*Sabha – an assembly/council

*Sindhoor – traditional vermilion powder (red or orange-red in colour) worn by married women along the part of their hair

*Vayu Putra - another name for Bhima meaning 'son of the God of Wind'

Names of Subhadra used in this part:

*Yadava Princess – another name for Subhadra; princess of the Yadava clan

*Vasudeva Putri – daughter of Vasudeva (father of Krishna and Balarama; brother of Kunti)

*Bhadra – a name used for Subhadra in the Bhagavata Purana

*Yadava Kumari – daughter of the Yadava clan

*Rohini Putri – daughter of Rohini (first wife of Vasudeva; mother of Balarama and Subhadra)

*Ekanamsa – name for Subhadra mentioned in the Brihad Samhita meaning dark complexioned one situated in between Krishna and Baladeva/Balarama)

*Krishna Sodari – younger sister of Krishna

Names of Arjuna used in this part:

*Mahanayak – the great hero/protagonist

*Partha – son of Pritha (birth name of Kunti)

*Vijaya – meaning 'always victorious or undefeatable'

*Gandivadhari – wielder of the Gandhiva bow

*Dhananjaya – meaning 'the one who conquered wealth and gold'

*Mahabahu – the one with the strong/mighty arms

*Savyasachi – meaning 'the one who can shoot his arrows with both hands'

*Madhya Pandava – the middle (third) Pandava among the five brothers

The ears of the one and only Mahanayak of the Kurukshetra war, accustomed to hearing the blowing of conch shells and the clatter of weapons on the battlefield, felt as if honey were being poured into them as they registered the loud, yet sweet chiming of not one, but two pairs of anklets, as their wearers ran around in circles within the confines of his chamber.

"Maa, please! My tummy absolutely cannot hold another laddoo!"

Arjuna glanced up from his position on the bed with scrolls of legal documents sprawled about before him. Amusement danced in his eyes as he grinningly watched his lovable Kuru Princess sprint around the corner of one of the richly cushioned armchairs, with his charming Yadava Princess in tow. 

"This is not done! You would not have declined it if your Draupadi Maa had offered, would you? You don't love this Maa," whined Subhadra as she dashed around one of the armchairs, yet failed to catch a hold of the dear young princess of the revered Kuru dynasty.

"Maa, how can you say that? I look forward to eating from your hands every day!"

"You're just saying that to please me," huffed Subhadra as she grudgingly sunk herself into the armchair, struggling to catch her breath.

"Awww, is my favourite mother growing old now?" Mitra laughed as she wrapped her arms around a breathless Subhadra, as the latter returned her grin with a fake glare of her own.

"Yes, I'm growing older. Just as you're continuing to grow thinner day by day, my dear!" scolded the youngest wife of Dhananjaya. "Look at you! Brother Bhima was correct when he said you need to be more careful while being outdoors during strong winds. You'll definitely be blown away!"

"Well I've taken after my father on that, Maa. Karn Baba was lean but fit, and so is this Mitravinda," she prided herself, completely oblivious to the soft smile that adorned the features of her other father in the room. Arjuna smiled as he remembered the words used by Madhava while describing his elder brother Karna's physical attributes to him on the battlefield during the Kurukshetra war. "In terms of the formation of his body – he resembles a lion, with large arms and a broad chest. Invincible yet sensitive. Exceedingly handsome he is with a slender body," (Karna Parva, The Mahabharata).

"And in terms of me flying away with the wind...that cannot happen, Maa! When Vayu Putra Bhima is there, why fear? And okay fine, please don't give me that look! I will eat this laddoo," chimed the voice of Mitravinda, effectively pulling Partha out of his memory of the battlefield, as he turned his gaze back to adore his dear daughter's ludicrous banter with her younger mother.

"Feed me please, Maa!" Mitra pleaded as she let her delicate chin rest on the luscious silk of the parrot-green dupatta adorning the shoulder of Vasudeva Putri.

A bright smile stretched out on Subhadra's face, replacing the glum frown present just moments ago, as she lovingly picked up a ghee-coated, cashew and almond-filled laddoo and brought it towards the pink lips of Vijaya Nandhini. She watched with all the love in the world as her only daughter cutely munched on it.

"Now do you believe I love you beyond limits, my Maatha dearest," Mitra mumbled with a mouthful of laddoo bits, as she pressed a sloppy kiss on the rosy cheeks of her younger mother – earning a chuckle from the latter.

Both mother and daughter laughed to their heart's content, unaware of the joy-filled eyes observing them from a distance. Vijaya who was watching them from afar with shining orbs, competing with the dazzling of a thousand stars, thanked his moons for blessing him with these two angels in his life. 

Subhadra, the elegant and chirpy princess of Dwaraka, was his silent support and escape from the tragic turns of his life which had resulted from the shackles, known as his understanding and obedience of dharma, that had kept him bound with their iron-like grips. His youngest wife, yet first love, whose one look had tugged his heartstrings on their very first encounter itself. The companion, who's hands he had grasped in the name of togetherness bound by seven vows, during the end of the twelve years of his peace-providing exile away from human civilization. Yet had to leave in the hands of his param sakha while spending the most treacherous thirteen years of his life away from his sanity. Away from his Bhadra.

And then there was his Mitravinda. The priceless gift his eldest brother had left for him after nearly a lifetime of rivalry. The sole light to his darkness. The hope to his life. The beat to his heart. The breath to his existence. There was just no possible way to explain her importance in his life. She was his everything.

Feeling a pair of eyes on them, Subhadra turned her head to briefly lock gaze with her beloved, just before the latter instantly let his drop back to the scrolls scattered before him on the plush mattress; a small smile lighting his features. With upraised eyebrows, and a playful smile dancing on the ever-beautiful attributes of her face, Krishna's loveable sister called out to her husband.

"Aarya, what were you doing staring at us all this time?"

"Me? Why would I be staring at you both? Can't you see I'm busy going through these documents? I don't have time to watch your antics," a slightly red-faced Gandivadhari blurted, while fidgeting with the opened scrolls before him to avoid meeting either of their eyes. Knowing very well that he had been caught red-handed.

Subhadra narrowed her eyes at him, as she turned back to Mitra, with a smirk tugging on her lips.

"Did you hear that, Mitra? Your father was not secretly admiring us! Apparently, he's quite too busy with his work," she winked, earning a smirk from the princess.

"Is that so, Maa? Okay, then! Let's make sure we don't disturb Baba by any chance, so that he may peacefully go through his work," Mitra replied, as she silently observed Arjuna's fingers, which were sorting through the documents, come to a halt as a small frown adorned his handsome features. Did his daughter believe he was too busy for her?

"Let's play a game, Maa!"

"What game, dear?" Subhadra questioned as she gently cupped her darling daughter's soft cheeks between the smooth skin of her palms, and adjusted the loose locks of curls that had slipped her neatly held braid to tumble down her moon-like cheeks.

"Hmmm I know! We are going to twirl around in circles around this room. The first one to get dizzy first and tumble down will be declared the one who has aged the most and is unfit, okay?" laughed Mitra with a gleam in her eyes, as her younger mother offered a smirk in response; knowing well where this was headed towards!

"Okay, I accept the challenge!" declared Arjuna's favourite wife, as she felt the exasperated gaze of her beloved fall upon them both again. Yet completely unaware of the small smile that lit up his features. As a result of being able to witness the heart-warming bond between the gem of their dynasty, and another mother who had untimely lost her only child to the hands of one of the most evil ploys witnessed by this world.

Both mother and daughter gave each other a knowing smile, as they linked hands and began twirling around in circles around the room. Much to the amusement of their favourite Pandava Prince. 

"Are you two little children?" the amused voice of Dhananjaya called out, as he shook his head while continuing to sort through the papers.

Mitra winked at Subhadra, conveying her plan to her mother through her eyes, as she responded, "What is that, Baba? I couldn't hear you properly!"

Subhadra stifled back a giggle as they spun in the direction towards the large bed in the centre of the room, much to the oblivion of the one seated at its edge. "Yes, Aarya! We could not hear you! Can you please repeat it?"

Arjuna, now lost once again in his papers, failed to look up to witness his two naughty angels approaching him as he responded, "I asked are you two small children?"

"Ah what did you say? I think I heard something about small children, Aarya!" came Subhadra's squeal of laughter, right near Arjuna, causing the latter to hastily look up just in time to be bounded by two petite bodies, knocking him down as his back hit the soft mattress beneath him.

The dove-white walls of the room, brightly reflecting the afternoon rays of the sunlight and joy bouncing off of them, were the sole witness to the heart-fulfilling laughter erupting from three pairs of voices, as they remained in their toppled position on the large bed. Basking in the delight that has filled their lives since the past four years.

"So, it can officially be declared! Rajkumar Arjuna is the one among the three of us who has aged the most and is the most unfit," declared Mitravinda in her best imitation of her Uncle Yudhishthira's kingly voice, used solely in the confines of the assembly hall during sabha sessions.

The soft ears of both Subhadra and Mitra sung in glee with the rumbling sounds of heart-felt laughter that vibrated from the broad chest of Gandhivadhari, who had his arms wrapped around both princesses of his heart – holding them close.

Subhadra blushed a deep shade of crimson, as she lowered her gaze, unable to hold that of her beloved Prince, who had a questioning glint speaking volumes in his sharp orbs as he stared at her, well bordered by the arch of his upraised eyebrow. Silently challenging her to dare agree with the words of her daughter.

"And that Baba, is what happens when you mess with this mother-daughter duo!" came the muffled voice of Mitra as she wrapped her arm around the torso of the great Mahabahu with her face buried against the right side of his chest.

"Well said, my dear! Now tell me Aarya, were you not secretly admiring our antics?" countered Subhadra with a grin on her face, the brief moment of shyness dissolved, as her arm also wrapped around his well-built abdomen to rest on the soft hand of Vijaya Nandhini.

"What is this? Two against one? Not fair at all, ladies!" Arjuna pouted earning a playful glare from two of the very few most important women of his life.

"Baba!"

"Aarya!"

The pleasant laughter of Dhananjaya, reverberating off the walls of the room, challenged the glares, briefly fighting for shelter on the faces of both mother and daughter, as beautiful smiles once again highlighted their dazzling faces. A tear slipped past the almond-shaped eyes of Yadava Kumari, in response to her Aarya's laughter, which went unnoticed by both father and daughter. How long had it been since she saw the one who was capable of setting her heart aflutter in a single glance, laugh to his heart's content. The one who's smile failed to reach the dark empty depths of his sharp warrior orbs, post their one and only son's death, was now laughing with an intense power-providing joy that not only set his eyes, but the deepest depths of his being alight; radiating a powerful effulgence from within. As a smile adorned her face, Devi Subhadra used the back of her palm to flick away the traitor tear of happiness lingering on her cheek, and gently reached over to caress the soft locks of curls adorning the head of her dear daughter – the sole reason for their newfound joy.

"Okay, okay! I surrender to you both, my Queens!" confessed Arjuna as he pressed a soft kiss on the heads of both his Kuru and Yadava Princess, who were tucked securely in his arms, earning a chuckle from both as they tightened their grips around each other. And that was how they remained for what seemed like an eternity, yet some moments in reality. Holding close the ones in their arms, who had eternally etched an unmatchable spot in the hearts of one another.

Arjuna's right hand gingerly stroked the luscious curls of Mitravinda, as he felt the dainty slim fingers of his loveable wife absentmindedly trace patterns on the left side of his sculpted chest.

"Are you drawing arrows, my love?" came Savyasachi's amused voice, as Subhadra's finger came to an abrupt halt in the midst of her creative sketch.

"Really? Is that all you can ever think of? Bow and arrows? You're impossible, Aarya!" snapped Subhadra as she playfully smacked his chest, earning a chuckle from him. "I was drawing roses, okay?"

"I'm afraid you won't be able draw the most beautiful rose, no matter how artistic you may claim to be, Bhadra," countered Arjuna as he gently pushed back the stubborn locks cascading down her pearly cheeks. The ones that had slipped past her neatly made updo, in the midst of her antics with Mitra.

He masked the grin on his face as his better half tilted her head up to meet his mischievous eyes, with a frown marring her ever-glowing features. "And may I ask why you believe so? Do you think I'm incapable of drawing the most beautiful rose on this planet?"

Subhadra felt a warm shudder run down her spine as she locked eyes with the intense ones of her husband, as he stared down at her with that heart-stopping smile she had fallen for years ago in Hastinapura. During the welcoming festival held for the Kuru Princes post their training.

"Of course, I do, my dear. As the most beautiful rose this world has ever laid eyes on is right before my very sight now, frowning at me,"  he smiled as he pressed a loving kiss on the forehead of the princess who was related to the most prized treasures of his life. The niece of his loving mother. The sister of his eternal companion and best friend – his Madhava. And the one who had mothered the symbol of his prowess and love – Abhimanyu.

Partha observed awestruck, as the years that had settled in the features of his charming queen, even more drastically post the war, seemed to vanish into nothingness, as the teenage glow of love replaced them. Once again radiating the youthful glow he remembered ever so vividly. The adorable blush spreading its reign over her pearly cheeks, still successfully managed to tug at his heartstrings, just as it had years ago during the journey he had accompanied her back to Dwaraka. Along with the one where she had kidnapped him from the very same city to pave way for their marriage!

"I heard everyone ages forward, yet I'm seeing for the first time someone age backwards, my love," he teased as his finger traced the blush reddening a shade darker in response to his words.

"Enough!" whispered Subhadra as she struggled to keep her face straight, which faltered under the flirting gaze of her Aarya. The great Gandivadhari was definitely a woman's man she mentally chuckled. "Are we seriously going to flirt shamelessly in the presence of our child? We aren't exactly teenage sweethearts anymore, Aarya!" she admonished with a smirk on her face.

"Ahh, but I feel as if though I've lost my years again under your blushing gaze, my dear Bhadra!" he winked earning another playful smack from his youngest wife. "And as for your concern, my dear daughter has long ago entered her dreamland,"  he chuckled as he felt the soft even breathing of the Kuru Princess fall rhythmically against the right side of his chest.

A surprised Subhadra averted her gaze from her husband's to find her dear daughter fast asleep in her father's arm. Her soft pink lips slightly parted, making her look beyond adorable. She subconsciously reached over and let her jeweled hand stroke the hair of the princess who had proven to be capable of bringing an everlasting and contagious happiness within the lives of all she touched.

"She looks at complete peace, Aarya," murmured Subhadra, as she wished with every cell of her body for this peace to be everlasting in the life of her daughter. She never again wanted to witness the worry lines that had uninvitedly housed themselves on the baby soft skin of the young one's forehead, in the midst of the brief moments of restless sleep she had encountered near the earlier days post the war. Even a mere reflection of those days succeeded in bringing tears to the eyes of Rohini Putri.

"And we must do anything to ensure this peace remains on her face for a lifetime, Subhadra," murmured Vijaya as his strong fingers shook in the process of caressing his Nandhini's soft locks. Further explanation was not required for the marital companion of Partha to comprehend the unstated meanings behind this single statement of his.

"The angel who brought nothing but joy in my life. The pari who healed the heart of this mother, that had shattered to pieces beyond repair after witnessing the corpse of my one and only child on the battlefield. The child who in the process of renewing the motherly instincts buried within me, has herself become another mother for me," she whispered as she remembered the motherly antics of her darling that never failed to place a smile on her face. "I will do anything, even give my life without a second thought, to protect her, Aarya."

The Madhya Pandava felt his heart swell with joy in seeing the love Subhadra housed in her own for their daughter. Initially post the war, he had housed the slight insecurity regarding how his lovely wife would see Mitra. The daughter of the man who had played a major role in the unethical killing of Subhadra's one and only son. Yet, day by day, he found himself drowning in the love between the duo, in the form of their adorable antics, and with immense relief he found his insecurities cracking. And today, it had shattered to dust once and for all with her words.

"Not until I'm alive, my love. Anyone or anything that intends to cause harm to either one of you, will have to face this Arjuna first. I will lay my life down to protect you both if needed."

Arjuna was slightly startled by the slender soft finger of Yadavakumari that placed itself on his lips, as he observed the ever-familiar exasperated look seek shelter in her orbs, accompanied by a deep frown marring her beautiful features.

"The moment you place your life on stake, you are reflexively placing mine as well, Aarya. Your life is my life."

Arjuna shuddered as he felt the accusation his heart directed at him, which Subhadra's almond-shaped eyes would never do, as he remembered the ordeals she had to face in the name of his actions. 

He had agreed to marry her during the end of his 12-year exile and brought her back with him to Indraprastha. Yet, he had left her right to reside in the palace as his wife at the mercy of Draupadi. Yes, he loved Draupadi as well. But which wife would have ever even in her worst dreams expected that her husband would leave the future of her marital life at the hands of her co-wife? Yet, Subhadra had accepted with a smile on her face.

He had half-heartedly succumbed to the dharmic view of his elder brother, Yudhishthira, during the gambling match and had allowed himself to be staked and lost as a part of its unethical ploys – without once taking into consideration the future or fate of his Yadava Princess, or what would become of her if he was not present by her side to protect her. Which husband would permit his actions to allow his wife to possibly have to fall at the mercy of another to continue her life? Which wife would whole-heartedly accept a husband who had agreed to let himself be staked by his elder brother, while indirectly placing the life of his wife on stake as well? He had. And again, his Ekanamsa had never displayed her annoyance or anger at him, and instead accepted him wholeheartedly with a smile on her face.

He had abandoned a heavily pregnant Subhadra. Leaving her and her unborn son at the mercy of her parental relations, as he had left for the thirteen years exile away from civilization; accompanied by his brothers and shared wife Panchali. Which husband would forsake his wife during her time of pregnancy, the most testing times of a woman's life where she is forced to be reborn once again in the process of bringing another life to this world, and leave them for such an extended period of time? During the time where she most requires the support and unconditional love of her husband. He had. And once again...his Krishna Sodari had wholeheartedly accepted his fate as hers with a smile on her face, and pulled through the toughest thirteen years of her life in single-handedly raising her son into the renowned warrior he had been known to the world as – Subhadra Nandhan Abhimanyu.

The wife who he had showered with more pain and times of trials, rather than with times of romance.The maiden who had within a blink of an eye attracted him to her during their first meet in Hastinapura years ago. The wife who he had fallen for within a blink of an eye, and left behind to fulfil his duties as a brother and fighter on the side of dharma. The wife who had within a blink of an eye been willing to assume the status of a maid in order to be accepted by her co-wife, the Chakravarthini of Indrapastha, so that she may be able to reside in the palace of her husband. The wife who had within a blink of an eye embraced him to her heart's content, without any trace of loathing, after being united post the longest thirteen years of their lives. The wife who within a blink of an eye was, and is still able to erase all sorts of anguish weighing him down with her pari-like chirpiness. The wife who still, after many years of remaining married, succeeds to captivate him within a blink of an eye with the charm of her enchantress profile. 

His silent support. His silent companion. One of the major sources behind his emotional strength and endurance. The one who was always there to accept him with open arms, free of loathing or judgement, despite the countless number of reasons he had provided her with to direct either emotion towards him. The woman whom with he craved nothing more than to bask in her self-less love for an endless number of blink of an eyes for all of eternity. His Bhadra.

"I love you, Subhadra," he whispered as he pressed a soft kiss on the sindhoor-filled partition of her head, currently not shielded by her maang tikka.

"As I love you, Aarya," she smiled as she reached up and responded with a kiss on his stubbled cheek, letting the feathery touch of her lips trail along his chiseled jawline. And they remained that way for a few brief moments, in the certainty of the present. The only moments guaranteed for all beings of the universe. No longer able to change the incidents and outcomes of the past, nor holding even an ounce of control over the Almighty-planned happenings of the future. Unaware of how many more moments they would be able to spend in the arms of one another, the two lovers dwelled in the certainty of the only moment given to them now, the present. While silently promising each other the oath of togetherness in it.

"Now I really must get going! Sister Draupadi must be waiting for me," piped up Subhadra, bringing them both back to the reality of their present in the chamber of Hastinapura. "We need to start meal preparation before Brother Bhima saunters into the kitchen searching for food!"

Arjuna chuckled as she unwound herself from the entanglement of his arm, well aware of the storm his elder brother Vrikodhara was capable of subjecting them all to, when he was no longer able to suppress the ravaging hunger that tormented him.

Walking towards the doors, the younger Queen of Hastinapura turned back to face her beloved King as she murmured, "The eternal peace suits not only her features, Aarya. But yours too. And believe, me we would all do, or give anything to bring that back into your life once again. In the form of that beautiful smile on your face. And this time, we'd like to keep it there permanently."

With that, she turned around once again, and made her way out of the chamber, leaving behind a puzzled father and sleeping daughter.

As much as he'd like nothing more than to lay down and allow himself to be submerged in the quietness of the room, playing a silent witness to the soft and deep breathing of the Kuru Princess, his duties as the King's brother needed his undivided attention at the moment. So, giving in to the competing commitments of a royal subordinate, come commander in chief of Hastinapura's vast army, Dhananjaya gently held Mitra while sitting up, and re-arranged her sleeping arrangement by making her lie next to his seated form, with her head on his lap.

Yet, unable to denote nothing more than a fraction of his attention to his work, he found his eyes welling with unshed tears as he read the countless unvoiced meanings behind the words uttered by his favourite queen. The outcomes of the war had played terribly with the emotions of all survivors, and they had all stubbornly believed that they had moved on from those dark days of the past. Yet, had they really? Or, were they stuck somewhere in the middle of the transition between the past and present? Had they really forgiven themselves for the outcomes of the inevitable war that continues to haunt them all till this day? Had they forgiven each other? 

Arjuna felt a pang in his chest, as he reflected on the cold and emotionless voice that had erupted from his very own lips, in response to his Brother Yudhishthira's statement in the royal sitting room that evening. 'No, Brother. She will not be undergoing any chakravyuha training.'  A voice completely devoid of any emotion, yet had the ability to emanate a deep chill that affected the depths of one's bones. Had Brother Yudhishthira forgiven himself for allowing Abhimanyu to enter the chakravyuha during Arjuna's absence on the battlefield? Had his other brothers forgiven themselves for supporting their eldest, as always, in his decision that day? If they had, then why had Arjuna played witness to the guilt and devastation filled orbs of the Chakravarthi and the others in the sitting room that evening, as the topic of Mitra's chakravyuha training was raised? Had he himself truly forgiven them all for this deed of theirs? The failure to protect his son in his absence?

Arjuna inhaled a deep breath, as he filtered through the multiple thoughts that crashed as unsteady waves against the eroding shore of his mind. How long were they going to sit back and allow their silent guilt and anger to consume them from within, while enabling a smile, entirely devoid of the spark of life known to shine beautifully within their orbs, as they conversed with one another in person?

"I wish you were here with me now, Madhava. Like you always were when I needed to prepare myself to face one of my many internal battles,"  whispered Arjuna, as he decided it was time to open his heart to his family once again. An open-hearted conversation that should have taken place some years ago...

To Be Continued...

And that's Part IX of Abhimanyu's Diary - hope you all enjoyed it! 

I would like to point out that these are purely my thoughts and take on how the events of Mahabharata could have affected Arjuna and Subhadra. Some of you may agree and others may disagree - which is perfectly fine! I request a positive and respectful discussion if that is the case! Thank you :)

Arjuna now understands he cannot put aside having a heart to heart conversation with his family members any longer - and he feels stranded once again regarding how he must approach this situation. Any guesses as to who will be making a re-entry in the story? Please do comment your thoughts on the part and who you think that individual is - I'd love to go through them!

And a big thank you for all those who have been voting for DaanveerPutri - we've finally crossed 1K votes! It means so much to me to know that you're loving the story. Please do continue to vote for the story if you feel it's worthy :) 

Thanks for all your consistent love and support, and I hope to continue on this beautiful eye-opening journey with you all further!

Loads of love,

Geitha