Draupadi gently laid Uttara's head on the pillow and covered the sleeping girl with a blanket. The poor girl had lost her young husband in the war and was now carrying the last remaining heir of the Kuru dynasty in her womb. Abhimanyu's death haunted them all like a never-ending storm.

Draupadi was just about to set out to find Subhadra, when she heard the hooves of a horse outside the tent, indicating her Aarya's arrival. She rushed out to see him, and froze right outside the tent skirt, as she saw her Aarya lifting a young girl off the horse and helping her settle on the ground. The girl looked up and her gaze locked with the eyes of Panchala Kumari.

Draupadi stared at the young girl, as an indescribable feeling shot though her nerves. The same fiery eyes, the sharp nose, the thin-lipped smile, the naturally arched eyebrows and the ever-sharp jawline. The girl was a splitting image of her father. Surely, she was Daanveer Anga Raj Karna's Putri.

Her Aarya's voice brought her out of her thoughts as he spoke to the girl.

"Mitra, Putri come. This is the camp site where we will be staying for a few more days before we head back to Hastinapura."

Arjuna grasped the small delicate hand in his larger calloused one and walked the young girl towards the entry of the tent. Towards Chakravarthini Draupadi.

While walking towards her, Mitra tripped on a stone and nearly lost her balance, but luckily Arjuna caught a hold of her. The scene before her eyes made Draupadi go numb with sorrow as she saw her Shrutakarma almost losing his balance while running towards her. A scene that felt to have occurred years ago, despite only days ago, was brought back to her vision in the form of this young girl.

"Careful, Putri!" chuckled Arjuna, as the young girl narrowed her eyebrows at him and pouted her small lips, displaying the untinged innocence of a child silently rebelling against her parent. A tear rolled down Chakravarthini's cheek as she imagined before her, her little Sutasoma angrily pouting as Satanika ran off with his laddoo.

Draupadi glanced away towards the setting sun with tears blurring her vision, as each and every memory of her children before the war came thundering before her. She was just about to turn and rush back into the tent, when Arjuna called out to her.

"Panchali, this is Mitravinda. Elder brother's only remaining child. My child," he mentioned with a smile as he clasped a hand on Mitra's shoulder. "She will be living with us from now on as we are her family. Mitra, this is your mother."

Mitra looked up to see her new mother and was confused to see a mix of emotions in the latter's eyes. She was positive she could see sorrow, mixed with a tinge of confusion and frustration, which even the small smile on her face could not mask. Mitra smiled back, hoping to erase some of the sorrow present in the woman's eyes.

Draupadi reached out and placed a trembling hand on the girl's soft cheek. Masking her emotions with a bright smile, she struggled to keep her voice steady as she spoke to the young girl.

"It's a pleasure to have finally met you, Putri. Come in." She lifted her attention to Arjuna. "Let's go in Aarya, Subhadra and the others must be waiting for us to have dinner."

As everyone settled down for dinner, Princess Subhadra immediately set out to work, distributing food to all the plates. The seating area was occupied by the five Pandava brothers, Rajamata Kunti, Shriman Balarama and Vasudeva Krishna. Amongst all the casual and business conversations going on, no one bared notice to the beauty born from the sacrificial fire, hence also called 'Yajnaseni,' standing alone in the corner of the room, staring absentmindedly at a flickering glow of a single lamp.

Draupadi was lost in her own world of mixed emotions and thoughts as she stared at the flickering oil lamp before her eyes. What exactly did she feel for the girl? If it was frustration at seeing the features that confirmed a splitting image of her father, why did her heart warm up to the sight of the girl's cute antics that brought back memories of her sons? One thing was sure. She believed her heart was brutally torn apart to the extent where it could be hurt no further. Yet, she was proven incorrect today when it wept at the sight of the innocence-filled eyes and adorable smile of the young one. "Govinda," her mind whispered as she succumbed to the confusion that was tearing her apart.

"Sakhiii"

Draupadi nearly jumped as she felt the soft touch of a hand, which can heal the most unhealable wounds and provide the maximum comfort to a suffering heart, as it gently clasped her shoulder.

"Govinda! You were sitting with everyone else just a moment ago. How did you come here so quickly?"

Krishna flashed his enchanting smile and replied with amusement dancing in his eyes. "I was just about to take a bite, but then I felt I heard a lone voice calling out to me! How can I abandon that voice, and focus on my laddoo, Sakhi?"

The innocence on his features made Draupadi smile, as she remembered how much of a trickster her Sakha can be.

"How did you know that I thought of you, Govinda?" she questioned sarcastically.

"Oh, so that lone voice belonged to you?" he countered back with false confusion on his face, yet the mischievous glint in his eyes telling a whole other story.

Draupadi smiled and shook her head as she realized no one can conquer Vasudeva Krishna using words.

"What is bothering you, Sakhi?" Krishna questioned, as the mischievousness in his eyes became replaced by a knowing softness.

The smile on Draupadi's face vanished as she turned away towards the glowing lamp. She was once again pulled into the emotional turmoil in her mind, as she struggled to place a finger on what exactly she felt for Mitra.

"It's Mitra, Govinda. I can't control the mixed emotions that are flooding my mind when I think about her. Part of my mind perks up with an unexplainable happiness each time I see my own children in her actions. The other half drowns in a heart-wrenching sorrow when her facial features remind me of her true identity," she confessed.

"Do you hate him, Sakhi?" It was easy to understand who the unstated name was that brought Panchali into this emotional turmoil.

"No, Govinda. I've learned to forgive, just like you taught me to years ago after the humiliation in the Kuru assembly hall. We've all been consumed enough by remorse and sorrow that was brought about by this disastrous war. I will not allow hate to consume whatever remaining peace inhabits my mind."

Draupadi was unaware of the soft smile that adorned Krishna's face as a result of her words.

Krishna remembered the Draupadi, moments after the humiliation in the Kuru Hall, seething in hatred and thirst for revenge. He compared her to the Draupadi standing before him now, who had calmly uttered the words that brought the smile upon his face. "You have learned a lot, Sakhi," he thought. "Your actions are a living proof of it."

"It's good to know you don't harbour any hatred for Anga Raj, Sakhi. Then what is it that's confusing you so much?" Krishna pressed.

Draupadi took a deep breath and allowed herself to be sucked back into the turmoil that pervaded her mind. She did not feel hate for her brother-in-law, so that meant she did not feel hate for the girl either. Anyways, how can a child be held responsible for the actions of the parent? Then what was it that was confusing her about how she felt for Mitra?

The hurt. Yes, it was the scars that remained from the humiliation in the Kuru hall years ago that made her hesitant to open her heart to the young one, who was the daughter of the man that contributed to the pain.

"My mind is torn between the motherly affection I feel for her when I see my children in her, and the hurt that I have faced all these years as a result of the incident in the Kuru hall that day. I cannot come to a decision. The emotional pain is making me hesitant to open my heart to her, Govinda."

"To the daughter of the man who, in a way, had contributed to the pain. The unsaid words," thought Krishna.

"Not all decisions can be, or should be, made with the mind, Sakhi. Some are only meant to be made by the heart. The mind taking a say in those matters can result in a further mess."

Draupadi spun around to face Krishna. "But how do I control the mind, and make a decision with my heart, when my mind is in such a turmoil, Govinda?" she asked utterly exasperated.

Krishna stepped forward and gently placed a palm on her wet cheek. It was only then that Draupadi realized that she had been shedding silent tears.

"Close your eyes Sakhi. Close your mind as well. Block all positive and negative thoughts that are streaming through it. Provide the silence your heart requires to make itself heard. Allow your heart to speak to you, Sakhi. Listen intently to it. It has the answer you seek. It will tell you what it, your mind and your soul ultimately seek."

Draupadi shut her eyes tightly, forcing all thoughts in her mind to come to a standstill. She felt Krishna's soft fingertips gently graze over her temples. Alas, she was able to experience some calmness amongst the storm that her mind had been facing just moments ago.

"Maa." She heard the whisper in the deepest depths of her heart. The voice was not one she recognized, yet the meaning and desire behind that single word brought a fresh batch of tears streaming down her cheeks. Then she heard it. A soft giggle this time. She recognized it immediately. It was her own giggle. It was from many years ago, in Panchala, days before her swayamvara. "Allow your heart to speak to you, Sakhi. It will tell you what it, your mind and your soul ultimately seek." Draupadi replayed Krishna's words repeatedly in her heart.

That was it. The desire to shower motherly affection again and laugh to her heart's content – two things which she had lost all hope to re-experience during and post the tragic war. These were what her heart truly desired.

She slowly opened her eyes, and stared at Krishna, her vision blurred by tears. She pressed her palms together in front of her and bowed her head in surrender to her Sakha.

"Thank you, my Sakha. I am at a loss for words. There is so much my heart wants to say to you, but I'm unable to coherently form words to express it. Thank you so much," she cried as she fell to her knees in front of him.

Krishna, with a soft smile on his face, reached down and gently pulled Draupadi up to her feet and patted her head.

"Wrong Sakhi. A Sakhi's place is always in her Sakha's heart, not feet. Now that you know what your heart really desires, go make it yours!"

A small, but sad smile adorned Draupadi's face. "Only one of my heart's desires can possibly come true, Govinda. A motherly affection, I will always provide to Mitra till my last breath. But, to laugh again to my heart's content, without any worry in the world, is not something that will happen again in this lifetime."

Krishna smiled his traditional enchanting smile, with a hint of mischief in his eyes. "You never know what time has in tune for you, Sakhi. Even the impossible can be made possible within a blink of an eye."

Draupadi glanced up at him, confused and at a loss for words, as she registered the mischief in his eyes. Oh no! This look on her Sakha's face always meant one thing. He has something planned that the rest of them would never have anticipated coming!

To be continued in Part 2...

Hope you guys enjoyed reading part 1 of the second chapter of DaanveerPutri! Part 2 of the chapter coming up soon!

I truly apologize for the delayed post, as this past weekend was extremely hectic! I just recently completed my master's education, so I'm preparing for license exams and trying to hunt for a suitable job, which takes away so much of my time. I will try my very best to have more frequent updates for you guys! 

While you wait for part 2, please do comment and let me know your thoughts on the chapter so far, and please do vote if you feel it's worthy! Thank you so much for all your support, and special thank you to @alainarishi for the beautiful cover she's designed for DaanveerPutri! :)