Abhijishya has a problem denying Gopal (which he takes full advantage of) :-

"My dear sister!" Krishna called out. Abhijishya looked at him wondering the reason behind his exuberant greeting.

"Not here. We must speak about a very important matter but away from any eavesdropping spies," he said seriously.

She was feeling a bit worried now. Spies in Dwarka?! That too inside the palace! Then she scrutinised his demeanour and quickly understood he had some plan cooking in his head.

"Bhrata, I need to go. Bhabishrees and Mata Devaki must be waiting for me in the kitchen," she said.

His shoulders' slumped and he gave her a pitiful look. "Yes, go. Everyone only remembers me when they get into trouble. I haven't had makhan since the day before yesterday. I thought my sakhi, my sister would get me some," he sighed.

"You are going to get me into trouble with Mata Devaki. But fine, I'll get you makhan. Just-" Abhijishya flapped her hand. "Just don't look at me like that. It makes me feel sad."

Krishna grinned. "I noticed how you didn't deny me before the contest. Come on, I'll show you the way to the storage shed."

Abhijishya could see several women making makhan some distance away when Krishna stopped suddenly.

"Go on," he urged.

"You are not coming with me?" Abhijishya asked surprised.

"If they see me, you won't get any makhan. You heard Mata then, did you not? Try getting a big pot," Gopal said gleefully.

"Alright," she agreed giving into her mischievousness.

Abhijishya tried to walk in a dignified way instead of sneaking in like she used to when her Maa made rosogolla at home.

Seeing her approach, a woman joined her hands and greeted her.

"Pranipaat, how may I help you?"she said.

Abhijishya returned her greeting and said,"Could you spare me a big pot of makhan? I want to offer it as bhog to my Lord."

The woman agreed readily and handed her a huge pot of makhan.

Abhijishya thanked her and walked back to Krishna.

"That was quick," he said. They walked into the garden and sat down on the swing.

"I didn't lie," she said. Krishna just hummed as he put in his hand inside the pot and ate makhan. Abhijishya watched in awe at his blissful face.

She wondered what makhan tasted like.

"You want?"he asked pushing the pot towards her. Abhijishya felt too curious about the taste to deny him.

She took a small portion in her hand and ate it tentatatively. Her eyes widened in delight. It was so creamy and slightly sweet. Abhijishya looked at Krishna hoping he would share.

Gopal looked at her then back at his pot. "Fine. I'll share with you only because you got it for me,"he said.

Abhijishya grinned and dipped her hand inside the pot.

Both of them were lost eating makhan in peace when someone cleared their throat. Abhijishya almost fell out of the swing in fright.

It was Bhratashree Balram looking very serious.

"Bhratashree-" Abhijishya tried to come up with an excuse.

"I won't tell if you both share," he said.

She gawked at him in astonishment.

"Why are you looking so surprised, Abhijishya? It was Dau who helped me get makhan pots hung from the ceiling when I was a child," Gopal said while licking his fingers. Baldau grinned and took the pot.

Abhijishya laughed. She ate the most satisfying meal of her life that afternoon.

  ************

"Dear sister," Gopal called her again the next day.

"But we just had makhan yesterday," she said.

"The taste has left my mouth," he said making sad eyes towards her.

Abhijishya agreed again.

************

"Your God does really love eating a lot of makhan," the woman whose name Abhijishya now knew to be Sunanda commented.

Abhijishya laughed weakly and almost ran away carrying the pot.

************

"Dear sis-,"

"No. Sunanda kaki knows. She'll tell Mata Devaki. I am not going," Abhijishya made the mistake of looking at Krishna.

"Alright," she sighed.

************

Bhratashree Balram joined them while they ate makhan everytime.

"Bhratashree could go get makhan once in a while. I do the hard work and both of them only eat," she muttered.

"Were you saying something, sister?"asked a smiling Balram with a little bit of makhan around his mouth.

'Endearing,' she thought. "No, Bhratashree, here you can have some from my share too," Abhijishya said with a smile.

Gopal's eyes twinkled in amusement.

*************

"Dear-"

"No. This time absolutely not. Poor Sunanda kaki has to make another pot of makhan just because we eat makhan everyday."

Sad eyes with a slight pout.

"Fine," she agreed. "But this is the last time," Abhijishya warned.

Krishna had the audacity to laugh.

*************

Abhijishya spent the entire morning and afternoon in the courtyard of the makhan storage shed in disguise.

"Mohini, putri, not like that," Sunanda kaki took the ropes and showed her again how to churn the makhan.

She nodded. After many hours, Abhijishya finally made seven pots of makhan to compensate for the ones she took away.

Sunanda smiled amusedly as she watched Mohini walk away with tired arms. Between brother and sister, she didn't know who was more loveable. But she might like the sister a tad bit more after all the hard work she did.

************

"Abhijishya, my dear sister," came her brother's voice.

Today she was determined to not look at him. She closed her eyes and said," No, not going."

"Liste-"

"Nope."

"Sis-"

"Nuh uh," she said and almost ran head first into a wall if not for Gopal stopping her.

Abhijishya looked at him in confusion as he placed a bowl in her palm.

"What? You don't want your Bhabishree Rukmini's rasmalai? Then give, I'll have it," Gopal said and went to take the bowl back.

"Rasmalai?!" She said excitedly. "You are the best Bhratashree ever."

Krishna chuckled. "Am I now? Then best not let Baldau hear that."

He smiled knowingly when Abhijishya asked him to tag along and went to sit on the swing where Bhratashree Balram was sure to find them.

*************

Cooking lessons :-

Abhijishya sat down feeling miserable.

"What happened putri?" asked Mata Devaki.

"Nothing is happening," she replied as she gestured towards the curry she was trying to cook.

"I did just like you told me to. But the vessel refuses to sizzle when I sprinkle a little water to check if the oil is heated perfectly," Abhijishya said in defeat.

Mata Devaki stifled a smile and said," Dear, you haven't lit the fire."

She blinked dumbly then slapped her forehead.

Note : First light the damn fire.

***********

"How are you doing it? You surely aren't telling me some key secret ingredient. I did just as you said but it tastes different," Abhijishya demanded holding a bowl of abomination in the name of rasmalai.

Bhabishree Rukmini laughed. "I have no other secret ingredient, Abhijishya. It must be the magic of my hands," she replied playfully.

"I am taking you with me to Hastinapur," she said. "How will I survive without your rasmalai Bhabishree?"Abhijishya lamented.

Bhabishree only chuckled in amusement.

Like husband, like wife. No wonder Gopal loves her so much.

************

"These are nigella seeds and those are mustard seeds," Jambavati said which wasn't helpful at all.

"But they look the same," Abhijishya whined; she couldn't remember which spices she needed to put in which curry.

"They don't look the same, Abhijishya," commented an amused Revati.

"But they don't even taste much different. Why does it matter as long as the food is edible?"she pointed out.

"The food will taste ghastly. Trust me, I tried. It happened when I couldn't remember the proper spices," Satyabhama said trying to remember if Mata Rohini used cumin seeds for the daal or not.

************

Shalya shenanigans :-

"What are you trying to do?" asked Abhijishya almost scared to what answer Satyaki would give.

"It's not fitting inside," he replied trying to squish in a bundled up small intestine inside the cadaver.

"What did you do?" she shrieked in alarm as Satyaki proceeded to shove the unfurled small intestine back in place.

"I was curious how long this was so I took it out," he said.

"Help me," Satyaki pleaded after some time.

Abhijishya sighed.

***********

"It is small intestine, Satyaki," Abhijishya said.

"No it is not. It is long. 10 metres long. Why would I name it 'small intestine' when it is a very long intestine?" Satyaki replied.

"The lumen diameter is small. So it should be called small intestine," she argued.

"But it is longer in length. So this should be called long intestine and that is short intestine," he said nodding his head.

"Small intestine. Large intestine," Abhijishya said adamantly. Then she looked at Nakul," Arya, you tell him."

Nakul, who had been listening to their argument for the past two hours, walked out.

"Arya!"

"Mitra!"

************

Council meetings :-

"Chief Kukura, you are accusing me of stealing your cow. How preposterous!" Kamarbhoj shouted with a red face.

"It is my cow, Kamala. She has a slightly chipped horn with brown spots on her belly," Kairav, the Kukura Chief proclaimed.

"No, it is my cow, Laali. I have been milking her myself for the past week. I named her Laali because of the spots on her belly," Kamarbhoj replied.

Kairav scoffed. "Only a person with your intellect would called a brown cow, Laali. For the last time, it is my cow."

Kamarbhoj opened his mouth to reply heatedly.

Balram, Abhijishya, Ugrasen and Satyaka exchanged a long suffering look. She was here to give their progess report on Shalya Vidya.

"Just because we share the same shed-" Abhijishya narrowed her eyes.

"Excuse me," she said loudly.

Both parties halted their argument.

"You share the same cow shed you said," she stated. Kamarbhoj and Kairav nodded uncertainly; wondering where she was going with said fact.

"Did it occur to you that perhaps you both have been milking the same cow all this while?" she said with a deadpan.

"Oh" they realised. Abhijishya fixed them with a frigid look.

Now she knew why Gopal skipped on this meeting earlier.

************

Applied morals in politics and administration :-

"Then why was Nakul allowed in the council meeting? He is a Kuru prince," Abhijishya asked.

Krishna smiled. "You tell me why. Try recalling all the agendas discussed that day."

"The Andhakas requested for five hundred dases to increase production of swords and arrowheads in their smithery. Other agendas were not anything that gives away anything about Anarta," she mused.

"So?"he asked.

"So the first agenda was a flex of Dwarka's ever ready armed forces. To give an impression of power that Anarta is no less than Kuru kingdom," she concluded.

"Good. You are learning," Gopal smiled. "Now, the morals applied in administration is meant for the betterment of the people and politics is meant for securing one's kingdom without war. Mahamantri Vidur follows this and that is why Hastinapur is standing strong without having to resort to warfare. The main aspect that you need to pay attention to are words. Listen very carefully. There can be multiple meanings behind what is being said. Being aware of the intention is also important, sister. Always remember, the administration that exploits the people always falls. So, listen first. Think about the progess of the people. Then speak. You'll always find a path if you look for it. If there is none, then use your intellect to make one."

Abhijishya nodded carving his every word into her mind.

************

Last day :-

Nakul and Abhijishya spent the morning giving away sacks of rice, sweets, gold mudras and clothes to the needy near the outskirts of Anarta.

Many people came and blessed them. Most astonishing thing was many freed das and dasis came just to speak to Abhijishya. Majority had remained as servants because they received no ill treatment in Dwarka. They didn't want to settle anywhere else.

It was time for them to return back to the palace when Abhijishya spotted Charu.

"Pranam Rajkumar, Rajkumari. I have come with the hope that you'll grant me what I want," Charu said.

Nakul asked,"What can we give you?"

"I wish to serve Rajkumari Abhijishya and go with you to Hastinapur," she replied.

Abhijishya was shocked. "But Charu, I thought you didn't like being a servant."

"I was a dasi, Rajkumari. You listened to my words and thought about it. You freed me of my father's debt. You are no less than a Goddess to my orphan self. Please Rajkumari, take me with me. Let me serve you," Charu said falling before Abhijishya's feet.

"Areh, get up. I'll take you with us, Charu. Don't cry," Abhijishya said picking her up. "I am human, you silly girl. I did what one should do when they know something wrong is going on. You can come with us to Hastinapur but on one condition."

Charu looked at her hopefully.

"You will serve as long as you want to. Not a minute more. You are free to leave anytime you want. You are in no way obliged to serve me other than your own wish to do so. Do you understand?"she asked firmly.

"Yes, Rajkumari. Thank you so much," Charu said with a smile.

Abhijishya smiled. "Now come on, we have to return to Dwarka."

************

That evening Nakul and Abhijishya revisited their 'secret den' to refresh the memories of their previous visit.

Later, dinner was a jovial affair. Between talking and laughter, time passed swiftly.

As Abhijishya lay sated in Nakul's arms after hours of love making, she thought about the days she spent in Dwarka. The nightmares and visions felt like old washed out paintings now.
Distant but not entirely forgotten. But the feeling of happiness and peace outweighed any distress she experienced here.

Light breeze caressed her face and for the first time in her life, Abhijishya fell in love with a place.

'You have to find that place
that brings out the human in you,
the soul in you, the love in you.'

~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~

A.N. - And Dwarka days end here. They will be setting out for Hastinapur or Panchal (still not sure) in the next chapter.

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Until the next time,

Byeee ;")