An approaching clamour of armours stopped the progessing steps of Bhisma. He turned towards the assembled soldiers whom he identified as the ones he sent out to look for Sahadev.

"Praise be to the Kurus," the soldiers said in synchrony bowing to their commander.

Bhisma nodded in acknowledgement and gestured one of them to speak taking notice of Sahadev's absence.

Stepping forward, a soldier intoned lowly," Pardon us, Mahamahim. We were unable to find Rajkumar."

"A boy of ten is able to evade a dozen completely trained soldiers," Disappointment was heavy in Bhisma's words. "Should I order you all to be trained along with the novices once again?"

Their faces flushed in shame. The soldier stuttered out an apology but the group found themselves facing a displeased grimace of their commander.

"I shall deal with you lot later. Now, finding my great grandson requires my attention. Go back to your posts," Bhisma ordered. His gaze fell on Kunti. Her wide tear filled eyes were orbs of amassed grief, fear and expectations as she held onto Madri's boy Nakul who in turn clung to her white saree.

"Pitamah, take me with you. I too shall assist you in looking for Sahadev," Yudhisthir, his great grandson, stared up at him somberly. That expression should not be on a boy who was merely thirteen.

The crackling fire barely muffled the dying screams of his daughter-in-law. Bhisma looked at this broken family before him and resolved to do his utmost to provide them with security and love.

"Tatshree," Vidur's voice was sympathetic. "We should ask the soldiers to bring Bheem and Arjun here so that we can look for Sahadev with rest of the soldiers."

Bhisma nodded, straightening his gait despite feeling his shoulders get heavier. "Samarjit, go get the princes from the camp set up south-"

The words grew fainter as Abhijishya and Sahadev took quick careful strides away from the field. This moment of distraction was all they required to escape. They slowly made their way northwards careful to stay hidden behind trees.

Neither spoke a word to the other; each lost in their own turbulent thoughts. The hot humid weather felt stifling to Abhijishya as she dragged her sore legs over the rough terrain. Although the thick canopy could make one mistake daytime for dusk, it parted in some places allowing scant sun rays to reach the forest floor. The absence of even the slightest breeze intensified the suffocating environment.

They had been walking for an estimated half hour. The soles of her feet had knicks from sharp rocks causing her pain yet she trudged along behind Sahadev. Her garments and loose strands of hair stuck to her skin which was covered in a sheen of perspiration. The jewellery chafed around her neck while her churamani felt unbearable on her head. She gulped trying to relieve her parched throat when she heard the faint gurgling of a stream nearby.

"Sahadev," she breathed heavily from trying to keep up with her brother-in-law's pace. "I can't walk anymore. My feet really hurt. I think I heard a stream or crook nearby. Can we go that way, please?" Her face flushed in embarrassment at the admittance. The time in the comfort of the palaces had damaged her endurance which she built in exile with the Pandavs and Mata Kunti.

Sahadev stopped and blinked as if realising she was his companion all this while then. Taking in her dishevelled appearance, he ushered her to sit on down under a shady sal tree. "Forgive me Bhabishree, I did not realise you were with me," his face bore a remorseful look.

Abhijishya shook her head. "It's alright. I understand that we are in a..." her eyebrows crinkled trying to come up with an appropriate word that was not a curse. "Difficult situation," she finished lamely.

"Difficult would be an understatement," Sahadev muttered swiping the sweat from his temple trying to ignore the pounding headache. The swirling visions filling his head after he came to the past only worsened his headache.

"Sahadev, you look rather pale. Sit here. The stream is nearby. I'll go get us some water," Abhijishya scrutinised Sahadev's pinched expression as he massaged his head in hopes of alleviating some pain.

"No Bhabishree," Sahadev tried to smile but it was more of a grimace. "I'll get us water but..." he trailed off contemplating Abhijishya's safety. "It is best we both stick together. I can't let you leave or have you sit here alone."

Abhijishya readily agreed. She got up a bit unsteadily wincing as the soles of her feet touched the ground again. Sahadev kindly offered her his hand which she took flashing him a grateful smile.

She limped resting some of her weight on Sahadev as both of them walked towards the gurgling stream. Soon the sight of a narrow clear creek greeted them glinting under the rays of the sun.

Abhijishya gave up all semblance of propriety and rushed to dip her feet into the cool waters. After the intial stinging sensation, she sighed as she flopped down by the side of the water body relishing the soothing water caress her sore feet.

Sahadev grabbed two Taro leaves and cleansed them in the water upstream to where Abhijishya had sat down. He folded them into conical cups. Filling one with water, he offered it to Abhijishya who accepted it and started gulping down the water greedily. He drank half the water from the cup which he filled for himself then poured the rest over his heated face.

Splashing himself repeatedly with water, he sighed contently savouring the feeling of cool water over his skin. His headache had almost receded. He glanced at his companion who was pensively staring at her reflection in the water. He knew what she was thinking. They still hadn't addressed the dreaded question in her mind.

"Bhabishree," Sahadev called softly hoping to break Abhijishya's rapidly spiralling chain of thoughts. He himself was slightly shaken up from revisiting his parents' funeral. The only difference was this time he stood and witnessed the burning. As a ten year old, he had run away into the forest determined to follow his father's last wish.

Uncertain eyes flickered at him. "We can go back to our time, right?" Abhijishya asked half afraid of the answer she might receive. "Arya, Nakul- I can't survive this twice, Sahadev." Her voice cracked as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Not yet," Sahadev was not allowed to say more.

"We'll figure something out, won't we?" Her words of reassurrance rang false to her own ears. "Bhratashree will send us to our time. He has to." She didn't want to consider the implications if Gopal didn't.

Silence engulfed the pair with only the calls of birds and beasts keeping them grounded to their new reality. Abhijishya couldn't get over Madri's screams. Before she could stop herself, words slipped from her lips. "Why did no one stop your mother from burning herself on Maharaj Pandu's pyre?"

The slump of Sahadev's shoulders made Abhijishya guilty. She was about to apologise but he waved it off.

"I had asked Kakashree Vidur the same after we arrived at Hastinapur. You see, I was not present when Jyesth lit the pyre. Madri Maa didn't want Nakshatra and I to be present then. So Pitamah had us be taken some distance away to a clearing along with some soldiers. Eventually Bhrata Bheem and Arjun were also sent after us due to Maa's insistence. I don't think anyone was aware of her intentions then. The first boy you encountered was me," Sahadev smiled sadly.

"Pitashree had told me a very strange thing the morning before the curse took its effect. He instructed me to have his brain when he died. I cried at first but his calm resignation and unfaltering gaze had quitened me. I hadn't spoken of it to anyone. So, after we reached the clearing I knew I had to do what Pitashree told me no matter what. I ran straight for the field where the cremation was taking place. A loud noise had signified the skull exploding. I didn't even stop. I picked up the brain which had fallen on the ground and ran into the forest without a backward glance. Others would have followed me immediately. Nakshatra was also chasing me afterall. But they couldn't," he paused to take a deep breath.

"Maa Madri hadn't thought we would be coming there. In the moment I ran through the clearing, she had leaped into the flames. I hadn't seen her do so but Nakshatra had. It happened too fast and was very sudden. I remember Maa being silent after her initial cries of forgiveness from Mata Kunti. But after that she had not shed another tear. Her last words were to Mata Kunti asking her to take care of me and Nakshatra before she decided to immolate herself. No one got a chance to hold her back," Sahadev smiled at Abhijishya's comforting hand on his shoulder.

He murmured,"Perhaps it was for the best. Otherwise, Maa would have died every moment from the guilt she felt."

"Arya never speaks of Mata Madri," Abhijishya closed her eyes unable to comprehend the trauma and horror her husband and brothers-in-law had to face at such a young age. "He never forgave her, did he?"

"Nakshatra is the most sensitive of us brothers. He couldn't unsee Maa throwing herself so willingly into the fire. It has been an unhealed wound for him and between us. After this day, Nakshatra became Bhrata Nakul. He gets angry if I address him with Maa's nicknames for us - Nakshatra and Deva. I have made peace with the past but he blames Maa for abandoning us, for letting the curse take its hold," Sahadev sighed getting up from the ground. The sun was descendant towards the west. "It is past midday. I don't have any weapon on me. Wild animals could come here to have a drink. We should keep moving."

Abhijishya welcomed Sahadev's diversion understanding his unwillingness to say any more,"Yes, we should get going." She made up her mind to speak to Nakul about this. The friction between the brothers needed to be resolved before it brought permanent fissure in their bond.

As she was about to stand up, a pebble fell under her left foot peeling off the skin of a blister. She hissed in pain almost falling forward but Sahadev steadied her. He looked worriedly at her.

"You cannot continue like this," he helped her sit back down and looked around hoping to spot some useful herbs nearby. A marigold bush caught his eye. "Bhabishree, please wait here. I'll be right back."

Abhijishya didn't respond as Sahadev went to collect marigold leaves. Her attention was drawn to the other side of the creek. Amongst the trees, she could make out a small shadowed figure leaning against a tree trunk. She stood unsteadily and waded carefully through the shallow water.

"Bhabishree?" She shushed Sahadev who was now coming behind her. Limping as quietly as possible, she neared the figure. It was a child retching yet holding his mouth shut with his tiny hand.

Abhijishya covered her mouth and looked away hoping to stave off the wave of nausea that arose from the sight. In the other hand, the child held a half eaten mushy flesh.

"Don't," Sahadev stopped her from approaching the child further. He didn't know why he was stopping her when he himself had wondered once in a while what his life would be like if he had dismissed his father's instructions as a senile remark. This child, the very ten year old Sahadev had once been would be spared a lifetime of guilt and grief. But if he had learned anything so far in life then it was patience and endurance. At this point, he couldn't imagine any Sahadev without his ability to see past, present and future.

"It is necessary," he murmured. Abhijishya watched helplessly as the child shred last of  his childhood by swallowing the third bite of his own dead father's flesh. The innocent eyes dimmed as the boy crumbled down beside the tree sobbing hysterically.

"Is it truly?" Abhijishya whispered back, both anguished and sympathetic unable to tear away her gaze from the boy.

Footsteps alerted the pair of an old sage approaching young Sahadev. Both of them stilled completely. Adorned in barks and dreads, he seemed someone to be feared in contrast to his kind eyes. Crouching down, the sage wiped Sahadev's cheeks. The later sniffled and looked up at the sage.

"You must not tell," the sage gazed calmly into Sahadev's eyes.

"Why shouldn't I?" The challenging tone was hollow as Sahadev failed to keep up an angry facade.

"You know why," the sage sounded almost apologetic.

Sahadev jutted out his chin in a last attempt to bring things in his favour even though he knew it could be a futile endevour. His childish heart still refused to believe the pain and despair the future had in store for his family. He stood up looking down at Shree Krishna who was in guise of a sage. His voice had an edge of steel,"Alright then. I pray death befalls me if I were to break silence over secrets of time and in exchange I pray death befalls you if you let any of us brothers die."

The sage got up. His thick beard parted to reveal a carefree smile on his face. "Your brothers would uphold my cause, little one. I don't have any reason to disagree." Placing a hand over Sahadev's head, he said softly,"Let it be so as you prayed."

Sahadev bowed his head knowing he had given into his despair momentarily. Then again how could he win over Narayan if Narayan himself wanted his tongue to utter those fated words.

"Don't look so glum, child. You would not have gotten this ability if you did not have the potential to bear it," the sage patted Sahadev's head then glanced at the direction Abhijishya and older Sahadev were standing poorly concealed behind trees. "We seem to have some eavesdroppers amongst us."

Abhijishya shuffled out feeling chastised though the sage held not an ounce of anger. Sahadev immediately joined his hands and bowed his head," Pranipaat Maharishi." Abhijishya somehow stuttered the same. The entire overdeal had left her reeling from the influx of mixed emotions.

Younger Sahadev kept stealing glances with older Sahadev. Abhijishya didn't want to know what they might be thinking. The scene was odd; seeing her brother-in-law Sahadev stand beside an exact carbon copy of him, only much younger. It was only the incredulous experiences of her life so far that kept her from breaking into hysterics. So she did what she did best - take the circumstances in stride and focus on her priority which was getting out of this situation without offending a sage. Well, she hoped they hadn't offended him yet.

"We just happened to be at the wrong place and wrong time-" Abhijishya tried to explain but the sage's unimpressed face made her shrink within herself.

"You are exactly where you need to be," the sage answered. "Though your anklet is not where it belongs but it too will be where it is needed to be."

Without a thought, Abhijishya lifted her lehenga a little to see the gold chain of her left ankle missing. It was her beloved's gift and much precious to her. Hopefully the sage could tell her where he had seen her anklet.

"Maharishi, could you kindly tell me where you have seen it? It is very dear to me," Abhijishya asked feeling miserable at the loss.

"Putri, everyone has to part with everything dear to them someday," the sage's words only amplified her distress even though they weren't unkind in the least. "You'll find it when you need it."

"When?" Irked, Abhijishya demanded louder than intended but Sahadev's quiet 'Bhabishree' with a warning grasp on her wrist made her conscious of her disrespectful tone.

"Forgive me, I was-" she was silenced by the sage's nonchalant wave.

"You are always frank with me, Abhu. It is much admired," the sage chuckled at Abhijishya's confusion.

The only person other than her mother who called her by that name was Gopal even if it was a rare yet cherished utterance. "Gopal?" Relief coursed through her heart as she saw the familiar softening of his eyes whenever she called him.

The winds picked up around them. Abhijishya felt being pushed and pulled at the same time. She clutched strongly onto Sahadev's arm as her vision darkened momentarily.

Young Sahadev stared at the now empty space where his future self and his brother's wife were standing a minute ago.

"Why are you letting her meddle with everything?" He glanced at the sage while the later pondered upon the future turns of events.

The sage ruffled Sahadev's hair. "If Devi wishes to keep something concealed, Narayan shall not interfere until it threatens reality. Now come on, you have worried everyone for too long."

Taking the sage's hand, Sahadev started his journey back to his family. His sister-in-law was truly an enigma.

The sage suppressed a laugh at young Sahadev's inner thoughts when a glint made him turn his eyes to a tuft of grass they were passing by.

A gold anklet lay innocently under a huge sal tree.

------------ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ------------

A.N. - That was 2913 words. Phew. *pats myself on the back*

Special mention to sonalijain493 - She has been asking me for an update almost everyday. Like everyday and it is so sweet *sobs becuz i feel emotional* 💓

Two days back I saw her comment asking for update and by then Dhi had got quite a number of awards, votes and views. I was like you ungrateful lazy person better start writing. A minute of guilt tripping myself later I started writing this update. She made me get out of my writer's block mood.

I dedicate this chapter to her and my dearest Sahadev Nimarna. I know you roleplaying Sahadev is impeccable. I tried my best to uphold his character.

The current cover was gifted to me by mythooolover. Thank you dadu 💓💓😍😍

I'll try to update in a week.

Do tell me what you think of this chapter. And don't forget to vote.

Recs :

Hypophrenic Words by Sayra612

Love Over Salvation by vampressXXX

The Blindfolded Majesty by nerd_positive

Until the next time,

Byeee ;")

P.S. I was checking my phone for wattpad notis but was kinda sad that none came regarding Dhi. I thought I had published the chapter in the morning. Turns out I saved it but didn't publish. *facepalms*