"Come Dushasan, test your strength." boomed Draupadi.

Dushasan grinned as if he wasn't necessarily waiting for the invitation. Just as he kneeled to grab the cloth attached, she placed her right foot on the cloth, focusing all the strength left in her. Dushasan pulled at it hard but Draupadi didn't budge. When she knew she couldn't hold it much longer, and the cloth would tear, she let it go. The amount of friction between the two resulted in a sight of Dushasan on the floor. She had used all the strength she had in her. Arjuna was lying unconscious. Her other four husbands were slaves to both Duryodhana and their incorrect interpretation of Dharma. As Dushasan advanced to towards her, she joined her hands, this was above anyone present in the court, it was above her. She felt a pull. Her conscience invoking two entities she could trust. One a god who she revered and the other she revered as a god.
A petite woman was walking briskly, clad in royal garments by far the fairest of anyone present in the palace. Her big eyes were filled with innocence. Her sky blue lehenga - choli and bright green angavastram added to her childlike persona. She was going to meet the Samragni she hadn't got a chance to meet her yet, her two-year-old son Laxman had chosen particularly today to throw a tantrum, none of the dasis could handle him, so she had to stay back. Now the troublemaker was finally put to sleep. She was passing the royal court when she caught on something unusual. The court was silent. Of all the years she had spent in the palace of Hastinapur she had never come across a day when the court was silent. She knew it wasn't her place but curiosity took better of her. The doorkeepers were too busy to notice, they were more interested in seeing the scene being unfolded before them. The woman moved a little to her right because of the college base blocking her vision. What was before her eyes left her numb.
A woman probably in her early thirties, stood in the center of the court, her black hair unbraided looked like locks of fire, her visage, though bloodstained left the woman in awe, she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her nath was barely attached to her nose, and her body had cuts that needed immediate tending. But something else took the viewer's interest, her devar was pulling at the cloth attached to the woman. If it could get any bizarre the cloth seemed unnaturally long. She sensed a movement to her right, she turned her head, her husband was being deprived of his blue embroidered angavastram by an invisible force. The pieces of cloth flew towards the cloth attached to the woman, with eyes wide open she saw the length of his angavastram join the woman's. For the next few moments, she kept turning her head right and left. She watched every man present in the court getting devoid of their angavastrams, crowns and jewelry until her eyes landed on three men who were sitting so close to the door she didn't even notice them. She focused her vision, it was her husband's cousins - the Pandavas! But what were they doing on the ground sitting like slaves? She heard the one nearest to her, the youngest whisper something. Her head snapped back to the woman. She noticed the chudamani in her hair she had missed earlier. Her eyes widened further if that were possible. She let out a whimper. The doorkeeper turned back but he was too late. The wife of the Crown Prince, Bhanumati was running as fast as her small legs could take her. She ran towards the chamber of her mothers-in-law. She knew she could do nothing. Maybe they could. Something had to be done. The Samragni had to be saved.

-

As soon as Arjuna recollected his senses, as a warrior, the first thing he sensed was the sword drawing a scant amount of blood. He dare not move, he opened his eyes wide enough to see the happenings but narrow enough to go unnoticed, anyway, the soldier was not particularly interested in the archer, he was curious to know what would happen next! What will the Samragni do, now?

Arjuna saw Dushasan dropping to the floor he looked exhausted, in his hands a cloth which led to a woman, Arjuna dared to look up a little, it was her. He lost control, he yanked the sword away from the soldier, and lodged his elbow right into the soldier's face, he fell unconscious. Arjuna looked around, nobody was interested in him. They were looking at her unblinking. Everyone terrified. Everyone. They were not to blame.

Draupadi's black locks unpinned, barely held the chudamani, her nath barely attached to her nose. Her body covered with some scars that would be invisible over time, but some that will not let her forget today. She did not want to forget today. Today was the day the world will learn what happens when you provoke a woman.

Arjuna felt lightheaded. He had just woken up from the clutches of a powerful toxin, and immediately after that, he had pulled up a stunt. He sat back down. Saving his energy.

He heard a chorus of anklets. From the royal doors emerged three royal women.

One short and petite in stature, clad in cream white clothes and modest jewelry. Rajmata Kunti.

The other also of a very small build was clad in royal clothes, fit for a Queen, but she had red colored silk cloth tied over her eyes. Maharani Gandhari.

Another woman who Arjuna did not recognize was fairer than he had ever seen, she reminded her of the people of the mountains, it was rare to find a person of color up there. She had tears flowing down her eyes, she was guiding the blindfolded woman, Arjuna decided that she must be the wife of Duryodhana. Bhanumati.

Arjuna saw his mother run towards the center of the court. He saw his wife raise her hand, palm facing towards the advancing woman, a gesture to halt.

"Do not come near me Rajmata Kunti, you will be reduced to ashes." Draupadi stated, her eerily voice calm but strong as ever.

"Putri-"

"Do not just, do not call me your daughter! What have your sons done to deserve me as their wife? Oh, it slipped my mind, they have served me well with their silence." Draupadi uttered her voice filled with doleful mockery.

The eldest twin stumbled forward, filled with emotion, not in control of his body he fell to his knees. Nakul looked up, his eyes brimming with tears, his hands joined in pleading.

"Forgive us, Panchali! Forgive us!" he rasped.

"For what Arya? For what should I forgive you? For thinking that I am your property? For letting even the thought of your wife's disrobing prevail in this cursed court? For shedding silent tears? For your abject knowledge of Dharma? For what should I forgive you?" Draupadi said, her voice still strong but a little unstable, overcome with emotion. Her anger and disappointment now were diverted to her eldest husband.

"You had no right to bet me! Duryodhana had no right to bet his wife. I have married you, but that does not mean I am nothing except your wife! You have no right over me! You have no right over anyone! How can you own a person? I am the Samragni of Aryavarta. No one owns me. You have not only let me down, the people who lovingly call you Dharmraj are disappointed today. You bet me when you had lost. How?"

She turned regarding all of the courtiers.

"You all of you, you think you know Dharma? Do you think the disrobing of your wife was Dharma Panduputras? Do you think the dishonor of your Kulvadhu was Dharma Gangaputra? Do you think the humiliation faced by your friend's daughter was Dharma Dronacharya? Answer me!" Draupadi bellowed, losing her control. Not a voice was heard for a few excruciating seconds. Draupadi breathed in.

"Silence." she said her voice calm, but loud, "That is the only Dharma you know of, isn't it? To stay silent. You have not only given your lives to this cursed throne but your consciousness, your souls. You are nothing but puppets of these demons."

"Since the day I was born, I have sacrificed. I sacrificed my self-esteem to appease my father. I sacrificed my love so that I could give this very court a deserving ruler. I sacrificed my kingdom so that my husbands could get one. I sacrificed my motherhood so that I was an equal wife to all of them. Govind says, 'You are expected to what is asked of you. But you shall not except what you ask for. Simply perform your duty.' And I will. It is my duty to my motherland, to leave it better than I found it. I will do everything in my power to eradicate Adharma from this land, and establish Dharma as the way of life. This is the vow of Yagyaseni Draupadi."

"And Duryodhana, you achieved nothing but accelerated your death. Six days from now on Vijayadashami, one more victory of Dharma over Adharma will take place. I will be standing on the holy ground of Kurukshetra. Not to take revenge but to reincarnate Dharma. To perform my duty. And if I do not see you there by the second hour of the third prahar, I will reduce this unholy court of your to ashes, with all of you as a sacrifice for a novel Aryavarta! Mark the words of the fire warrior!"

"I, the Samragni of Aryavarta order you, the interim king of Hastinapur to return everything that was deceitfully taken by your son from my eldest husband. I will not ask for my freedom, because I never was your slave! Pranipat!" 

-

The brothers had just met an anxious Subhadra, who had pointed to where Draupadi was, as she was not in her usual chambers. As soon as they reached the room where she was, they understood why. The room was enlightened, the drapes were drawn, whereas her chambers were filled with light and emanated heat.

No one dared to go even near her, they were drowning in their guilt, no one except Arjuna. He walked into the room, went to a table on which a pooja thali was kept. He lighted a match and started illuminating the room, without a word. He knew Draupadi grew weak when there was no source of heat around her, she was born from fire after all. While lighting the diyas he gestured a dasi. In a matter of few moments, the servant came back with a thali in her hands, containing bandages and ointments. Arjuna flicked his wrist, the flame went out. He took the thali from the servant's hand. Wordlessly he sat beside Draupadi, took her right hand and applied turmeric paste on the wound, covering it basil leaves, concealing it with a white bandage. Draupadi just watched him, a tear finally dropped on her cheeks, her mouth slightly open. 

For a few minutes, this continued. After bandaging every visible wound on her, Arjuna looked up staring straight into her eyes. Draupadi could not recall the last time it was just her and him, even though it such even now. 

"I have two options. Either to dwindle in my own guilt for failing my love or rise above my personal dilemmas and help her to complete the purpose of her life. And I have chosen." he said his voice breaking in the end. He cleared his throat. He looked towards his brothers.

"In five days we have a war to fight, a chance for remorse, a chance to build a better Bharat.  Forget the events which happened but not how you felt, put all your aggression in the creation of a Dharmic way of life. Revenge has never blessed anyone, but the eradication of Adharma will." His words resonated around the room. He turned to look at Draupadi, breathed in as if drawing energy from her. He knew he had to be strong both for her and for him. As he stood up he deliberately but unnoticeably brushed Draupadi's hand, telling her that he was there, for her, with her. Another sole tear rolled off her cheeks, as she saw her husbands leave. She wiped it with the back of her hand. She had a battle to win. And she had people she could count on. That was all that mattered.

Author's note: I am providing a vocabulary for words you may be unfamiliar with:

Laxman - Son of Duryodhana and Bhanumati

Devar - Hindi for Brother in law

Bhanumati - Wife of Duryodhana

Rajmata - Indian term used for the mother of the head of a princely family

Maharani - Hindi for Queen

Putri - Hindi for daughter

Gangaputra -  Another name for Devrat

Vijayadashmi - The day marks the victory of good over evil, this was the day when Lord Ram, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu defeated the Lankan demon King, Raavan

Kurukshetra - A city in ancient India, current day Haryana

Prahar - A unit of time, approximately three hours

Pooja - Hindi for prayer

Thali - Hindi for a round platter

Diyas - A small cup-shaped oil lamp made of baked clay