The next morning, Bheem got ready for the wedding wearing a dark green coloured dhoti and orange Angavastra. Nakul and Drisana were managing all the arrangements and rituals from the groom's side. Drisana looked beautiful in a dark blue coloured paridhaya and uttariya with pink dupatta on head. Nakul matched her with light pink dhoti and sapphire blue Angavastra.

"Bhrata Bheem? Did you finish your very important work last night? Or want to skip the wedding for it?" Nakul asked smiling playfully as he came inside with Drisana.

"No!!!" Bheem shouted at the suggestion. "I mean it's fine. I finished all my works earlier."

Nakul and Drisana chuckled at his expression. Then Drisana did his Aarti and after her completing the rituals, Nakul placed the crown on his head.

"Thik thak lag rahe hai aap bhrata Bheem. (You're looking okay bhrata Bheem.)" Nakul said making a face. Bheem frowned and looked down at himself.

"You're looking very nice bhrata Bheem." Drisana said slapping Nakul's arm lightly. Bheem smiled broadly with relief. They started towards the wedding venue then not delaying anymore.

When the time arrived for the bride's entry, Valandhara was led to the Mandap by Priyala. She was looking beautiful wearing a dark green coloured paridhaya with red and gold embroidery. Her upper garment was made of the same dark green fabric and a red dupatta adorned her head.

Bheem froze in place looking at her forgetting their surroundings. Even after Valandhara stood beside him and they were told to exchange the garlands, he kept staring at her not moving an inch. Valandhara tried to control her blush as everyone else was laughing silently. Priyala who stood with the garlands cleared her throat loudly to gain his attention unsuccessfully.

"Aise laddoo ki tarah gol gol aakhe banakar mujhe ghurna band kare. (Stop staring at me making rounded eyes like laddoos.)" Valandhara whispered giving a glare to him. That got Bheem's attention finally and he looked around noticing everyone.

"Main tumhe nehi ghur raha tha. Main toh tumhari bindi dekh raha tha. Teri lagayi hai tumne. (I was not staring at you. I was looking at the red dot on your forehead. It's sidelined.)" Bheem whispered back lying on her face.

"Meri bindi aapne jagah par hi hai, aapki aakhe teri hai. (My bindi is at its right place only. You're cross-eyed.)" Valandhara whispered back frowning.

"Meri aakhe bilkul thik hai. Aapna dekho tum. Aabhi bhi dristi samne hai par dekh mujhe rahi ho. (My eyes are perfectly alright. You think about yourself. Still now you're looking ahead, but your eyes are on me.)" Bheem whispered again frowning too.

"Mujhe pata hai ki meri dristi kaha honi cahiye. Aapki tarah sadev laddoo o par dristi nehi hoti meri. (I know where my eyes should be. I don't keep eyeing laddoos all the time like you.)" Valandhara replied looking directly at him.

"You guys do know that I can hear you and so can Rajguru." Priyala interrupted before Bheem could retort back. Valandhara and Bheem both glanced at her and then the royal priest who stood beside them smiling in amusement.

"Koyi baat nehi Rajkumari Priyala. Parantu pehle aap dono vivha toh kar lijiye, uske paschat jari rakhiye ga yeh baat-bibad. (It's ok Rajkumari Priyala. But you two get married first, then you can continue your bantering.)" The royal Priest said making both of them embarrassed.

They exchanged the garlands then and completed all the rituals silently. Mahabali Balaram tied the nuptial knot and the Chudamani was brought by Drisana at last. Bheem placed it on Valandhara's head marking her as the daughter-in-law and honour of Kuruvansh.

Bheem's mouth watered looking at the various sweets which was brought for 'Anna Praashan'. He took the whole kesar malai laddoo in his mouth as Valandhara held it for him.

She was both startled and embarrassed as a shiver ran through her at the touch of his lips on her fingers. Bheem on the other hand ignored her glare and missed the blush on her face.

After all the rituals were completed, they took the blessings of the elders. Nakul and Drisana came at last to take their blessings. Bheem slapped Nakul's back hard just like he did at his wedding.

"Bhrata Bheem! Vivha cahe kisika bhi ho, aapka aashirwad mujhe bhari par jata hai. (No matter whose wedding it is, your blessing comes hard to me.)" Nakul whined making him laugh.

"Bhabhishree, aaj se hamare bhrata Bheem aur unke laddoo, dono ki jammidari aapki huyi. (Bhabhishree, from now bhrata Bheem and his laddoos, both responsibilities are yours.)" Nakul told Valandhara smiling playfully. Bheem frowned at him.

"Aap niscint rahiye bhrata Nakul. Gol matol cijo ko sambhalna mujhe aachi tarah se aata hai. (Don't worry bhrata Nakul. I know how to handle rounded things.)" Valandhara replied returning his smile. Nakul shook in silent laughter and Drisana controlled herself as Bheem directed his frown at Valandhara.

"Bhrata Bheem, Dhara jiji, Congratulations and many many wishes for your new beginning." Drisana said before they could start again.

After that they prepared to leave for Indraprasth with the new bride while Balaram and Krishna was to continue their journey towards Anga.

"Bhrata Krishna!" Drisana called him from back before getting on the chariot. She wasn't sure when she would meet him again. So, she wanted to have a chat with him before leaving. 

"What happened behna? You're looking anxious. I thought Sakhi Valandhara is the new bride." Krishna said jokingly.

"When we have a lot of responsibilities and uncertainties, isn't it normal to feel anxious once in a while?" Drisana asked smiling a little.

"Yes. That's the nature of humans. But anxiousness makes us prone to mistakes too." Krishna replied smiling back. Drisana looked downwards in thought.

"I don't want to make any mistake. I'm afraid my efforts won't bear fruit." Drisana said softly lifting her head.

"What have I said to you once behna?
Karm hamare aadhin hota hai. Uska bichar hona cahiye, fal ki cinta nehi. (Actions are in our control. We should think about that, not worry about the fruits.)" Krishna said gently.

"Parantu yeahi toh dubidha hai meri. Kya mera ye karm uchit hoga? (But this is my doubt only. Is it right to do this?)" Drisana asked glancing at Devyajot who stood with Nakul a little far away.

"You never asked why Draupadi wasn't married to five in spite of having Mahadev's blessing." Krishna said instead surprising Drisana.
"Yes. During her previous birth, she wished that an ideal husband must have the qualities of righteousness, strength, highly skilled, handsome and intelligence. In reply Mahadev said,

"This is almost an impossibility. All these qualities cannot be found in one man in this era or ahead. If I send someone who has all these qualities to you, he will be an imbalance in society and ultimately he might be a threat. Hey Devi, lower your standards."

"I have done my Tapasya and it is up to you to grant me the fruit of my labor." Replied Draupadi.

"So be it. But be prepared to face the consequences." Mahadev warned lastly.

That's what led to her marriage with five men." Krishna narrated as Drisana looked contemplative.

"Then?" Drisana asked the question she didn't ask earlier. Why Draupadi was married to Arjun only.

"Arjun wasn't sent with all those qualities. As I said earlier, your presence here gave opportunity to all to change their actions.
You may have the most handsome man as your husband, but my Paarth can never be called ugly.

Bhrata Bheem may have the strength of thousands elephants, but even he can't yield the Gandhiva. Because even though he has physical strength, the bow needs skilled hands too.

You remember when you first came back how bhrata Yudhisthir barely got the chance to breath in between answering your questions about righteousness? But you weren't the only one absorbing those answers. That opportunity strengthened Dharma in the rest four Pandavs hearts too.

And how much you used to trouble my Paarth teaming up with Sahdev. To escape you both, he had to stay sharp by improving his knowledge."

Krishna explained smiling pleasingly. Drisana took a deep breath understanding his words. Arjun wasn't the best of bests. But possessing some quality didn't mean no one else could be better at it than you. And that's the problem with us. We don't value the qualities in us if someone else was better at it in comparison.

"You know why Gods always incarnate on earth as humans whenever the betterment of mankind is required?" Krishna asked her. At her questioning look, he replied,
"Kyuki sristi ki sabse sresth rachna hai Manushya. Danav aur Dev o se bhi sresth hai Manav. Manushya aapne bhakti, sudh bhabnay aur nisswarth karm se ishwar ko bhi jeet sakta hai. Toh un guno ko arjeet karna konsi bari baat hai, jo na use janm se mila, na aashirwad se.

(Because human are the best of creations. Human are best among Danavs and Devs. If a human has devotion, pure thoughts and selfless actions, he can even win God. Then what difficult it is to acquire those qualities that he didn't get by birth or blessing.)"

"But what about Mahadev's warning about consequences?" Drisana asked after nodding.

"Fear. Insecurity. Dread. And guilt. Arjun's good looks, skills and strength attracts a lot of attention. That makes Draupadi insecure. His knowledge of Aryavart's Kingdoms and politics doesn't help with that. Draupadi is a smart woman and knows alliance is part of politics too. She is afraid Arjun may need to use that knowledge someday by remarriage.
And of course, a righteous man knows loving and respecting one wife more than other is unrighteousness. So, a righteous Arjun won't give more attention or love to Draupadi than his other wives. Draupadi dread that too.
And lastly she feels remorse and guilt that even knowing and feeling Arjun's love and loyalty, those thoughts don't leave her mind."

Drisana sighed. Knowing only time could bring peace to Draupadi.

"Does that mean, bhrata Arjun is going to remarry?" Drisana asked. Krishna smiled sadly hearing her question and said,

"As I said, actions. When Arjun is trapped between Dharma and love, his action will decide the course. If he chooses Dharma, Draupadi will lose him, but if he chooses love, he will lose Draupadi."

"I came for solutions and you gave me more problems. That's not fair bhrata Krishna." Drisana complained with a pout. Krishna laughed lightly and caressed her head.

"Only those who are capable of finding solutions, can actually figure out the problems behna. And as for your dilemma? Your mind is not in any dilemma. It's your heart which is just afraid of failure and that has no solution other than trying harder." Krishna said gently smiling serenely and calming her heart.

Rajkumar Dridhaksh released another arrow hitting the target in succession. His muscles bulged with restrained tension. He stopped finally after hours of practice. He moved towards the table where his weapons were kept and stared at two small scrolls that contained messages. A message that had brought an upheaval in his heart.

He stilled himself. This wasn't only about him anymore. More lives were at stake. He had to warn Drisana before it was too late. With that thought, he took the scroll that he wrote earlier for her. He hesitated for a moment. Drisana was married now and it wouldn't be right to burden her with their problems.
But then he looked at the sky of Dravida. Clouds were forming giving indication of an upcoming storm. Only the first rays of sun (Arunika) could dissolve the darkness.

Hello!!!

How was the chapter???

Let me know your thoughts about Bheem and Valandhara. Poor Bheem rarely gets a love story. But he is my favourite among Pandavs. 😄

Our sugar daddy and his baby is coming right on the next chapter...😉
😶😶😶
😜
😂😂😂😂😂

I found 4 different back stories about Draupadi's marriage to Pandavs and I picked the one that fits this story. As for acquiring the qualities, it's not completely impossible. Even Gods sported flows sometimes, like arrogance, immorality, jealousy etc. But they rid themselves of those and achieve greatness.

And the reference of human being greater than Dev and Danavs was said to Indradev by Lord Vishnu himself. Also at different times, even Gods sought out human's help. So...yeah...