It took a long time and a lot of effort from his mother and brothers for Arjun to pull himself back together.

Every time someone told him, "Calm down--"

"I am the one who has to fight him," he kept sobbing. "He said he wouldn't hurt any of you--you don't have to fight him at all. But I cannot escape it, not by any means."

"We cannot fight in a side opposite our eldest brother," said Yudhishthir definitively, once Arjun had stopped howling and had settled his head on their mother's lap. "Either he switches sides--or he does not fight--or we forfeit."

"Forfeit?" demanded Bheem and Nakul in unison.

"Yes. Duryodhan can fight the war without Karna, but the war cannot be fought without the five of us."

"Duryodhan can't fight without Karna," put in Bheem, sending Arjun a deliberately glowing look. 

Arjun raised a tearful eyebrow.

"He doesn't have anyone in his side who even comes close to Arjun in skill," said Bheem. "Take Karna away, and he is nothing. Nothing."

"And Karna is very loyal to him, unfortunately," said Kunti.

"He's an idiot. He can't even see Duryodhan is using him. He's been letting himself get used for decades," said Sahadev in disgust.

"That's enough," said Yudhishthir. "Ma, do you think there is a chance to convince him to switch sides?"

"No," said Kunti flatly. "I tried."

"Or not to take part in the war?" 

"No," said Kunti again.

"Then," said Yudhishthir heavily, "the only option left is for us to back out."

"We are not going to forfeit!" said Bheem furiously. "They have our rightful kingdom. And they insulted Draupadi. We promised her we would take revenge."

"We cannot fight our kin."

"We do not even know he is our kin! Why can't we just forget--"

"We cannot forget." Yudhishthir frowned at Bheem. "You don't have to fight him, Bheem, so maybe you don't understand. Arjun--"

"No, brother," said Arjun, sitting up. "We are not going to give up. Giving up is not dharma, it is cowardice. The King of Anga," he said, eyes glowing, "is a hateful person, a puppet of the most unrighteous person that ever existed. He called our wife a prostitute and called for her to be disrobed. To not avenge that would be the coward's way."

"He is not a hateful person, son," interjected Kunti.

"You were not there in the sabha, Ma."

"Even so," said Kunti. "I know him better than you do. Maybe you could try talking to him, Arjun--"

"Talk to him? Talk to him, like we are the ones who want him on our side, Ma?" said Arjun fiercely. "Why would I ever want to talk to him?"

Kunti bestowed upon him her sternest look.

"Because you cannot face the idea of fighting him any more than he can face the idea of fighting you."

Arjun blinked rapidly. Then he drew himself up.

"I am a warrior," he said. "And so is the King of Anga. We can deal with it, and you have to learn to deal with it, Ma."

Kunti saw determination battling the shadow of doubt in her son's countenance.

"But we must try to negotiate, at the very least," said Yudhishthir. "Ma? Can you try once more, please?"

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

Much to her sons' displeasure, Kunti insisted on returning to the Kaurava camp.

The reason she cited, of course, was that as Hastinapur's Queen, her rightful place in the Kaurava camp, but the truth was that she could not possibly sleep without checking on her eldest son.

Arjun dropped her off. The other four, tactfully enough, let him go alone.

"Why did you abandon him, Ma?" he asked quietly as the enemy camp came into view.

"I was terrified," said Kunti. "Terrified of raising a child at the age of seventeen, terrified of the society questioning my character and insulting my father. I had no sense of right or wrong. I cannot defend myself, but only give the reason as per I then acted."

"You--you followed his childhood?"

"No, son, I only recognized him for his armour when he challenged you in the arena."

Arjun looked sick. 

"You recognized him before--before it all started. The enmity, I mean."

Since no words would suffice, Kunti chose silence.

"And you are choosing to spend every day in this camp," said Arjun viciously, "to make up for lost time? Forgetting that the five sons you did raise and who do love you are also going into the war where all may not make it out? Does your guilt make you love him more than us?"

"Arjun..."

"Do not step inside the boundaries, Gandivdhari," said an icy voice. "I shall take the Queen inside from here."

Karna loomed in front of them in the dark.

"You," said Arjun in disgust.

"Yes," said Karna. "Me."

Kunti could only watch helplessly as his sons faced off, each raising their bow. She knew they would not dare attack at that hour, but the looks they gave each other was enough to freeze fire.

But when Arjun spoke, it was petulant.

"He calls you Queen, Ma. And yet you choose him over us."

Kunti opened her mouth to protest, but Karna got there first, almost taking Arjun's eye out with an arrow. 

"Chooses me over you?" he snarled in a voice that would paralyze with terror even a lion. "You accuse her of choosing me?"

Arjun took half a step back, breathing hard.

"Sorry," he said, as if without thinking, because if he had thought it through, Kunti knew he would never have apologized.

Karna lowered the arrow a little. Kunti looked at Arjun significantly, but Arjun was too busy glaring at his brother.

"I came," Kunti said, clearing her throat, "with a message from Yudhishthir. But since you are his warrior, Arjun, I think you had better given it."

Arjun grabbed the arrow and twisted it down. Both their scowls intensified.

"Our eldest brother says," said Arjun stiffly, "he wishes you to join our side. You would be the rightful King of Indraprastha, should we win the war."

Karna titled his head. "Everyone knows the Pandavas are going to win the war. If I join you, what next? You would be my subject, Arjun?"

"I only," said Arjun through gritted teeth, "pass on my brother's message. If you ask of my wish, I think you are better off in this camp so we can settle the question of who is superior once and for all."

"You can do that without the war," said Kunti quickly. "We can have a fair competition after the war. We can organize it as grand as--" 

"It is not a game, Mother!" shouted Karna. "I cannot desert my friend's--"

He fell silent.

"Queen--Queen Mother," he stammered, clenching his fists.

"Make sure you remember that," said Arjun. 

Karna flushed, his fists tightening. He seemed to have accepted that he had lost this battle, at least.

"I will tell my brother his request has been declined," said Arjun, turning away. "Good night, Ma."

His gait as he walked away was slouching. He did not seem like he enjoyed the victory of words. He seemed like he was forcing himself not to glance back with difficulty.

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

Karna did not speak as he escorted Kunti to her quarters.

After having rebuffed all her attempts at conversation, he looked up at the sky when they were at the entrance of the tent, and spoke.

"It will be morning soon, Queen Mother. And we will be at war."

"Do you want to be at war?"

"Since my brothers do, I don't have a choice," said Karna.

"Your brothers also offered you to switch over, or not fight," said Kunti.

"One of them," said Karna, sounding so bitter Kunti winced. "And that because he will not waver from dharma, and dharma instructs you not to fight your kin. I do not want such an offer, nor will I accept it under any circumstances. I will not turn my back on Duryodhan, even if the offer had been from the heart."

"They are grudging for what happened with Draupadi at the court," said Kunti quietly.

Karna's face was impassive.

"Do you regret it, my son?"

"I don't regret that she was publicly humiliated," Karna said. "She has done it to plenty of others; she thinks of it as her entitlement as Queen."

Disappointment doused the hope that had started to rise inside Kunti.

"But I regret the manner in which it was done," said Karna. "We should not have done it."

"You called her a harlot," said Kunti. "Do you regret that?"

Karna lowered his eyes to the ground before nodding.

"You called for a woman being disrobed in public. Do you regret that?"

He nodded again.

The fire of hope lit up again.

"Then go and tell them. Your brothers, and their wife. Go and apologize to them, Karna, and there need not be a war."

"What?" said Karna, after what seemed like a stunned pause. "Apologize to them?"

"Is it so hard to apologize for something you regret?"

"It is against anyone's pride to apologize to their enemies."

"Not enemies who are also your brothers," said Kunti softly. "Someone has to take the first step."

"I don't--"

"You don't want the war," said his mother. "You can make peace with the Pandavas and convince Duryodhan to return their half of the kingdom and abandon the idea of war."

"You sound like their spokesperson, Queen," said Karna.

"I am not, my son," said Kunti heavily. "I am not. I am neutral--why else would I be accused of partiality from both sides? You heard Arjun, didn't you?"

That seemed to make Karna think.

"Please take the first step, Karna," said Kunti. "We can work it all out. Just take the first step."

"Is it not funny," said Karna sardonically, "that I was the one you abandoned, and now I am the one who has to put in all the efforts?"

Kunti raised a hand to caress his cheek.

"It always is like that for older siblings," she said, voice full of the affection she felt. "They have to overlook their siblings' entitlement and their mistakes and be the--the eldest."