𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝟽
Outskirts of Kaampilya, Paanchaal
"This should be enough," Bheem muttered, lifting a huge lump of clay in a vessel and placing it on the side of his shoulder. "Seems like so." Arjun carried a huge jar full of the mud and thumped it inside the car, stacking the rest of the vessels one by one.
The Sun was ablaze in the afternoon, the soothing waves of the river adding to the sweet melody of the winds that rustled through the trees.
Arjun walked over towards the clear waters, bending down to wash away the mud. He cupped his hands, drinking the cool, refreshing water, feeling it quench his thirst.
There was an undeniable sweetness even in the waters, perhaps, due to the aura of Lord Shiv. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the taste linger on his tongue, a subtle reminder of the divine presence he had been feeling ever since he was here. The sacredness of the place seemed to infuse the very air, making every breath a spiritual encounter.
There was something here. Something that was lingering in the air, a soulful thread that was drawing him in.
"Bhrata Bheem?" Arjun couldn't help but utter, "Now, now that we have come this far, don't you think we should leave after visiting the temple?"
"Stole my words, brother." Bheem gave him a light tipped smile, "My mind feels fuddled after all....perhaps we could find some peace there." He mumbled running his fingers through his hairs, staring at the fluttering red flag at the tip of the temple.
.
.
.
The Shiv Lingam was studded in full glory, smothered with milk and holy water. Bel leaves were piled up and Dhatura fruits were like a crown over the Lord.
Shiv was there, and so was his devotee.
A small smile crept over Arjun's lips as he upturned the little copper pot, emptying the holy water over his Lord, halcyon aura engulfing his tremor. For a moment he felt as if he could detach from all the worldly chaos, but the world would never from him.
But he had miles to go before he slept.
Glistening water cascaded down the hard idol, his fingers trailing down over it. There was something, something he felt that moment. A soulful thread that wanted to draw him close, wound him close to someone. A string tied for eternities, which neither had an end nor the beginning.
"Destiny is written by you Lord, and shall you lead me," Arjun inhaled deeply, folding his palms. But He never spoke, only to glisten with an unspoken promise that could only be felt. For one last time, he knelt down on the marble floor, moistening his forehead with the amalgamation of the milky waters,
"Lead me, please..."
He stood up, sparing a glance at his Lord for one last time, and walked down the stairs. The guards of Paanchaal had already started gearing up at the entrance, siding the other visitors to one side, "Make way this side!"
"Please, please come from the side!"
Arjun could see the palanquins and horses from afar, halted. His brows furrowed in alert, his gaze darting around for Bheem instantly, as he swiftly climbed down the last stairs of the temple.
But he was no where to be seen.
He bit on the corner of his lips in perplex, when his gaze fleeted across towards the entrance of the temple, and he had to widen his eyes, holding his breath momentarily. Oh God...it was Satyajit!
The second eldest Prince of Paanchaal had given him and Bheem a commendable fight during the war along with Shikhandi-- Arjun could remember Bheem grumbling under his breath about the two of them while returning towards the camp.
The Brahmins began to gather around him, as he began to donate them garments and grains one by one, and for a fraction of a moment his gaze fleeted towards Arjun.
Arjun immediately turned around, exhaling a short breath. Looking around for a moment, he began to walk away from there, taking longer strides and dodging the crowd swiftly.
It was a risk to be in front of them...
Finally away from the crowd, he stopped near a massive banyan tree, well outside the temple premises. Reverberating chants and sermons lingered in the atmosphere. Priests, clad in tattered rags and with disheveled, matted hair, were either lost in deep meditation or engaged in fervent discourse with the commoners.
The surrounding walls were adorned with exquisite carvings of Lord Shiva, and holy threads and pieces of cloth were draped across the marble grills, each one a symbol of the devotees' hopes and prayers.
He sighed deeply, scanning the area, raising his brows as he shook his head.
Bheem might have left the temple upon seeing Satyajit.
He should go back to the riverside...
But not before making a wish.
There was something profoundly enchanting about the temple, something he couldn't quite deny. There was something in the air...
Perhaps, the Lord would fulfill his wish as well...
The sky began to darken gradually, the winds picking up pace suddenly. Leaves rustled, and dust swirled around...
Arjun walked towards the walls adorned with countless cloth pieces and holy threads tied around the grills. Taking a deep breath, he tore a strip from his saffron cloth.
He wrapped the strip around one of the grills, his fingers moving with deliberate languidness as he knotted it securely, his brows furrowing in solemn prayer.
'I am nothing without you, my love, just a living carcass.'
A faint breath escaped his lips...
'The realms shall see, how my love brings her forth to me!'
His heart pounded fiercely against his chest, his breaths turning short and uneven.
He, he never felt like that previously, never.
'Who is there to shackle me from my love? Who?! Who shall stop me from making her mine?!'
'Who shall?!'
A sudden, deafening clap of thunder made his amber eyes dart frantically across the mystical azure sky.
Amalgamated in dark grey and blue, the clouds appeared to rule over the endless, the unpredictable, the unimaginable, raging around the heavens.
What....what was even happening?
The Sun, Moon, and stars appeared to conspire in an enchantment as their realm roared with the tumultuous clouds. There was something—an indefinable, restless spark—that seemed to dominate the aura. Canary coruscant flickered dimly from the clouds, casting a soft, ethereal glow that barely penetrated the thick, churning veil.
Arjun stared up in awe, holding his breath as the cool zephyrs swirled through his unruly curls. Neither could his heart halt it's galloping pace nor could the rumbling clouds with their sporadic bursts of lightning seem to quiet their tempestuous tumult.
'Shattered to a vagabond without you, my heart despair. Nothing but wandering along a path haywire.'
There was something that hung in the air, a dulcet resonance....
'For the way you fiddle my heartstrings like, ablaze my fire with a lightning strike.'
The heavens demarcated the halo and the dark, the winds whistled with an arcane providence.
'Don't be so ruthless O beloved, hallow my love.'
'Lament no more, I pray thee. Awaken your heart and thou shall find me.'
It all took an aching tug on his heartstrings, just to let his gaze find her.
And in that moment, the world seemed to come to a standstill.
.
.
.
Those, those eyes on the other side.
Those eyes, which could hold every enchant of mysticism, every depth of the deepest ocean and every arcane that vowed to remain hidden.
And ablaze every pore of his soul with the kindling flames.
She was every painter's muse, every poet's spark and every artiste's dream. A figment of the wildest thoughts, a paragon of the deepest of desires.
Like a dream, so profound, it could only be felt.
But she. She was an answer to every dream of his....
Her dusky aura rhythmed with the abyss of the clouds, amalgamated with azure and dark where her vivacious tresses that cadenced with the eddying zephyrs.
Her svelte fingers turned languid as it lingered upon the grill of the wall, as if stunning with each passing moment. That crystal gaze that stuck upon him, ceasing. The strip of deep red cloth, half tied, fluttered in a carefree silence.
But she.
'The way I yearned for you, even the fate bowed down.'
A nimble sigh escaped his lips, the gravitas of those carmine eyes on the other side arresting his every stroke of breath as he drew towards her. With a feeling that he would ebb if he ever looked away from them. Her lips parted in a languid breath, lashes daring to blink.
The strip of her cloth threatened to wing away.....
'Even the Sun, Moon and the stars conspired,'
His hand traced along the ice-cold grill, never breaking the gaze. Her eyes did the same, though a flicker of awe shimmered, with a deep intake of breath as he stroked his fingers over her delicate ones, a surge of sparks ignited deep within him, stirred by the touch. His hold firmed over the cloth, twirling his fingers over to secure the knot slowly.
People ran helter skelter around, searching for immediate shelter as the winds raged. But even another deafening roars thunder couldn't bring them back from where they were lost.
Those eyes conveyed thousands what he couldn't it words. Drowning him each moment, but he never wished to surface out.
'Conspired like never before,'
His breath hitched as his fingers trailed down, ceasing over her warm ones.
'Conspired to make you mine.'
The gentle drizzle abruptly intensified, evolving into an enthralling downpour. The raindrops cascaded unabashedly, as if liberated after a long confinement, drenching everything in their path with a newfound vigor.
Locks of hairs spluttered around her face, yet couldn't bring her to dim her lashes. Cool drops of water beaded on her forehead and cheeks, as it trailed down to hallow her visage, drenching her royal raiment. Untarnished, unblemished.
Arjun felt her fingers gently easing against his, and before a wave of anguish could overtake him, he felt them gripping around his. Soft, ragged breaths escaped her lips as she stifled a choking gasp, her brows knitted in an unspoken tremor as her yearning around raved around him. As if she had no where to go, beyond him. Years of longing, eons of prayers.
The world would shatter without him.
If not for the barrier...
★★★★★★★★★
A/N
"Itni shiddat se maine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai, ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai...
Kehte hai ki agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho to puri kainaat usko tumse milaane ki koshish me lag jaati hai.." 😌💘
Yeah, I know I am dramatic 😭😭😭😭😭🔥🔥🔥🔥BUT I HAD TO! I know I had told you that I would show ArDi meet directly in their Swayamvar but something struck me and I had to write this!
So did you like it? 🥺🥺🥺🥺💘💘💘💘I thought I could do it better, maybe edit it sometime later....
Signing off for today!
Kiritija Nushkie
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