Kaampilya, Paanchaal

"Oh my God! I am fine, I am fine!" Draupadi giggled, feeling Dhrishtadyumn's worried kisses all over her forehead for the umpteenth time. 

The next morning was afresh with the dappling warm rays of the Sun at the potter's, as an entire sect of army royals from Paanchaal were assembled around the cottage.

 "Ufff. . . . .thank  God a hundred times!" He muttered, engulfing his sister in a bone-crashing hug. Draupadi smiled closing her eyes, patting his brother's back gently.

"Can't tell you Aarya, father didn't even take a sip of water till he got the news!" Dhrishtadyumn broke the hug, as he looked at the Bheem and Yudhishthir while caressing Draupadi's head, "And whatever happened yesterday. . .I mean, I didn't—we didn't have a cue that everything would go out of hands like this—"

"My father is ashamed of whatever happened," Dhrishtadyumn said, folding his hands again, a frown etched on his face.

"Don't Prince," Yudhishthir cupped his folded palms, lowering it with a smile kicking off on his lips, "Let it be now. Whatever happened, it was never your father's fault or anyone from the Paanchaals. And moreover, the girl's family doesn't fold palms in front of the groom's, their side is always the greater one. . ." 

Dhrishtadyumn sighed with a grin, as Yudhishthir wrapped him in a warm hug. 

"You were keeping a watch upon us for such a long time, atleast you could've had meals with us and then left?" 

Dhrishtadyumn's ears reddened seeing Arjun's wave of chuckles, with his hands behind his waist. Bheem barked a laugh, "Exactly, I told Vijay to separate a share for him,  poor soul must be tired checking upon us!" 

He tittered nervously, peering at Draupadi who too was cupping her mouth to suppress her giggles. 

"That, I. . .I was just worried." He mumbled, shifting edgily. 

"I hope your father didn't assume I am a Pishach or something, or even worse—I mean the way you were judging us and all," Arjun sighed deeply in a mock tone, trying to look innocent with a raised brow but failing miserably.

"No no! Revered one, what are you talking about?" Dhrishtadyumn's face was burning by now, as he shook his head vigorously, "My father is too happy to know that—"

"That I am not a Pishach, right?" Arjun tilted his head, blinking.

Dhrishtadyumn had his mouth hung down, as he shook his head again, and the twins were already in peals of laughter.

"Relax, relax my brother. I was just joking!" Arjun pressed his lips from chuckling further, walking up towards Dhrishtadyumn, hugging the frozen human and patted his back, "I hope you aren't just hugging me back to check whether I am a Pishach or not. . ."

Dhrishtadyumn broke the hug with, his eyes flaring wide with a concocted disbelief.

No doubt he was Arjun.

"Vijay, stop it now!" Kunti came out of the hut, smiling as she drew her garment over her shoulder, "Have mercy on this poor thing!"

Arjun's chest vibrated as he shifted back, trying to hold back his laughter, "Fine enough!" 

He looked back at Draupadi with a tilted head, shrugging as innocently as possible, turning her cheeks red once again.

"Draupadi dear. . . you didn't tell me your brother is this lovely!" Kunti walked over, blessing the Prince as he bent over to touch her feet quickly with a humble grin. Draupadi looked down and chuckled, pressing her hands over each other. 

"Come son, have something, and then we'll talk!"

.

.

.

Bheem washed the feet of the priest of Paanchaal, and dabbed it with his garment. 

"Son Dhrishtadyumn spoke a lot about you'll yesterday, and even King Drupad is eager to know your identity sons. . ." The old one spoke with a warm smile, panning his gaze over the brothers.

"None but only a warrior by birth can lift the bow, and this brother of yours has accomplished it! No wonder he's the worthy one for our Princess!"

Arjun tried his best to stretch his lips into a humble smile, but his eyes lurked and found itself on Yudhishthir again. The latter hesitatingly met his brother's gazes through a side eye, and shook his head again. That meant he had to be quiet for now and let the things flow the way it was going.

For now atleast.

But he wasn't liking it at all. 

This was what he wasn't wanting to happen, again.  

The overwhelming attention from Paanchaal, the leaps and bounds of applauds for him made him feel like a weird jab in his guts. The looks of awe, love and expectations; and how they were exuberated in him being the only worthy one for Draupadi—

It tightened him from within like an iron fetter with no mercy, itching to say that. . .

That wasn't the truth. 

That wasn't!

For a moment, his eyes met the Princess who was overtly engaged with Dhrishtadyumn, while the others surrounded her, too excited for the anecdotes post her escapade. She bit her lip, a bit too hard with her brows converging narrowly, a bit too narrowly to hint a slice of tension.

Did. . .did she tell him? 

Arjun was currently having no idea what the reaction of the Paanchaals would be—

They were talking as if he was only going to be their son-in-law, and this was making him uncomfortable in a sickly manner. 

He was planning to blurt everything out, but again—

 Yudhishthir did not want it that way—so many people were there. He strictly forbade Arjun and his brothers to say anything to anyone. It wouldn't be right to break the news like that, that too so suddenly. 

And he was right. If the people got to know about it like this. . .it could travel like word of mouth maybe without any filter.

But there was a suffocating grip around his throat that seemed to tighten it's paws with everything around, like a trigger to shatter his mastered endurance over years. 

He had to be quiet with all that till the right time. 

Draupadi had accepted everything out of her will. . . with Vyaas's words. 

But will her family agree so fast? 

All the attention and hopes, was making him rumble within with discomfort. They were wishing him of the Swayamvar, about the upcoming marriage, barring his brothers. Congratulating him about his victory, and how he was going to be the groom of Paanchaal. 

They had mentally accepted Arjun as their son-in-law. Only Arjun.

Arjun couldn't help but watch his brothers silently letting things flow the way it should, masking the raging turbulence with gentle smiles along with Draupadi, as everyone was getting over him with the title of their 'son-in-law'.

It was so bizarrely unsettling, and he couldn't even say a word—

And this made him realize the fact that even Drupad could've too just. . .

Arjun slipped away from the crowd stealthily, seeing Draupadi go behind the hut to get some water.

.

.

.

"Oh!" Draupadi kept a hand over her chest, seeing the latter pop up so suddenly in front of her. Her cheeks flushed red as she blinked for a while, raving her eyes around Arjun with a water pot in her hand.

Heck. . . it wasn't the right time to be mesmerized by her again and gape. Arjun heaved a sigh, shutting his eyes for a while and opening it, shaking his head, "Princess—"

"Hmm?" 

"Is everything fine? Between you and Prince Dhrishtadyumn?" 

Draupadi bit on her lip slightly, looking away, "I didn't tell him anything yet. . ." 

Arjun stood in silence for a while, not knowing what to say, "Oh. . .I mean—nothing?"

She shook her head, "There are so many people around, I don't want people to know everything like this."

 Arjun bit the corner of his lower lip, harder than he should feeling his throat tightening as he tried to swallow a lump that forming there . Draupadi's lips tried to stretch into a weak smile.

"Honestly, I could've told him but—there are so many people around. I-I am not getting a chance only to speak to him privately. I actually didn't expect so many people would have accompanied him from the palace on father's orders."  She confessed, peering at him, "Right now, speaking to father directly will be the best. Even your eldest and mother wants it so."

"I don't want anyone to misunderstand you and your brothers." She concluded, sighing deeply and gazing back at the crowd of people around the cottage.

There was a short spell of silence that was thickening. 

"Everyone will. . . understand, right?" Arjun found his tongue finally, in a jolted whisper, his mind reeling with unsettling thoughts he never had before. First of all, he wasn't even sure what would be Drupad's reaction if he got to know that he was Arjun—

That Arjun that was involved in his teacher's ploy. That Arjun who had fettered him to Dron. . .

And now being the one who proposed his daughter into marrying his brothers, into a bond bizarre to the world.

Why didn't think always fall in place like he imagined?!

First of all the attack of the Kshatriyas had led to him coming back to the hut with Draupadi—only if he had stayed back at the palace, things would have been easier to make her family understand things. And neither would he would have to propose Draupadi to marry his brothers in this manner—

But destiny wants to jostle with him, juggling around with the strays of panic.

Arjun felt his heart hammering on him like a stone at the thoughts of it, twisting his guts ruefully.

All eyes were on him, and would be on him. 

"They will." 

Arjun snapped out from the haze at the soft response. His eyes trailed to Draupadi twirling the edge of her garment between her fingers, almost fidgeting with it, "And if not. . . I will try to make them understand. They will understand, they have to understand. . ." She almost mumbled to herself.

"I will convince, convince everyone." A gulp seared down her throat at the breathy resolve, and he stared up at her right the next moment, into her eyes. 

He saw her pulling her gaze away from him shortly, her mind reeling through thoughts which he was probably unaware of. 

And with a small smile she trailed away from there, letting her maddening fragrance that hung through the woods like an unobtrusive fog linger. 

And Arjun was left behind with faltered thoughts, his heart skipping a beat unknowingly.

Why was she so. . . 

★★★★★★★★★

A/N

You know what, I realized something while writing NWY-

The thing is it is always shown how Draupadi was kind of. . . "groomed" into loving Arjun in fictions and also the tv serials, where she was always told by Drupad and Krishna about him, and how she's made for him and all that-

Like in SP MB  Draupadi is in LOVE with the concept of Arjun, and his picture-

But honestly in BORI, it's actually the REVERSE-

It's Arjun and his brothers who were actually directed for Draupadi- like they knew how she looks to her previous birth, and EVEN that she was supposed to be their common wife, their soulmate- it was Arjun who was in love with Draupadi even without seeing her, and not evidently the vice-versa- like we get clear evidence of Arjun and Pandavas being in love with her, but nothing much about Draupadi before she meets him and his brothers-

Which makes me kinda like. . . I mean, the way Draupadi is shown as a 'victim' of being 'groomed' into loving Arjun and boom! She got divided. . . 🌚🌚will not even fit-

You cannot say "Oh my God! She always loved Arjun, poor thing-"

Because you don't get any evidence of it only from the texts-

Signing off from today!
Nushkie