Paanchaal, Kaampilya

"Maata! Maata, you know what happened?!" Bheem squealed happily, running into Kunti's arms along with the rest of them. Arjun grinned with a blush, hiding his smile.

Kunti chuckled softly, "Arrey! What happened? You'll look so happy?"

"Maata, you know, Dronacharya has promised to make Arjun his best student!" Nakul chirruped happily, dragging Arjun closer towards him.

"What? Really?!" Kunti's lips burst into a huge grin, as she cupped Arjun's cheek in her motherly palm, "Is this true Arjun?" 

The fifteen-year-old boy nodded shyly, the smile on his lips. He was still reeling from the effect of being praised wholesomely by Dron in-front of everyone. The way he hugged and promised him to make him the best among warriors. . . 

"Also Maata you know? Only Arjun had the courage to promise Dronacharya that he will give him justice!" Sahadev added, beaming happily, "And the Kauravas were staring with jealousy!" The kids laughed, as Sahadev and Bheem slapped each other's palms in mock.

"Justice?" Kunti's smile faded slightly, her brows narrowing in curiosity, "What justice?"

"Maata you know?" Arjun inhaled deeply, "The King of Paanchaal? He had done a great injustice against Gurudev! Neither did he fulfil the promise of Dronacharya, nor respected him!" 

"What. . . what are you saying Arjun? I,I am not understanding anything,"  Kunti blinked dumbfounded. 

"Guru Dronacharya was saying that King Drupad had disrespected him when he went to claim half of his Kingdom," Yudhishthir muttered softly, a faint diabolism in his tone evident slightly, "And refused to cater to him. . . "

"What?" Kunti shook her head slightly, "No, this. . . this can't be true sons!" 

"But that's what Gurudev said! Why would he lie Maata?" Arjun cupped Kunti's hand, blinking confusedly at her mother's sudden change of demeanour at the mention of Drupad. Kunti narrowed her brows, breathing softly, "What did Guru Dronacharya exactly say Yudhishthir?"

"That him and King Drupad were childhood friends!" Yudhishthir breathed out, "And King Drupad in his childhood had promised him half of his Kingdom out of gratitude. But now since after so many years since Guru Dron had gone to his Kingdom, King Drupad refused him the share."

"And that's why he wants us to take revenge upon King Drupad!" Bheem concluded.

"WHAT?!" Kunti almost exclaimed, blinking in horror, "I. . . is this what Guru Dron said?" 

"Yes Maata, but what's wrong in it?" Arjun blinked innocently, looking at his brothers in perplex, "Paanchaal was always our enemy! How does it matter?" 

Kunti watched her kids dumbfounded, unable to understand. Though she was unaware of the entire episode, she somehow had a hunched that something was definitely wrong. 

King Drupad, refusing something he had promised?! 

She could never forget how Paandu used to fondly talk about Drupad with her. . . and the way everything turned out later was an absolute tragedy. And her sons, they were almost lost in the brainwash of Hastinapur somewhere. 

And she couldn't do anything about it. . . 

She had promised Paandu, never to reveal about this secret friendship to anyone. For the cost of peace of the elders of Hastinapur. 

"You, you aren't happy about it Maata?" Arjun gently nudged Kunti's shoulder, who looked slightly lost.

Arjun felt his lashes moisten, as he squeezed them hard enough to let a tear roll out. The dis-rest of his mother, the hesitation and her reluctance while bidding them off for the war was making sense now. What he felt as a mere concern of her had something else in it as well. . . 

He felt a massive boulder crashing hard to wipe out the religion of Hastinapur that he had built within himself since years. 

He stared at the letters, his eyes wide yet down with a gush of stupor that had shaken the very core of him. His chest tightened painfully with a weight he never wanted to bear.

How, how can this be possible. . .

HOW?!

And no one ever told them? No one ever told him? 

For years. For years they were fed and nurtured with the idea of Paanchaal being their greatest enemy, and threat to Hastinapur! 

FOR YEARS! 

The child Arjun had blatantly promised Guru-Dron, without thinking twice. Out of his love and devotion for him. For years he had sharpened himself, keeping his goal in mind. 

The goal of giving someone justice, was a big deal of emotion for a fifteen year old Arjun. It was a mark of a huge responsibility, and Arjun being Arjun, was too happy to bear it at a tender age. 

And when years passed by, his eyes had learnt to see through the dark. Both literally, and metaphorically. Naivety was no longer his thing. He had enough realization to understand the exaggeration of everything, and somehow even have a hunch of why things happened the way they were now. 

But the promise to his beloved teacher was already made. 

And Arjun calmed himself on the very basis of this enmity. . .

Whenever Arjun's conscience shook him for the decision of battle, he could always make peace with the thought that it was justified in the name of enmity!

Now what?!

What was he supposed to do now. . .? 

How was he supposed to pacify himself?!

HOW?!

There seemed a sudden emptiness that grappled him, leaving him bare to allow him to hang on something for his conscience. 

He suddenly felt like an empty vessel that had dried within a flick of finger!

Sahadev panted softly, skimming through the letters, while Nakul sat beside Arjun with his head held in his hands. Bheem looked down, breathing deeply with a watery sigh and Yudhishthir was too stunned to react. 

The wave of shock had stuck them harder than it should.

"It was the time when Paanchaal was in a constant war with Magadh. . ." Drupad locked his arms behind his waist, staring outside the moonlit night, blankly, "It was difficult to subdue the King of Magadh during that time, and our Kingdom—"

"Our Kingdom though restrained them, was heaving with losses." 

Arjun blinked a slight tear, his jaws turning warmer, his lips shivering slightly. 

"Magadh were capturing our subjects as slaves forcefully, and even after pleading release, the King ignored blatantly." Drupad sighed, his voice shaking slightly as he stared out of the window, "The atrocities of the King increased, and the Kingdoms around him were helpless to his cruel ways." 

"We had all hopes by that time. But. . . it is said that when all hopes are lost, there rises a Sun within darkness," Drupad let out a watery chuckle, his lips curving out, "That Sun was your father. . ." 

Arjun inhaled a deep breath, looking at the King.

"Hmmm," Drupad nodded slowly, facing them, "He did what none of us could do that time." 

"He defeated Magadh within fifteen days of the battle, and brought the King under his submission," It almost felt like the King was cherishing every syllable it uttered, "Paandu became our hope when we had none." 

Drupad let out a tittering sigh, fumbling in between as he wiped the corner of his eye, "What a man he was. . . what a man huh!" He shook his head, his voice thickening, "Thousands of years would pass, yet a King so glorious like him shall hardly emerge. . ." 

Arjun fisted his fingers around his angavastra as every word of Drupad was hitting his soul like terrible arrows. Yudhishthir shut his eyes, sniffling softly and Bheem shifted closer to him, hiding a sob. 

"Even being our staunch enemy, he took pains to free our subjects from Magadh's clutches," Drupad let out a ragged breath, closing his eyes tight as his bass broke, "And he ensured each one of them, from the oldest to the young children reached their homes safely. . ."

"Your father forced me with his humility to look beyond the enmity against Hastinapur!" Tear drops rolled from the elderly King's eye, "I had the ego of being his enemy and the gratitude of his generosity, and the call to balance within both! I was stuck in between these emotions, but he looked beyond everything. Your father truly lived for humanity my sons. . . " 

"That innocence in his eyes, that humility, the generosity even after being the King of vast lands. . . I swear upon Narayan, I had never seen in any King's demeanour in my entire lifetime."

"Yes, I hated Hastinapur, the enmity was ancestral. Yet I couldn't turn myself from adoring Paandu. I don't know how a mere meet turned into a full fledged friendship. And for the first time, I felt the worth of having a true friend for myself." Drupad gently sat at the corner of his royal bed, still looking out. 

"But fate. . . this bloody fate had something else in her mind. Paandu wanted an alliance between Paanchaal and Hastinapur, much to the shock of the ministers and your grandfather Bheeshm,"

Arjun stared up at the King, his jaw dropped slightly. 

"Pitamah. . .?" Nakul softly uttered with wet eyes.

"Mmmm. . . your grandsire and the ministers, including King Dhritarashtra weren't fond of our growing closeness. The ministers were accusing Paandu of betrayal as well. . ." 

"Your father was in immense pressure. The ministers supported your grandsire and the ancestral hatred against us," Drupad sighed softly, "Paandu was helpless, and constant dis-rest caused him to abandon the decision. And his household even forbade him to keep any sort of contact with me." 

The Pandavas looked at him, too stunned to respond. 

"But he—he didn't stop. He used to secretly keep in touch in me through these. . . these letters." 

Drupad's baritone cracked slightly, "I wish I could've met him for one last time. For one last time."

Arjun squeezed his forehead, gurgling a strong sniffle, as he hung his head. 

His father. 

He could still remember the day when he had kissed and patted his head that morning, promising the kids to take them on a picnic that day. 

Their was excitement in the air. Bheem was happily packing his sweets; Nakul and Sahadev were talking about the forests where they could play hide and seek. Yudhishthir and Arjun were joyfully helping Kunti to prepare for the journey. 

No one—no one had expected that it would be their last time they would see their father leave for the last time to collect flowers. 

That would be the last time, they would feel his loving palms caress their cheeks, and affectionate lips that would kiss their foreheads. 

That—that would be the last time, they would hear his voice. 

Last time they would see him smile.

That day, suddenly the colors around them seemed blur. 

"The last words of his letters used to haunt me day and night," Drupad held his head in his hands, "I. . . I couldn't understand what to do!"

"I was torn. Torn amidst the duty as a ruler, the love for my citizens and for Paandu at the same time. I neither had the rights to support you'll nor the possibility of preventing the advent of future!" His voice came in broken whimpers, as he massaged his temples with an unseen guilt.

Bheem sighed heavily, biting on his lips, while Yudhishthir stared blankly with moist eyes. 

"And when I heard that you'll had been possibly reduced to ashes in Varnaavat. . .I couldn't hold myself anymore. Damned be the enmity! Damned be the hostility!" Drupad groaned throatily,  his lips quivering with unshaken vulnerability.

"I had tried a lot, tried my best to look for you all. Sent spies when my messengers went to cities to announce about the Swayamvar. . . so that, so that even a tiny bit of hint could make me believe that Paandu was alive through you'll!" 

"Damned be my diplomacy. . .I couldn't think anything else apart from that!"

"My mind went blank, absolutely blank! For years I was living with a tiny hope that somehow or the other Paandu will be alive through you five and—"

"Stop!" Arjun gasped hard, and sprung down on the floor on his knee in front of Drupad immediately, tears trickling down his jaws. He took the King's wrinkled palm in his hand quickly,  "I pray you. . . please stop. . .!" 

"Neither have I the courage to hear further nor the audacity to defend my pride any longer," Arjun sobbed, his bent self trembling. He felt his heart shattering into pieces, it was getting too much to bear with everything taking him all over once. 

"Nor am I in a position to ask for forgiveness," Arjun rested his forehead on his hand, crying in deep pants as Drupad widened his eyes in shock, "Don't, don't mortify me any longer, please. . ."

"Please. . .I cannot bear the guilt for which I cannot suffice."

★★★★★★★★★

A/N

👀👉👈

Okay, so I want to clarify that only the friendship of Paandu and Drupad is mentioned in BORI. 

How it happened and when, it was not given, so I took creative liberty in making up the story.

Also, Paandu had actually defeated the King of Magadh (it was not Jarasandh that time, mind it), so I had kind of used the sources and made up a possible story. 

Also, the hatred between Panchal and Hastinapur was ancestral I guess. Because Drupad actually asks from God to give him a child that can kill Bheeshm. . . which means there was something grave that had cooked between the two kingdoms. 

I mean, once you start reading Mahabharata deeply, you will tend to dislike Bheeshm and Dron both, I mean Drona turns to be on a far darker light than Bheeshm-

No wonder Drupad didn't like them at all 💀.

Also, I have a possible theory as to why Drupad had possibly denied Drona Ahicchatra at first. You see, Drona married Kripi (the adopted daughter of Shantanu and sister of Kripa) and started being close friends with Bheeshm 💀💀💀(Paanchaal's enemy)

Why do you think Drupad in his sane mind will give his Kingdom to Drona? I am sure he had never expected that Drona would side and make friendship (to becoming Son-in-Law) of Hastinapur one day 🌚. So before judging Drupad for breaking his promise, you should see from his perspective also. 

Are you supposed to stay strong friends with someone who could be a possible threat to you in future? 💀 

Signing off for today!

Nushkie