Draupadi smiled, her eyes looking at her five friends, they were all eunuchs brought here by Kanha. But they were the sweetest blessing for her, their laughter, their smile made her felt belonged, a feeling that she hasn't had in a long time. Since she left Hastinapur to be exact.

"Bhumika are you planning to eat the plate too?" Nakul teased Bheem, who glared at him. They have been teasing her for too long. "Aw stop you meanies, she has a healthy appetite. Here have this ladoo." Draupadi said as she held out the ladoo towards Bheem who smiled and took a bite. Everyone laughed but a shocked silence descended on the room once he burped.

Bheem himself looked stunned, no one except for Malini and Kunti had ever been able to satisfy his hunger, but the impossible had happened, Bheem's hunger was satisfied.

Draupadi laughed, "What happened? Why are you looking at me like this?" She giggled at their shocked expressions, "Nothing Rajkumari." Yudhisthir said, as he looked at her with a forced smile.

"Now that everyone has had their food, would any of like joining me for a walk?" She asked as she looked around at her friends, "We have to meet the mahamantri princess. He has called the eunuchs working in the palace for a meeting." Nakul said, to which Draupadi nodded, "Go ahead than. Take care. Good night." Draupadi said as the others wished her a good night and left.

She sat in her room but was bored so she walked out of her room, the cool wind played with her hair making her smile. The silence of the night made her mind to be at peace, so what should be tonight's adventure? She wondered as she looked around. Should she go and take a walk like she planned or should she go and sit in her room till the sun rises.

A walk surely won't hurt, now would it? Plus no one would be out at this hour. She walked down the corridors, the guards bowing at every turn. By now she was used to all this.

"I heard that in Varanāvat the Pandavas were burned to death." Draupadi froze as she heard the whispers of the daasis, her heart shattering. Surely this couldn't be true? How was that possible? She thought, every part of her body denying it.

Hold it together, this surely is a lie. Panchaali thought to herself, servants gossip mills were never a source of truth. She was wiser than this, they are fine. She assured herself, her hands shook as her heart trembled, this has to be a joke. Only one person can tell her the truth. Kanha. But he is not here than who? Her brother.

The answer came to her mind instantly as she ran towards her brother's chambers. "Bhraatashree!" She exclaimed as she rushed in, tears burning  in her eyes but she didn't let them fall, why should she? They are all alive and fine.

"Draupadi what's the meaning of this? Entering in here without waiting for my permission." Dhrishtadyumn shouted angrily, but seeing her shaken up he got worried and rushed to her. "What happened dear sister?"  He asked concerned as she took her towards the couch and made her sit.

"What's this Varanāvat tale that I heard about?" she asked there was a tremor in her voice as she looked at her brother, please tell me it's a lie. She silently begged him. He sighed defeated, he told her all about how the pandavas were killed in Varanāvat, Draupadi sat there listening, it was like she could no longer hear him, everything around blurred, her mind froze as her heart beat crazily in her chest.

Her heart burned with pain like someone had opened it and poured in hot burning lava. Her brother continued to talk, as she walked out like her dead body. There were no more tears just an emptiness that reverberated throughout the soul, shattering her into pieces.

She felt numb, nothing mattered anything anymore. The memories of her childhood friends flashed in front of her eyes one after another, every memory bring a new flood of tears that trailed down her cheeks.

Sahadev was walking down the corridor, his body itched, he wanted to get rid of this woman clothes faster than anything but they were important. He was about to take another turn when his eyes settled on a girl.

"Rajkumari Draupadi?" He asked confused as he looked at the beautiful girl but something about her seemed off. He walked towards her but as he reached to her, his heart stopped. Tears trailed down her cheeks but she looked dead, there was no other way to explain it. She looked like a corpse, beautiful but dead.

A feeling of foreboding settled in the pit of his stomach as he rushed to her, he stopped in front of her but it was like she didn't even notice him and kept walking. "Rajkumari..." he called out, he didn't know why but his heart was hurting seeing her like this.

She ignored him and kept walking, he followed her not wanting to leave her alone. She reached her room, and moved towards the trunk in the left corner, he was confused what she was doing.

He watched her move lifelessly, she sat near the trunk and opened it. Her hands trembled as she put her hands in it. Sahadev's heart stopped, he couldn't breath as he watched the thing that she removed.

Tears welled up in his eyes as happiness flooded his system followed by confusion and pain. He was shocked as he watched the doll he and Nakul had gifted Malini rested on her lap.

"Malini is Draupadi"  was all he could think, but than why didn't she ever tried to contact them? More tears poured down her cheeks, and this time they were arrows in his heart, he felt his heart break. After years he had met her, he had imagined meeting her many times how she will be in happy tears but never like this; a broken mess.

He watched as she hugged the doll close to her chest, tears trailing down her cheeks. She put her hand in and this time there were letters she pulled, followed by a painting of the pandavas as children and her. 

She closed the trunk and sat with her back towards it. Her hands trembled as she caressed the face of the doll, she could still remember Nakul and Sahadev gifting her it, that moment was ingrained in her memory like it happened just yesterday.

"Why are you crying Rajkumari?" Sahadev pleaded as he knelt in front of her, "I lost everything today Sonali, everything. There is no reason for me to live anymore, there was a hope once in my heart that someday I will meet my family but you know my cursed fate took them away from me forever." Pain laced each word that she spoke, making Sahadev feel like someone had shoved a knife in his heart and was slowly twisting it, his body burned with agony seeing her tears.

He understood what she meant, someone had told told her about Varanāvat and like all she too believed they were dead. His heart hurt, he wanted to scream and tell her that they were alive, that they were right here but he couldn't. He along with his brothers had promised his mother that they will let the world believe that they were dead.

They would let the world think that their lives had come to cease but they never thought what would happen to Malini, their friend who was out there alone when she heard this news.

He sat beside her and pulled her in his arms, a feeling of completion washed over him, he felt complete. The void that was in his chest seemed to have filled, he no longer felt like a piece of him was missing. But the feeling soon evaporated as she continued to sob in his arms.

His dharma bound his hands, he ran his hand through her long dark silky hair, caressing them softly. Trying to relax her, but in vain there was no pacifying her.

The sun slowly peaked through the curtains as the morning came, Sahadev blinked his eyes open. He had no idea when he got lost in the world of sleep. He looked down to see she was still awake, her head resting on his chest. Tear marks were present on her face, her eyes were puffy and red, she looked completely lifeless.

Sahadev's heart twisted at the sight and his eyes burned with tears. He picked her in his arms and carried her to the bed before laying her there cautiously like she was the most precious thing to his heart, and she was.

He rushed out of the room to search for his brothers, now only they could help him get their friend back to normal. . .

***

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