"Maharaj." Shakuni whispered into his ears, and the blind king nodded. 

"They are coming back, Maharaj. We need to ensure Vasudev hasn't manipulated the Yuvaraaj." 

Dhritarashtra smiled at the last word. Yuvraaj. His son was going to be more powerful than him, but he wasn't feeling bad. He was his blood, after all.

"What about that dangerous woman? What is her aim? I will not allow her to influence my son!" He sighed, shaking his head at the thought of that woman. 

He had heard whispers of her calamitious beauty and elegance, but it would only bring ruin to them.

Shakuni's dim eyes suddenly lit up. They could use her. 

He had tried numerous way to get rid of that annoying woman, but every time she escaped unscathed.

Those men of his could be quite stupid at times. So what if he couldn't kill her?

He could curb that fiery spirit of hers, if they got her married to his nephew.

It didn't matter if that dangerous outcast held feelings for her. Shakuni would fabricate a maze of lies and have him executed for treason.

She was Vasudev's relative, wasn't she? Distant or close, it didn't matter. As long as they could force the bond of a nuptial agreement, this alliance couldn't be ignored by the Yadavas.

Vasudev's mystical powers didn't matter. Kuru was an established kingdom, and the Yadus were inferior in terms of alliances and relationships.

As long as she was the KulVadhu, Shakuni was sure he would make her regret crossing paths with him.

He would make her life hell and crush her arrogance. His nephew would ill treat her, as long as he told him to.

It didn't matter if his nephew was lovestruck by her beauty. He had raised that boy up, after all. With a few manipulative words, that boy would surely unleash his anger on that wench.

"Shant, Maharaj. A beautiful woman is bound to have some pride after all. She's just young and naive. Otherwise, she is Vasudev's relative. Is it not a suitable opportunity?"

Dhritrashtra raised his eyebrows, but he felt a sense of anticipation at his brother-in-law's words.

"If she becomes the Yuvaraani, Vasudev will have no choice but to accept our treaties. And the arrogant woman shall be under our toes ! You shall get what you have been craving all these years, Maharaj. Unparalleled glory and fame ! The most beautiful woman is your daughter-in-law, and your son shall surpass his ancestors and become the most powerful Emperor!" 

Glory and Fame. Dhritarashtra's foggy eyes lightened. That was what he wanted all along. 

"Yes, this must happen. Execute it." Shakuni nodded obediently and bowed, but his lips curved into a sneer.

Ha. The entire empire of Kuru was filled with fools. Nobody knew his true intentions, and it shall remain the same, until his death. 

He never cared for that stupid and arrogant boy. Those 100 boys were all easy to trick. His sole aim was to destroy this wretched empire, and he'd gladly plot along, even if he would be remembered as a cunning trickster.

He was never afraid of anyone. Brain was more reliable than brawn.

Suddenly, that woman's cold eyes flashed from his memory. That piercing look from that woman sent chills down his spine. She gazed at him like she knew all of his plans and conspiracies.

He shook his head. Women were foolish. They were easy to fool and convince. His mind was just playing tricks with him.

So what if she wasn't as naive as the other women?

Women were women, after all. 

He'd do everything in his power to find her weak spot and crush her until she begged him to leave her.

Nobody insulted him and got away with it.

Elsewhere,

"What? Stop staring." Ishani chastised softly, but everybody except Karna seemed to have heard it.

"You are celestial." Ishani coughed as the other men sent teasing glances at both of them.

Karna sighed. Dev was messing up with him, telling him to grab her by the waist and kiss her senseless.

'What. I know she wants to take it slow, but I am allowed to fantasize, okay?' He shook his head and smiled at Ishani, ignoring her glare.

Ishani shifted uncomfortably, and that was the cue. All the men stopped teasing and got on to their horses, yelling to move. She looked at them in confusion, wondering why they were in a hurry all of a sudden.

If only she had glimpsed Karna's deadly glare. He cursed himself for acting oblivious.

She was the only woman in the entire gang of men, wasn't it enough to make her feel uncomfortable? 

Ishani shook her head, climbing onto the horse. She patted its head softly, getting a grunt in return. 

"Listen here sweetheart. I am not a horse rider, but it'd be such a shame if you lost to your friends, isn't it ? So, do me a favor and behave, okay ? Please ?" She kissed its mane, fondling its thick neck.

Nakul nudged Sahadev, covering his mouth to stop laughing. Both the twins snickered at her way of talking to the horse.

"I thought we were the best when it came talking to animals, but looks like Devi Ishani has beat us to her unique way."

"Why are you both laughing?" Bheema looked at them curiously, only to see Ishani pouting her lips and whispering to the horse, as if it were a human.

He roared in laughter, catching the attention of all. Karna raised an eyebrow, daring him to speak when he blushed in embarrassment. 

"She's doing what she wants, so stop looking at her and ride your horses. " Karna's no nonsense voice made them shake their heads.

All of them sighed, moving forward.

Ishani's sweet words finally seemed to have worked, for her horse began moving swiftly like the others, but she felt someone staring at her all the while.

"How much more time to reach Hastinapur? Gosh, it's kinda tiring." Hearing no response, she looked at Karna, who seemed to have zoned out.

"What? You were the one who was staring at me for the past few hours, so I asked." Karna's eyes widened; he was being very discreet about it.

"I.." She simply gave a side smile, a sort of an innocent smirk which did nothing to decrease his urge to hold her by the waist and kiss her.

"Yesss ! I knew it ! She's interested in us.."

"You mean me.." Karna politely corrected Dev, who was busy rambling about how beautiful their children would look..

"Shreeman.." He suddenly stopped, looking at her.

"I.. We need to act quick as soon as this landmark.. I mean, only Sahadev is aware of our plan, and you have to separate as soon as we reach the royal gates.. I'll inform the royals that you went to meet your parents.. Shakuni will keep his calm, but I know he'll send his guards after you. Sahadev is currently observing cold blooded criminals and their behavior, so I can sneak in using his help. But that's all. The trail the rat leaves will be enough for you.."

"But we need to make it out, all alive, including Gandhar Raj. I need to confess that my parents were missing and I saw the royal insignia of Gandhar, so I followed him into the prison. Get my parents and .."

"I'll manage the rest." She muttered nervously, making him more curious.

Did she not tell him everything she had seen?

'Of course, you doofus. She's from the future. She knows your entire history, including your birth parents.' Karna stiffened at Dev's emotionless voice.

He was aware that even Dev knew, but refused to spill it out.

And he exactly didn't understand the reason. He couldn't possibly be an Emperor's long lost son. Most  probably some holy soul would have taken pity on him and blessed him with this special armor. It's not like his life would change anyways. He would still remain in touch with his parents who loved him like a real son.

The thought of leaving his parents struck a chord. He'd never be able to fully accept his birth mother's abandonment. 

But the real question was, who the hell was he that Ishani herself became nervous ?

"Shreeman ! We need to stop after an hour ! Looks like there's a resting area." Vikarna called out, and the others quickly dismounted, scrambling for logs of wood to light the twilight area.

"There are only lots of twigs and shrubs here. The grass is suitable for sleeping, but we'll need to go quite a bit far to start a fire. " Dushasan commented, and looked at his elder brother.

"We'll go then. Chitrasena, tell Sathwa and Sulochan to accompany you. Aparajit, Saha and Nanda, make Devi Ishani comfortable and help her build a temporary shack. The rest will stay and help your brothers." Suyodhan ordered casually.

All of them looked at him in shock. 

He actually called the Pandavas their brothers? 

Nakul and Arjun, who heard his words, stood still. 

The arrogant, eldest Kaurava Prince acknowledged them as their brothers ? The boy who didn't hesitate to poison their brother and despised them throughout their lives was now openly telling his younger brothers to help them?

The other Pandavas were engrossed in discussing the arrangements, but seeing Nakul's troubled expression made them realise they had missed out something.

Bhima stepped in, clearing his throat. Suyodhana looked at him, puzzled.

"We'll take of them. You may go and set up the fire torches. They are our brothers too."

Pin Drop Silence. Ishani and Karna looked around, sensing the awkward atmosphere.

After a while of staring and blinking, Suyodhana nodded quietly, beckoning his brothers to follow him.

"That was so shocking that I thought I was hallucinating." Nakul whispered, wincing as he got a blow from his twin.

"Bhim, these logs aren't getting enough heat. Gather some more twigs." Yudhishitra spoke, wiping his sweat with the hem of his angavastram.

"There's no need for that, Rajkumar. " An unusual voice made them look up.

All the Pandavas except Nakul frowned in suspicion.  It was a man with extremely rare and exotic features, with sharp cheekbones and pink lips. 

Bheema raised an eyebrow, walking forward. 

"And who may you be, Shreeman ?" The man chuckled deeply, clearing his throat. He looked at Ishani, who just turned her head at the sound.

"He's an idiot who had the guts to leave me in the middle of the sands !" Ishani yelled, running towards him.

The others were about to step in, in case she did something rash. 

But their eyes widened when he opened his arms wide, like he expected her to hug him.

Ishani smiled softly, wrapping her arms around him. Forgetting the fact that the audience before her weren't that liberal and this hug was clearly against the conservative rules of the society.

Karna's eyes turned blood red, and Nakul whispered something to Sahadev, who immediately nodded.

"Shreeman Karna.. He's just a very good friend of Devi Ishani. Right ? He rescued her when we were helpless. He means no harm." Nakul assured, but that did nothing to calm the insecure monster who just wanted to break the good looking guy's limbs.

"Daksh, you piece of shit ! You'd better explain to all of them that you actually left me on the sands. But why are you here?"

Daksh pouted, placing a hand over his chest.

"Aren't you happy to see me, IR ? My heart's bleeding from the lack of concern you give me ! Hey Ram, what a life you have blessed me with ! This woman is such a..."

"Pranipaat Shreeman Daksh." Nakul politely greeted, the other joining the chorus.

The duo realised that they were being watched, and this made Ishani flustered.

"Ha, I remember you, Rajkumar Nakul. Unfortunately, I had indeed left Ishani on the sands to avenge my poor self.  I came here to say something important to Ishani, a message from Gurudev. But I noticed you all are having difficulty to set up a fire. May I help?"

Arjuna scanned the guy from top to toe, but didn't say a word. Karna's deadly glares weren't allowing them to open their mouths. The pressure was honestly suffocating for the poor five.

Daksh winked at Ishani, and the men narrowed their eyes. 

What was that weird gesture? Closing one eye and tilting his head, and adding a kiddish smirk..

He was acting like a new born monkey.

To their shock, Ishani had a wide smile, shaking her head. 

"What is it now?"

"Ta- Da !" He yelled, pulling out a small shiny object, which was the size of their thumb.

"You actually got a lighter from your home ? That's not fair ! I demand to see Krishna and get fair allowance ! Equality at workplace, bro ! I also miss my phone, my laptop and my refrigerator ! Why do you always get all the favouritism ?" Daksh laughed, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe because I am too good looking, and no one can resist me ?" All of them look baffled at his blank face and his provocative words.

Just what was this man made of? 

No one else understand her foreign words and remained puzzled, except Dev, who kept glaring at Daksh like he'd suddenly disappear and Ishani would be with him again, as always.

This guy knew so much about her. He surely must be from the future too. But how come he fitted in so well ? 

Was he so used to time travelling back and forth ? Did Ishani ever know? They seemed close.

'Too close for my liking ! His ugly fingers are touching her slender, bare waist ! He also touched her shoulder tightly ! And she HUGGED HIM BACK ! How.. She just said that she wanted to take it slow.. Is she already bored..' 

Dev's overthinking wasn't helping the situation at all.

"What is that strange object, Shreeman ?" Sahadev asked curiously.

Daksh gestured them to observe as he walked forward, crouching down.

He flipped it open, and instantly the twigs caught fire. The men stepped back in alarm as they saw the fire blazing brightly.

This man did it in a jiffy, while Suyodhana and his brothers must be breaking their heads and limbs to start their fire.

"How did you.. I mean what is this magical device Shreeman?" Nakul enquired.

Daksh shrugged, looking at Ishani who seemed kind of confused.

He followed her line of vision and saw a hard faced Karna, whose expression looked deadly and jealous.

Oh, so this golden boy had his eyes on Ishani?

"It's a special item from Kali .."Ishani immediately yelled a hey, causing Daksh to stop.

Shit. 

All the men except Karna looked confused, while he gritted his teeth.

This stupid guy couldn't even keep his secrets to himself. What a shame he was so good looking.

'Hey, what do you mean by good looking ? His lips are like a woman's, and his style of beard is so weird. He doesn't look like an Aryan; definitely one of those mlecchas or a half asura.' Dev grumbled

"I mean, it's from Kalipura.. It's our destroyed home town.. " Ishani whispered, and thankfully all of them realised that it was a sensitive topic and chose to remain silent.

She walked towards Karna, whose rigid face seemed to have softened. The Pandavas resumed their work, while the rest of the Kauravas ran around, ensuring the two had their privacy.

Daksh seemed to be busy with the Pandavas, but Karna sensed his gaze on them.

"Karna.. Daksh is my dear friend. It might seem quite shocking, given this era is kind of different. But I promise you that we have actually been through a lot, and hence the close proximity. In Kali Yuga, hugging is very common between men and woman. In other regions, they even kiss on the cheek as a way of.." She swallowed, explaining to the man she never wanted to misunderstand. 

Sure, she was going to take it real slow but a relationship always started on trust, and she was determined to keep it.

'I'm taking over. I really need to say this.' Dev ignored Karna's protests and took over.

He smiled softly, bending to her eye level. Ishani blinked as she realised he never said a word from the past 10 minutes.

His red eyes only confirmed Devajit's striking presence as she felt flustered.

Karna was an absolute sweetheart, but Dev was a different matter. He reminded her of those obsessive and dominant males in those romantic novels you always swooned over. Those guys who'd grab you by the waist and claim you in front of everyone with out any hesitation.

His dark, intense eyes were making it so difficult for her to look up. 

If it was any other man, she'd gladly show him who had the upper hand, but when it came to him, all her rules seemed to vanish.

"Darling, am I allowed to say something?" With the same smile, his slim fingers gripped her taut chin, rubbing his thumbpad over her soft skin, as if it were a ritual he loved.

Her breath got stuck at his touch, why was it so exhilarating and made her feel like a shy woman?

"Yes." She whispered and his eyes sparkled.

"I know you'd never look at any man the way you look at me, but I hope you'll forgive my sheer insecurities. I am a man who'd never hesitate to bathe in the blood of any male who touches you without your consent, but I know that man is trustworthy and close to you. Will you be angry if I ask for a hug and a sweet kiss? Please?" 

Ishani was dumbfounded. 

A hug and a sweet kiss was what he wanted?

"Umm Ok.." Without allowing her to complete, he mumbled a yes, squeezing her close to his chest, whispering words she couldn't understand. 

She shifted as his fingers roamed over her waist, in a very innocent way. As if he didn't want to look like a creep, yet he couldn't keep his hands off her.

He sighed in contentment, his other hand caressing her  hair, pressing soft kisses all over her.

He looked up, holding her cheeks as he kissed her forehead for a long time, like he was imprinting his touch on her. It was so tender, full of his sincere feelings that she felt giddy.

Was it ever possible? For someone to love her this much?

'We shall always remain like this. Though I am a monster your parents would never accept. It's best for things to remain this way.' Dev thought to himself, ignoring Karna's threats and yells to completely block him the next time he did this.

A long chapter, an equally long day !