The Gall of Gammon

Disclaimer: This story is my humble attempt to write a fanfiction of the epic Mahabharata. My intention is not to hurt anyone's sentiment.

Aum Namah Shivay!!

Major Jayant Roy, SM is a fictitious character. Any similarity with any living person is merely a coincidence.

Chapter 15

Hastinapur, Dwapar Yuga

Vikarna POV

In the evening, we were chatting with ourselves. Jyesth Bhrata went to Kulguru's house. Suddenly I heard a loud sound. I turned my head saw Bhrata Dussasana was fighting with Bhrata Yuyutsu. Bhrata Dussasana punched Bhrata Yuyutsu so hard, that his face started bleeding. I was going to stop him, when suddenly; I heard jyesth bhrata's voice.

"What is happening here?"

That was not voice that was actually a roar. Every single one of us was frozen with fear. Bhrata Dussasana raised his clenched fist to punch Bhrata Yuyutsu again, but his hand froze in mid-air.

I somehow turned my head, and saw jyesth Bhrata standing in the door. But his facial expression was hard like iron. He walked in the room. His gaze fell over the fighting boys.

"Dussasana, Yuyutsu, come here."

His voice was hard like stone. Both my fighting brothers were now standing in front of jyesth, with their heads down. Jyesth Duryodhana had a commanding presence among us. But, he loved all of us.

Yuyutsu was standing when jyest noticed the blood in his face. His face was literally changed. It was first shock, then anger. Then his eyes turned to Dussasana.

"Dussasana, I will ask you only once. You did this?"

Bhrata Dussasana's face became pale with fear. Not only had his, even my blood become ice cold. Jyesth's voice had something in it; even my other brothers were pale.

Bhrata Duryodhana was now angry beyond limit; I could feel it in my heart. Bhrata Dussasana could only nod his head.

Jyesth pulled Yuyutsu in front of him, and wiped the blood from his face by using his angvastra.

Then he heaved a sigh.

"Dussasan, apologize to Yuyutsu. Yuyutsu, forgive you brother."

"But jyesth..." Bhrata Dussasan spoke, "He is a ksh..."

He was trying to say 'Kshatta', means a maid's son.

"Dussasan!" Jyesth's voice was literally sounding like a crack of a whip.

"I will say it only once. Yuyutsu is our brother as much as you, Vikarna, and the others. You will not say that word to him or to anyone again. Now what are you two waiting for? Hug each other and apologize, right now!"

Both my brothers hugged each other. Bhrata Dussasana apologized to bhrata Yuyutsu.

Then we all heard Bhrata Duryodhana's voice,

"You always remember that the hundred of you are my hundred arms. No two arms of a body will fight each other, never, ever. With these hundred arms in my body, I have the courage to face even the Devtas. Promise me, that what happened today will not happen ever."

His voice was becoming heavy with emotions. Were his eyes glistening?

I stood up, "I promise jyesth. This will not happen again. Right, Bhrata Dussasan?"

Bhrata Dussasan held up his head.

"I promise too, jyesth."

Then he looked at Yuyutsu.

"I am again asking forgiveness to you, Bhrata Yuyutsu. What I did, and said was wrong. Please forgive me."

Bhrata Yuyutsu smiled and hugged bhrata Dussasan again. I looked at the face of my other brothers, they were also smiling."

Bhrata Duryodhana was looking at us, with an affectionate smile in his face.

"We are the Kauravas. We will never fight with each other. I love all of you. So, you all will love all of you."

"Yes, jyesth!!" the hundred voice of us roared in the room.

"Now everyone sit down. I am going to tell you some stories ok?"

All of us happily nodded. Bhrata Duryodhana always told us interesting and funny stories. We sat down on the floor and started listening. Then after sometime, we ate our food and went to sleep.

Jayant/Duryodhana POV

When I first arrived in this Yuga, I was thinking that how could I pass my time. But, now, I moulded my life in a routine. If your daily life is planned, then it would become easy to live.

In the evening, I went to kulguru's home to meet kakishri Kripi and Ashwatthama. They have settled down here quite well. But there was still no news of Dronacharya. I coaxed them a little bit, and then I went to the palace. There, I have to make some amends between Dussasana and Yuyutsu. My two brothers were fighting among themselves. I mildly scolded Dussasana and ordered him to ask forgiveness to Yuyutsu. I love my hundred brothers, including him, though I knew that he might become the 'Vibhishana' of the Kauravas.

Vikarna and Yuyutsu were just like Kumbhkarna and Vibhishana. Both knew that their brother was wrong. One decided to die fighting for his brother and family, and the other decided to leave his family, and joining the enemy. But, was the matter so simple? There was nothing black or white in this situation. Every single one is grey.

I looked at the midnight sky. The moon was very small. Tomorrow would be probably the new moon. I could not sleep, so I came to the balcony to have some fresh wind.

"Do not strain your mind so hard, Jayant. They were just kids. You are also a kid now. Those kids need a role model, and you are doing exactly that thing." I thought to myself.

Then suddenly I heard footsteps. My right hand immediately went to the knife in my waistband. But then I recognised the sound. It was the limping feet of mama Shakuni.

"Pranipaat Mamashri.", I said in a low voice, without turning my head.

I heard a light chuckle behind my back.

"You are just like your father. He recognises people by listening their footsteps." Mamashri's thin voice entered into my ear.

I turned my head, "You are here in this time. It must be something important."

Shakuni Mama looked at the four directions once. The place was empty. Then he took out a very small piece of cloth from his angvastra. Both of us come closer to a torch hanging from the wall. Mamashri unfolded the cloth. It had a lot of designs sewed on it. I looked at the designs. They looked normal, but my experience told me that there is something into it.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"This is a very important message, my dear nephew. But the news is grave. Now, we have to make it an opportunity. Fifty armed bandits entered into Kuru kingdom. They want to set ablaze the paddy crops in the field. Tomorrow night is new moon. They will use the darkness as a cover. If they become successful, the whole kingdom will face a shortage of food grains. This year, the Kuru kingdom saw a growth of food grains, both paddy and wheat. This would be a very big jolt to the kingdom."

My mind started calculating. The news was really grave. But, it is also a great opportunity to me. No, not to me, but to us, Kauravas.

"These people are no ordinary bandits, Mamashri. They were probably working on someone's order. But who gave them the order? How did they cross the border with arms?"

"The men are following the orders of none other than Panchalraj Drupad.", Mamashri smirked.

I was shocked.

"Drupad?"

"Yes, my dear nephew. My men gave me one hundred percent accurate news. Panchalraj Drupad hired those men in exchange of gold coins. Then he provided them passage to cross the border."

"But, why a king like Drupad would do that?"

Shakuni mama closed his one eye, a sign that denoted his thoughtfulness.

"A long time ago, Maharaja Vichitravirya once crossed the border and entered Panchal kingdom. He was fully intoxicated with wine, and in his drunkenness, he set ablaze the paddy fields of Panchal. The then king, Panchalraj Prishat caught him, and sentenced him to death. But, Mahamahim Bhishma single handedly rescued his stepbrother after giving a humiliating defeat to Prishat. From that day, Kuru and Panchal became enemies. But Prishat and now his son Drupad did not have the courage to attack Hastinapur because..."

"Mahamahim Pitamah Bhishma.", I completed the sentence.

"Drupad is a mighty Maharathi. But still, he is not a match to Gangaputra. But I could not understand that why now?" Shakuni looked at the sky.

His snake like eyes was glowing.

"Mahamahim is going to the southern side of the kingdom tomorrow morning. He will meet King Damaghosh of Chedi for some trade treaty. The whole Aryavart knows this news. Drupad was waiting for a chance like this."

"He will not be successful, Mamashri. He will never." My voice became hard.

Shakuni was looking at the torch.

"They were planning to target the fields and the godowns. The farmers already started cutting the crops. The storage will be their target. My men found out that they will attack the Sona village. That village has the largest amount of stored food grains. If the granneries of that village are destroyed, the whole Kuru kingdom would face a famine."

I closed my eyes. My brain was working on its full capacity.

"We need a plan, Mamashri. We need a full proof plan, with backup. Our main objective would be protecting the grains and the people. Where is this village?"

"The village is situated in 15 kosh west from the Ganga River.", Mamashri said. ( 1 kosh = 200 meters; 15 kosh = 3 k.m)

"Hmmm...where are those bandits hiding, mamashri?"

"There was a dense forest in the northern side of the village. The border between Panchal and Kuru lies in the forest. They were hiding in that forest."

"Do you have a plan, Mamashri?", I asked him.

"Yes, my dear nephew, I have a plan. I always have a plan." Shakuni mama's eyes were glowing now.

So, this is chapter 15

King Damaghosh was the ruler of Chedi and the father of Shishupal.

The time of action is coming.

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