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 51

Hastinapur, Dwapar Yuga

Jayant/ Duryodhana POV

I was standing at a balcony of the palace. I couldn't sleep, so I came here. The dark starry night was covering the city like a cloud. Nine months had been passed since I came back from Vidarbha and got that shocking news.

Flashback (9 months ago)

I entered in the city of Hastinapur on my motorbike. Karna was sitting behind me.

"Mitra, the city looked like a bit grim, don't you think?" He asked me. I had noticed it too. The people were looking at us with an unknown expression. They were looking at me, and then whispering among themselves. I thought that I heard the word 'Yuvraaja' once.

"Mitra, I need to go home. Mata and Pitashri must be worried." Radheya said to me. I nodded to him, when suddenly I saw a horseman coming towards us. It was my brother Yuyutsu.

Yuyutsu saw us too and he came in front of us. He dismounted from his horse and crossed his hands.

"Jyesth Bhrata! I am so glad that you are back. Pranipat, Angraaj Karna."

I curiously looked at his face. Though he was trying to mask his expression, I noticed the sadness.

"Yuyutsu, do you want to say something?" I asked him.

Tears came into his eyes, "Jyesth, it seems like some dark omen has covered our kingdom. Kakishri Kunti and her sons are no more!"

"Yuyutsu, are you out of your bloody mind?" I was shocked to my core.

"Jyesth, I wish that before hearing that news, I could lose my mind. But, it is true. The Pandavas and Kakishri were living in a hut in Varnavat. That hut caught fire in the night, and they all burned to ashes."Yuyutsu started crying.

I dismounted my motorcycle and came in front of him. I grabbed his two shoulders with my hands.

"Yuyutsu, I am telling this to you once and only once. Those half-devtas can't die. I know they are alive."

Yuyutsu looked at me. His face had a shocking expression.

"Let's go to the palace. Karna, you take Yuyutsu's horse and go home. Yuyutsu, come with me."

"Mitra, if you need me, just send a message." Karna said. Then he mounted the horse and went towards his home. Yuyutsu rode with me, and both of us came back to the palace. The palace was deep drowned in sadness. When Maharaja Dhritarashtra and Maharani Gandhari got the news of my arrival, they were overjoyed. Both of them hugged me and cried together. They were deeply hurt after the so called 'death' of Kakishri and Pandavas. But I firmly told them that those half-devtas could not die. They were shocked but my will was strong like Himalayas.

"Putra, Tatshri locked himself in his room from last three days. The shock of the news.....it was too much for him." Maharaja Dhritarashtra said to me.

"They are alive, Pitashri. I want you to put this information inside your head. Now let me go to Pitamah." I turned my head and saw Kakashri Vidura coming inside.

"Pranipat Maharaja! Pranipat Bhabishri!" He said in a soft voice. Then he looked at me. I crossed my hands. Kakashri nodded affirmatively. Then he looked at the Maharaja.

"Maharaja, the time has come to perform the last rites of Maharani Kunti and her sons." He said in a low voice.

"No!" I hissed at him. He looked at me with shocked face. I looked at him curiously. Either Kakashri was an Oscar level actor, or this time, he did not know that the Pandavas are alive.

"Duryodhana, I know that you disliked them. But, please, forget your enmity this time. The dead souls of Maharani Kunti and her sons will suffer eternally if we do not perform their last rites." He pleaded to me.

"Kakashri, you want to perform the last rites of six living people. How can I agree to this? Your favourite half devtas are very much alive. Now, I am going to search them. Get me Dussasan, Vikarna and Mamashri Shakuni."

Kakashri looked at me with shocked eyes. But quickly he sent a guard to call them. A few moments later, the three of them came inside the room. Mamashri and my brothers were very happy to see me.

"Everyone, listen to me carefully. I know that those half-devtas are very much alive. Now we have to find the six of them. Dussasan, you take Vikarna with you and go to Ahichatra this instant. Take help of Ashwatthama and search the Pandavas. Mamashri, will you go with me to search the Pandavas?"

"Yes, my dear nephew. I am always ready to help. But what is the reason of this strong belief of you?"

"Only one reason is enough Mamashri. They are the son of Devtas. Their Devta fathers will do anything to keep them alive."

Mamashri looked at me. He was looking at me with shocked eyes. I looked at Kakashri.

"Kakashri, I want the whole Aryavart crawled with our spies. If the Pandavas are having disguise, Bheem's size is not something that can blend in the crowd easily. I want the whole Aryavart combed by our spies."

All of them present in the room were looking at me with shock in their face.

"Tell the spies to..." Suddenly I felt my tongue tied.

"What is it, Rajkumar?" Kakashri spoke.

"Nothing, Kakashri." I heaved a sad sigh. I was going to say to watch on the news of the sudden death of any Rakshashas, but it seemed that I could not disclose that information. If my knowledge of Mahabharata is accurate, then this was the time of death of both Hidimba and Vakasur.

Kakashri looked at the Maharaja, "Maharaja, what is your order?"

Maharaja Dhritarashtra said, "Vidura, I want you to follow the instructions of Duryodhana. But, Putra, you just came from a long journey. Eklavya told us about your stay in Kundinpuri. He left Hastinapur yesterday with the gifts, though we already got the news of Rajkumari Rukmini's abduction by Vasudev Krishna. It's my order that you stay here. Shakuni can go with some of your brothers."

"But..." I tried to say something but Mata Gandhari firmly ordered me to stay.

"No buts Putra. Today, I will feed you with my own hands. Do you know, each and every day I prayed for your safety. But tell me; did you really fought with Bhargava?"

I looked at Kakashri. Though he was silent, but his face was curious.

"Well, Gurudev thrashed me like he was washing clothes. But still, he was pleased with me. He taught me the Sahasravanastra and Nagastra. He also gave me this powerful sword, once belonged to Kartavirya Arjun." I showed them the sword.

"When Yadavas attacked Kundinpuri, I also met Dau Balrama. He agreed to teach me mace fighting and invited me to Dwarka."

All of them were very much pleased to hear that news. Then suddenly a soldier ran into the room.

"Maharaja ki jay ho! Mahamahim Bhishma just came outside of his room. He is going to the river to perform the last rites."

"Pitashri, Matashri, I am going to him.", I bowed to the elders in the room and ran outside. A few moments later, I saw a white clad, tall, muscular figure walking in the corridor. The usually tall, statuesque figure was walking with a bend spine now.

"Pitamah! Pitamah!", I called him. But it seemed that my voice did not enter into his ears.

"On your guard, Mahamahim Gangaputra Bhishma!", I unsheathed my sword with a loud sound. Pitamah stopped in his way. Slowly, he turned towards me. His great, old face was full of sadness. But his eyes were hard. Those eyes were literally like two sharp swords.

"Duryodhana!", Pitamah's voice was low, similar to the low sound of thunder.

"How dare you block my path, with a weapon in your hand?", Pitamah said with clenched fist. His two eyes were burning like two pieces of charcoal.

"I am sorry, Pitamah. I called you two times, but you did not response.", I slowly walked towards him. I looked at the grand old man of Hastinapur, who was looking at me with teary eyes.

"I am going to offer the last rites to my dear Kunti and her sons. Do not block my way.", He said in a gruff voice.

"I am sorry, Pitamah. But I must stop you from doing this grave sin.", I pleaded to him.

"Sin?", Pitamah was shocked to his core.

"You are going to perform the last rites of six living persons. How can I stand aside and let this happen?"

"Living? Living?", Pitamah's face became pale. He stumbled upon his feet. I quickly grabbed him with one hand. Tears started flowing from his eyes like a stream. I felt a pang in my heart after seeing him in such a vulnerable state.

"Pitamah, how can a wise, experienced man like you fall in this trap? Those half-devtas will not die so easily. Their Devta fathers will not let them die so easily. I have already sent the soldiers and spies in every direction to search them. Mahadev ki saugandh, I will do each and everything in my power to find them!", I said in a soft voice.

Pitamah looked at me. He tried to say something, but it seemed that he was at a loss of words. I took a part of my angvastra and wiped his tears.

"I heard that you were inside your room from the last three days? You are surely hungry? Let's go Pitamah, let us eat together today. While eating, I will tell you about my duel with Bhagwan Parashurama."

Pitamah looked at me. I saw a small smile in his lips.

"Duryodhana, I do not like the word 'Half-devta'. But today, your words put down the fire in my heart. I will pray to Mahadev that your words became true."

I somehow fought my tears. The old warrior was literally broken from inside. I took his hand in my hand and walked towards the throne room.

End of flashback

I was standing alone in the balcony, engulfed in my own thoughts. Then I came back inside my room, and sat beside the table. The chessboard was on the table in front of me. I absentmindedly moved a knight forward.

My soldiers and spies were unable to find the Pandavas. Mamashri Shakuni, who went to the south of Varnavat, lost his way in the maze of the jungle. It took him and his men four days to find the correct path outside the jungle. Ashwatthama and Dussasan were failed too. My other spies found only failure.

"If my calculations are correct, then Ghatotkacha was born already. Now Pandavas are with Hidimbi. She must have use sorcery to hide them. I know that Maharishi Vyasa knows their whereabouts. But I can't interrogate him. But I have two more chances. Pandavas will come to Ekchakra city after sometime, where Bheem will kill Vakasur. If I could not nab them there, then my last chance would be the Swyamvar of Draupadi in Kampilya.", I thought to myself.

I looked at the chessboard again. Each and every piece was in their place. This world is a huge chessboard and all the pieces were already placed. Now the time came to start a game between the two players. One player was the supreme entity, the other was a mere mortal human being. The human couldn't defeat the supreme one, but he could only try his best. He would do exactly that. He would try until his last breath.

"I will try until my last breath. Without war, I will not give a pinpoint amount of land!", I thought to myself.

The game is on!

Let's see what happened next!

So this is Chapter 51.

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