Hey Guys!!!!  

The Thirty sixth chapter. 

I don't own Mahabharat. 

Sorry for the late update!  

I have not really edited it so if there are mistakes I am sorry!  

Happy Reading!! 

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Third POV 

-- 4 hours before the marriage-- 

It has been three Prahar since Karn and company were looking for Ananya. There had been some horse foot prints in the mud, but they had reached in middle of nowhere following it. And there was nothing in any direction from there, indicating people travelling.

So, where had they all gone? Where had they taken Ananya? And how?
Karn was practically losing his mind worrying about Ananya. Hoping she is ok.

"Excuse me, sir!" Yuyutsu stopped a man. "Have you seen any group of people going in this direction? A group of thug like looking people?"

"I cannot say, I have, young man." The man shakes his head walking away.

Karn sighs, as he hears the man. This was all so heart breaking, perhaps he was responsible for whatever was happening.

"It is not your fault, K!" Ashwatthama says from beside him, the man had placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"Why have we not still found her, then?" Karn asks back.

"Because everything that happens, happens for a reason and there is a very big reason behind we having not found her still." Yudhishthira says, coming to stand on Karn's other side. A look of understanding on his face.

"I have nothing intelligent to say." Yuyutsu shrugs when Karn looks at him next.
Duryodhana who was standing beside him whacks Yuyutsu on the head. Making everyone laugh, even if it was for few second.

"You guys are idiots!" A voice hisses from behind them.

They all jump in shock turning around to find the girl they had been looking for- Ananya- standing there leaning against a trunk of tree.
Cuts and scratches all over her arms. Blood had dried on side of her head.

"Ananya!" Karn runs to her in a swift motion. And hugs her tightly.

"And then he says, he is not courting her." Duryodhana comments.
"Even my father can see that they are in love with each other."

"Uncle Karn is not courting Princess Ananya?" Yuyutsu asks in surprise. "But they already act like an old married couple."

"We were seriously shocked too!" Ashwatthama nods along.

They all also walk towards the two, Princess Ananya was hurt, they should help her. They could of course chat later.

"Thank you for finding us, Princess." Ashwatthama says to Ananya once they reach her, and Karn pulls away from the hug. "This big guy here was ready to scramble out brains in a fry pan and have it."

"That is so bad, Karn." Ananya says, "They have so less for brains and you want to take that too? What kind of uncle are you?"

"Hey!" The four say in outrage. Before they all laugh.

"We should treat your wounds!" Karn says worried as he takes in the damage on her arms. And lightly runs his hand over the cut on her head.

"We will bring the herbs." Yudhishthira and Ashwatthama say before walking away in search of herbs nearby.

"We should return back to the palace, to inform others prior your arrival." Duryodhana says looking at his youngest uncle.

"Of course," Karn nods. He knew that everyone back at home must be worried about them. They should be informed about how Ananya found her way to them. Oh god! He would never hear the end of it from his sweetheart.

"Thank you for coming and looking for me." Ananya says.

"Glad to be of your help." Yuyutsu says and Duryodhana nods along, before they both turn and leave in direction of Hastinapur.

Now that they were alone, neither Ananya nor Karn knew as to how go about anything. Every topic seemed wrong at the moment.

"Who kidnapped you?" Karn asked finally. 

Ananya turned to look at her best friend, a wide smirk on her face. "He has a broken hand now."

"And I am supposed to know only this because?" Karn questions.

"You will know the answer when you meet him." Ananya then frowns, "At least, one of the two guys who wanted to kidnap me has a broken arm. The other did not come to me, before I escaped out of there."

"That's my girl." They share a hi- fi.
"Though how do you know there were two people if you only met one?"

"Because, the one whom I met likes to rant about his no- good plans."

Suddenly Ananya starts to cough, a little violently at it. "Water please."
She asks from Karn, who nods before running off to ask for some water.

Things happen for a reason. And the moment Ananya calmed herself a little from her violent coughing two knife was placed at her neck, preventing her from moving even a little.

"You will say nothing, and silently follow us." A voice hisses in her ears.

"What if I do not agree?" Ananya whispers.

"I would not mind forcing or killing you." The voice hisses again. "But if you come without much protest, it will be easier for both of us."

When Ananya tried to flip the man away from her. A knife planted itself in her arm, making her almost screech in pain, before she could a hand was placed at her mouth. And she was dragged away deeper into the forest. 

However, much Ananya was trying to remove the hold of the man. However, much she tried to scream over the hand on her mouth she was unable to do so. She was hit over her head and she lost her consciousness. Karn's name on her lips trying to remember him through the bond they had.  

-- Time Skip -- 

Duryodhana and Yuyutsu were not even half way when Ashwatthama joined them bringing them news of how Ananya had been kidnapped again. This time they knew it was Prince Pranav for sure. He and Yudhishthira had tried to fight the kidnappers off but there were just too many of them.

The other thing they had learnt was the fact that there was some other kingdom also involved in this shit. Because a different group of people had been fighting Karn at the same time. Thus, rather than going to Hastinapur, Duryodhana and Yuyutsu returned with Ashwatthama.

Yudhishthira in his life had never felt this helpless. When his father died, he knew he had to take the role of the main male of the house and care of his family. But now that Ananya had been kidnapped once again, he seemed to not know what he should be doing. He felt like losing someone important, like a mother, even though he never interacted with the lady much before.

Karn wanted to kill everything in this world, how dare Niyati play a game like this with them? It was like Niyati was teasing them all. The only thing stopping him from doing anything stupid was his nephew Yudhishthira. The boy- god bless him- was hugging him, physically restraining him from doing anything that he would regret later.

"Uncle Karn!" Yuyutsu, Duryodhana along with Ashwatthama joined them on the ground where Karn and Yudhishthira were kneeling, making it a group hug.

"We need to do something." Ashwatthama says the moment they pull away.

"There is a blood trail." Yuyutsu says sniffing the air, as he looked around.

"We killed people, of course there is a trail." Yudhishthira said, he was getting a little cranky in this mess.

"Every blood has a different smell to me, Bhrata Yudhishthira." Yuyutsu says. "I can smell Princess Ananya's blood in that direction."

Everyone jumps to follow the young man as he walks sniffling the air and looking around cautiously to not be attacked.

"We will cover you, Yuyutsu, do your thing." Duryodhana commands.

"You are awfully fine with this happening; you knew about this, did you not?" Ashwatthama accuses his oldest friend.

"Not the time, right now. Aswath." Duryodhana hisses.

"There." Yuyutsu points at a bullock cart that was left deserted against some of the trees of the forest. "They put something on her wound here, there is no more smell of blood from here."

"Shit! What do we do now?" Duryodhana questions.

"Language." Karn reprimands his nephew. "Dadi will have your head!"

"Where can Prince Pranav take her?" Ashwatthama questions.

"Anywhere which is most obvious and we would never go." Yudhishthira says.

Karn closes his eyes, he was feeling utmost frustrated with this whole drama. Why was this happening? Why with them? And this Pranav! Karn wanted to feed the head of the man to some demons. After all a lion could suffer from constipation having his head. Oh, Shiva help him!

"Let's ask the old lady for time being." Yuyutsu wandered to where a lady was standing, faced away from them. 

"Greetings, Lady!" Yudhishthira joins his hands politely. "Did a group of people just pass from here. Dressed in black gear or something?"

The lady looks at them wide eyed, before she looks around tensely. "Lower your voice, you idiot boy!" She hisses. "They will kill all of us if they hear!"

The Prince's exchange a tensed look before Duryodhana whispers, "Lady, we mean no harm to you but they have a princess with them who is," He points at Karn, "his to be wife. We need to save her before something happens to her."

A thunder clap echoes just after Duryodhana finishes with his words. While the others look at him in surprise, they did not expect him to say that.

The lady looks at the five of them, before her eyes fix on Karn, "Follow them as fast as you can, if God is on your side and you really love her, you would be able to race against time and save her."

"Where are they going?" Karn asks, his voice firm as if not scared of anything.

"They are going a top that mountain." The lady points, "Prince Pranav wants to marry her, I suppose because the temple up there is famous for same."

A look of pure anger crosses on the face of four youngster while Karn's face had become an embedment of fury. "We are grateful for your help, lady!"
Karn thanks the lady sincerely.

"You have my blessings," The lady says, "You should succeed in your mission."

The five ran in the direction of the mountain, not turning to look at the old lady, in whose place now stood a much younger looking lady with blue skin, her three eyes fiery red with the anger in them. 

 -- Time Skip --

They reached the temple in a recorded time. But an army of goons were waiting for them at the gate. It was clear that they all would be killed and then only would anyone pass. But the Prince's were ready too.

In less then five minutes what was left were only fifteen soldiers.
"We will handle them, you go uncle!" Duryodhana shouts.

Karn nodded as he raced towards the inner part of temple the sight filled him with deeper anger. They were forcing Ananya to marry that old hag of prince.

"Pranav!" Karn raised his sword to kill Prince Pranav. But Pranav just smiled manically before raising his hand to fill Ananya's hair partition with vermillion. 

And in that moment Karn did the only thing he could think off. He pushed Pranav away and filled the partition of hair with Sindoor himself. 

Forgetting for moments as to what his actions would lead to.
How things would change due to this now. 
How they all would be greatly affected by it! 

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I have not really edited it so if there were mistakes I am really sorry about it!  

How was the update for the day?  

Just tell me how you felt about the chapter. 

And what next, huh?  

(1980 words.) 

--Sxxxxx