The Wrath 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 18

Southern Panchal, Dwapar Yuga

Jayant/Duryodhana POV

Four days ago, we started our journey from Rajapura to Hastinapur. Our journey was happening very smoothly and happily. In this journey on the chariot, I got the chance to properly know all about my newly-wedded wife.

She was a charming lady, with a beautiful smile and also a sharp mind. She was a learned woman too, with deep knowledge in many 'shastras'. Her debating ability was very good. I liked to listen to her voice and her opinions in various matters.

"Priya, can I ask you something?" I asked her. We were both sitting on our moving chariot. The scenery beside us was very beautiful. Priya was intensely looking at that. My question seemed to break her out from that trance. She nodded affirmatively at me.

"Do you have any other siblings beside Shrutayudha?"

"No. We are only the two of us. Why are you asking?"

"Curiosity, I guess."

Priya smiled at me.

"You are a very curious person yourself, Aryaputra. I don't know why, but sometimes I feel that there is an invisible barrier of mysteries surrounding you. You are not what you project to the others, at list not totally. But, there is a deep, dark well of secrets beneath you."

I looked at her deep, dark eyes. Those eyes were powerful scanners, under which, the deepest, darkest secret of Jayant Roy would come out in any moment. I turned my eyes away from her, and took out my water bottle and drank some. Then I handed over the bottle to her.

"You want some?"

She smiled and accepted. The Surya Narayana was glowing over us, probably showering his blessings to his son and his daughter-in law. I glanced at their chariot. There, they were talking and smiling. Supriya was a bubbly woman, who loved to talk. And Radheya was a good listener too. I thought about Vrushali for a moment. I didn't know how she will react. The TV serials about Mahabharata showed them as heroes, anti-heroes and villains, but while living amongst them, I could see the reality in them, the human side of them. Pitamah Bhishma, who always stood strong like a great banyan tree, I saw the vulnerable side in him, when I stopped him doing the last rites of the Pandavas. Dronacharya had only one weakness that was his son. In Magadha war, I saw that weakness. As about Kulguru, well, he was an interesting character indeed. He did not have to struggle in his life like his brother-in-law. So, he became a person who was always satisfied with some very small needs. But this satisfaction affected his character and personality. He always stayed, or should I say, his personality always suppressed by some other stronger personalities, be it Pitamah, be it Dronacharya or...Ashwatthama. Though, it's a fact that sometimes he stood strong against Duryodhana and his evil deeds, but still his personality didn't permit him to protest more ferociously like Vidura.

A soft hum entered into my ear. I slowly turned my head and saw Priya, who was softly singing some song. Her voice was so melodious, so sweet that it engulfed my heart and soul. I felt like taking her with me and staying in a small home. In front of our home, there should be a beautiful garden with various types of flowers. I would sit there, with Priya's head on my lap. She would sing such melodious songs to me. I was imagining us sitting in such a place, her song engulfed the area. Stags and does were walking beside us.

"This is heaven! This is peace! What is there in war, politics, and kingdom? Let Yudhisthir ascend the throne, and take all the headaches on his head. Then he would get diabetes with all the tension."

As soon as the thought reached on my mind, I felt that a volcano had erupted there, and in a moment, my mind was covered with red, hot, lava of anger!

"Well done! Indeed, well done! I thought that you could challenge Yudhisthir and snatch the throne from him. You have defeated Jarasandha, who was the nightmare of the so-called mighty Yadavas. But now, a few soft smile and some amount of lust and some song...only this amount of distraction was enough to throw you out of your target. But frankly speaking, this is not your fault. Your blood still has the same middle-class mentality. Only a person with royal blood can rule over a kingdom. But you are middle class, and just an officer, who can give some order and have to always follow every order. Oh, by the way, how can I forget that you are a Bengali? Go home, eat rice, and chat with your wife and sleep. You can do only these things."

The voice that spoke those words inside my head was familiar too me. I heard that voice when I first met Dronacharya.

"Blood does matter! The Pandavas had royal blood from their mother's side and divine blood from their father's side. They had both the culture of royalty and divinity mixed in them. What do you have? All whom you have are deprived of royal culture of which the royalty was born with. Except from Bhishma, all the others did not have the royal culture in their blood. It does not matter that they are masters of weapon; they did not have the Kshatriya culture in their blood. Blood does matter! Culture does matter! BLOOD DOES MATTER! CULTURE DOES MATTER!"

It felt like a tornado was running inside my mind. The two sentences were echoing inside my mind.

"BLOOD DOES MATTER! CULTURE DOES MATTER!"

Suddenly I heard another voice inside my mind. This voice came like a whiplash!

"NO! ONLY KARMA MATTERS! KARMA IS THE HIGHEST DHARMA! KARMA IS THE GREATEST DHARMA!"

The new voice was familiar to me. I heard the voice in Kampilya, in Hastinapur. Vasudev Sri Krishna!

Darkness engulfed my senses, but before my eyes closing, I saw something pink crawling on the grass. Then a faint braying sound of a donkey entered into my ear. Then it was pitch black.

"Aryaputra! Aryaputra!" Two strong but soft hands were shaking my shoulders, "Wake up! Please wake up!" Then I felt the cold water splashed on my face. I somehow opened my eyes, and through the blurry vision, I saw the tensed face of Priya. Beside her, I saw Dussasan, Ashwatthama and Karna standing together.

"What happened to me?" I somehow managed to speak.

"After our childhood, today you fainted again, Jyesth." Dussasan said in a low voice. I looked at my surroundings. It seemed that I was lying inside a tent. The time was probably evening, judging by the colour of the sky.

"Here, Aryaputra, drink this. You will feel good." Priya gave me a small goblet. I looked at the brown coloured liquid inside the pot. The liquid smells...spicy. My beloved smiled at me then she took the goblet again in her hand and took it in front of my lips. I slowly started drinking the contents. It worked like magic. In a few moments, I felt much better.

"You know Ayurveda too?" I smiled at her. She smiled at me too.

"It seems that you are feeling better.", Then she looked at the other three.

"Bhabishri, I followed your orders. The tents are ready. We will stay the night here." Dussasan said to me.

"Thank you." Priya smiled at her. Then she looked at my other two friends. There was something in her eyes that Karna quickly understood.

"Mitra, you should take rest. We will go now and arrange the proper security outside our camp. Let's go Ashwatthama."

The three of them quickly left us alone, though I didn't miss the smirk in their lips. Priya placed a pillow under my head then she placed her head again on my chest.

"I love you!" the words slowly came out from my lips. Priya looked into my eyes, curiously.

"What did you say, Aryaputra? I can't understand the language."

Oh hell no! I spoke English with her!

I embraced her tightly, and our lips met again. She snuggled into my chest. A few moments later, I placed her sleeping form beside me and covered her with a bed sheet. I stood up and came outside of the tent. The grass under my naked feet felt soft like a costly carpet. I lied on that grass and looked at the night sky.

The stars were shining over my head. I was looking at them, while thinking about my future steps. Kali inside me was trying to manipulate me again. The audacity of him, he even used the Bengalis, and rice. If got just one chance to grab his neck with my two hands, I would snap him in two pieces with my bare hands.

Why I am here?

Why Mahadev sent me here?

Surely he didn't want me to only enjoy my life!

There was surely some other reason behind it. I must find that at any cost.

Suddenly, I heard two sounds. They were like some heavy things falling on the ground. I looked towards the direction of the sounds and saw the bodies of our two soldiers lying on the ground. Then I saw the arrows pierced their bodies. In a second, I saw another two guards fell down on the ground after a volley of arrows pierced them.

"Everybody be alert! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!", I roared with the loudest volume of my voice. The next moment, I saw dark shadowy figures with shiny weapons in their hands charging at me.

Then I heard a loud cackling laughter from them, and then a voice entered my ears.

"Everyone, remember that our prime target is the Rajkumari of Kalinga. Maharaja Drupad promised to shower the one with diamonds who will present him with the severed head of Duryodhana's wife. Attack, comrades!"

For a second, my body and mind froze with fear. Then, something else replaced it. It was the fire of anger that can consume each and everything. I touched my locket, and in the next moment, my sword came to my right hand.

"HA RE RE RE RE RE!!", With the loud cry of the bandits of Bengal, I charged at the attackers, my sword ready to taste warm blood of them.

Then all hell broke loose!!

So, this is chapter 18.

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