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 30

Mathura, Dwapar Yuga

Jayant/ Duryodhana POV

The evening sun was giving a melancholy red light in the sky. I was standing in front of a window, looking at the garden nearby, or, to be fair, looking at a couple in the garden. Arjun and Subhadra were sitting there together. They were talking...no, not talking. Subhadra seemed upset, and Arjun was trying to coax her.

I heaved a sigh. We had reached Mathura yesterday, and after us, came another messenger from Hastinapur, with a proposal of my marriage with Devi Subhadra. My wife, after hearing that news, was walking with a dark scowl in her lips. She even refused to talk to me. We had passed more than twenty hours without talking. My mind went to that day in Hastinapur, when Mamashri first came to me with this proposal of my marriage with Devi Subhadra. Though I didn't show any eagerness about that, but yesterday I had learnt that Mamashri hadn't forgotten about that. Now he even went to Maharaja Dhritarashtra and convinced him about that union. I heaved a deep sigh. One thing which I loathed in both my previous and this life was emotional melodrama. But, it seemed that now I was literally walking inside a Chakra Vyuha made of melodramatic emotions.

The light melodious sound of anklets was enough to break my thoughts. I turned around and saw my better half walked into the room. Her face was still having traces of anger, but there were two pearl like tears shining in her eyes.

"Priya, I...." I tried to say something, but she stopped me with a gesture of her right hand.

"Aryaputra, if you are thinking that I am angry that you are getting married again, then you are wrong. I am a Rajkumari, born and brought up in royal palace. It's common for the kings to have multiple wives...both for quenching their physical as well as political needs. I already learned about this in Hastinapur, but I ignored it as mere gossip of palace maids. But you, I didn't expect you to say nothing to me. I am angry because you kept me in the dark. Aryaputra, do you think that I will be angry with you after hearing this news? No, I won't be angry...though I will be sad, but I will accept it as fate. You, who nourished me with so much love all the time, didn't find me worthy of sharing the news with me!" She was trying very hard to conceal her tears.

I slowly walked towards her, and held her shoulders with my hands. She was looking at the floor, refusing to meet my eyes. I took her chin in my right hand and pulled up her face. The tear drops were still in her eyes. I wiped her eyes with my handkerchief.

"Do you really think that this ceremony is going to take place? Or, let me rephrase my question, do you think that Shri Krishna will let it happen?"

Priya looked at me with shock clearly on his face. Every ounce of sadness was disappeared from her face and her face became an 'O'. She took a few deep breaths, and looked at me.

"What do you mean? What does Vasudev have to do with everything?"

I pointed her to that window, "Take a look outside in the garden. Then I will tell you."

Priya walked to the window and looked out. Her face again regained the shock. She looked at me, then again looked at outside.

"There, Subhadra was with Arjun!"

I smirked at her. In front of me, there was a small chess set on the table, with each and every piece on their own place, ready to start a war. I slowly walked to the table and placed a white pawn two steps forward. The game was on!

"You have a sharp mind, Priya. You know about the two fractions running for the race of the throne of Hastinapur."

"You and Devarji Yudhisthir are two candidates for the throne. The elders want Devarji, but you are standing your ground like a diamond wall. But your victory over a powerful force like Magadha literally gave a powerful shake into everything. Even when this news first reached into our palace, my Pitashri was shocked to his core that how a powerful force like Jarasandha does got defeated, when, even in the past, the Kuru Kingdom was afraid to fight him. They were neutral when Jarasandha attacked Mathura."

"Timing, it's all about timing and planning. To achieve a goal, one must watch out for suitable moment, and have proper knowledge and plan. Hastinapur was able to defeat Magadha because of this timing and planning. Jarasandha was losing his might with the due course of time. The multiple campaigns with the Yadavas were depleting his strength with considerable amount. But he was still commanded fear, because no one knows how to kill him, except two people in this universe. Jarasandha had powerful allies, and I had blocked them to come to his aid. A blacksmith should use his hammer when the iron is hot. I did exactly that."

"So, Mamashri Shakuni is planning to give more power to your hand...by organising your alliance with Yadavas. I know that Yadavas are a powerful force. If this alliance happens, then your strength will be significantly increased. Then the elders would have no chance but to elect you as the new ruler of Hastinapur." Priya came in front of the black side, and placed a black pawn two steps forward.

"Your move, Aryaputra."

"Not mine, Priya, now Shri Krishna already played his move. Devi Subhadra is now alone with Arjun in the garden, and they were talking without any supervision. People will say that its trust, but I can smell a conspiracy from a long distance."

Priya walked towards me, and came into my open arms. Oh, how much I missed the feeling!

A few kisses later, we sat together on the bed, talking about the situation. Actually, Priya did all the talking, and I was busy tickling her!

"Stop it now, Aryaputra! I promise I won't be angry on you ever!" Priya was panting after my constant onslaught of tickling in her sensitive body parts. A few moments later, she calmed down a bit.

"Okay, Aryaputra, enough of love and romance, now can we please talk about some serious issues now." Her voice was dead serious...well as much seriousness she could manage after the kisses and tickles.

I was silent. She took a few deep breaths and composed herself.

"So, you are saying that this marriage alliance will not take place? Now, what I just saw from the window is it safe to assume that the fire ignited in both sides?"

"I would say that the spark was there from the past, from our fifth year of Gurukul, when the Yadava kids first came to learn there. Gada, a younger brother of Shri Krishna, was always eager to explain the beauty of his sister, and Arjun always listened with great enthusiasm. Well, he is a hero in nature, and the hero made an image of his heroine in his mind, and now he found her. He has someone who will help him, because, it will boost up his politics too."

"Everything has some political meaning under your eyes? Now you are over thinking it."

"No, I am not over thinking it. After the marriage of Arjun and Subhadra, the Yadavas will side with Yudhisthir, because no one can fight where they gave their daughter, right?"

Priya was looking at me with shocked silence in her face. She looked at me, and then quickly walked towards the window, probably stealing a gaze at the two lovebirds. I looked at the chessboard again, my eyes focused at the queen pieces. She came back to me again, her face was thoughtful.

"It's really becoming a situation of Dharma Sankat for me. I do not want to separate two lovers, but I do not want to see my husband getting weaker in politics. But Aryaputra, now I want to ask you a question, and I want a direct answer."

I looked at her eyes.

"This marriage is politically suitable for you, and even I will support you in this union. But, I still feel that you are not eager to this union. No, this is not the word of a wife; this is the word of someone who knows you. Even Mamashri or Angraaj will agree with me in this matter."

"One must always remember this, Priya...never, ever play a rigged game. The swyamvar in Panchal was a rigged game too. This situation is also a rigged game. Where there is the involvement of Sri Krishna, he plans to rig the situation in his favour. In battlefront, I may have a very thin chance against him (though I highly doubt it!), but in this type of social situation, he is the undisputed."

Priya looked at me again, "You know that now you can't directly refuse because your Pitashri and Gurudev are now linked together in this matter. If you refuse now, it will mean the insult of both Pitashri and Gurudev. It will also become politically harmful for you. Your image may be tarnished in front of whole Aryavart."

An eerie silence engulfed both of us. The silence, mixed with the darkness of dusk was literally creating a mysterious environment in the room. The maids came into the room and lit the lamps.

We both sat in the brightly lit room. I stood up and went to get some water, when a guard entered. He bowed to us and told that Shri Krishna and Devi Satyabhama were waiting outside.

I looked at my wife and then both of us went outside to receive them. There they were standing together, the incarnation of Narayana and Bhoomi Devi. I watched as my wife again touched the feet of Shri Krishna, and when she went to do the same, Satyabhama stopped her and hugged her tightly. I crossed my hands to them. Shri Krishna had his patent smile on his lips, the all knowing smile with a pinch of naughtiness. Priya invited them into the room and offered those seats. The ladies were started chatting in the next moment, leaving the two of us in a bubble of silence. Both of us sat in silence for at least ten minutes. Even the two ladies present in the room were now looking at us, thinking about what to do. The supreme one and the common one were still sitting without speaking a word.

It was the supreme one who broke the silence first, "My beloved little sister is going to the House of Kuru. Please take care of her."

His words were carefully placed. He said 'House of Kuru', of which, in his eyes, Arjun is a part of.

"I don't think she will need anything from Me.", I tried hard to look at his eyes for a moment. It was hard for me to look at his eyes. It always felt like some invisible force pushed me hard. But Arjun, he looked at those deep eyes so easily. Was it a privilege of being a part of 'Nara-Narayana'?

"Devapriya, why is the groom's face so gloomy? Is he not happy to become a son-in-law of the Yadavas?", Devi Satyabhama asked her with a smile in her face. I looked at her, trying to find an ounce of mockery in her eyes.

"Satya, don't tease the poor fellow! He is nervous, after all. This is marriage, not battlefield.", Vasudev Shri Krishna smirked at me. Well, I could also try to play the game. Let's apply some of my middle class mindset of Kali Yuga. Sometimes, middle class mentality could perform a miracle.

"Shri Krishna, is Devi Subhadra happy with this decision? I don't want her to be forced in some loveless marriage. Please, can I meet with her and talk about this matter?"

So, here is the thirtieth chapter. Please read, vote and comment.