The sky was turning to a vivid shade of reds and oranges when he came to her.

His near silent footfalls did not announce his arrival, but rather the nearly imperceptible changes in the environment: the brightening of the air in the room, the wind itself seeming to swirl around in reverence to the pious form of the son of Vasudeva, the leaves and flowers of plants reaching out to him as though pulled by a magnetic field.

Lilavati was no stranger to the changes in the room.

Her attention instantly snapped towards the entrance of her room, even before he set foot inside it. And despite her valiant efforts, tears moistened the corners of her eyes.

The smile he wore on his countenance was an easygoing half-smile—brighter than the radiance of a crescent moon—as he stepped towards her.

She stood up.

"Swami," she whispered.

"Lilavati," he returned, and her name had never sounded sweeter from another's lips.

They stood like that for a moment, looking into each other's eyes—that seemed both an eternity and just a flash—and then his brilliant smile faded into a contained contemplation.

He adjusted his uttariya slightly, his dark complexion standing out against the sun's rays as he came to sit by her. Krishna gestured to her to sit, and she heeded his silent request and settled beside him.

"Tell me about the intruder," he ordered softly.

Lilavati told him everything, briefly elaborating on Iltani's arrival but glossing over the conversation that followed, but she could tell by the gleam in his lotus eyes that he knew the contents of the conversation and seemed happier for it. She described how the both of them had sensed another presence and right up until she had wounded the man.

A question came to the tips of her tongue but before she could ask it, her Lord answered.

"The man is dead. He had lost too much blood by the time he was retrieved."

Lilavati pursed her lips, unsure of whether to feel guilty or glad that she had struck down the man in time to prevent him from harming anyone.

"You need not shoulder the burden of the man's death. He was a spy, looking for information and you prevented him from gaining any such crucial information." He frowned then, adding, "I do not know how he managed to infiltrate the palace so deeply to enter these quarters. I will have to speak to the guards to gather more information."

A silence fell between them, and it was anything but easy or simple.

With a near silent huff, he rose. Lilavati watched him move, entranced by his simple movements but just as quickly realised that he was leaving. And before she realised what she was saying, she blurted out, "Stay."

He paused, turning his head backward to look at her. His peacock feather danced in its diadem. She flushed as he raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her in question.

"That is... if you don't have any work—I mean duties to complete... please stay."

Her voice had turned somewhat pleading by the end, but Lilavati pushed away the embarrassment and tilted her chin up to look at him.

Her husband's features softened.

He returned to sit next to her, and just as she began to wonder what she could possibly talk to him about, he asked her, "Do you know about the revolt?"

His tone indicated that he knew the answer, but she figured it was him extending a branch of supplication for them to begin... anything.

She nodded swiftly. "I do. I found a path amidst the gardens and it surprisingly led me to the city, where I found most of my information from the gossip around me, and I do know that the people revolted against you for... me."

There was a silent question in her tone, and her husband smiled and her breath caught at the sheer perfection in his beauty. Blinking rapidly to get rid of such thoughts, she returned to herself to see him somewhat smirking at her.

"I am quite irresistible, am I not, Lilavati?" There was a laugh in his words.

"You are... my Lord," she agreed, a faint flush darkening her cheeks.

"You needn't worry about the results of the revolt. I am the darling of Dvaraka, the people can hardly go against me." He waved his hand in a dismissive manner, his self-confidence prominent in his words.

She stifled a giggle at that.

He smiled at her.

A hush fell over them again, but this time Lilavati was not inclined to break it, as she noticed his eyes looking at her carefully, not looking through her as he had done so two weeks past. She treasured his attention on her.

Finally, she mused, "That path though... I haven't been able to find it since that day. It's quite vexing."

And she immediately saw his eyes fixate on the wall, his gaze distant as though he was conferring with someone privately within his mind. A smile flickered on his face as a flower blossoms in spring.

She was startled to hear a chuckle slip from his lips as his eyes shone in fond annoyance and deep love.

"Oh Bhamae, my love, my darling."

Noticing the confusion on her face, he elaborated, "Satyabhama, my third wife. She must have done that and not told me!"

The indignation in his voice sent Lilavati into peals of laughter, and she was sure she could hear the echoes of a woman's laughter in the air.

Wiping the tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes, she caught her giggles and sighed in something like contentment.

A thought popped into her mind.

"Swami..." she began carefully, drawing him from his thoughts. "Would... would it be possible for me to meet your other wives?"

His lotus eyes glimmered with something unknown as he considered her request. After a few minutes, he inclined his head.

"I will have to ask them. Nothing here happens without their consent."

Lilavati exhaled in something like relief.

He rose again. "I must go now. My children will be disappointed if I don't tell them a story tonight, one they've already heard multiple times."

Lilavati nodded, though it was hard to suppress her disappointment.

As he was leaving, he turned back for a second.

"Also, you can leave the palace now. I've been... informed quite thoroughly that keeping you isolated is of no use to me."

He threw her a smile and left.

~

She had chosen to dress herself in a lilac saari, from all of the robes she had found in a wardrobe in her chambers. Lilavati stood at the entrance to the palace that had housed her for two weeks, her right hand resting on the intricate carvings on the gate.

Beyond the palace laid the full city of Dvaravati, and she knew herself well enough to know that she would be easily overwhelmed if she decided to step out into the city proper.

She took one breath. Then another.

I'll stick to the gardens for now. Maybe finding a few people to talk to would be helpful... though I only hope they won't turn me away.

Lilavati tucked the loose strands of her hair behind one ear, adjusting her somewhat messy braid.

Here goes...

She began to walk, focusing only on her feet for the time being and swallowing against the wave of overwhelming sensations that seemed to bombard her as she left the palace for the first time in two weeks. Nervousness ebbed in her stomach as a low roiling pit.

One step led to another and soon she found herself in front of a richly carved arch, carved from the wood of a mahogany tree, a vibrant dark reddish-brown in colour. The arch had the carvings of several gandharvas and yakshas, all intertwined with vines and flowers carved with remarkable likeliness.

Beyond the arch led to the gardens, and Lilavati had never seen Bhumi so prolific ever before. Tall trees stood proudly, their viridian leaves responding to the playful rush of the wind god. Grass carpeted the ground akin to a soft fur, threading through the rocks and growing wherever possible. Flowers of unnamed varieties grew, both on the highest trees and close to the ground, adding to the vibrancy of the area. Winding paths traversed the gardens, weaving around the plant beds. There was the low humming of insects and the chirping of birds in the air and the dance of the plants in the wind was joyous in a way she had come to associate with her husband.

Women walked the paths, some arm in arm, others alone and lost in the beauty of Prakriti. Occasionally a gardener would come by and tend to the plants.

Lilavati walked on the paths, letting her apprehension flow off her as awe overtook her. She was slow in her tread, inhaling deeply the sweet scent of flowers and carefully observing the tiny insects going about their daily lives.

Eventually, she reached a secluded part of the gardens, and she could see two women talking to each other. There was something strange in their body language; in the way their eyes darted around in expectation of something, how they flinched away from some unknown motion. They were indeed richly dressed and beautifully adorned but their eyes told Lilavati that these two women had experienced something very traumatic.

"—don't get me wrong, Navika, I am grateful. Vaausdeva saved us from the clutches of that monster, anyone would be grateful in our place, but I don't understand why we had to marry him!"

The woman on the right was speaking in a somewhat high-pitched tone, her anger evident in her voice.

Lilavati felt that familiar but oh-so despised anger rise up in her again.

Who was this woman to claim that marrying her Lord was a wrong thing to do? It was one of the highest honours a soul could be accorded, to bind themselves to the Supreme!

Out of pure instinct, her hand slipped to her hip and to her surprise, she found the hilt of a dagger resting by her side as a girdle.

"He is the most beautiful person I have ever met, Madhuraa, why do you speak as though it is a harm to be bound to him for eternity? One of the most handsome people of Aryavarta, this beautiful kingdom that is akin to Vaikuntha itself, his progressive views and he supports Dharmaraja Yudhishthira himself! What more could you ask for in a husband?"

There was a sharp exhale from the woman on the right.

"You wouldn't understand, Navika." Her tone was suddenly low and sullen.

"Make me!" her friend urged.

"I don't—I can't speak of it yet. But you have to agree with me that marrying us was a step too far ahead. What if our sisters had lives to return to, lovers waiting for them—" Madhuraa's voice broke and she turned away.

Lilavati's grip on her dagger tightened.

"You can't ignore the questionable deeds he's done though, Navika."

"Madhuraa," the other woman's voice was low, "You can practically see the divinity radiating off him, what more do you want?"

Madhuraa shook her head. "Even the gods err, Navika. How many tales have we not heard of Indra's pride and follies? He may support Yudhishthira, but he is his maternal cousin and he was bound to support him for their familial ties. I take no offence to many of his deeds, but I cannot stay silent and accept being married to him because I know a few of our sisters did not wish it. He had no right to—"

A red haze descended over Lilavati and she snapped.

She drew the dagger out of its hilt, ready to attack regardless of where she was and who else was there.

And in that moment, a hand caught hold of her upraised arm, locking her in her position and preventing her from moving.

She did not need to turn back to recognise the person.

Krishna leaned forward to breathe into her ear, "You must not forget, Lilavati, that every being in this land is under my protection. You cannot harm any of the people here, whatever they may say."

He held her as her anger ebbed away to give way to shame.

She hung her head, and tossed the dagger as far as it could go. Her Lord's eyes travelled the path of the dagger's and watched as it sunk into the soil.

She backed away from him, rubbing her wrists and looking at him. His eyes watched her, widening imperceptibly with some emotion. Her husband then turned away from her, without a single word to say.

Lilavati sank to her knees, her expression blank.

A/N: The last scene fought with me a lot to be created, lol. I had to rewrite it two times and I'm still not very satisfied. It's a very thin line that I'm walking when I try to find points to "insult" Kanha, cause I can't go on full Shishupala mode nor can I twist his good actions to make it seem bad. 

I hope I managed to convey it well. And now, 9 chapters in, all of the main characters have been finally introduced. Yes, Madhuraa is going to play a somewhat major role.