Lilavati was more nervous than she had ever been in a very long time.

She stood at the entrance to a room, which she had been informed was the common gathering chambers of the KrishnaBharyas.

She had dressed herself as neatly as she could by herself, choosing a maroon red saari embroidered with silvery-white threads in various swirling designs. She had found a simple set of gold earrings and a necklace adorned with red stones, which she had also worn. Her hair was in a straight braid.

Currently, Lilavati was awaiting permission to enter the chamber.

A handmaiden exited the room and bowed her head, saying, "You have been permitted to enter, Raani."

Lilavati in her nervousness did not notice the address.

She took a deep breath and stepped in.

In the chambers, the eight queens of Krishna were seated in a semi-circular formation. Lilavati suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to either fall to her knees in reverence or turn tail and run from the divinity in the room.

But she was not lesser even in front of any divine being, and she mastered her fear, looking up.

The woman in the centre of the semi-circle exuded serene tranquility, robed in a dark silvery saari and silver ornaments, appearing like the brilliance of the moon itself, somehow reminding Lilavati of the intangible stars and moon even though she was a real person sitting before her.

The woman with whose hand's the former had been intertwined looked proud, the slight upward tilt of her chin speaking to her pride. She wore a brown saari, lined with golden thread and embroidered with green plants and flowers alike. Lilavati wasn't sure how she managed to pull off the brown colour against her golden countenance, but it had seemed to work.

The lady to the right of the silver robed queen had brown skin and her body language spoke to her of the forests and bears which somehow made Lilavati think she was part-bear. But the flash of that feeling was gone in an instant. She wore a dark honey raiment and her earth-brown eyes had unearthly flecks of emerald green.

Beside her were two women, one of them Maharaani Mitravinda as she had met earlier, also holding hands, strangely and very closely resembling each other in both mannerisms and features. They seemed to be Yadavas, and very similar to her own husband as well. One of them was robed in a lavender saari while the other in a light beige one. Both of them were adorned with silver ornaments.

To the left of the brown-robed queen was a lady who seemed too bright to look upon, dressed in a flowy blue saari that reminded Lilavati of the laughing rush of a river. She must have had some divine blood in her ancestry, concluded Lilavati.

Beside her were two more women, one in a rich red hemmed with gold and silver. On her lap lay a mantle, woven with deliberate care and sewn with abstract designs. The other was in a rani pink saari, tracing the various patterns on the mantle in the former's lap.

One of them cleared her throat and Lilavati's attention snapped into focus.

She folded her hands in greeting and bowed low.

"Pranaam."

Her greeting was met with short nods.

When she was seated, the brown-robed queen spoke, "Lilavati, I believe an introduction is in order for you of us all."

Lilavati bowed her head, "I would be honoured to be introduced to you all, Maharaani."

The lady in the centre was just about to speak when the former squeezed her hands, saying, "It does not befit Dvaraka's PatRaani to have to introduce herself. Let me do the honours, Jiji."

Her attention was on Lilavati again.

Raising their intertwined hands, she spoke, "This is BhishmakaNandini Rukmini, first queen and wife of Krishna, Dvaraka's PatRaani and the princess of Vidharba."

"And this—" cut in Maharaani Rukmini, shooting the former a slight glare to which she only received an impish grin, "—this is Satraajiti Satyabhama, third wife of Krishna and daughter of Satraajita."

And one by one, they introduced each other.

"She is Jambavati, daughter of Jambavan, one of the greatest devotees of Sri RamaChandra."

"And she is SuryaPutri Yami, known also as Kalindi and Yamuna, the twin of Yama Dharmaraja and the personification of the river Yamuna herself." A wink accompanied this introduction from Jambavati.

"She is Avantika Mitravinda, princess of Avanti and cross-cousin to our husband."

"She is also mine and our husband's cross-cousin, Kaikeyi Bhadra."

"She is Satyaa Nagnajiti, daughter of Nagnajita."

"And she is Charuhasini Lakshmanaa, princess of Madra."

Lilavati bowed her head again.

After a while of silence, Rukmini asked Lilavati, "How do you find Dvaravati, Lilavati?"

"I..."

She quickly found some words and answered, "I have never seen such a beautiful place ever before, Maharaani. Here, not only the inhabitants but the very flora and fauna themselves are overjoyed to be a part of this pious land and I am blessed to have set foot here."

Nagnajiti muttered, "Happens when you have the Supreme Lord himself in this land."

Some conversations flowed between Lilavati and the queens for a while, not exactly easy and free but not stilted by the heavy background behind her.

After a while, Lilavati had spoken to all of the queens except one.

Maharaani Lakshmanaa had not spoken a single word throughout the conversation, not even with her other sisters, and she had been staring up at the ceiling, lips pursed and a frown on her face.

Jambavati strode across the room, placing a hand on Lakshmanaa's arm to break her concentration.

"Lakshu darling, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong, Jiji?" Lakshmanaa's voice was low.

"What's wrong is that you all are according this murderer with the same love you shower on our junior queens! Pray, tell me, Jambavati Jiji, what has she done such that she is free to socialise with you all, you who are the epitome of purity?"

"Lakshmanaa—" there was a warning tone in the soft voice of Rakhumai.

Lilavati felt like a deer caught in a net sprung by a hunter's trap. Lakshmanaa's attention turned to her and she stood up, pacing the chamber.

"Maharaani—" she tried, but Lakshmanaa cut her off, pointing her finger at her, her pink saari rustling in the silence of the room.

"You—you don't have the right to say anything in front of me. Whatever you may say, you murdered my children without any consideration whatsoever and destroyed so many lives. I cannot—and will not forgive you for this, Jivantaki."

She stormed out of the chambers, leaving behind only silence.

Lilavati rose, pushing back against whatever emotions threatened to rise in her.

She folded her hands, seeking permission to leave. All the queens turned to Rukmini, who raised her hand in permission and blessing, a sad but small smile on her face.

Lilavati turned and almost fled, breaking out into a run once she had left the hallway, and sunk into a corner where none could see her.

Her heart was racing and her throat was dry.

She had hoped that being in Dvaraka would give her a second chance and she would be able to move on. But she had forgotten that her past karma would always haunt her no matter what, colouring every conversation and every moment of her life.

I shouldn't have forgotten that... what would it have helped if I had anyways?

She remained there for a long while until her thoughts finally subsided.

When Lilavati rose from that corner, night had fallen and the moon shone on the palace, illuminating the dark hallways.

She made her way through the hallways, turning a corner to find Maharaani Bhadra making her way through the halls as well, her elegantly sewn veil trailing behind her.

And suddenly, from the corner of the hallway, she saw a bronze weapon catch the moonlight. Her senses were tingling and she noticed the movement of a person in the shadow. Her heart rate accelerated.

Someone was trying to kill Maharaani Bhadra.

She remained frozen for one second, but just as the weapon was sent flying, she cried, "Maharaani!" and leapt towards the weapon, catching it in mid-air.

The weapon—another dagger—instantly cut into her palm, and Lilavati was surprised by the sharpness of the weapon. She heard a muffled curse and the scuffling of a person running into the night. She cursed internally.

Bhadra turned immediately, and her horrified gaze alternated between Lilavati and her bleeding palm which held the dagger.

The guards rushed to her, pushing up spears against her neck and she froze.

"Wait. Stand down."

Bhadra's voice cut through the cool night air, taking in Lilavati's widened eyes.

"But Maharaani, it is not wise to do so. We all know her reputation, she must have tried to—"

"If she were trying to kill me, why is she not holding the dagger by its hilt? No one would want to harm themselves when killing another. Now stand down. This is the order of your queen."

The guards lowered their spears, retreating only a few steps behind.

"Lilavati. What happened?" Bhadra's soft voice addressed her.

"I—I was just going to make my way back to my chambers, my Queen, when I saw a shadow right behind you, aiming this weapon, and then it was thrown towards you and I caught it as quickly as I could... please believe me, Maharaani."

Bhadra nodded.

"Guards, go inform my husband of where we are. He must have awaken from the attack already."

The guards reluctantly obeyed her, but two of them remained, obdurate in their will to protect their queen. Bhadra made no effort to say anything to them.

She took the dagger from Lilavati's hand, covering the cut with a piece of cloth presented to her, and the care and gentleness with which she did so moved Lilavati's heart.

Holding her hand palm upwards, she finally muttered, meeting Lilavati's eyes, "Kanha is going to have a field day with this thing. And you, again."

A chuckle forced its way out of Lilavati's mouth.

"Bhadrae?!"

The worried voices of her husband and co-wives reached them, and Bhadra smiled softly, reaching up to cup Lilavati's face.

"For what it's worth, Lilavati, I believe you."

A/N: Eeeeeee- I love my Dvarakeshvaris so much-