"Well maybe if you had been paying attention—"

"Oh, so now the great and wondrous Satyaki is telling me to pay attention! I am the commander of Dvaraka's Narayani Sena, Satyaki! I have many duties and responsibilities, while you roam about the palace with nary a care in the world!"

"I don't see how my actions factor into this, Kritavarma." Satyaki's voice was low with anger, compared to his usual outbursts when he was angry. This anger was darker, edged with a poison that was sure to overflow into insults if she did not step in. Yet, she stayed hidden.

"When is everything not about you, O son of Satyaka!"

"Oh? Like that day when you helped murder Pita Satraajita?"

This was going too far.

Lilavati sucked in a breath.

Peeking into the room, she saw guarded devastation cross Kritavarma's face for only a split second, before it was replaced by hatred. The all-too familiar sound of a sword sliding out of its scabbard caught her ear, and a glint caught the light in the room.

"Say that again. I dare you, say that again—"

There was a desperation in Kritavarma's voice as he nearly shouted the words, his voice shaking.

Satyaki took a step back, but his hand was also on his sword.

"Enough! Enough of this, both of you!"

Lilavati had had it.

She strode into the room, grabbing Kritavarma's sword and tossing it to the side.

"I knew you two argued, but I didn't know you both went this far! You better apologise right now."

Lilavati watched her two friends—people she would happily name best friends—stare at her and each other.

Satyaki swallowed, hard, and when he spoke his voice was only a notch above a whisper. "I'm sorry, Kritavarma."

Kritavarma's jaw shifted, as the former avoided his eyes.

A stony silence settled on the three friends as they stood, Lilavati's gaze darting between them, Kritavarma resolutely looking anywhere but Satyaki and Satyaki looking anywhere but Kritavarma and Lilavati.

That's how they've always been, Priyae, a soft voice quipped in her head, and she very nearly startled but did not let it show outwards.

Natha, aren't you supposed to be doing paperwork? She narrowed her eyes, even though he couldn't see her.

Priyaeee—, there was a faint complaint in Kanha's tone.

She remained silent. Lilavati knew he could hear her judging him in her silence, and knew he would eventually relent.

Fiiine. I'll get back to work. But honestly? You made the right choice stepping in there before it got even more ugly. I mean, most of Dvaravati and Aryavarta knows that Satyaki and Kritavarma have a bittersweet friendship, one day being the best brothers-in-arms, and the other drawing swords on each other, but it still does no good to have it leaked out that they had another argument.

You could tell me how to make them relent and make up, she suggested, but he left her with a laugh and she internally groaned.

Well, back to the world of the living, she supposed.

"Well?"

Both heads snapped up at her impatient tone.

Kritavarma still wouldn't look at her. But he finally spoke, his voice considerably steadier but still shaky, "I'm sorry. I was coerced, Satyaki. I thought you knew that."

Something ugly flashed over Satyaki's face before he nodded, muttering something under his breath and making to turn and walk away from them.

But Kritavarma surprised her—all three of them, himself included—as he shot over to his friend and caught his arm.

"Don't. We always argue, and we always make it personal. Remember that one time I threatened to tell your children what a terrible person you'd been in your youth, when you were so clearly being a hypocrite and warning them not to do the stuff you had done?"

Satyaki let out a strangled laugh.

"Yeah... that's how our friendship's always been, I guess."

The two friends looked at each other, Lilavati watching Satyaki closely. Satyaki looked intently at Kritavarma and was clearly weighing something. He eventually came to some conclusion, sighing and grasping Kritavarma's forearm, a strained smile on his face.

"Let this slide, Sakha."

Lilavati smiled as they turned to her, but she knew there was something changed between the two of them as they talked. Kritavarma kept a careful eye on Satyaki, and the latter's smiles were strained and never reached his eyes.

~

Lilavati stood at the door to Madhuraa's chambers.

Kanha touched her mind briefly, acknowledging her and she realised he was in the room. He appeared happy to sense her presence, but distracted.

She listened.

Silence.

"Why did you call me here, Madhuraa?" His voice was gentle as always.

"I..."

A quick indraw of breath.

"I wanted to ask your forgiveness, Govinda. For all the harsh and heartless words I've uttered."

Madhuraa was evidently trying to maintain her composure, but she failed, sobs immediately echoing into Lilavati's ears.

The soft thud of knees on the floor.

"I was angry, Padmanabha. Angry that I had lived while my beloved didn't. I lived while my parents died. The world was only cruel to me, SriNatha. I never knew its softness apart from memories that are only hazy now. And I projected that anger onto my view of you. I should have been grateful that you liberated me—us—from that hell. But I squandered my second chance. I..."

It appeared to be too much for her. Her cries made Lilavati shut her eyes, remembering what kind of a life her friend had suffered.

"KarunaSagara..."

"Hey, hey. I forgave you before those words fell from your lips, Madhuraa. Your life has been harsh. I never hold that against anyone, let alone one of my wives. All is forgiven, my dear."

Silk rustled and Lilavati could imagine Madhuraa burying her face in Kanha's shoulder, as she herself was so wont to do.

Eventually, Madhuraa spoke. "Can we—can we start over?"

She could feel her husband brightening, even without seeing him.

"Pranaam, Kumari. I am Vaasudeva Krishna, son of Yashoda."

Madhuraa laughed softly.

"Pranipaat, Dvarakesha. I am Madhuraa, daughter of Chaitanya."

They dissolved into laughter, and Lilavati smiled and walked away.

Their relationship was beginning to mend. A new beginning was always a good thing.

~

"Something is bothering you."

Kanha was twirling his flute between his slender fingers, and Lilavati had not been able to take her eyes off the simple wooden instrument for the first few minutes when he had called her to his chambers. It was one of his most closely held possessions after all, being one of his last relics from Vrindavana. It clearly was a great display of trust that he even handled it in her presence.

Kanha looked up at her from his half-sleeping pose, gauging her expression carefully.

"Lila, you're trying to distract yourself. What's wrong?"

Finally, she gave in.

"I... I've been getting this foreboding feeling for a couple of days. I feel like something is going to happen soon," she whispered.

He tilted his head to the side, eyes clearly drifting off before he abruptly returned, a strange curl to his lip and a strange light in his eyes.

"What is destined to happen will happen, Lilavati."

His voice was momentarily deeper, carrying with it an undercurrent of power that Lilavati could not put into words nor confront. There was a slight sadness to his tone, though why, she did not understand. And in the face of his divinity, she lowered her eyes, unsure of what to say.

The light faded from his form, a light that she did not even realise was there until it was gone.

"Lila?"

Lilavati looked up at him. Her Kanha was back, alright.

He caught her thought and smirked, causing her to blush.

A few moments later, he said: "Whatever happens, Lila, I will be right here. Always."

"I know you will be."

They fell into a companionable silence, and then he took one of her hands.

"Do you want children, Priyaa?"

She stared at him for a few moments before she understood the question, and promptly dropped her gaze. Her silence told him all he needed to know.

"You do want children—but you don't think you deserve them. Am I not right, Priyaa?"

"You are," she agreed, her voice rough. "It's been a recurring thought: what if? In another life, when my hands aren't so bloodied, perhaps."

Kanha gave her a thoughtful look.

"Your sins will not desert you with this body, Lila. It has left an imprint on your soul, and that will dictate your journey in your path after this life. But everyone is given a second chance, even the worst of sinners. Who knows where your path will guide you?"

You do, she wanted to say. But she knew that was Narayana, not her Kanha in this moment.

"Wherever I may go—" Naraka, her mind insisted, "—so long as I do not lose thought of you, I will be content."

He only smiled.

Pulling her close, he kissed her. This kiss was languid and slow, as though they had all the time in the world.

This time, she let herself get dangerously intimate with him, snaking an arm around his shoulder and carding her fingers through his silken curls.

Pulling away only slightly to murmur against her lips, "Twins? I could definitely see that. Hopefully our little girl doesn't turn out to be all stabby-stabby like you did."

Lilavati felt heat run through her body, the moment when she had thought of children pulling up to the forefront of her mind, though another part of her was screaming about how close Kanha was.

She let out a strangled laugh that was cut off as he kissed her again, fingers tracing patterns lazily against her open skin, sending frissons up her spine.

Lilavati let her desire burn within her, knowing he would catch onto it soon enough, and without a moment's hesitation, he looked in her eyes once to confirm.

"Just like our marriage night," she whispered.

"Better," he countered.

She nearly scoffed.

He laughed against her lips.

"Priyaa, who are you talking to? I have plenty of practice."

She blushed fully again.

"Natha!"

The night wore on.

And if anyone outside heard a thing, no, they did not.

A/N: 😏😏

Lmao. Anyways, just to say, when Kritavarma says that he was "coerced", he's lying. I don't know much about the plan with the Syamantaka, but I do remember that Kritavarma also desired Bhama Jiji so I had him this way. Poor Satyaki, their friendship is falling apart. 

krsnaradhika knows, as usual. I ranted to her a couple days ago about their friendship in my headcanons. 

Also, I didn't plan for the ending to take this turn when I was writing but I figured they (and you, my readers) deserved it. :p