Surprise surprise!!!
Another update today, a little shorter but still! Hope you enjoy!!!!

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Draupadi stretched awake slightly, her eyes opened to unfamiliar surroundings, causing her to get up with alarm, regretting it instantly when her wound made itself known.

She stared at the red patch on the bandage worriedly, wanting to change it before Aarya Yudhishthir saw it. She knew her otherwise calm husband would panic completely.

As much as she found him sweet for caring so deeply about her, but she didn't want to worry him unnecessarily.

Just as she was musing, curtains covering the entrance were pushed open as her husband entered, bending his majestic frame to do so as he stood large & tall in there.

Draupadi was making haste to get off the mattress to be able to greet her husband appropriately, but his hands held her shoulders in place as he took a seat besides her.

D: Pranipat Aarya...
Draupadi suddenly felt shy in front of her husband, thinking about how he must have carried her in his arms from the chariot.
Yudhishthir noticed her reddening cheeks & offered her a warm, kind smile. He always found her blush beautiful.

Her blush only increased tenfold when his large, scaborous palm cupped her cheek, gently enquired of her well being.
As the depth of her feelings for him increased, she found herself growing further conscious & shy in front of him.

Yudhishthir signalled the daasi with the plate of food, waiting by the entrance to enter.
Draupadi's eyes widened, realising the time. How had she lost track of time & slept? She had so many things to organise. Food, lodgings for the subjects of Hastinapur accompanying then to their new abode & much more.

Y: Chintit na ho...sabhi ne bhojan karliya hai, tatha unke raatri vishraam ki vyavastha bhi ho chuki hai. Lijiye, aap bhi bhojan karlijiye.
Draupadi smiled, so thankful for this perfect man god had blessed her with as a husband. He was so so so very different from how men had been described to her.

She had always been told that husband was the highest authority in her life, & she would dedicate her life to serve him & take care of his needs. The word 'No' was forbidden to be spoken to him.

However, her husband was anything but the barbaric human, certain daasis & other royal women had made men appear like.

Dharmaraj Yudhishthir was the sweetest man she'd seen. Not only were his physical features breathtaking, as if skillfully sculpted but his inner soul was beautiful beyond words. Draupadi meant what she said in the function to the haughty princess. He was a man so full of love, that any woman would be crazily in love with him.

She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be loved fiercely by this beautiful man, to be his beloved & soulmate. Though they were man & wife for the world, the harsh truth that broke her heart was that he had married her as a duty, only because it was his mother's command & his dharma did not allow him to disregard her words.
Tears pricked her eyes, as she desperately tried to control herself.

Y: Panchali?
Yudhishthir's soft voice broke her chain of thoughts. His expression was one of tender concern seeing his bubbly wife lost in deep, serious thoughts.

P: Ji Aarya...? Uh...Aiyye na...bhojan karte hai. Mujhe gyaat hai aapne bhi nahi kiya hai.
She told him with a mock stern look, almost giggling seeing her prim & proper husband gulp, his eyes darting from to side.

D: Uh...vo...main bas...
Yudhishthir was sure that his heart had stopped beating when Agnisuta's dainty red fingertip came to rest directly on his cupid shaped lips.

D: Uh huh!
She smiled playfully at her breathless husband, while moving her hand towards the plate of food. She couldn't hide her wince of pain as a sudden pain ran through her right hand as she stretched it a little.

Yudhishthir's hands were instantly holding her injured one, carefully placing it back in her lap.
Y: Kya kar rahi hai aap, peeda horahi hai toh mujhse kaha kyu nahi?
He levelled his wife with a stern gaze making her lower her lashes.

Yudhishthir softened seeing her sad face, & forwarded a curried morsel to her lips.
He saw Draupadi's pretty doe eyes dart up at him in surprise, before her cheeks already pink due to cold, darkened a shade further as she took the proffered bite.

Draupadi observed silently, her heart burning & fluttering at the same time as her husband pampered her thoroughly, feeding her, wiping her mouth with his own garment, before helping her recline back on the bed against some fluffy pillows.

Y: Aap aaraam se baithiye...main shigra hi apne anujo se milkar laut aunga.
Yudhishthir smiled politely at his wife one last time, before he left.

Draupadi couldn't help but think that sometimes, he was like a dream to her. One she could see, feel but never actually have.
He was everything a maiden could ever dream of in her life partner. His care for her overwhelmed her, though she knew that it wasn't because he loved her, but because her Aarya was just a wonderful person with a golden heart & pious soul.
Fullfilling the ideal duties of a husband was part of his dharma, not love.

Unable to hold back the choked up emotions & pain overflowing from within her, the virtuous Yojangandha let out a pained sob, her hands flying to mouth to prevent further loud cries, lest she'd alarm the servants & gaurds outside. Draupadi couldn't stop crying as she threw herself facedown on the bed, burying her face in a pillow, as her body shook with heart-wrenching sobs.
She cried hard, for everything. Her birth, her life, her meeting Arjun, her Swayamvar, her marriage to Dharmaraj & her one sided ( according to her) blooming feelings.

She had again fallen asleep while crying, due to fatigue & the special herbs Yudhishthir had Nakul specially arrange for her wound. Even though her injury was not that bad, her husband wanted to be safe & avoid the chances of an infection.

Her eyes opened to her husband, arranging a couple of thick blankets on the floor, appearing to be making some sort of makeshift bed.
D: Aaryaputra?
His wife's soft voice caused Dharmaraj to look up.

Y: Aap jaag gayi? Kshyama kijiye...maine hi koi swar utpann kiya hoga....
Draupadi frowned, not liking his formality. She'd been drifting in & outside of sleep.
D: Kintu aap ye kya kar rahe hai?
She asked him quizzically.

Yudhishthir looked up hesitantly at her. It had been previously decided that owing to the recent attacks on both of them, they would share the living area through day & night.

Both grew awkward before Draupadi spoke.
D: Aarya....yadi aapko aapatti na ho toh...aap...upar hi sojaiyye na.
She told him nervously, hoping she didn't cause him discomfort.

Yudhishthir's eyes widened as he realised that his wife was asking him to sleep next to her. Would she be comfortable with that?

The two remembered the happenings of the night before Yudhishthir's birthday & blushed.

D: Uh...chintit na hoiyye. Hum apne beech inhe rakh sakte hai.
Draupadi suggested as she carefully made a partition, dividing the bed into equal halves with the help of two long pillows.

They both stole glances at each other, Yudhishthir still asking for her consent with his eyes. Recieving a smile from Draupadi, he slowly made his way to the bed, lay down on his side.

Seeing the goosebumps pebbling rapidly on his wife's flawless skin, the eldest Pandav, somewhat hesitantly extended a part of his own blanket to her.

Draupadi beamed, nearly blinding him with her smile as she snuggled in comfortably.

Dharmaraj's eyes opened as he felt delicate, slender fingers slip into the gap between his own large digits, as Draupadi linked their hands beneath the blanket, resting on the pillow.

Yudhishthir looked up her questioningly but Draupadi was already half asleep.
However, he didn't protest or move, allowing her to hold his hand. Soon, as the night grew the king & queen of Indraprasth feel into deep sleeps, lost in each other's dreams with their hands interlinked firmly, much like their life long bond, unknown to them

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In the dead of the night,
A mysterious figure creeped into the Pandava- camp. He wore the robes of a soldier recruited by Hastinapur.

The leaves on the ground crunched slightly beneath his footsteps. He sneered seeing several gaurds asleep instead of doing their jobs correctly. These fools just made things easier for him, he chuckled darkly to himself.

He walked further & further, until he found the grand camp which housed the currently fast asleep King & Queen.

He spotted that those gaurding it were awake, but he was adept at sneaking in from right under people's nose, without them ever realising. That is how could go inside.

The sight before him made him see red & he barely held back a growl. Draupadi & Yudhishthir were fast asleep, both facing each other, their hands still intertwined.

The rage on his face slowly morphed into pure lust as his eyes fell on the stunningly beautiful granddaughter of Prishata. Her bluish-black curls were splayed across the pillow.

Her red translucent odhni had hide her curves from his eyes, irking him slightly. His eyes wandered down her curvy waist to the jewel endowed belly button. He was practically salivating at the sight. With just the moonlight illuminating her beautiful features, she looked magnificent to him.

He smirked wickedly realising that Draupadi was deep in sleep due to the medication she'd taken. Stupid servants always chattering that too about such crucial information! He grinned to himself. This meant he could anything he wanted without the risk of her waking up & screaming.

A sick smile spread over his face, as his grubby hands advanced towards the odhni covering her form, wishing to remove the wretched peice of clothing obstructing his view.

Just before his hands could touch Panchali's body, he heard a sharp intake of breath followed by an alarmed voice.
Y: Kon ho tum? Bheetar kisprakar aaye?
Dharmraj jumped out of bed, rushing to tackle the person who'd dared to put his hands on his wife, that too when he was asleep right next to her. The nerve!

In his lusty haze, the man had not exactly been quiet with his movements, & thus had awoken the warrior of a husband of Draupadi. Luckily for him, his face was covered. Knowing that he couldn't be caught or worse his face unveiled, the man tried to bolt out.⁹

Yudhishthir threw a frantic glance at Panchali, relieved to her asleep even though there was a slight frown on her face owing to the ruckus around as her husband & the attacker scuffled in the dark. He knew by now the medicine's effect was at its peak & she wouldn't batt an eyelid till morning.

Having no time to spare, with a last glance at his wife, the eldest son of Pandu rushed out chasing the interloper, who was trying to escape.

Outside, Yudhishthir soon caught up with the man, hauling him backwards. Unwilling to let him go without answers, Dharmaraj tightened his grip on him.
Y: Kon ho tum? Aur sainik ke bhesh mein bheetar pravesh karne ka sahas kaise kiya tumne?
He growled, his copper orbs growing darker & darker with every passing moment, as his anger increased. The gaurds tried to come to his aid, but Yudhishthir raised a hand.

The man though burly, struggled to get out but Yudhishthir's vice like grip made all his efforts go in vain. Letting out a growl of his own, he threw his large fist at Yudhishthir, who tactfully caught it, twisting it causing him to groan in pain.

Y: Maine. Pucha. Kon. Ho. Tum? Kadachit ek vivahit stress ke sanmaan par haath daalne ka parinaam nahi jaante tum.
He spoke each syllable slowly, in dangerously calm voice that could send cold shivers down the spine of even the most fearless.
His voice was more of a deep growl, as he saw red.

The masked man somehow freed himself from Yudhishthir, bringing out his own sword.
A quick chant of a few mantras, Dharmaraj's spear stood, long, sturdy & sharp in his hand.

Yudhishthir approached his opponent swiftly, his spear reaching out to strike him. The loud clanging of the weapons echoing throughout the silent camp, alerted all the soldiers as well as the Pandava brothers, who came running out.

B: Jyesht!
Bheem exclaimed, rushing to aid his elder brother who was battling it out with someone in the middle of the night. Surely, there was a huge problem.

Y: Nahi Bheem! Tum chaaro yahi rehkar graam vaasiyon ka rakshan karo. Rajkumari, kripya aap meri patni ke shivir mein jaiyye aur saath rahiyega aap dono.
He requested the nervous Subhadra who nodded, making her way towards the said place.

Y: Arjun....
Yudhishthir sent his brother a meaningful look making him nod instantly understanding what he needed to do & rushed behind Subhadra, tightening his grip on his Gandiv.

Leaving his other 3 brothers to handle the panicking citizens & tackle any further attacks, Yudhishthir was quick to gallop towards the forest, on horseback. The wretched invader, had been clever. Dressed in the soldier's attire, he'd easily camouflaged & escaped into the forest, in the ruckus.

As Yudhishthir raced behind him on horseback, the masked man found his limbs protesting, as he continued to run. There was not a moments rest with the maharathi behind him, chasing after him most delligently.

A sly smile came over his face, as his mind came up with a vicious plot. They were already deep inside the dangerous mystical forest where even if he failed, he was certain the nagas, & other rakshasas would certainly not allow his enemy to leave alive.

He ran further deep into the forest, luring Yudhishthir to his secret lair, deep in its core.
Jumping down his horse, as the man slowed a bit, Yudhishthir was quick to tackle him.

Yudhishthir looked around, finding himself deep in the mystical forest inhabiting by the most fierce magical creatures, he'd learnt in Gurukul.

M: Thak gaye Dharmaraj? Tch tch tch....
The man hoped to get a rise out of the calmest man to walk the surface of the earth.

Y: Tum humaare sainik nahi ho...itna toh main pehle hi jaan chuka hoon. Kripya ab apna parichay do.
Yudhishthir's words were polite & his face stoic but a fire burned fiercely in his eyes.

M: Parichay leke kya karoge, Yudhishthir? Main vo hoon jiska vastav mein adhikaar hai Paanchali par.
The man sneered through the cover on his face.

Yudhishthir only raised one perfect eyebrow.
Y: Draupadi ek stree hai. Ek jeevit stree, jise bhook-pyaas, sukh, dukh tatha anya anubhutiyaan hoti hai. Koi vastu nahi jispar tumhaara ya mera adhikaar ho. Streeyon ka sanmaan karna seekho.

He explained hoping the man would realise his mistake.

M: Murkh! Band karo apna ye vyarth pravachan! Paanchali ko maanya ho athva na ho, uska shareer aatma, va pratyek vastu meri hai keval MERI!
He shreiked obsessively, lunging at Yudhishthir crazily. Dharmaraj sighed, easily overstepping the livid man who simply fell flat on his face.

He growled loudly & came barelling towards Yudhishthir with a raised fist, hitting him in the jaw. Still Dharmaraj did not attack him, nor did he try to avenge his throbbing jaw.

Y: Nikaal lo apna krodh mujhpar, yadi iske paschaat tumhe shaanti praapt hogi. Tab apne dush kritiyon par vichaar kar, unka uchit prayashchit kar sakoge tum!
Yudhishthir's kind & wisdom filled words unfortunately, had no effect on the human gone too far in rage.

He threw punch after punch at Yudhishthir, but the righteous prince only defended himself, not hitting back. That is until the man said something he really shouldn't have.

M: Aaj tumhaari mrityu ke baad, Paanchali meri hogi. Apni achchi agyaakari patni banaunga use. Jo maun rahe, mere aadesh ka palan kare tatha....mujhe santusht kare.
Yudhishthir was completely repulsed by this talk about his precious wife.

Y: Maryada mein raho....
He warned, earning a scoff from the man.
M: Dharm ke bohot bade gyaata ho na? Toh itna samajhte ki stree ka sabse bada Dharm hai purush ki sewa karna use santus.....

He was cut off, by his jaw nearly shattering by the force of Yudhishthir's fist. What emused next was a full on fist fight, wherein Yudhishthir proved time & again that while he may not have the bulk strength of Bheem & Duroyodhan, he too was a worthy & skilled student of Dronacharya.

Knowing that in this process, his face cover would soon be off, the attacker knew he had to escape. Moreover, being thoroughly pumelled by Dharmaraj was not good either & needed to recuperate before he could head back to his family.

As Yudhishthir pinned him down against the muddy floor, he was quick to grab a fistful of dust & mud particles & throw it directly onto the face of the warrior overpowering him. Yudhishthir grunted for a moment as the particles pricked & irritated his sclera. Taking his opportunity, pushing the king off him, the man ran off, just before his cover could fall.

Yudhishthir got up, somehow blinking away the dirt, regretting that the attacker got away. He was about to head in the direction where he went, when he heard a tiny whimper.

Dharmaraj scrunched his eyebrows wondering who was here, in this dark dangerous forest.
As he searched the dark cave which the attacker had probably made his lair, he was horrified to find a tiny child, who looked no more than 3 years of age tied up & gagged.

The rosy cheeked baby had tears trailing down his round cheeks, his big eyes glistening with tears. Yudhishthir felt his heart crack open seeing the deplorable state of such a little child.

He rushed to him, carefully untying him. The child seemed scared of his, curling into a ball, & flinching at his touch. Yudhishthir smiled sweetly at him, cupping his somewhat swollen cheeks tenderly.

Y: Bhaybheet mat ho putra, kon ho tum?
He asked gently but the little one shook his head. The patient king spent some more time gently coaxing & cajoling the little one, until he trusted him enough.

Pressing a kiss on his chubby cheek as he scooped him up, carrying the baby to his horse, the righteous Dharmaraj held him close, wondering who was the man who treated woman & children so abominably.

They rode for a while, almost out of the forest now. The little one had stopped whimpering & was now fast asleep against Yudhishthir's chest, lulled to sleep by the calm aura of Dharmaraj & sweet soft words.

He rode on ahead, on his way out of the forest when he heard the neighing of several horses. Yudhishthir was surprised to see Vasudev Krishna's rath materialise almost out of nowhere, though he thought it to be his imagination, having hardly had any sleep.

Kr: Jyesht.... Pranipat!
Krishna appeared surprised as both of them got down their respective transports, to greet eachother.

Y: Kalyan ho, Madhav! Aap yaha?
Yudhishthir was pleasently surprised to see him since Krishna had been busy with some affairs in Dwarka.

Kr: Bas! Dwarka ki karya samay se poorv hi sammpann hogaya toh aagaye apne priya Jyesht ki sewa karne!
He exclaimed happily making Yudhishthir smirk.

Y: Kadaachit aapka arth hai aapke priya paarth se milne?
Yudhishthir hid a smile at Krishna's wide grin.
Kr: Haan vo bhi...kintu mera uddeshya toh aapki sewa mein upasthit hona tha Jyesht! Rajya ke nirmaan ke liye!

Krishna frowned seeing the now slumbering child on Yudhishthir's shoulder.
Kr: Ye balak kon hai Jyesht? Aur uspar ye ghaav...?
Krishna asked as he softly stroked a vicious bruise on the soft skin of the tiny tot.

Yudhishthir narrated him all the happenings of the previous night.
( He already knew though 😅)

Kr: Hmmm....aapko nahi lagta ki iska mukh jaana pehchaana hai?
Krishna smirked meaningfully to himself while the eldest Pandav looked confused as he nodded.

Y: Haina? Mujhe bhi laga tha....visheshkar iske netra. Kahi toh dekhe hai maine.
Yudhishthir spoke crucially.

Kr:Hmm.. kintu isse aap shivir lejaakar uchit kar rahe hai. Kadaachit phir hum iske maata-pita ko khoj sake.
Krishna smiled at the sleeping child, who had one fist deeply lodged in his mouth, while his other chubby fist bunched Yudhishthir's Angavastra.
This child had an important part to play in the lives of the Pandavas & their family. Both smiled seeing the sleeping baby.

As they rode back, Krishna knew it was time & spoke up...
Kr: Vaise Jyesht...maine dekha hai...aap balakon ke saath kitni saralta se ghul mil paate hai. Bhaanu aur Pradyumna bhi aapse atyant prem karne lage hai.
Ab toh hum sabhi bhaiyyon ko ek nanha bhateeja athva bhateeji de hi dijiye.
He grinned teasingly.

Yudhishthir smiled sadly at him & sighed.
Y: Kyu parihaas kar rahe hai Vasudev....aap toh sab jaante hai. Mere aur aapki Sakhi ke sambandh se aap parichit hai.

Hum toh keval samaj ke liye pati-patni hai, humaare beech door door tak koi vaivahik sambandh nahi hai, aur na hi bhavishya mein ho sakta hai.

Panchaali keval Arjun se prem karti hai, aur vo unse. Main toh keval dono ke madhya aagaya, maata ke kathan ke kaaran.

Krishna could sense the deep pain within Dharmaraj that he hid from the world, even from his brothers & alighted from his chariot.

Kr: Kintu Jyesht...ab toh aap dono ka Vivaah ho chuka hai. Pichli baatein bhulaakar aage kyu nahi badhte? Kya aapke hriday mein Draupadi ke liye koi bhavnaye nahi?
Krishna asked him critically, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Yudhishthir chuckled, it was a rather sad laugh though.
Y: Madhav, main ab kishore avastha mein toh raha nahi, jo aapko mujhe apne mein jhnakne ke liye kehna pade. Apne hriday ke bhav achche se jaan sakta hoon. Main jaanta hoon ki main aapki sakhi se prem karne laga hoon. Bohot bohot adhik prem.
He finally said it out. He blinked back his tears of pain & dejection, knowing that all that mattered to him was that even if he were unhappy, his loved ones very always happy & content.

Y: Kintu iss prem ka koi arth nahi....
He continued...
Y: Rajkumari Draupadi ke hriday mein Arjun hai. Jiska varan unhone kiya tha. Jiska Swapna dekha tha, vivaah se poorv. Prem ichcha se ho sakta hai, dabav dekar nahi. Meri dono se hi koi apeksha nahi. Unki prasannata mein hi meri bhi prasannata hai.
He smiled sadly at Vasudev, before mounting his horse again.

As the two headed back in silence, Krishna thought to himself.
Kr: Jyesht...aapki aur sakhi ki prem gatha toh itihaas mein amar hogi. Uske udhahran diye jaayenge, Yugon tak. Keval thodi aur prateeksha....phir aap dono sada sada ke liye ek hojaayenge.
Krishna said with a serene smile before he began to play his flute, instantly making Dharmaraj loose himself into its divine tune, forgetting all of his pain, as they travelled ahead into the distance, as dawn began to break.

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That's all guys!!!
How was it?

Arjun is back! Subhadra enter! Don't worry there will be more of her in the coming chapter.

Will Dharmaraj forgive Arjun?

Who do you think is the intruder & the baby?

Where had Yudhishthir seen the child before?

Finally!!!! Dharmaraj confessed it!!!!! What do you think is next?

( All images credit: Google)

Till I see you'll next!

Lots of Love,
Dharmasakhi 💕💕💞