While survival of the fittest is Darwin's most promisable theory, I think otherwise. I feel, only those smart enough to survive actually make it to the end.

It's also why... Despite my absolutely annoyance, Ashwatthama managed to survive. He knew what to do, when and how.

When I came back to the fields, after looking at my kids once more, I was tired. Exhausted and couldn't help but want to curl up next to my daughter, holding my son close and falling asleep. But I had work to do....

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So when we approached... Reluctantly approached Duryodhan's dead body, ready to lift him to the pyre, an unsettling feeling settled in me and tried as I could, I was unable to shake it off.

" Karali? What troubles you? We've won..." Sulo's voice shook me out of my haze as she looked at me, brows furrowed in confusion.

" It's nothing, " I smiled, " Must be the reality of it. " I smiled, placing my hand around her shoulder as we walked ahead. But the camaraderie of the moment and the unimaginable joy of winning couldn't shake off that feeling.

Which is why, when I felt 5 other eyes on me, I sighed. " Look my dear sisters.. I'm fine. I just need a few moments. " I mumbled, walking ahead over to Arjun and Yudhishthir, who walked, whispering softly.

"Bhabhishree-"

" - yes Arjun I'm fine. I need to be alone for a while. " I halted his concern, looking at the river ahead of me.

" We have to get back Saag. They need us to be there for the surrender of the weapons by the enemy. " AJ said softly.

" But what about him? " Nakul asked, pointing to Duryodhan's body..

" We'll give him a warrior's passing later. We must finish our duties first. Come. " Yudhishthir ordered and we began to follow him. The night grew darker and my mind mirrored the grey skies, the dark clouds ready to burst. To wash away the blood.

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What I never imagined in my wildest dreams was this.....

We had just begun to take the weapons when the overwhelming feeling intensified.

Ever felt like you'll puke because of how nervous you are? 13 years ago, I'd associate it to the day after exams when we got our answer sheets back.

Now.. It was more surreal. It was more real and an exam answer sheet felt meaningless in front of this fear. I looked over at my sisters and nodded.

Looking back, I rushed over. I could hear Yudhishthir and his brother's cries, but I knew my sisters would come with me. They knew the fear of losing their child. They knew what it means to have to live beyond their children.

With Sphulingini and Kali at my heels, I sprinted back to the tents, panting and gasping for breath even as I skidded into my tent. The darkness was haunting. A sudden glint blinded my eye, I looked around to see Ashwatthama, his sword gleamed with blood in the moonlight.

" I told you, " He rasped, " I'd make sure you knew the pain. You killed my father... I'm snatching your children's father from them. " In a whoosh he ran away. But his words filled my mind with fear, crippling fear as I felt my heart fall. It wasn't even a moment when I felt my vision blacken at the corners, knees giving away. I felt myself being caught by familiar hands, hands that were confused, which shook me.

" Sagarika? Sagarika! " Yudhishthir urged, holding my face, twisting it to his own. He looked at me with thunderstruck eyes, which didn't know anything.

My fear paralysed my tongue as I shakily raised my hands to the bed, where blood trickled down the sides of the sheets.

His eyes followed my hand, widening further if possible. He took a sharp breath, as if unable to trust the notion.

" Bhratashree! " Four other voices crashed into the tent. Their Jyeshth following them.

But I couldn't see, think or feel. Everything felt like a mush.

Ashwatthama didn't know that Yudhishthir was with me.. So who exactly did he kill?

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Yudhishthir's hand left mine in so many years of our married life, that I couldn't even make sense of it.

He stood up, as Jyeshth Karn and Arjun sat by me, holding me by my shoulders.

Yudhishthir's dark form shone in the moonlight, but it was tensed, worried and fearful.

Slowly, he lit a torch, holding it above the bed in fear.

But the way the torch fell out of his hands was the nail in the coffin..

"No! " He roared. It sent a shiver down my spine. I hauled myself up on my knees, standing up slowly and walked over to see what he saw.

It made me hold his arm, steadying myself. The pillows were askew, blood around them, the sheets tangled. But there was no sign of force. Simple work of a sword.

" Where are the kids! " Bheem's words spoke my thoughts as I looked down to an empty bed, with neither of my children sleeping soundly on it.

" Find me our kids Yudhishthir, " I said suddenly, " Where are our kids! Find them! " I shouted, shaking his arm, trying to shake him out of the shock, but it didn't work.

" Where are they! " I screamed, when his eyes shifted over to look at mine.

" What happened to your shield? Why was it down? " He asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he held my hands, moving them away from his arms.

" What? " I asked, moving to hold his arm again when he held it off sharply.

" Sagarika. Why are our children not in our beds? How did Ashwatthama enter? Where is your shield? " He asked coldly. My heart stopped abruptly. I reached out to my flames, feeling nothing.

I held my shaking hands in front of me, hoping for a flame but felt none.

" I -" I ran out the tent to hold my hands up and felt the familiar rush of heat. But the moment I stepped in, it rushed out of me, leaving me cold.

" Sagarika. What happened! " He asked, holding my shoulders as his furious eyes bore into mine. It was anger, pain, frustration. And I knew, even before Ashwatthama, it was for me. He trusted me to keep them safe.. To protect them...

" It's not her fault Jyeshth. No magic, no powers. No reality works here. " The only voice of reason in my life at that moment came through, walking in with a stern look.

" It's - I'm sure Jyeshth doesn't mean it's bhabhishree's fault. And if he does, he has us to fight. " Bheem interjected, his hands in fists when Krishn gently placed them down.

" No bhrata Bheem. It's not about that. And your Jyeshth is simply asking his wife. Don't worry. Come Sakhi. Don't panic so much. " He said, guiding me out of the tent.

" Krishn. Where are our children? " Yudhishthir's cold voice could cut through diamonds as he stared daggers at him.

"In Kaliyug." Krishn answered simply and gasps rang around the group.

" What? " Yudhishthir asked, " Krishn. I am exhausted from war. But I'm not delirious. Where are our kids! " He exclaimed when Krishn silently raised one hand and a circle of gold rose in the air.

Through it I could see, what I didn't ever imagine in my entire life.

" AJ? " I whispered and he looked at me, confused, as I saw a man wearing a loose white T-shirt and shorts, one paintbrush on his ear, one in his mouth and one in his hands. He sat in front of the easle, looking with scrutinising eyes at the canvas.

" You'll become blind at this rate. " I heard myself say, as I came into the frame, placing my hands on his chest from behind, resting my head on his shoulders.

" I'm already blind in your love.. What more do you want? " He whispered, kissing my hand gently, still staring at the canvas.

"Not Ajatshatru sakhi. Yudhishthir. " Krishn murmured.

Not possible. Nope. Nada. Zip. No. Is there any other word for negative?

" What -" Nakul said, when he halted.

" This is if Yudhishthir and Sagarika never came back to Dwaparyug. " Krishn's voice cut through.

" That doesn't explain where their children are-" Bheem said angrily when his wife kept a hand on his shoulder. " Wait Arya. Patience. " Kali said, a smile growing on his face.

" Ashwatthama forgot the biggest rule of time and reality. He cannot change what has already been broken and affected to the extent that it bends the reality as we know it. Sagarika coming back to dwapar was only one of the possibile ways she would react to the news. In many others, she dies, leaves early, dies again before the war even begins. And this one.. This is where she never comes back.. And he doesn't leave her. " Krishn said kindly.

" Krishn. That still doesn't explain what happened in the tent. Why did Sagarika's shield fall? " Vishwa asked.

" When one intends to break powers as great as those of a flame's, one has to give up just as much. " Krishn said sadly as he bent over, picking up a stone. It was bright red. Initially it didn't strike me.. But when it did...

" Ashwatthama's stone.. The one he thinks makes him invincible! " Sudhuma said loudly.

" Yes devi, this is his stone. He broke his stone, using it's powers to tear down Sagarika's shield and walking in. But the moment he killed her children, he broke the timeline in that tent. He altered the reality so drastically that to right itself, this has happened, " Krishn said, " Watch. " He raised his hand again and the scene shifted.

Yudhishthir stood in the middle of the room, his eyes weary, fingers stained with paint, while I stood by, sighing as I took off my lab coat.

" What should I make for dinner? " I asked and he shook his head, pushing my hair behind my ears, holding my face softly. I could smell the oil paints on his hands.

" You're tired. I'm tired. Let's take the children out -"

" -SURPRISE! " Two loud voices crashed into the room as the lights went on, the table's spleandour astounding.

There on the table was something as simple as a pizza and a few bottles of soda.

" What's this? " Yudhishthir asked, as his daughter rushed over.

Madhu looked the same... Sort of. She had shorter hair, she wore t shirts and shorts instead of a lehenga.

" It's a surprise for you! Didi said you'd both be too tired. So we ordered food !" My son replied, eyes shining with love.

" But babu-" I began when Yudhishthir held my hand, softly pulling me into a hug, our children in it too.

" Thank you darling. " I said, shaking my head and smiled, kissing their foreheads.

Then they stood up, looking at it through to us.

"Mumma... Can we join you there? " Madhu asked and I couldn't hold it anymore, rushing over to drag her and Abhi out of it, holding them close. I could feel Yudhishthir's hands join in, his arms comfortingly on my shoulder as they held our daughter's head, softly caressing her hair.

" Take... Take care of them for us.. Won't you? " Karali from Kaliyug asked...

I couldn't help but nod. " Yes.. Yes I will... " I said softly and the ring vanished. I could still see the smile on Kaliyug Yudhishthir's face...

Yug badla, samay chakr badla. Rishte badle. Na badla, to prem...

( The yug changed, the time changed. What didn't change was the love)

" But Madhav.. What about them? Won't they mourn their children now? " Arjun asked as Krishn laughed.

" Oh Parth. That timeline would now simply cease to exist. When Ashwatthama killed their children here, this one would have ceased to exist as well, but this one was far more necessary to be saved... This war was necessary. It can't be vanished. " He smiled.

" But who decides that Krishn? That seems like cruelty. Killing whatever you wish to for the survival of the one you desire. " Jyeshth Karn said when Krishn smiled.

" And that's why it's the toughest decision of all. But it's necessary. "

But all words had flown to dark as I held my children close, their eyes shone with tears just as ours did.

Yudhishthir's eyes met mine across the children and I smiled. And after so long... So did he.

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" Saag. Why is it your writing is so melodramatic... 'After so long so did he... I mean. " He smacked my head, barely evading a hit to his own as I sat in the room, eyes shifting over the scrolls.

" Shut up. Let me write. " I muttered and he sighed.

" Saag, you're not qualified to - "

" Yes I know! I know I'm not qualified to -" I yelled finally, as my husband walked into our room, AJ's wife trailing after him. The two of them looked at each other and sighed.

" Karali. You're the empress. Why are you acting as a child? " Devi laughed and I huffed.

" I'm only an empress in the court! Otherwise I'm just Sagarika. " I said and Yudhishthir smiled.

" Shall we leave? " Devi asked, dragging AJ away as he laughed along with her.

" So.... Just Sagarika hmm? " Yudhishthir mumbled, resting chin head on my head, gently pulling my hands away from the desk.

" You know what I mean. " I said...

" Don't ask me that. " He said, frowning.

" Why? " I looked up at him, bending my neck back to look up at him.

" Because I can't lie and say I don't remember so tell me. " He said.

If I wasn't sitting, I'd collapse in laughter.

" Oh my dear husband. " I looped my hand around his head, " No one asked you to be Satyavadi Harishchandr. " I said and he stared at me in confusion.

" Who? "

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Oh gosh..... This was.... Long....

I think I began writing this in Feb... Or March.. Have to go and check... 😭🤣

But.. This was such a ride.... And all those who were with me.. I extend my utmost respect and love to you... I hope you laughed, cried and lived through this story just as I did....

I might put out an Epilogue tomorrow to round this off.... Shit... I can't believe it... I'm probably rambling... But never mind.

Matsya signing off.

Much love....

Radhekrishn ♥