" Sagarika! " I heard an agitated mumble, rounding off to see my husband standing up, limping as he moved towards me.

" Yudhishthir! " I rushed to him, a hand around his waist to hold him steady.

"Why? You could not have waited? "

" For you to die! "

" For me to stand up, I will never let you embarass yourself, least of all this way that -"

"Dasi Sagarika, move away from Yudhishthir. " Duryodhan called.

" Yuvraj! My first duty is to my husband! Not you! I may have bet upon myself, but that doesn't give you the right to order me to abandon my priorities! " I said, deadly calm, without looking back.

" Dadi! Is this how you talk to your master? You dare to talk back to him? " He seethed, moving to me, when I felt five men standing in front of me.

" Our bhabhishree may have bet upon herself, our Jyeshth may be injured, far too much to support her, but she still has five brothers, six if you count her own. Move back Yuvraj. " Nakul threatened, a sword near his throat as Duryodhan visibly cowered.

" We are leaving here, this place has harmed our king. Palace or not, no one can steal his magnanimity. You may strip his crown, his jewels, but you can't strip his nobility. The kingdom still considers Yudhishthir as the king and and no one can defy that. " Jyeshth Karn said, as Nakul and Sahdev walked ahead, holding Yudhishthir as they tried to heal his injuries with what they had, which wasn't much but he would survive.

"But your bhabhishree is now my dasi. Leave pandu putron, but she stays here. "

"No. She -doesn't. Come. " My husband mumbled , panting.

"Hey, shh. It's alright. I'll be fine. I have my flame, I have Panchali, Pitamah, Guru Dron. They're all here right? I promise I'll come back soon. " I whispered to him as he dropped on his knees again, exhaustion taking it's toll.

" But bhabhishree-"

"Heal him first. " I said, warning them off as they nodded, sighing as they slowly walked out of the sabha.

" Now, Sagarika -"

" Gandharaj, either you choose to disregard my words or you blatantly avoid facing me out of fear. Didn't I tell you, I may have lost myself to you, but it doesn't mean I'm going to be your call dog or your puppet. " I said calmly, while Duryodhan stood up, moving close to me.

"What was it you said to me the other day? You're the Samragyi, you are in power. You ordered me to surrender my weapons. Now, I am the one with the authority, the one with the power. So... What shall we ask you to surrender? " He asked, taking a round around me.

One hand reached out to my hair as I flinched away from his touch... Just a few more minutes of his idiocy and then I'll leave, leave to see my injured husband. I can do that. Right?

"Your hair? But you don't seem the kind who cares about that, no. You know it can be grown back, you couldn't care less.. What about jewelry, " He mumbled, hand running up and down my arms as he felt the gold armbands.

Grinding my teeth, I looked ahead.

" I have a better plan. Want to know? " He whispered suddenly, next to my ear.

" Do it then I can leave you stupid arse. I'm not responsible for whatever the heck you want to do. " I growled, looking at him.

Panchali looked furious, sitting in the balcony. Mata and Maharani had left earlier, way before the game began.

" Oh? Alright then. Come on. Take it off." He said, hand finally resting on my shoulder.

"What."

"Take it off, your saree. " He concluded and agitation surrounded the sabha.

"Yuvraj! This is pure madness! Maharaj! Stop your son before he tarnishes the reputation of the whole Kuru clan! Stop him! " Mahamantri said.

"Your weapons were your pride! Her clothes are her modesty. Don't sully your name along with your dynasty's. Step back. " Panchali said, stepping down to near the dias in the middle.

"You keep mum panchal Kumari! " He shouted, though the chaos wouldn't be reigned in.

" I'm not your object or toy. I'm not going to do that. " I said, looking straight into his eyes.

" You dare defy your master? " Gandharaj said, smirking .

"Perhaps I should recollect for you. I am a Kaliyugi. I'm just as shrewd as you, mamashree,  by hook or crook I will save myself. I will survive, I don't care about promises, bounds, limits when my modesty, my character or my life is on the line. Haven't you kearnt that already-aah! " I watched in horror as the back of the saree was ripped apart.

Horrified, I looked back to see Duryodhan standing with his sword, the cloth in his hands as he held it in his palms, a look in his eyes I spotted in those who met me outside of the gym that day.

" You were saying Dasi? " He said, while I saw, neither Pitamah, nor Guru Dron, nor Mahamantri Vidur stepped down to stop this madness.

Alright. I agreed to be bet upon to, save my husband. I'm now going to fight to save myself.

" Duryodhan! " Panchali yelled, her hand raised in attack when I stopped her.

"He's my criminal. " I said, eyes cold as I stepped towards him.

"Krishn! You said you'll return every thread of the cloth I tiwd on your hands... I need your help to burn down another Lanka, where the King has forgotten that gold isn't the only important thing in life. If you don't help me today, thousands in kaliyug will never hope for saviour! You know how I suffered that day. Today I'm willing to let down my saree. For them! You need to help me today . " I said.

Then, I carefully let downcmy hands, put them against my sides.

" Come on Duryodhan. Do your worst. " I challenged, as he stepped closer.

"Sure? " He said, though I didn't see the question there.

" Did I stutter? " I looked around. By now if no one stepped down, no one could.

One may argue that I brought it upon myself... But whether I did or not, a person's modesty should be protected, unless they're the ones harming the world.

One pull of the saree and it fell off the shoulder.

Panchali stood there, bound by my words but I knew she was barely controlling her own rage.

With each pull, it came off more and more.

But by the time a foot off it was off, I was now ready.

Closing my eyes, I set it on fire.

As the saree spread over, towards his hands, Duryodhan's mind blazed, as he couldn't grasp the heat, pulling more and more, unsuccessfully, because in a flash of light, I saw and extension of it being born from one side of it.

" Panchali now! " I shouted. She sprang to action, the fire now blazing the whole court. All those who were willing to watch this silently, were standing up from their seats as the fires crept over them. A hush fell in the sabha as the flames covered the ground. We stood there unbothered, as we knew we wouldn't be hurt. To save himself, Duryodhan began to pull some of the saree under his foot but even that caught fire, he was jumping around, it was rather comic really and I could not stop the laughter that fell out of me as I looked at him.

" So? You are still ready to watch a woman being disrobed in your sabha! A dasi cannot be treated this way! You are well aware of that, yet all of you elders sat quietly. None of you spoke for my sister. Now watch as your future, past and present is burnt down-"

"Stop Panchali! " Mata called, as both she and Maharani entered the room, instantly, the ground beneath them was rid of the fire, but even then, it rose, trickling along the walls as the curtains, the furniture, all caught the blazing fire.... And this was only hers...

" Please! You must stop! You can't burn this place -"

"Why shouldn't I Maharani! Is this how you have raised your son! Are these his morals that you have any right to question me! I bet upon myself to save my husband because that was the only choice that came to my mind at that instant. But his choice to disrobw me! Wasn't that pure lust! This hall has been mum to the adharm of a century. Speak Gangaputr Devvrat. Aren't you as pure as your mother! What 'dharm' held you back this time! Or are you so used to insulting a woman's honour! Devi Amba, Devi Ambika, Devi Ambalika! Maharani Gandhari! How dare you sit here silently! " I screamed.

The saree was dropped from his hands as he collapsed in the heat.

I was furious, the fire I had created now blazing, I couldn't see past it myself.

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM! THEY CALL ME KARALI! THE THIRD FLAME OF AGNI! THE TERRIFIC ONE! YOUR SON HAD THE AUDACITY TO DISROBE A FLAME! A FLAME IS ALWAYS UNBOUND! UNTOUCHED! IT IS ALWAYS PURE!  YOUR FILTHY HANDS HOLD NO AMOUNT OF DIRT ON ME, BECAUSE I KNOW I AM PURE. NOW NO ONE DARE TO TOUCH ME -"

" Mumma? " A small voice called and I stopped, my breath catching as I turned around to see my daughter in my husband's arms, who looked just as healthy and handome as the day I met him.

" Mumma! Why are you on fire! Won't you burn? " She asked, eyes curious and round as he walked in with her.

"No baby, I won't. Because fire doesn't burn a fire. " I said softly, wiping any trace of the flame away.

"Thank you Sakha. You helped me prove one point today.... Just as you had helped Panchali... " I said, joining my hands as the cloth left draped itself over my shoulders.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Did you guys like this version of the cheer haran? I wanted Sagarika to show that no matter the case, whether a dasi, a queen, a worker, any woman, any human. No one deserves to be disrobwd without their permission.

And the ones doing this aren't humiliating the survivor but themselves.