A Different Path

Parting

"You should have called out to one of us immediately before trying to restrain him all by yourself. You know, how he gets when he has had too much." Bhima told him. "And you rely far too much on reason and proprietary......as if anyone will pay heed to rectitude while intoxicated.

"I sent out a message but things were getting out of hand." Sahadeva didn't seem too bothered or even that affected. "Besides, we got him back, didn't we?"

"Yeah! You and that suta! Oh, he must have loved seeing our brother like that! That scoundrel must have been thoroughly entertained by Nakula's drunken antics." Bhima slammed his hand on the table, causing all of them to jump slightly. "Just wait till Nakula wakes up."

"Why did you let him assist?" Arjuna burst out with acrimony. "You could have waited."

"Waited for what? For him to do something that would put us all to shame? You don't know what mayhem Nakula had caused. Those poor soldiers who had to put up with that!" Sahadeva shook his head.

"But still? To seek his help!" Arjuna gritted his hands, clutching the hilt of his sword tighter.

"He must be having a good laugh at our expense!" Bhima snarled. "What the hell was he doing there anyways?"

"His ancestral house is close to the forests. He must have been out on a walk and heard the commotion." Krishna answered. "I think I will delay my journey by another day. I would hate to leave without checking up on Nakula."

"He is fine now, Krishna. The healers have bandaged his feet and served him an ointment. It is nothing serious."

"I know. Abhimanyu told me. But still. It would make me feel better to stay another day."

They fell back into silence. Truth be told, Arjuna wished it was them going back to their kingdom and not their cousin. Staying here, in the royal palace where everything began was not an easy task. The conflagration of Mahabharata had turned everything to ash, but visceral notions were not so easily vanquished, and they would remain in his subconscious until the day he left this mortal world. The wounds that the Kauravas had inflicted upon them were so lethal, so calamitous that not even the assuasive company of his brothers could palliate it, and they were further exacerbated by their stay at Hastinapura.

The path of righteousness, of dharma, was a road filled with thousands of acicular thorns that demanded sacrifice. Arjuna had already given away everything. There was nothing left to be taken now but his life. He was tired now. He just wanted some peace.

"Come now, sons. We must have dinner." Kunti stood up and gestured to all of them. "There is no point in discussing this further."

"Mother, you and everyone else should head out. I'd like to stay here with Nakula." Yudhishthira said, eyeing their brother who was sleeping on the bed.

"Your presence will make no difference except increase your worry. Come along now, have food and get some rest. You all must be tired, searching after him all evening. Come along."