Aftermath: The outlasting Krishna-Arjun journey

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟘: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕦𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖

Why did he say it, when it was not the whole truth? What about that--that awful hour seven months ago?

Madhav could not have forgotten about it.

Parikshit was still limp.

He was not about to come back to life. Arjun suddenly knew it with complete certainty. And he would know it was his fault, because during that awful night, he had broken his promise and hurt the only person in the world who had never hurt him, so badly, that--

"He--he moved," Uttara whispered. "I felt him moving--"

Arjun and Subhadra hastily reached out to touch the child's chest. Was there a heartbeat? Was there--?

And then Parikshit twisted to his side and began to cry.

***

Matsya had never witnessed such joy. Drumbeats took the news all the way to Panchal, to Hastinapur, to Dwaraka, that the heir to the throne had been brought back to life by the Lord's grace.

Inside the delivery room, chaos ensued with every part of little Parikshit's family clamouring to hold him as he cried his lungs out. Uttara was crying almost as hard; so was Queen Sudeshna and Subhadra, holding her.

"Come and hold him, Govind," Draupadi called.

With an easygoing smile, Madhav walked over to them. Arjun relinquished the child into Draupadi's arms and intercepted him.

"I doubt it is the right time to be asking you, but I cannot rest till I do, Madhav," he said. "You called on the merit of us never having had a misunderstanding... Wasn't that a--lie?"

"Oh, it was a--a bit of a risk I took," said Madhav, lowering his eyes. For some reason, he appeared nervous. "If you go deep into the meaning of discord or misunderstandings between two people, they are meaningless unless there is a chance of driving them apart. So I figured, while I had genuinely feared I had lost you, there had been no discord on my part, and while you had been antagonized for some time, you never...never actually considered that you and I--"

He made a gesture that seemed to resemble the breaking of a bond.

Arjun needed a bit of time to process the words. As he did, his eyes burned with the enormity of what had just happened--Madhav hinging Parikshit's revival on the theory that Arjun had never considered that their friendship might end--which was true, but still--

"Why did you bring the question of discord between you and me into this at all?" he demanded. "Why did you have to take the risk?"

"I, er, wanted to check my theory."

"But what if it had misfired?" asked Arjun in horror.

"I was almost sure it wouldn't have," assured Madhav. "You know I'm rarely wrong, if ever."

"Almost," muttered Arjun. 

"Bhratashree!" Subhadra called. "Won't you hold your grand-nephew, after gifting him life?"

Madhav clapped Arjun on the shoulder with a grin and went up to the crowd around Parikshit.

"I did not gift him life, Bhadra," said Madhav, loud enough for everyone to hear. "It is his parents who gifted him life. He is Uttara and Abhimanyu's son, and he will rule over Hastinapur for 60 golden years."

Cheers and sobs alike greeted his words.

"Long live, Lord Krishna!" chanted one of the midwives. "Long live, Lord Krishna!"

The chant spread, first amongst the servants; then Queen Sudeshna, who bent to touch Madhav's feet, took it up, whereupon everyone did--Kunti and Yudhishthir, smiling indulgently, Draupadi and Bheem, doubled up with laughter, Subhadra, holding onto her brother, Balaram, shaking his head, Nakul and Sahadev, pumping their fists into the air and Uttara, hardly able to speak through sobs.