|| ArjunaPriyā: Flames On The Waves || ✔️

|| Chatur: Vow And Welfare ||

"Maharaja!" The unusually shrill voice of Arjuna reverberated in the silent armoury and Krishnaa's palm slipped down from Yudhishthira's. She turned to the direction of the sound as her heart thundered in trepidation, and there she saw Arjuna standing in all his glory of the Commander, his iron armour on his broad torso and his heavy bow held in his firm grip.

All the blood in her face evaporated into the air as she looked at his blank face. He was not looking at her as if she was invisible. Krishnaa had felt the same, she felt as if she was actually invisible in the situation when her sight returned to Yudhishthira. He turned as expressionless as his brother and walked towards him like a ruler does.

"Senapati Arjuna, what happened?" The King of Indraprastha questioned the Commander-in-chief of his army.

"I do not have enough time to explain, Your Highness. All I can tell you is that the soldiers have already left to catch the robbers. I need to follow them quickly and do my part in the task. Please permit me to leave, Maharaja."

"Vijayi Bhava!" Yudhishthira raised his trembling palm as his younger brother joined his palms and then rushed out of the chamber at the speed of the lightning. The elder brother then brought his palm to his face, pressing his forehead, but his trance broke when he heard the sound of a thud behind his back.

"Krishnae!" He rushed to the ferric chair where she had collapsed, her one palm holding her stomach and another one placed near her heart. Sweat broke out on her face and she was heaving.

"This CANNOT happen!" She shook her head in disbelief, unwilling to accept the reality. "How can he simply... so simply... BREAK THE VOW?"

"Please don't panic, Krishnae!" He kneeled down before her and attempted to calm her down. "He's fulfilling his duty as the Senadhipati. His intentions are not wrong and they can never be. This is no violation with the intention of disrespecting either of us, we should not consider it such."

"Svami, this is my mistake..." Her tone turned mechanical and her eyes turned as red as the morning sun. She still had difficulty breathing and her head was pounding against her brain.

"I should've been careful and should have informed you beforehand about the work I have... It is my careless mistake. I'm guilty of staining my brother's reputation. But I won't let this mistake stain my brother's life. I'll not let anything go wrong with him. I'm sure Guru Dhaumya will help us out."

There was no response from Krishnaa which made him look up at her face, and he found her head laid back on the headrest of the chair in a state of unconsciousness. He lifted her into his arms and walked out of the armoury.

_____

"Arrest the robbers!" Arjuna ordered his soldiers as he put his blood-stained weapons down. The whole group of the robbers had come under their hold once their leader was defeated by the Commander of Indraprastha effortlessly. The soldiers had put iron cuffs on the wrists of the criminals and dragged them along with themselves towards the prison house while Arjuna went towards the stolen cattle that were tied to a huge banyan tree.

"Prabhu, shall we take them to their owner?" One of the generals under his command walked towards Arjuna. The latter denied the proposal by showing him his palm and himself took the cattle to the house of the said Brahmana to whom they belonged.

"Arya!" He gently addressed the man who was sitting on the porch of his house, along with his whole family who seemed to be grieving the loss of their cattle, their means of livelihood.

"PanduNandana!" The saint was surprised to find Arjuna with the cattle at his doorstep. "You have retrieved my wealth! My cattle are back home!"

"Yes, Arya, your cattle are yours and none can take them away from you. We've also retrieved all the other wealth that was stolen by those robbers, and all of our citizens will get their wealth back soon." Arjuna said reassuringly. "You have every reason to bless the Pandu Vamsha with felicity and fortune now. Maharani Krishnaa is carrying the legacy of our Vamsha in her womb and she and the heir do not deserve any curse. Pray for their welfare, Arya, please do not cast any resentment on us."

"I seek your pardon, my Lord!" The man fell on his knees, ashamed to have judged the Pandava family without giving much thought into it. "With all the piety that I have achieved in my life, I seek the prosperity of Pandu Vamsha. Bless the DharmaRaja whose reign knows justice alone! Bless the Queen whose compassion equals that of the Samudra! Bless the IndraPutra whom even the Indra cannot dare to clash with! Bless the Pandavas, who are like the five weapons of Narayana!"

Arjuna smiled a little and folded his palms together humbly. "I understand, O Dvija, that you were shaken due to the robbery that had taken place. I do not hold you guilty. But I couldn't accept such words towards my family. I will die before letting any misfortune touch them. I hope you always stay happy!"

He then began to leave the Brahmana's house, an expression of content etched on his face, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips, his eyes threatening to form tears that he managed to obstruct. He had done his duty, he wiped the tears of a guileless man who was wronged, he had caught the wrongdoers, and he had ended the nuisance that was spread in Indraprastha for months. He would have done that anyway and any day if not immediately, but he had to break his vow in order to accomplish it right away, to save Pandu Vamsha from the aggrieved curse of the Brahmana. The honour of Pandu Vamsha was saved by his valour and his sacrifice ensured no sorrow would touch the Pandava family. That was all he wanted.