Unknown Twists : A Collection

6

Draupadi didn't find herself often reflecting on the past. You do need to have a past to do so after all, that past could be anything, a couple of years, the previous days, and even your childhood. But she was Yaagaseni, the Agni-suta who had come to this life fully grown and educated, she didn't have a childhood. All she had was a couple of years in her paternal home, where only a few were not wary of her and her twin. She was left with maids and the daughters of her father's court for company. Surrounded by praise, trickery, and jealousy she had slowly lost her innocence. Her sister-turned-brother, her twin, and her Sakha were the only ones who genuinely loved her, but sadly they too didn't have enough time to just spend with her, protect her from the vapidness of court and queens. Yet she had retained some of her innocence, naivety, and childishness.

Her father only started to take an interest in her when he realized that he could use her to get Arjun and further his revenge against Drona. And so her swaymvar was arranged to flush out her Sakha's Parth. It had worked although she did feel awful about the debacle with Angaraj and the later fight. She didn't mean to cause so many problems but she couldn't, wouldn't marry a Suta, no matter that he was almost evenly matched to her now husband. However, all those thoughts were swept aside when she found out that she would have to marry all 5 brothers. She was numb with shock, and her silence was constructed as acceptance. What was supposed to be the start of a wonderful journey was quickly turning into a horrifying one. But she endured for her father and her Sakha, at the cost of her innocence.

Over the years of marriage and queenship, she lost whatever was left of her innocence, naivety, and childishness. Or so she thought. You see it was her innocence that made her think that her eldest husband would see through the facade of the dice game. It was her naivety that made her think that he would stop after losing all of his materialistic possessions. It was her childishness that made her think that he would never gamble away her let alone his brothers as frivolous possessions. 

But Dussassan banging down her door, calling her a dasi, and telling her what Yudhisthira did made her think how had she been so stupid. How could she have thought that the men who had agreed to share her on their mother's say-so, would not consider her as a possession to gamble at their will? Oh, she knew he would quote a passage from one of his books, telling her and the court how wives were their husband's possession. Justifying his actions and soothing the elders, retaining his moniker of 'Dharamraj'. Never mind that one of his boos would also place her at the same level as him, as his equal, as his half that completes his. They would outline him as her protector and her as his caregiver. Two halves join to maintain balance and complete each other and their household.

However, those thoughts would come to me later, when I'll cry over my ill fate to my Sakha and my mother-in-law. For now, I try to escape my humiliation at the hands of my husband's cousins. The men who were supposed to respect and treat me as their mother, and fight the silence of the men who were supposed to treat me as their daughter. Never mind the fact that I have never considered or treated them as my sons or given anything but the token respect to the elders. So sure was I of my superiority granted by my beauty, by my husband's status as demi-gods that I had humiliated Duryodhan utterly by speaking those damned words. Safe in the walls of my palace I never thought that he would plan and implement his revenge in such a way.

Emboldened by the fact that the women, especially those whom he genuinely respected, were out. Dussassan barged into my chambers and tried to drag me out, and when he realized that I had every intention to fight back he forgot what little respect he was showing and tried to backhand me. However he was stopped by the last person I thought would step in, it was Vihana. 

Vihana was Aangraj's oldest, adopted, and only daughter. Aangraj had found her on the banks of the river where he offered his daily prayers, just as the first lights of the sun were breaking out. Like his parents, he decided to adopt her and named her Vihana. His choice was met with a lot of opposition, firstly because he was newly made king, unmarried, and a Suta while the girl's caste was unknown. It was then that the secret of his adoption had come to light, and recently Aang accepted her new King and princess. Not that it did anything for the ridicule he had dealt with to this day. Everyone had thought that the girl would be discarded and forgotten about once his duties increased, he married and his children.