Swayamvadhu : The Bride he Chose

39 : The Dawn Of Virtuousness

The youth's gaze fastened over the ring  as an umpteen memories upsurged into his inner self..The charming visage of his twin bloomed in his heart..the memories of her placid smile , trifling mischievousness and intense but ephemeral wrath rejuvenated his torpid heart..Arjun discovered tears trickling from the former's orbs..he extended the pot towards the youth , hauling him back from his thoughtfulness..

"The ring..you.."
Words emerged from that stranger's lips in amazement..the stranger scrutinizingly examined Arjun,making him slowly got up from his sitting posture..umpteen queries frothed in his mind..

"I have no idea what made you interrogate this..but this ring belongs to my wife.."
Arjun answered as his lips curled up for a sly smirk..the calamitous visage and soggy orbs of the youth carried an astounding resemblance with his beloved wife and the mighty Archer of hastinapur didn't needed much time to decipher the person afore..

" Your wife?!"
The stranger exclaimed in aghast as Arjun divulged..he glanced at Arjun from his pate to feet..the youth felt dubious about how the exquisite piece of jewellery forged in the royal Smithy of panchala Kingdom with royal emblem ,the one which embellished the finger of the fire born princess appeared on a Brahmin's finger..

" Yes..my wife, the lamp of panchala Kingdom,the benediction that emerged  from the holy flames.. youngest daughter of king Drupada..yagyaseni draupadi, your twin sister.. oh your highness prince drishtadyumna.."
Arjun imparted, entwining his gaze with drishtadyumna making him flabbergasted..the earthen pot that rested in the hands of drishtadyumna abruptly touched the ground, resulting it quashing into fragments..

"Prince, have credence upon me.. I could comprehend the questions sprouting inside your mind..but now, I solicit you, please heed my words.. would you be willing to heed me?"
Arjun interrogated, clasping drishtadyumna's palm to which the latter wagged his head in approval, reluctantly..

"Prince, allow me to acquaint myself..I'm not a Brahmin..I'm the second eldest of  King pandu and queen mother kunti of hastinapur, I'm Arjun.."
Arjun divulged making drishtadyumna aghasted..he incredibly gawked at Arjun..

" Pandu Putra Savyasachi Arjun?!The mightiest Archer of Aryavart ?"
Amusement permeated from his words..A bewildered smile suffused on drishtadyumna's lips as he enwrapped his arms around Arjun..An encounter with the person whom his father showered with heaps of applaud,whose name is exalting by the whole aryavart.. drishtadyumna always cherished the desire to get acquainted with the most celebrated warrior prince of hastinapur.. And today ,this serendipity conferred enthusiasm and delight to him..

" But panchali..?She has been assigned to go to surasena Kingdom..then how?"
Drishtadyumna interrogated and Arjun explicated the events occurred from their first confrontation in surasena Kingdom till her arrival in hastinapur as courtesan..for a jiffy , drishtadyumna got dumbstruck..after a moment of silence, when he was about to speak , a feminine yet coarse voice interrupted

" What?!"
Both the men spinned their head to the direction to behold another youth figure standing behind them , baffled..

" Jiji?!..oh Pardon me, Arjun..this is .."
As drishtadyumna initiated to acquaint,Arjun abruptly stated..

"Her highness Princess shikhandini.. isn't she?"
Shikhandini,the eldest of king Drupada nodded and Glanced Arjun from pate to foot..she asserted

" I've Heard everything ,oh the prince of hastinapur..we have reliance upon you since this ring belongs to our draupadi..but may I know what is the purpose of finding us?"
Shikhandini interrogated..Arjun inhaled a sharp breathe and explicated the solemnity of the situation.. shikhandini and drishtadyumna glanced at each other and divulged