WHEN THE STARS ALIGNED / A Mahabharat AU

9. How the turns have tabled I

"Rajkumari, it's way past the sleeping hours. You cannot sleep now. Perhaps in the noon you can rest." Indu smiled as she combed the princess' hair delicately. Some other women were painting alta on the girl's hands while another one was making her wear heavy necklaces that she despised.

"Why are you all decorating me like a Christmas tree? What's special today?" She blurted out.

"What tree?" Indu asked in confusion, "anyways, today Maharani is taking all of the royal women for Gauri Pujan. Rajmata Kunti, Mahamantri's Wife Sulabha are also going along with Rajkumari Dusshala, Yadav Kumari Subhadra and Yadav Kanisht Madhavi." She explained.

"Oh." Niyati nodded. "Why?"

The women laughed again.

"To pray for great warrior husbands for you girls." A male voice interrupted. Most of the dasis bowed their head and left. The rest finished their work before leaving.

"Why is everyone obsessed with marriage these days?" Niyati frowned throwing a look at her brother. Duryodhan chuckled, "don't you wanna get married, Shivu?" He asked watching his sister get up and stumble slightly. He wondered how this clumsy little thing competed and almost always defeated Ashwatthama during their training days, or so he heard from the man himself.

"Not now, not in the near future. Maybe in the far future when I am thirty." She said.

"Th- thirty?" Duryodhan stuttered in shock, "who's gonna stay unmarried for you to turn 30? Then you'll end up as someone's fifth wife." He laughed, ushering her to follow him.

"I won't share my husband either."

"Wow, that narrows out the list." Duryodhan rolled his eyes. "What do you want your husband to be like?"

Niyati pondered at the question before answering, "Someone who is like me ofcourse. Someone who will listen to me rant and still have energy left in them. Someone who is fierce but still light-hearted. Yeah I don't know." She nodded.

Duryodhan looked thoughtful for a second, " Do you like Mitra Karn, Shivu?" He's eyes widened slightly.

"What?! How did you come to that conclusion??" Niyati scowled, shaking her head in absolute denial, "No. No. He could pass as my uncle for the love of God."

"He isn't that old." Duryodhan shrugged.

"He is like six years older than Bhrata Yudhishthir who is like seven years older than me, Bhrata." Niyati dead panned. Duryodhan cringed, he didn't see the vision anyway.

"Then who else matches your description?" He wondered.

"I had no one in mind-"

"Can't be Mitra Ashwatthama, he acts like a brother to you. Is it someone else?" Then he gasped, rushing to walk beside an annoyed Niyati, "don't tell me it's one of the Pandavas." He said with disgust.

Niyati stopped, sighing she turned towards her adoptive brother, "Bhrata?"

"Uh, yes?"

"You do know they are as much as my cousins as they are yours?" Niyati tilted her head.  (Someday, she's gonna eat her own words)

Duryodhan frowned, "but you're not directly related to them."

Niyati frowned, "so you're telling me that because I am adopted I am not a part of the family directly? So indirectly you're telling me that I am not your sister. I see." She feigned a sad look rushing away from an profusely apologising Duryodhan.

"I didn't mean that!" He yelled.

"What did you not mean, Putra?" Mahamahim asked, a stern look falling over them as the reached the courtyard from where they were supposed to leave. Duryodhan paled slightly at his expression. Not a small mistake of his was overlooked and not taken as the destruction move of the incarnation of evil.