|| ArjunaPriyā: Flames On The Waves || ✔️

|| Trayahsaptati: Impatience And Patience ||

"Maharani!" Krishnaa's chief maid forwarded a piece of parchment towards her mistress. "Prince Arjuna sent this message for you!"

The queen raised her head from between her palms where she was burying her face, her eyes red and puffy and her cheeks stained with tears at every inch. She took the parchment into her hands and slowly signalled the handmaiden to leave who instantly obeyed. Taking deep breaths, she opened the parchment and read through the message carefully.

Krishnaa, I'm waiting for you in the particular of the royal gardens which is attached to your personal chamber. I'll wait for a prahara here and I hope that you keep my request of coming to the garden to meet me. The main purpose of my request is that the grief you are experiencing is mine and I can't let you endure it without me. But I also have to inform you of something important.

~ Your Arjuna

She wouldn't have accepted his request in any other circumstance but she was moved by his act of defiance in the assembly. She never expected that sort of courage to find its place in Arjuna, not against someone who is Yuyudhana Satyaki. The way Arjuna had spoken so helplessly when they were discussing the Pradyumna-Mayavati issue made her believe that he would tread the same path as Pradyumna. But he hadn't just denied to make Subhadra as his chief wife but he had also expressed his love for Krishnaa before everyone without any hesitation. She was more happy with his declaration about Prativindhya than for herself. Arjuna had made the right decision and she couldn't be more content with how the assembly ended, despite the embarrassment she had faced during the assembly.

But she had other worries. She knew Arjuna's decision would be judged. The way Satyaki was speaking towards the assembly was proof that Arjuna would have a hard time ahead for not choosing his biological child's mother as his chief wife. It wouldn't be easy to tread this novel path that Arjuna had chosen for himself. But he would and should tolerate every pain on this path because he was responsible for it all. She couldn't let Prativindhya suffer the fruits of Arjuna's actions. For their son, Arjuna must face this difficulty. Not alone. He had held her hand in the assembly and made his choice clear. Her support would be there for him whatever obstacles they may face.

But she was weighed down with misery at the thought of how the topic of chief wife even came about. Since she had heard Satyaki argue about it, an inexplicable numbness seeped into her being. Feeling uncomfortable about the most sensitive part of their lives coming into the assembly was one thing but the way Satyaki was talking about the distance between them, it was piercing her heart relentlessly. She was feeling both numb and sore at the same time, and the conflict of her emotions was making her feel exhausted. But she had to go to meet Arjuna before it's late.

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The sound of her anklets made Arjuna look up in her direction and without wasting another second, he rushed in her direction. She looked at him blankly though the weariness on her face and her swollen eyes were revealing her state. He closed his eyes momentarily as he let out a heavy sigh. Struggling with his feelings, he lifted his trembling palm and placed it on her shoulder. In his mind's eye, he could remember how she had removed his hand the last time he did it, the day he had returned to Indraprastha. She didn't say or do anything this time, but her unresponsiveness and her silence were too intimidating.

He placed his other palm on her other shoulder, hoping again that she would respond but the sound of her breath was her only response he heard. "Krishnaa, do not keep anything within you. I said this before and I say this again, I'm willing to listen to anything that you say even if it's harsh!"

"Is that all you can surmise about me? That I'll say harsh things to you all the time? If I was mortified in the Sabha, you weren't spared either. Whether it be for a queen or a warrior, none deserves such a situation. I can't put the blame of your friend's actions on you because you didn't give the Yadavas any word that Subhadra's child would become the heir of Indraprastha or that Subhadra would be your chief queen. It's all Satyaki's assumptions, his outrageous assumptions. You tried to respect the Yadavas' and their feelings, and they misunderstood the context of your respect itself. Satyaki is taking advantage of your reverence for the Yadavas and your association with him. And it's as much sorrowful for you as it is for me, perhaps it's harder for you to hear your friend speaking like that. And you chose to go against what was expected from you by the society that Satyaki is a part of. On this day, Arjuna, you didn't do anything wrong for me to be harsh with you!"

Arjuna shook his head gently with a gentle smile. "I want to listen to you, Krishnaa. Your harsh words are also soothing for me. Because I had craved for your voice, for your words, for too long. Your every word holds truth, Krishnaa and those who can bear the truth, for them your words can never be harsh. I'm blessed to have you as my wife, as my queen, and for what all you have done, what I've done in the Sabha is so little. It falls pale in comparison to the brilliance of your love and loyalty."

She allowed a small smile to appear on her lips. "Love and loyalty has no yardstick to measure it. A drop of water from an ocean is identical with the ocean itself. I acknowledge your love and loyalty towards me. I don't care about who disrespected me but you have given me respect and prioritized me. I did not need proof but I needed an assurance which I found."

Arjuna's smile broadened. "That's more than enough for me that I've been able to touch your heart. I have no more aspirations, Krishnaa. All your dreams are my dreams, and everything shall happen as you direct, but I'll contradict you in one thing. You said you don't care about who disrespected you but I do, especially because he's related to me. He shall have what he deserves. But you need not take any tension about that. I can't ask you to trust me because I'm aware that broken trust doesn't repair through one instance. You have validated my love and that's more than I could have asked for. I'll wait for the day I can earn your trust too, not in bits and pieces but wholly."

Krishnaa looked down, marvelling at his perfect understanding of her words. There was a phase after his return when he was extremely eager to make everything normal. He had come a long way from that. He managed to notice the meticulous choice of her words and realized that she had only validated his love and not accepted his love in the sense of taking their relationship forward. She had a tiny doubt that he might mistake her words but she was glad that he didn't. His gesture of such high level of consideration made her heart flutter. The young princess of Panchala would have never imagined that patience and not impatience, could make someone feel loved.

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I'm excited for the further chapters as the next track is going to be lighter after a very heavy sequence!