SWEETHEART DRAUPADI (INNOCENCE OF THE FLAME)

85

"SAMRAGINI KI JAI, MAHARANI AUR KUMARI KI JAI." A DASI SAID. "WHAT HAPPENED DASI?" KUNTI ASKED. "SAMRAT SENT ME TO CHECK ON SAMRAGINI AND REPORT HIM." THE DASI SAID. "SHE IS TOTALLY FINE." DUSHALA SAID. "SAY THEM TO COME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THE DYUT. SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS WAITING FOR ALL OF THEM." GANDHARI SAID AND SHE LEFT.

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THE PANDAVAS WERE GROWING TENSED AND WORRIED ABOUT DRAUPADI EACH AND EVERY SECOND PASSING. "DASI! WHAT HAPPENED?" KARN ASKED SEEING THE DASI ENTER. "SAMRAGINI IS IN GOOD HEALTH. MAHARANI IS TELLING YOU TO COME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THE DYUT FINISHES SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS WAITING FOR YOU." THE DASI SAID HAPPILY MAKING EVERYBODY IN THE SABHA CONFUSED.

"WHAT HAPPENED DASI? YOU ARE QUITE HAPPY ANNOUNCING THIS?" PITAMAH ASKED. "IT IS A HAPPY NEWS PITAMAH! BUT THE ROYAL LADIES TOLD ME NOT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT." THE DASI SAID.

PITAMAH AND VIDUR GOT SOMEWHAT HINT AFTER JOINING THE DOTS OF DRAUPADI'S SMALL AND DIFFERENT APETITE, FAINTING AND THE GOOD NEWS THE LADIES ARE HINTING AND SHARED A SMILE.

"THEN LET THE DYUT BEGIN!" SHAKUNI SAID HAPPILY AS EVEN HE UNDERSTOOD AS HE WAS THE WISEST MAN AFTER SHAHADEV. SHAHADEV TOO SMILED HEARING THIS AS EVEN HE HAD BEEN JOINING DOTS SINCE A MONTH. "HEY! SHAHADEV ANY IDEA?" NAKUL ASKED.

"HE IS SMILING! HE KNOWS IT!" BHEEM SAID. "I WON'T SAY! ITS JUST A WILD GUESS." SHAHADEV SAID WITH A CHEEKY GRIN. "BUT FROM YOUR FACE IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A GUESS." YUDHISTIR SAID. "YOU KNOW IT." KARN SAID. "MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO." SHAHADEV SAID. "NOW EVEN YOU GOT THIS VIRUS OF CONFUSING PEOPLE ALONG WITH MADHAV AND DRAU." ARJUN SAID.

"SAMRAT AS DURYODHAN ISN'T SO GOOD IN DYUT SO I AM THROWING THE DICES FOR HIM." SHAKUNI SAID. "THEN YUDHISTIR WILL DO IT FOR ME." KARN SAID AND THE DYUT STARTED. FIRST IT STARTED WELL, FIRST THEY BETTED ON 1000 GOLD COINS AND YUDHISTIR WON AS SHAKUNI HADN'T STARTED HIS MAGIC YET. THEN THEY BETTED AT 100 HORSES AND YUDHISTIR AGAIN WON. YUDHISTIR ALL THE BETS AS SHAKUNI HADN'T STARTED HIS 'MAGIC'.

"NOW THERE IS NO MORE TO BET, HENCE THE GAME IS OVER." YUDHISTIR SAID AND ALL THE PANDAVAS STOOD UP AS THEY WERE IN A HURRY TO MEET DRAUPADI. "NO SAMRAT. IT ISN'T." SHAKUNI SAID. "YOU HAVE MANY MORE LEFT." DURYODHAN SAID. "WHAT DURYODHAN?" YUDHISTIR ASKED.

"YOUR DIVISIONS WHO ARE LIKE YOUR BROTHERS." DURYODHAN SAID. "YOU DO HAVE FULL RIGHT ON THEM RIGHT? AND ACCORDING TO THE RULES YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW. IF YOU BREAK THE RULES THEN ITS ADHARAM." DURYODHAN SAID.

HEARING HIM NOBODY COULD FIGHT AGAINST HIM. "I PUT MY BROTHER CHITRASEN ON BET." DURYODHAN SAID. "WE CAN'T.." KARN SAID. "I WILL BE THE BET THEN." NAKUL SAID COMING FORWARD. "VERY GOOD.." SHAKUNI SAID AND THE WICKED, CURSED GAME FINALLY STARTED.

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IN THE OTHER ROOM THE LADIES UNAWARE OF THE CURSED UNFORTUNE WERE ALL HAPPY AND LAUGHING DISCUSSING ABOUT WHO WILL PAMPER DRAUPADI AND THE PANDAVA'S CHILD THE MOST.

"PUTRI? WHAT HAPPENED?" GANDHARI ASKED. "YOU SEEM UNWELL." KUNTI SAID. "ITS NOTHING MATA. I AM FEELING SLEEPY." DRAUPADI SAID. "THEN SLEEP, REST. ITS GOOD FOR BOTH OF YOU WE WILL GET GOING." DUSHALA SAID AND GAVE THE SLEEPING PRADYUMNA TO DRAUPADI.

AFTER THEY WENT SHUTTING THE DOOR PRADYUMNA HALF OPENED HIS EYES. "SLEEP BACHA EVEN I AM GOING TO." DRAUPADI SAID AND PRADYUMNA DRIFTED OFF BACK TO HIS DREAMLAND.

DRAUPADI CAREFULLY LAID HIM ASIDE ON THE BED AND TOO LAID ON THE BED AND SLOWLY, SOFTLY AND AFFECTIONATELY PATTING HIS BELLY.

"DAS BHEEM!!" DURYODHAN SAID AFTER YUDHISTIR LOST NAKUL AND SHAHADEV. "I NOW BET ME MYSELF, DUSHASAAN AND MY SUBSTITUTE, MY MAMASHREE!" DURYODHAN SAID. WITH NO CHOICE LEFT KARN, YUDHISTIR AND ARJUN BETTED THEMSELVES. AND AS THE CURSED GAME WAS FATED TO BE, THE PANDAVAS LOST THEMSELVES.

"NOW THAT WE HAVE LOST EVERYTHING WE SHALL STOP THE GAME." KARN SAID. "DAS KARN! YOU STILL HAVE ONE THING." DURYODHAN SAID. "WHAT?" KARN ASKED. "THE MOST VALUABLE AND PRECIOUS GEM! YAGNASENI DRAUPADI!!!" DURYODHAN ANNOUNCED WITH AN EVIL LAUGH.

"DURYODHANNN!!!!" THE PANDAVAS RAGED IN ANGER. EVERYBODY WERE SHOCKED HEARING UPON IT INCLUDING SHAKUNI AS WELL. HE DIDN'T EXPECT HIS SO CALLED DUMB NEPHEW TO BE SO WICKED.

"MERE BAC-" SHAKUNI SAID BUT WAS STOPPED BY DURYODHAN. "MAMASHREE! DON'T FORGET THE RULES MADE BY PITAMAH! ONE OF THE GREATEST FIGURE OF DHARMA MADE THIS RULE. HOW CAN THIS BE ADHARM?" DURYODHAN ASKED.

"DON'T FORGET THE PROMISE MADE TO ME AND YOUR SISTER, MY MOTHER MAHARANI GANDHARI WHO WAS MARRIED TO MY PITASHREE WHO WAS BLIND BACK THEN." DURYODHAN SAID. THE MASTERMIND SHAKUNI WAS NOW COMPLETELY TRAPPED AND HELPLESS.

"WE BET DRAUPADI..." YUDHISTIR AND KARN CHOKED THE WORDS OUT. "BHRATA YUDHISTIR!! IF YOU LOSE DRAUPADI THEN I MYSELF WILL BURN YOUR HANDS!!" BHEEM SAID. "BHRATA IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO DRAUPADI IN THIS GAME THEN I WILL NOT STOP MYSELF FROM KILLING OUR OWN SO CALLED BROTHERS (KAURAVAS) NO MATTER WHAT." ARJUN SAID.

THE GAME ROUND THEN BEGAN. AS THE GAME STARTED SHAKUNI AGAIN STARTED HIS 'MAGIC' UNWILLINGLY. "YAGNASENI DRAUPADI IS NOW MINE! YOU LOST HER!" DURYODHAN CELEBRATED. "DASI! GO AND BRING HER HERE!" DURYODHAN SAID.

"SAMRAGINI IS RIGHT NOW TAKING REST. SHE IS SLEEPING." THE DASI SAID. "STILL WAKE HER UP AND BR-" DURYODHAN SAID BUT WAS CUT OFF BY DUSHASAAN. "SHALL I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRINGING MY BHABHI?" DUSHASAAN ASKED.

"SURE!" DURYODHAN ASKED. "AND IF SHE DOESN'T OME THEN DRAG HER HERE." DURYODHAN SAID ANGERING THE PANDAVAS. AND DUSHASSAN WENT TO BRING HER.