Third person pov
"BHRATA ARJUN!!!" The twins yelled as they barged inside Arjun's chamber.
"WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED? DID YOU BOTH START FIGHTING AGAIN? NAKUL! DID YOU PULL A PRANK YOUR TWIN!?!?!? DEVA! DID YOU CUT OFF NAKUL'S HAIR AGAIN? WHY ARE YOU BOTH NOT TALKING!!! ANSWER ME!" Arjun screamed back, worried about his brothers.
"NO!!! SOMETHING WORSE IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!!" They yelled back in unison.
"WHAT!!! DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU PISSED OFF BHRATA BHEEM AGAIN! I'M NOT GONNA SAVE YOU FROM HIM AGAIN!"
"NO BHAIYA!!! SOMETHING ELSE IS GONNA HAPPEN!"
"WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN? AND WHY ARE WE SCREAMING?"
"WE SAW DIDI ASKING BHRATA BHEEM TO BREAK BHRATA DURYODHAN'S ROOM'S DOOR!!! AND YOU STARTED SCREAMING FIRST!!!"
"WHAT!!!! YOU DUMBOS! YOU BOTH SHOULD HAVE STOPPED HER INSTEAD OF COMING TO ME!!! AND YOU BOTH CAME IN SCREAMING! AND THAT'S WHY I STARTED SCREAMING!!!"
Realisation hit the twins like a lightening and they made a 'O' face thinking about their stupidity. They should have stopped Bhrata Bheem and Mridini instead of coming to Arjun!
"Leave it... Come on, let's go and stop them before something happens!" Arjun literally dragged the twins out and started sprinting towards Duryodhan's chamber.
Exactly after 32 seconds, they reached the chamber only to witness a sight, which was going to serve as a potential black mail material to the trio.
Bheem was on top of Duryodhan! On the floor!
---------------
Yudhistir was walking back to his chambers after his talk with Karn when heared that loud 'thud' sound.
And that sound came from the hallway which lead to Duryodhan's room. Was he in any trouble?
Yudhishtir decided to give a check on him and sprinted towards the room.
And he was greeted by a.... very nice sight.
Bheem was lying on top of Duryodhan on the floor, both groaning in pain. Mridini, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev were watching the sight with a i-want-to-laugh-but-i-can't-laugh expression.
Yudhishtir sighed. Now... What happened?
---------------
"You fool!!!"
"You idiot!!!"
"Why did you open the damn door?!?!"
"Then what do you expect me to do??? Sit and watch as you break into my room???"
"Enough!!!" Yudhishtir screamed, Bheem and Duryodhan immediately stopped their ranting.
"Jyesht, shout at him! I fell down because of him!" Bheem pointed towards Duryodhan, who snorted in return.
"Shout at me? Who does your brother think that he is? He cannot shout at me!!!" Duryodhan shot back, glaring at the Pandavas, especially the eldest.
"Last time I checked, My brother was the freaking Yuvraj of Hastinapur. Not to mention, but he is also older than you." Bheem said, without missing a beat.
"So??? Does he have two horns on his head or something that I have to fear at the sight of him???" Duryodhan said while making air quotes in the air. (A/N - My cousin always says this whenever I try to order her saying that I'm 3 months older than her. I really have no idea what this means but this sounds kinda hilarious. So I thought of using it. So yeah... this dialogue credit goes to WeirdoGirl_15)
"No but he-"
"Stop it, both of you!" Dishita abruptly cut off Bheem.
"Why did I bring Bhrata Duryodhan out of his room? To fight on a silly issue with his cousin? Of course not!!! I have something really important to 'discuss' with Bhrata Duryodhan." Dishita spoke, directing the last part at Duryodhan. Wait... that wasn't rude right? Even if it was, she is not gonna care.
"What could that be?" Arjun questioned, his tone turning serious.
"Nothing. Just something personal." Dishita answered, emphasising on 'personal'.
"What? We cannot trust you with him! He could... he could do anything!!!" Bheem spoke, sending a glare towards Duryodhan.
"Bhrata Bheem is right!" The twins, who were silent till now, spoke in unison. Yudhishtir watched on, while massaging his temples.
Duryodhan rolled his eyes. Seriously!!! Mridini was like his sister! And why are they over reacting??? And who do they think they are? Guardian Angels of her or something...
"He is like my brother. I will be absolutely safe with him. I trust him." Dishita answered, with an expressionless face.
"But... We don't trust him! You can talk here! In front of us! So that we will not be worried about you." Arjun reasoned and Dishita let out a frustrated groan.
"Arjun I told yo-"
"It's okay, we can talk here. In front of them. Now, shoot your questions." Duryodhan cut her off.
Dishita gave him a are-you-serious look. Duryodhan nodded again. He wanted to escape this as quickly as possible so that he could return to his 'safe house', also known as his personal chamber.
"So Bhrata, are you planning on interacting with humans?" Dishita asked, trying to sound as stern as possible.
"This is a personal question!?!?!?" Bheem wondered out loud, and everyone royally ignored him.
"Uhh? I'm pretty sure that I'm 'interacting' with a human right now." Duryodhan answered in his infamous 'duh' tone.
Dishita's face scrunched up in irritation. Trying to out smart her? Not happening.
"Alright then, tell me bhrara, how many days are left for Dusshala's wedding?"
"A week."
"6 days."
"Same difference."
"Whatever... Are you planning to attend the wedding?"
"Hmm... Yes I'm... It's my sister's wedding after all!!!"
"Great then. But I don't see the slightest bit of indication that you would do so."
"What? Why wouldn't I?"
"Because I think that isolating-yourself-and-pretending-that-there-is-no-human-existence kinda behaviour indicate the otherwise."
"Umm..."
"Come on Duryodhan, answer her! We don't have whole day!" Bheem interrupted once again. Once again, everyone ignored his comment.
"Well I.... I was busy?" Duryodhan tried to reason.
"Busy in shutting people out of your lives?"
"Not exactly... I didn't mean to..."
"What's your problem?"
"Uhh... nothing..."
"No. There is something... Tell me."
"Hey! Nothing means nothing okay? I'm fine!!!!"
"Duryodhan." Yudhistir interrupted now. Everyone's attention was instantly on him.
"I know that we... I am not exactly your favourite person on earth but... You can talk to us... me, okay? Believe it or not, we... I, care a lot about you. You are no different than my brothers. So just... talk to us.. me... alright? I would like to help-"
"Oh just stop it, Yuvraj. I don't want your fake concern." Duryodhan abruptly cut of Yudhishtir and said. How dare is this Yudhistir? He and his 'lovely' brothers are the root cause of his problems.
"Bhrata... he is only trying to help." Dishita tried to defend Yudhishtir.
"He and his brothers are the reason of all my problems. He knows that very well too. Yet, he's talking like HE CARES!!!!" Duryodhan yelled the last part making Dishita flinch slightly.
"Duryodhan, you have a misunderstanding-" Yudhistir tried to explain but once again Duryodhan cut him off.
"Misunderstanding? I have a perfect understanding of everything, Yuvraj. Karn is your brother. I get it. I understand. You want to get close to him. I understand that too. Actually, I'm moving out of your way, Yuvraj. I'm trying to avoid my best friend so that you can have your brother at your side. Thank me for it. And please, cut this I-care-about-you-and-you-are-no-different-than-my-brothers act. I'm sick of it." Duryodhan screamed, pouring out his frustration.
The Pandavas and Dishita froze hearing his out burst. He... He knew? But how?
"Now if you excuse me, I would like to go back to my room. And yeah, you can have Karn to yourselves. I am moving out of your way." With that Duryodhan started to stomp back to his room but was held again by Bheem.
"How did you find out? And does he know about this? Who else knows the truth?" Bheem questioned, in a threatening tone. The others looked on, still trying to recover from the shock that Duryodhan just gave them.
"None of your business. No. No one expect me." Duryodhan answered back.
"Do... Do you have any plans of revealing this to Jyesht Karn or to someone else?" This time, it was Arjun who questioned.
"I am not a fool Arjun. I know what would happen if this truth is revealed. So NO. I have no plans of revealing this to ANYONE. Besides, it's not my secret to tell." Duryodhan responded once again using his infamous 'duh' tone. Everyone just looked on, clearly confused about how to respond to this situation.
"Over? Then I would like to get back to my room. And Mridini, I will definitely attend my sister's wedding and I will do all the duties of a brother. You don't have to remind me." With that, Duryodhan literally ran inside his room and locked the doors again.
.......
......
......
What. Just. Happened?
Duryodhan knows!!! He knows the truth!!!!
"Nakul, pinch me." Bheem said, in a trance. He still couldn't believe what just happened. Duryodhan knows and he's quiet about it? Really? He couldn't beli-
"Ahh... " Nakul pinched him hard, braking him out of his thoughts.
It's painful and that means, whatever just happened IS TRUE!
Should they be scared about this? They didn't know.
Can they trust Duryodhan? They had no idea.
But they just knew one thing. This situation is so messed up.... And nothing is going fine....
------------
Shakuni didn't know whether he should laugh or be angry at this situation. But thank God that he happened to pass by and was able eavesdrop.
So basically... That Sutputr is the eldest son of Kunti. Great. And Duryodhan knew about this but chose not to tell anyone. Awesome.
What is he supposed to do now? This Duryodhan will lose all his interest on the throne and will back off. And Yudhishthir, he will give his title to Karn and that Sutputr will rule Hastinapur. And he, Shakuni, will lose.
Just great.
But wait....
What if... What if he can bury this truth? Can he? Of course he can! And he already has the perfect plan! VARANAVAT!!!!
He will execute the plan as it is. He will kill the Pandavas and their mom and bingo! That Sutputr will never know the truth! The only extra thing that he has to do is, brainwash Duryodhan again. That's easy.
Shakuni smirked. The victory was still on his side!!!!
--------------
It was dinner time. The Royal Family of Hastinapur and Kanchi were dining together. And that was exactly when Aditya got the biggest shock of his life and fainted. Wanna know what happened? Well...
*Flashback*
"Taatshree! Jyesht! I totally forgot to tell you about something..." Vidur spoke, gaining everyone's attention.
"What is it?" Bhishma asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"Well actually today I received a marriage proposal for Vidushi. Our finance minister asked Vidushi's hand for marriage with his son. Honestly, I was taken aback with his sudden proposal so I told him that I will think about it... What do you both think? Should I say yes?" Vidur and Aditya,Vidushi, Dishita and the Pandavas literally choked on their food.
"W-what?" Arjun managed to say, trying to recover from the shock.
God... To many shocks in one day!!!!
Aditya sat rooted to the ground. Did he hear correctly? Dishita and Vidushi were no less. Both were looking like they just got hit by a lightening. And the Pandavas went stiff like rocks hearing this.
"But Vidur... Dushala is going to get married in 6 days and one more marriage? Dushala will be leaving to her in-laws kingdom and I already wonder how am I going to live without my daughter. Do you think that I handle separation from Vidushi too? Nope. No. Not at all. Reject the proposal." Dhirtarashtra said, shaking his head.
"But Dhirtarashtr, Vidushi has to get married soon right? I think we should consider this proposal. May be we can have the marriage after 6-8 months... What do you think Vidur?" Bhishma said and the Pandavas, Aditya, Vidushi, Dishita panicked. Oh god...
"I am confused Taatshree... That's why I thought of asking you all..." Vidur trailed off, his tone uncertain.
"I think Maharaj is right!" Yudhishthir chimed in, which made Bhishma raise his eyebrow.
"Yes yes... Vidushi.... She is small.. I think we should wait for a couple of years... " Bheem supported.
"But it is the perfect age for Vidushi to get married! I think you are right Taatshree" Gandhari supported Bhishma.
"But jiji... One more marriage immediately? I think we should wait for at least six months... " Kunti said her opinion.
Meanwhile Aditya and Vidushi were mentally freaking out... They didn't know what to do...
"Let's ask Vidushi herself... What do you say putri? Do you want to get married?" Bhishma asked, looking at her.
Vidushi panicked and looked at Aditya. He seemed to be in a deep thought. She moved her gaze to the Pandavas and Dishita, who shook their heads in a no.
Alright... She will say no... It's easy. She just has to say NO.
"Pitamah... I... " But she was cut off by Aditya's booming voice.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mahamahim." Aditya's voice was loud and clear. Vidushi and the others were stunned. What was he going to do?
"Yes, Yuvraj?" Bhishma looked at him with a intimidating gaze.
"I... " Aditya took a deep breath. Come on.. He can do it.
"I'm in love your granddaughter Vidushi. I would like to marry her. She is... She is a gem. A precious gem. I have never met someone like her. I would do anything to spend my rest of the days with her by my side. I know that it's surprising... But please Mahamahim, Maharaj, Mahamantri... I... I love her. And I want to marry her. " Aditya said and everyone's jaw dropped. Vidushi was in the verge of fainting.
That was... Unexpected.
Aditya studied everyone's reaction carefully. They seemed to be surprised, not angry. So that's a good thing right?
Suddenly, all the elders started smiling. Aditya and Vidushi got confused. What does those smiles are supposed to mean?
The Pandavas were so very confused at what was happening. Their brains just cannot comprehend anything. What can they do? Too many shocks in one day, after all!
"Well... That was easy." Bhishma commented, which confused everyone even more.
"Don't be so confused. We already know that you both love each other. Vidushi, you have to be a little careful while hiding things, alright? And we have been observing Aditya all along. There's no doubt that Aditya is a good guy. So we sent a proposal to Maharaj Vishwanath stating what happened and they were more than happy to agree to this proposal. We requested them to come to Hastinapur a week early so that we can get you both engaged. Happy?" Vidur explained and everyone's jaw dropped even more.
"That's true. We just wanted to see how long that these two can hide this from us. It turns out, Aditya couldn't even bear the thoughts of Vidushi marrying someone else!" Vishwanath said with a small laugh.
"Yeah... And sorry Bhabhi, for flirting with you earlier. I just wanted to see Jyesht's reaction!" Adhiraj exclaimed, making everyone laugh.
Aditya blinked. What? He just couldn't believe what he heard... His head was spinning...
And he fainted.
*Flashback ends*
Dishita caught Aditya before he could hit the floor.
Seriously!?!!??
This guy fainted!?!?!? Unbelievable!!!
The elders started chuckling. Arjun took a jar of water and poured it on Aditya, which woke him up with a jolt. They made everyone laugh harder.
Aditya rubbed his eyes and smiled sheepishly. He locked eyes with Vidushi who rolled her eyes with a faint blush and beautiful smile.
Vidushi was spellbound. She was so very happy that she wanted to jump to moon and back. And Aditya... He is such a dork... Who faints hearing that they will marry their love? Him, apparently. And she wanted to hug him tightly.
"Alright so... Aditya and Vidushi's engagement will take place after 4 days after Dushala's wedding.." Dhirtarashtra announced with a smile.
Aditya and Vidushi smile shyly at each other while the Pandavas and Dishita beamed.
May be... Everything was going fine after all!!!
**********
Hello everyone!!!
I'M SO SORRY.
I have been very very very busy lately that I couldn't find time to write anything... But don't worry, I will not discontinue the book. I will surely update even if it's late. (I have no idea that when the next update will be...)
Today (15th September) is my birthday... So consider this chapter as a treat from my side.
Love you all! And thank you for waiting so patiently!
Stay safe, everybody!