Darks clouds covered the night sky, blocking the path of the light that moon reflects. A indication of a dangerous storm indeed.
A storm that has the power to take lives, crunching and shattering into pieces.
Wedding season but that wasn't looked like in Panchal.
The palace should be decorated with all the lights and beautiful rangolis and all. The walls should echo all the laughters and hustle bustle.
A normal wedding is a joyous event, the home, filled with enjoyment and sounds of ecstasy, clutters that follows even after the days of the event.
But, the Panchal palace was the exact opposite of a typical normal wedding.
The decoration of the palace were undone. Instead of laughters and sounds of ecstasy, there was a silence all around.
Silence that usually follows deaths of individuals.
Instead of lights and beautiful scented candles, darkness prevailed in the Panchal palace.
The corridors were eerily silent. Not that the servants and the soldiers were feared of Ghosts or theirbany enemy rather it was the fear of the rage of the royals. Especially the Princess.
The largest chamber of the palace after the King's chamber was the Panchal's youngest Princess's chamber, covered in darkness.
Mild cold breeze blowed, making the long white curtains flow with it in sync.
And there was no trace of the Princess in her room.
Soldiers were guarded across the huge palace of Panchal, especially the corridors except the seventh floor which was the topmost floor of the palace and was recently renovated.
It was where the second largest chamber was situated, the Princess's chamber.
It was the wedding night after the wedding of the beloved Princess but nobody seemed to be happy.
Because of her unsual marriage. With the five princes of Hastinapur.
"I-I can't go there. You all go ahead meanwhile I am going back and-" Nakul voice broke when he saw his brothers giving him displeased looks.
"Bhrata aap sab samaj kyu nhi rahe ho ki waha jana matlab sher ki muh ke samne jana. Ma-main itna jaldi marna nhi chahta." Nakul voiced out his fear. And by his face and voice, he seemed to be really scared.
(Brothers, why can't you all understand that going there means going infront of lion's mouth. I-I don't want to die this soon.)
Apparently they were now heading towards their bride's chamber. The Panchal Princess, Panchali's room.
And that they were hell scared because of her anger and outburst was quite visible on their faces.
Climbing the stairs, they were said to spent the night in Panchali's room as an ancient 'ritual', where the bride and groom is expected to share a room on their wedding night.
And the brothers were so not ready to spent the night with their wife.
"Nakul, this is a ritual. We are expected to share the room." Yudhisthir said not looking at any of his brothers.
That was then an awkward moment. Sharing your wife with your other four brothers were not something they were used to. Neither of them.
"Sahdev, what are your intuitions saying ? Will tonight pass with us being alive tomorrow ?" Nakul asked, earning a glare from his twin brother.
"You can't keep you mouth shut, now do you ?" Sahdev was pissed off hearing useless talks of his twin brother.
Their wedding was not a normal one rather it was based on complicated relationships.
Being with someone like Panchali was not helping either as he and his brothers were now standing in something other than only brotherhood.
And Panchali's outburst, anger and hatred for them from the swayamvar were like sprinkling salt on an open wound.
From the time they were asked to share a room in her chamber, he was feeling something unsual. Like the night -
"Sahdev, where are you lost ?" Arjun asked, jerking him out of his reverie.
"No, nothing Bhrata Arjun. It's just that I am feeling unsual about tonight. Like the night -" Sahdev voiced out his concern but before he could complete, Yudhisthir interrupted.
"Nothing will happen Sahdev. Don't stress out yourself. Come we have arrived in the seventh floor."
"Ah at last. I thought the stairs are never ending. Jyest, Anujo, dekho yaha" Bheem exclaimed when he noticed his surrounding on the seventh floor.
(Eldest, Younger ones, see here. )
The corridor of the seventh floor was nothing like other six floors. Expensive tiles were used on the floor.
Walls were painted with colours in unique designs. The shades of the colour was black, the designs were made on the basis of Alien Black, Cynical Black, Glossy Black, Pitch Black, Midnight Black, Charcoal Black.
The designs and combination was something that was to be found very rare, which indeed surprised the brothers.
Expensive art sculptures were hanged on the walls.
"This is beautiful." Nakul said looking at the glass railings and the scenerio ahead. Strong winds blowed as they stood on the topmost floor of the palace.
The capital of Panchal, Kampilya was visible from the seventh floor. The whole city was lighted with mashals (torch) as only light source.
"Indeed." Arjun muttered, running his hands on a glass sculpture.
"The designs on the wall are just mind blowing. It's so beautiful..." Sahdev trailed off as he noticed unfamiliar designs on the wall.
"And the floor is so well maintained. Not like any other floors and also there is no guards also. Why is it so ?" Yudhisthir asked, more like to himself.
"Look at the ceiling brothers." Bheem exclaimed looking at the ceiling of the corridor.
The other four looked up only to gasp at the designs. Now that was not something they expected.
The light emerging from the ceiling was the only source of light in the entire corridor. There was no torches or candles.
"Bhrata, how is it possible ? This corridor seems so unfamiliar yet this is so beautiful. Is this where Panchali stays ? Or is this what she likes and prefers ?" Bheem asked.
"And why everything is black ? Isn't black is considered as a bad omen ? I mean I don't believe in these absurd omens but... but isn't it eye catching ? Like everything black and black ? We are seeing the designs on the walls and the ceiling, these are done only in shades of black. No other colour has a single dot on this floor. Why ?" Nakul asked in curiosity and in a hint of suspicion.
"Black is just a colour Nakul. This doesn't mean that it is a bad omen." Sahdev said.
"And moreover I think Panchali likes only black shades." Yudhisthir said.
"Why do you think you so jyest ?" Bheem asked in confusion as to how his elder brother knows that thier wife likes only black.
"Yeah she does Bhrata Bheem. I too have noticed her preference for black. And from yesterday till our wedding, she wore black wedding attire. I think she is obsessed with black." Arjun said, agreeing with his eldest brother and laughed a little at the end of his statement.
His eyes sparked a different kind of joy when he mentioned his wife and her preference.
And that should intrigue his brothers, right ? She is their wife too. But that wasn't the case with the soul brothers.
Yudhisthir, Bheem, Nakul and Sahdev too smiled that reached till their ears upon hearing Arjun and they were more than glad to know that their brother noticed this little thing of Panchali.
"Now should we stay here in the corridor and spent this night sleeping on this cold floor ?" Nakul joked and all of them laughed as their laughter echoed in the empty silent corridor.
They walked towards the direction of room as said by Crown Princess Aditi.
The huge door of the said room greeted them. It was closed.
They looked at each other, silent communication zipping through their eyes as who will open the door.
Yudhisthir was the eldest so he doesn't left with any other choice as his brothers pleaded him through their eyes.
Racing heart and sweaty palms with a sudden drop down of temperature, he placed his hands on the door handle to open it.
He closed his eyes, taking long breaths and opening those again, he took a look from his brothers who nodded a little, indicating him to proceed further.
Opening a door seemed to be a difficult task for him now. First, their unusual wedding and second their bride was Panchali.
With much force, he pushed the door, opening it, a path that led them to their destiny. To her.
The brothers blinked their eyes but nothing could be seen. Reason being darkness. Again all black....
They walked in not before looking at each other again.
Now that was unsual. A normal wedding night should be romantic and all. The room should be lighted with scented candles and decorated with flowers.
But the room that they were standing was nothing but filled with darkness all around.
Nakul nudged Arjun with his elbow, indicating him to call out Panchali if she was there or not but he got a immediate denial answer as Arjun shook his head rapidly.
"Pa-Panchali ? Panchali, you there ?" Yudhisthir called out after much courage from his brothers. He was the eldest among them and he didn't had any other option through upon any other.
But all they got was an eerily silence. The winds blowed, making the long curtains blow.
"Panchali, you-" Yudhisthir was interrupted by a sound of bang. He and his brothers turned around gasping audibly, only to get their eyes widened.
The door was suddenly closed.
"Wh-why do I feel like we have entered in a Ghost palace ? Bhrata I really think this is not where our dear Panchali stays. We have all seen this floor is just-just so unusual and everything is bl-black and black. Let's go out bhrata." Nakul was now hell scared and unconsciously he slipped his hands to hold Yudhisthir who looked at Nakuk dumbfounded-ly.
"Shut up Nakul. It's just the strong wind." Sahdev scolded his twin brother. He really loved Nakul but at times it triggered him when his twin brother behaved childishly.
"Yeah, stop being the scared cat and behave-" Arjun was interrupted by a distant sound of anklets. The first thought his mind striked was Nakul's ideology.
"T-then is th-this a chu-chu-chudail ?" Nakul voiced out his fears. He started sweating and his knees felt weak.
But all of them refused to turn behind and see who was it. The mighty warriors, if feared anything worst was their encounter with ghosts.
With time being pass, the sound of anklets were coming close. They unconsciously hold each other and shut their eyes tightly, breathing heavily.
Suddenly they heard a wolf screaming, which did worst to their scared nature as they stiffed.
The eerie silence all around the floor except the wolf scream and the sound of anklets, made their heart beats fast.
Again a strong gush of wind blowed when the sound of anklet echoed in the room, making the brothers feel like dying.
Few moments passed as they stood holding each other and eyes being shut while the sound of anklets echoing in the room.
"Will you all stay like that forever ?" A familiar voice made the brothers open their eyes in a lightning speed as they looked at each other and turned behind only to see a feminine figure, back facing them.
She wore a black lehenga.
Her milky white skin of her back and waist was visible to them with open hair on one side. She was busy lightning candles on the bedside table.
"Again black ?" Nakuk muttered. "Wh-who are you ?" He asked, suddenly gaining courage and looked at his brother only to receive confusing glances back.
She snickered a little and said, "Wow, now the great mighty heroes can't recognize me. I am hurt."
Sahdev furrowed his eyebrows hearing the words of the lady. He felt unusual seeing the lady's behaviour.
"Who are you, lady ? And why are you here ?" Yudhisthir asked as he too didn't feel right.
"Now, don't tell me you haven't recognized my voice, Prince Yudhisthir." She said while putting rose petals on the glass bowl and the brothers got suspicious listening to her voice.
It indeed was very familiar to them.
"Your voice is indeed familiar to us but we can't -" Bheem was interrupted by the lady.
"You can't pinpoint out, right ?" She asked and got a silence back.
"Panchali ?" Arjun called out after few moments, watching her placing some 'things' on the glass bowl that floated.
Floating Candles it was.
The corner of her lips tucked up listening to Arjun addressing her, "Now that's like Prince Arjun."
Saying so she turned around revealing her face to them, with a smirk lacing on her lips.
"It's our wedding night, isn't it ? We should celebrate !!?" Panchali said or more like asked gaining a surprised expression from them.
"Now don't tell me, you don't want to celebrate our special night. If not then I will be very hurt. And I am sure you won't hurt your bride on the wedding night itself. Or would you ?" Panchali said while replacing the scented candles on the dressing table.
"You know what, I myself designed this mirror and get done with me with standing all the time when this dressing table was renovated." She said placcing the pillar candles.
The big round mirror on the dressing table with red lights around surprised the brothers. It was so new to them. They haven't seen any mirror like this.
It was so unusual and her behaviour was also so unusual. It was all so confusing.
She stood there brushing her hairs and then wearing mascara that again confused her husbands as those things were all new to them.
"How am I looking ?" She asked spreading her lehenga.
They again looked at each other, contemplating what should they say.
She was indeed looking gorgeous but how would they say when her behaviour was confusing them.
"Nice." Yudhisthir muttered with a tight lipped smile when he was asked to say on behalf of other four by them only.
"Thank you. I am honoured that you complimented my looks." Panchali said, and she turned to take rose petals, going towards the bed, she sprinkled those over it.
"What is she trying to do ?" Arjun muttered to his brothers only to get a I-don't-know look from them.
"Are you okay ?" Sahdev asked cautiously and that made Panchali to stop sprinkling rose petals.
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T O M Y R E A D E R S
Greetings my lovelies,
As per some of your requests, I have updated the first chapter. Thanks to all of them who asked me that when shall I update next.
I am honoured by the way.
What are your thoughts on Panchali ? Her unusual behaviour ?
The modern renovation on her floor ?
Pandavas ? Their surprised and confused behaviour upon seeing the floor ? Their fear from Ghosts 🤭 ?
And I wanna say that the description of the floor and walls was needed.
Hit the little star button and comment guys. You all know right, that it motivates me to write further.
Let's meet in the next chapter.
Thanking You,
Hiya
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