Suyodhan watches the sun setting down after a tiring day. For him that was the day without grieve and lose after sixteen days. The seventeenth day of kurukshetra yudh gone without much happenings....the thirsty battlefield didn't yet get dried from the blood pool made of past days. It will take days for the land to dry out the thick human blood....
Kurukshetra is awful to watch..... nothing less than a necropolis. Pandavas have already ordered to clean around the bodys and to do their cremation. Millions of warriors have died for nothing...and did they all deserved such an end only??
He walks back to the tent by thinking, will ever the soil of kurukshetra lose this shade of blood red. Even after this Yuga...the land of kurukshetra will carry the red soil and scorched smell of flesh. Ain't those souls may curse him...for letting them die for this war of no purpose....
Why should they blame him and top of that why he acting like responsible for the chaos. If anyone ever owe to being guilty is then it is that child born out of wedlock.....his mitr. Only if he don't get to know of his truth...then this day may have resulted several other events.
Son of Surya is loyal....but to whom?? To himself?? Ofcourse not ....if he was a self centred person he whould have simply sit on the same throne for which he and yudhishthir fought all their life. And that is what irking him?? Why he didn't revealed??
Only if he have revealed....this war wouldn't have happened and he might not have lost all of them...his family....
All those sacrifices got in vein and it's like there is no value for those lives. Why he feeling responsible....why?? Is he all alone responsible for this??
From the time of declaration many have visited him....those kings who left alive called him coward who are afraid of death...he is labelled yet again as a selfish man who agreed to peace after getting killed all of his allies...he couldn't help himself from laughing aloud.....
His laugh was audible to nearby tents. Even his patni and mother are considered him as such a low minded soul. At the end he fell on his knees by releasing all those pain. He screams aloud to no one...burst out in tears. He wailed like a child and for the first time felt how it is to be live alone...he is alone....no one here....he lost everyone.....
A touch on his shoulder made the gandharisudhan looks back in tears and found his friend with teary eyes. A friend who put him above everything....he found himself breaking at the worst state of only kaurava prince who survived the kurukshetra......
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The man with gleam of Surya gazes the people who busy with shifting...a war got end...no....it's unend.... His posture tenses as feeling many gazes on him....he found himself feeling so low. Suyodhan giving up meant he lost the trust on himself and his loyalty.....he just insulted the many warriors left alive for him....he denied them the veermrityu or the honor of victory.....
It's time for him to intervene whatever that deviated the fate of aryavart he knew already. The role of sitting back quietly and letting allow the princes messing and play with his warrior honor should come to an end. It's time for him to rise voice for the accolade of the warriors....
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" Ashwa!! My brothers...my son...will they too think of me as a selfish coward who pushed them on the hands of death for my own gain...."
Drauni couldn't collect word infront of that question and the silence made the other man fall to a nearby chair helplessly. Moments went in silence and drauni chose to not to ask anything to him....
He came there with much questions to ask about the sudden change of decision and motive behind that. But after seeing the current state of mitr...it is better if he remain silent....
Suyodhan himself asks, " Do you also think so?? "
Ashwa wanted to say a no...but no voice came out and before he could shake his head in negative the prince yells, " Say Ashwa!!! Am I a coward?? Do you think so?? "
The reply came from the entry, " Why you considering yourself not so after what you have done!! "
Pure rage was what built on suyodhan's head on seeing the large frame stood at the doorstep with flaming orang aura by setting sun. His stance were so regal that once again reminded of the prince about that man's real identity. A truth which made him retreat from this battle of honor and now he himself came to question a deed which were his responsibility......
Suyodhan found himself feeling so low to act vulnerable infront of this man who stood strong even after facing much that a normal man couldn't bear. Guruputr found something lot behind each single action of Dhritarashtraputr and sure there is something he hiding from them....
Son of Surya came inside by revealing the face with disappointment, hurt and anger. His eyes were blazing and seeking answers from his soul friend.....
Ensuring his voice is not breaking or not reflecting a tiny spec of vulnerability he asks, " My standing ovation to the king of Anga for the kindness showed now to come out from that hideout of you?? "
" Suyo!!! ", The call were from kripinandan who shocked at the unusual serious rant between his friends. He saw how the words frustrated the mighty parashuram shishya....
Suyodhan ignores him and jabs once again, " What?? Am I wrong??
Karna!! How brave of you to step out from that tent only after hearing the news of end of the battle....
Now tell me!! Who the real coward?? "
" That's enough suyodhan!! ", Suryaputr were having the last straw of patience. First by accepting for peace he dishonored their friendship and his capabilities. And now blaming him that god only knows for what......
Ashwattama presses his knuckles while looking at them in worry and suryanandan says rigidly,
" No matter whoever die or give up...Karna whould never back off from a battle....i whould die with warrior's honor than living under enemy's mercy!!! "
Walking to the desk where madhira kept suyodhan asks, " So what?? You want me to continue the war?? "
The reply got immediately, " You had the chance for agreeing peace and now it is nothing but buying shame to each and every single warrior who sworn their live and loyalty to you by their blood .....
Trust is the last thing you had to destroy and now that too in your account!! "
Gulping down the drink suyodhan asks, " So Karna!!! What you really wanted me to do?? Go ahead and turn our dynasty into ashes.....
At the end of the day they are my brothers and what's wrong in joining our hands at this late stage....
Afterall they are my brothers...I chose them over my greed to throne and false pride....
Why you trying to put a stop on my lead to the path of truth?? "
Suyodhan smirks at the dumbstruck expression of his friends and as if acting remembering something says in a cunning tone,
" Oh right!! They are just enemies to you... nothing more than that!! And a battle with Gandivadhari made you live all the way....
Obviously you won't like the idea of peace.... because they are no one to you....but they are my family!! And i chose them!!! "
That rigidity got loosened from radheya's eyes after hearing those words which pricked his heart. It was like a reminder of who he in real to pandavas and the realisation of the same mitr for whom he ignored the affection and earn for his own family have considers him nothing but an outsider.....
Ashwattama's tongue tied at the harsh words spoken out from ever kind queen's son. Yes it is true...vasu have didn't attend or tent to heal bruises of suyodhan's soul that happened on last day....cause for some reason from the begin of war vasusen himself were burning and the last day made him feeble.....why suyodhan acting so indifferent???
Trying to smile at the insult son of suta turns hesitantly and looks back his friend only to make it clear those words were from his friend only and further with no reflection of emotions walks away with an unsettled heart and thoughts.......
Before he reaches the outside heard words of his royal friend from begin, " Karna!!! I will be handing over the wealth and prosperity of my own to jyest Kaunteya....be ready for that day of hastinapur's new king's coronation!! "
Not even trying to acknowledge those words unknown son of kunti walks ahead making the other one internally smile.....
Ashwattama felt the same kind of pain he felt sometime ago for suyodhan now for the other friend. He know how broken their souls were by this war. All three of them lost their family....yet they stood strong with aid of this friendship which is a diya that never even alienated from childhood....
It blazes trust and showers the light of support and love at all uneven situations. But now for the first time it lost the shine...the light of trust dimmed by the darkness of anger and doubt........
He couldn't help himself from asking out sternly, " Suyo!! What was that for?? Why you insulted him?? Is it for sticking with you even after everyone blamed you for the destruction happened?? "
Dhritarashtraputr screams back, " Yes!!! He should have left me....why he didn't made the right choise and now put me in this spot?? "
Other one asks back, " What?? "
Suyodhan's eyes were like of the deer caught by lion and looking away murmurs, " Nothing!! "
Ashwattama spent moments only to study his friend's inner turmoil and noticed how the other one trying to avoid his gaze....
With a smile he says, " I knew it!! I knew there is something behind your decision and now am sure it's somehow related to mitr vasu....."
The other one get panicked as he don't wanna to disclose the fact to anyone for a while....he shrieks,
" Get out Ashwa!!! "
" Yes am going only!! But a brat of you that denied my suggestion for peace once....cause you were too confident on vrisha!!!
One day the truth will come out!! "
Suyodhan gasps in shock...did ashwa too knows?? As if a answer to his inner voice he got the reply,
" Yes suyo!! Soon I will find the truth behind this sudden change of your's..."
Suyodhan frustratingly groans at the next friend who too walked away... He shook his head vigorously to shake away all of their's words.... everything is as he expected.....
Each and everyone's words were same and kinda obvious to his thoughts....But one left... one person who dreamt only his coronation and only good for him all the way to this kurukshetra...the man who living for his sister....
Shakuni....how contradicting for that pious soul to have a brother who is calculative and cunning in each of his step. Now suyodhan know the king of Gandhar nothing but a true manipulator only....he know to twist everything according to his wish. Still on top his love for sister and nephews were the only true thing in his life....
After knowing the biggest secret of pritha the first thing he wanted to do was disclosing it to his mamasree and ploy something good for make that truth of a double edged sword in favour of them...
But something stopped from inside and he know why it is... because the truth he find out was not something he can play against pandavas....it was sharp enough to gift bruises on his heart too...he can't just use that truth of his mitr as a weapon.......
He somehow ignored everyone's questions and taunts. But don't know how it gonna possible infront of the most intelligent man he knew from childhood...... avoiding him till now were not that easy....
But he have to be collected infront of sulabhputr....a single mistake then mamasree will not rest till finding the root. Duryodhan lightly laughs at the irony of situation where the jyestkaurva himself thinking of a way too get saved from the eyes of that man who with ease of plucking a flower defeated dharmaputr and followed by that gifted him that victorious day....
Victorious?? Is he sure....the day gave only a moment of happiness...that sabha gave rise to this war were his brothers became scape goat....so this game is solo....he will direct and play by himself only...at the end he will win along with his enemies.....both will fail too....a failure with the taste of success.....