Arjun's pov
The second road into the future opened up a week later, as Queen Sudeshna's letter summoned them to Matsya. Uttara was in labour.
A large delegation from Hastinapur set off for Matsya immediately at breakneck speed. Aswatthama's curse loomed large in the Pandava brothers' mind. Arjun, riding alongside Madhav, who had fortunately been in Hastinapur that week, heard the cursed words in his head on loop.
'The Weapon I released with the purpose of destroying the Pandavas, I cannot withdraw, hence I shall release it in the wombs of the Pandava women, and limit the destruction.'
But Madhav had said:
'But Parikshit, attaining to manhood and completing his studies, shall rule the earth for sixty years. He shall become King of the Kurus in front of your very eyes.'
Arjun shut out his doubts and as always, chose to trust Madhav.
***
When they reached Matsya, they were greeted with the silence of mourning. The child had been born dead, the servants whispered fearfully as they showed the royal family into the delivery room.
Uttara was inert in Queen Sudeshna's arms and holding her child in her own arms tenderly. Her soft, broken weeping hurt Arjun's ears.
No mother should have to bear this.
The pain of giving birth to a stillborn child--no mother should have to bear this.
"Madhav," Yudhishthir said hoarsely. "You had said--the day Aswatthama cursed us--you had said Uttara's son would--"
"Mamashree," said Uttara suddenly, straightening up and looking at Krishna. "You have to do something, Mamashree. Abhi always said--he was always confident you could do anything, anything in the world. Please, in Abhimanyu's honour, please bring my baby back to life."
She was breathing hard, face flushed with the effort of speaking so much.
"Lie down, my dear," Subhadra said soothingly. "I am sure your uncle can do something."
She looked up at her brother imploringly.
With a grave expression very uncharacteristic of him, Krishna walked up to the front and touched Parikshit's head.
"All right," he said softly. "I will give my best."
***
"O Uttara, I never utter an untruth. My words will prove true. I shall revive this child in the presence of all creatures. Never before have I uttered an untruth even in jest. Never have I turned back from battle. By the merit of those acts, let this child revive! As righteousness is dear to me, as Brahmanas are specially dear to me, by the merit of that disposition of mine let Abhimanyu's son, who is born dead, revive! Never hath a misunderstanding arisen between me and my friend Arjuna. Let this dead child revive by that truth! As truth and righteousness are always established in me, let this dead child of Abhimanyu revive by the merit of these! As Kansa and Kesi have been righteously slain by me, let this child revive today by that truth!"
Madhav's words, spoken in a powerful, ringing voice, had frozen everyone into awestruck silence. Dozens of eyes stayed fixed on the motionless child in Uttara's arms.
As the minutes ticked by, the silence intensified.
Arjun swallowed a lump inside his throat.
'Never has a misunderstanding arisen between me and Arjun,' Madhav had said.
Why did he say it, when it was not the whole truth? What about that--that awful hour seven months ago?
Madhav could not have forgotten about it.
Parikshit was still limp.
He was not about to come back to life. Arjun suddenly knew it with complete certainty. And he would know it was his fault, because during that awful night, he had broken his promise and hurt the only person in the world who had never hurt him, so badly, that--
"He--he moved," Uttara whispered. "I felt him moving--"
Arjun and Subhadra hastily reached out to touch the child's chest. Was there a heartbeat? Was there--?
And then Parikshit twisted to his side and began to cry.
***
Matsya had never witnessed such joy. Drumbeats took the news all the way to Panchal, to Hastinapur, to Dwaraka, that the heir to the throne had been brought back to life by the Lord's grace.
Inside the delivery room, chaos ensued with every part of little Parikshit's family clamouring to hold him as he cried his lungs out. Uttara was crying almost as hard; so was Queen Sudeshna and Subhadra, holding her.
"Come and hold him, Govind," Draupadi called.
With an easygoing smile, Madhav walked over to them. Arjun relinquished the child into Draupadi's arms and intercepted him.
"I doubt it is the right time to be asking you, but I cannot rest till I do, Madhav," he said. "You called on the merit of us never having had a misunderstanding... Wasn't that a--lie?"
"Oh, it was a--a bit of a risk I took," said Madhav, lowering his eyes. For some reason, he appeared nervous. "If you go deep into the meaning of discord or misunderstandings between two people, they are meaningless unless there is a chance of driving them apart. So I figured, while I had genuinely feared I had lost you, there had been no discord on my part, and while you had been antagonized for some time, you never...never actually considered that you and I--"
He made a gesture that seemed to resemble the breaking of a bond.
Arjun needed a bit of time to process the words. As he did, his eyes burned with the enormity of what had just happened--Madhav hinging Parikshit's revival on the theory that Arjun had never considered that their friendship might end--which was true, but still--
"Why did you bring the question of discord between you and me into this at all?" he demanded. "Why did you have to take the risk?"
"I, er, wanted to check my theory."
"But what if it had misfired?" asked Arjun in horror.
"I was almost sure it wouldn't have," assured Madhav. "You know I'm rarely wrong, if ever."
"Almost," muttered Arjun.
"Bhratashree!" Subhadra called. "Won't you hold your grand-nephew, after gifting him life?"
Madhav clapped Arjun on the shoulder with a grin and went up to the crowd around Parikshit.
"I did not gift him life, Bhadra," said Madhav, loud enough for everyone to hear. "It is his parents who gifted him life. He is Uttara and Abhimanyu's son, and he will rule over Hastinapur for 60 golden years."
Cheers and sobs alike greeted his words.
"Long live, Lord Krishna!" chanted one of the midwives. "Long live, Lord Krishna!"
The chant spread, first amongst the servants; then Queen Sudeshna, who bent to touch Madhav's feet, took it up, whereupon everyone did--Kunti and Yudhishthir, smiling indulgently, Draupadi and Bheem, doubled up with laughter, Subhadra, holding onto her brother, Balaram, shaking his head, Nakul and Sahadev, pumping their fists into the air and Uttara, hardly able to speak through sobs.
"Long live, Lord Krishna! Long live, Lord Krishna!"
Watching Madhav, partly flustered, partly enjoying himself, in the midst of an adoring crowd chanting his name, Arjun was smiling so wide, his cheeks hurt.
Madhav glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.
And why are you silent? he seemed to ask.
"Long live," said Arjun, sudden tears in his eyes in spite of the smile, "Madhav."
Madhav's laugh of surprised delight was the most beautiful sound in the world to Arjun.
Well, joint with the horrible, horrible music from that mishappen flute of theirs.
***
Arjun was immersed in thought over the birth ceremonies and the subsequent festivals. He studied Madhav absentmindedly as he gave his blessings to a trio of townsfolk who had their hands folded in front of him.
The chants of 'Long live, Lord Krishna'--the devotion, the worship and the awe Madhav was subjected to--and the feat he had accomplished today, reviving a stillborn child--
It had unlocked a load of memories.
Normally, he would keep the memories inside his head, savour them, and put them away safely again. Today, he absurdly wanted to speak them aloud.
"30 years ago..." began Arjun quietly.
Madhav turned.
"It was the day you visited Indraprastha shortly after the kingdom had been divided and we had moved out. You said you'd come to visit me, in particular. I remember how long it took me to believe that someone like you could genuinely want to be with me."
"Someone like me?" A corner of Madhav's mouth lifted slightly.
Arjun nodded without sarcasm, however. "Someone so extraordinary, so charismatic, so brilliant, so...perfect. There isn't any 'someone like you,' Madhav. There is only you. I did not buy the rumours about you being the Lord, then. And yet it struck me as incomprehensible: you would want to spend your time with me?"
"Yes," said Madhav in a voice full of affection. "You see, in my life till that point, I had not known someone so naive and fun to tease, so gratifying to show off to, someone with a heart so good that it stuck out a mile away. And I had certainly never met anyone who trusted me in entirety the very first day we met. Who else would I want to spend my life with, Parth?"
A smile forced its way onto Arjun's face despite his seriousness.
"And the day you took me to visit your family in Dwarka, you have no idea how scared I was. I had no idea what kind of a--brilliant--image you'd have built of me, and I was so sure I could not live up to it."
"Ah, you were wrong, weren't you?" Madhav winked. "My sister married you, my brother regrets you're not his brother in my place, my friend became your disciple and my sons stop paying their parents attention when Uncle Arjun visits town. You are Dwaraka's golden boy."
Arjun choked at the last phrase.
"And mine," said Madhav immediately. "You're my golden boy, too. I mean, I'm part of Dwaraka, so that was implied--"
"That's enough." Arjun frowned. "I overcome my reservations once in my life, and you have to make a joke out of it."
"Sorry," said Madhav contritely. "It is truly a very bad habit of mine, making a joke out of everything. Please continue, Parth."
"No, you've spoilt the mood."
Madhav actually looked disappointed. "It's not often I curse my disposition, but at this moment, I do."
"I don't," said Arjun fondly. "Everything about you, including your exasperating disposition, is perfect, Madhav, and I still cannot believe sometimes that you--you and I--"
"--are soulmates," finished Madhav. "You'd think after thirty years you'd be used to it, but no."
He could not not be exasperating for a single moment of the day, he could not speak a single word without teasing or showing off, but...
"I love you," said Arjun.
Madhav beamed. "At this point, practically the entire world knows, but I'll be polite and repeat: I love you, too."
He pulled Arjun into his arms, tousled his hair and attempted to strangle him. Arjun did not try to push him off.
Ages would pass, they would have an eternity together, and yet Arjun knew he would never be able to fully believe in the miracle that this brilliant, beautiful being was his, all his.