Ambalika curiously glanced at herself in the mirror as her maids finished adorning her. The princess of Kashi couldn't help but reminisce how they used to get her ready in a similar manner when Vichitraveerya was alive, just in case he desired to approach her.
A smile momentarily crept its way on her lips, but then disappeared just like her fortune had since last year. She remembered the terrifying description of Ved Vyas which Ambika had given her.
'Vedo ka vibhajan karne wale yashashvi Rishi itne bhayawaye toh nahi ho sakte.' Ambalika tried to assure herself but was failing to.
She fidgeted with her fingers, trying to calm herself down. The hushes murmurings of the maids was only increasing her anxiety.
"Ekant !" She ordered and all the maidens left the room with bow.
Now that she was alone, Ambalika paced back and forth infront of her bed. She repeatedly told herself that she had to perform this duty for the greater good, for the sake of the kingdom.
'Rajya ke bhavishya ka prashn hai, mujhe apne Rajdharm ka nirvahan karna hi hoga.' She thought and took a deep breath.
Ambalika didn't realise in her nervousness, how long she was walking around the room like so, until the door opened, telling her it was midnight.
She gazed at the door and got struck with horror seeing Ved Vyas in a grim condition. Once again he came from his austerities and appeared in a repulsive condition.
Ambalika took a step back, and hitting the edge of the bed she fell over the bed. She lost all her colours and turned pale, as she saw the frightening looking ascetic approach her.
But still no matter how scared she was, she didn't close her eyes or turned her gaze away for the sake of the son that he will bestow her. And thus she conceived.
And once they were done, Ved Vyas told the Ambalika who was still horrified, "Mujhe dekhne ke pashchaat tum panduvarn ki si ho gayi thi, iss liye Devi, tumhara putra bhi panduvarn ka hoga aur uska naam bhi Pandu hoga."
After saying that he left her bed chamber, and just as he stepped outside Satyavati rushed to him.
"Ambalika ka putra swasth hoga na ? Usme koi dosh toh nahi hoga na ?" She asked worriedly.
"Ambalika ka putra, panduvarn ka hoga." Ved Vyas said.
Satyavati again felt anxious. The child would be pale. Something was still not right. And even if everything was fine with this child, it was still a risk to only have one qualified heir for the kingdom. Hastinapur would still be in a precarious position.
She looked at Vyas and joined her hands, "Dwaipayan, ek aur putra pradaan kardo Kuruvansh ko. Jisse yeh rajya purn roop se surakshit ho jaaye." She requested.
Ved Vyas sighed, "Maatru-hrin se mukt hone ke liye, mai Kuruvansh ko keval ek putra aur de sakta hu."
-- NINE MONTHS LATER --
In the grand chamber adorned with opulent tapestries and gilded furnishings, Ambalika lay upon a sumptuous bed, her face contorted with pain.
It was a moment of great anticipation, as she found herself in the throes of labor, her body consumed by the intensity of the moment.
With every passing moment, her contractions intensified. Each wave of pain rippled through her body, causing her to clench her fists and grit her teeth. The room echoed with her soft cries, a testament to the immense agony she endured.
Her trusted midwives scurried around, their brows furrowed with concern and their hands moving with years of trained and experienced precision.
Finally as the sun began to rise above the horizon spreading its brilliance across the land, Ambalika then, in a moment that seemed suspended in time, birthed a son unlike any other.
Heavy silence hung in the air as time stood still before bursting forth with exultation and jubilation; for there, before their eyes lay a resplendent child, pale in complexion yet bedecked with fathomless auspicious marks.
A maidservant rushed outside the room, and proclaimed, "Maharani Ambalika ne ek swasth putra ko janm diya hai !"
Satyavati who was praying repeatedly stopped, her eyes widened with surprise. A sigh of relief escaped the lips of Bhishm, while Ambika thanked heavens while cradling her son, the little Dhritrashtra, in her arms.
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A/N
HERE COMES MAHARAJ PANDU, THE FATHER OF PANDAVAS 😍😍😍