The air of the Shiva Temple thickened with the acrid scent of smoke, and the peaceful ambiance of the temple slowly turned into chaos. Panic ensued among the worshippers as they rushed to evacuate the place, their prayers turning into fearful cries.
Apparently, the camphor lamps lit up by devotees were handled carelessly, and with their slightest touch, a lac pillar began to spark a fire. Gradually, the flames, fueled by unknown forces, began to spread over the temple roof.
Understanding the situation with just a glance of smoke, and after experiencing the Lakshagriha fire, Arjun, now very wary, led the people out of the temple, safe from the fire.
Within moments, the holy temple that was flooded with devotees seconds ago was completely empty, but still standing proud in the fire.
Amidst the chaos, Arjun's eyes searched for a pair of brown eyes. She, the worser fact that he didn't even get to know her name, was missing. His eyes wished to catch her sight just once, just to make sure she was fine.
"Hey Bhagvan!" The temple priest yelled. "Anarth ho gaya is madir mein. Yeh bhagvan ka ghar hai. Mere Shiv Ji ki griha aise sarvanaash ho gaya."
"Chodiye Natha, kam se kam Shiv Ji ne yeh dekhbhaal kar li ki koyi praan toh nahi li na. Sab bahar aa gaye, sab surakshit hai." His wife cajoled him.
He sighed peacefully, hearing that everyone where safe, so she must be safe too.
While a part of him did say to stay still he saw her once, it was already late evening, and if he didn't leave now, it would be late night to reach Hastinapur.
While people were running around fetching water to put off the fire, he went outside the temple premises, reaching out to his loyal mare, Saibya, sparing a last glance at the burning temple.
"Are you fine, my dear?" He asked it, softly caressing the white-furred horse, to which it purred loudly in response.
"Great, shall we leave?"
The horse stood still, unlikely of its usual enthusiasm to travel along with Arjun.
"What happened?" He asked.
It walked towards the direction of the temple, as if trying to convey something to him.
"I understand, we can't leave just like that. But it was a natural disaster, there is nothing we can do about it." He said.
"Since when did you become like Subhi, getting sad at small things?" He said jokingly.
"Well, if you are not feeling better, we will just walk ahead for some distance. What do you say? Come, let's go."
Saibya looked at him with glistening eyes, before heeding to its master's words and walking forward.
The silhouette of Arjun along with Saibya was visible from far, under the setting sun.
Arjun wasn't even halfway to the exterior of Panchal when he heard the galloping of a horse behind him.
As he turned back, he found a velvet-black horse running to him from afar. Looking at it keenly, it took him a few moments to realize the horse was familiar to him.
"Veer?" He called out, to confirm his assumptions, and the horse responded to its call, running closer to him.
Once it was just in front of him, it looked at him with glistening eyes, tears streaming down its eyes through its fur.
"What happened? Are you fine?" He asked, a horse shedding tears was an unusual sight.
Then it clicked him.
"Is she fine? Is she in any problem?" He asked, his instincts kicking in.
Veer gazed at Arjun with eyes that seemed to hold a lot of worry for its mistress. Without uttering a word, the horse conveyed a sense of urgency, as if prompting Arjun to follow.
"She isn't fine?" It wasn't a question.
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The temple that once stood proud as a testament to the Panchala royalty was now up in flames.
Caressing the black-furred horse with assurance for once while worry marred his own features, Arjun dashed into the temple.
His white uttariya had patches of grey with ashes, and his eyes raked through every corner of the temple while he simultaneously stringed his bow.
Steadying down his mind, he stood still, closed his eyes muttering inaudible words, and called for the Varunastra. Knocking down the down arrow in his bow, he aimed it towards the sky and released the arrow.
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The temple that once stood proud as a testament to the Panchala royalty was now up in flames.
Caressing the black-furred horse with assurance for once, Arjun dashed into the temple.
His white uttariya had patches of grey with ashes, and his eyes raked through every corner of the temple while he simultaneously stringed his bow.
Steadying down his mind, he stood still, closed his eyes, muttering inaudible words, and called for the Varunastra. The divine weapon responded to his invocation, a shimmering aura enveloping Arjun as he prepared to channel its power.
As the arrow soared through the air, it split into multiple streams, each resembling a cascade of water.
The flames were gradually subdued by the Varunastra's might, allowing glimpses of the temple's structure to emerge from the dissipating smoke.
Gradually, the fire was dying down and the smoke subsided. The Varunastra, having fulfilled its duty, dissipated into the cosmic energy.
Arjun's worry-filled eyes were filled with a sense of relief as he caught sight of the inner sanctum of the temple.
There she was, in the Garbhagriha, in deep meditation, seemingly oblivious to the unfolding disaster. The fire, recognizing her affinity with its element, hesitated to touch her. She remained untouched, a serene figure amid the fiery turmoil.
The sight of her untouched by the encroaching flames intrigued and startled him. The end of her hem was in the shade of dark black, and he could understand how close she would have been to fire. He felt as if a divine force was working as her shield, not letting the fire even near her. Sighing in relief, without a moment's hesitation, Arjun moved towards her.
He tried calling out to her, but not knowing her name seemed a more silly problem at this moment, and nothing seemed to break her meditative trance.
Slowly stepping towards her, crouched beside her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, so softly as if he was touching a flower.
As if all she was waiting for was his touch, she succumbed to unconsciousness and fell into his hold.
Looking around for anybody's presence in the temple, Arjun carefully lifted her in his arms, her form light and delicate. He couldn't help but wonder about the ethereal aura that surrounded her, protecting her from the consuming flames.
Reaching the outermost part of the temple, he carefully rested her against a pillar, and sat beside her. He observed her closely, her features serene even in unconsciousness. There was a certain grace about her that intrigued him.
He leaned against a pillar facing her and gently looked up at the night sky, and then at her. His lips curled into a small smile as he realized her beauty was as ethereal as the dark blue sky bejeweled with stars.
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Draupadi slowly stirred up as she felt cool droplets of water crashing against her, and it gave a burning sensation with the sunlight against her skin. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she could only see bright white color. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times to adjust with the lighting around her. She slowly saw through the blurred consciousness.
"You are awake?" Arjun asked in a gentle whisper.
She jerked as she realized she was not alone. She blinked several times, momentarily disoriented. The memory of the temple engulfed in flames flashed before her eyes. The last thing she remembered was noticing a serpent in the sanctum, and seeing it disappear into thin air. Her hand instinctively went to her heart, feeling the rhythmic beat that assured her of being alive.
"Are you alright?" He asked softly.
She looked up at him, taking her own sweet time to notice his features, before nodding.
"Great, you are ought to be fine if you can sleep peacefully when everything around you is set on fire!" He said sarcastically.
"I'd advise you to have a check on your choice of words, Prince." She warned.
"Milady is the princess of which kingdom?" He teased.
She glared at him, but with a distinct softness and amusement in her eyes.
"I am not any Princess, Prince. Just someone seeking peace."
His demeanor softened as he looked at her.
"Peace, amidst fire?"
Her gaze held a hint of introspection.
"There's much about myself that I don't understand. But enough about me, Prince. Why did you risk entering a burning temple? For me?" She asked, her eyes looking at him earnestly.
He sighed, his reasons felt unsettling to himself.
"I would have done the same for anyone else."
Silence engulfed them for a few moments.
"Now, may I have the honor of knowing your name, milady?"
She didn't expect that question, there's no way that she casually reveals herself to be Yuvrani Draupadi to anyone whom she meets.
"Panchali..." She stated.
"Panchali..." He repeated the same. "Sweet name."
Their eyes locked and Draupadi continued looking at him tenderly, until the silence was broken by sounds of footsteps surrounding them from all sides.
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