While the four anuj brothers were lifting their mother, her Jyeshth, and her Yuvraj were lifting her, in their makeshift palkis. To ensure, that Karunika would stop telling her Yuvraj and her Jyeshth to put her down, and let her walk on her own, they had loosely tied a cloth around her mouth.
" Mghm! Mghm. " She tried, but to no avail.
" Karunika. No matter what you say I am not letting you down. I will shift places with Yudhishthir if need be, but we are not putting you down. " Karn told her.
" Putri. What is it. Bheem. Open the cloth. " Kunti ordered.
" Augh. Finally. Mata. I was saying, that I feel like I need to vomit. I don't feel well. But my dear brother and the Yuvraj don't seem to understand that I accepted my defeat about them carrying me long back. Now PUT ME DOWN! " She finished, yelling at them.
The second they put her down, she ran to a nearby bush, and puked out. So badly, that there was blood in it..
" Putri? What's wrong. Are you alright? " Kunti asked, concerned.
Wiping her mouth with her odhini, and cleaning her hands on the rocks, she said, shakily " Ji mata. It is plausible that one of the fruits we brought was rotten. It's why my stomach couldn't stomach it. "
Now, why she ever assumed her brothers didn't follow each of her movements was beyond them, because Yudhishthir and Sahdev had seen her wipe off the blood. But more than that, it was seen by her Yuvraj, who was furious.
He walked upto her, anger evident in her eyes.
"Karunika. I will ask once. Was there blood on your hands? " He asked her, while the others just looked up sharply.
" Arre. Yu-yuvraj it's nothing. It might have been the colour from my odhini. Don't worry. I am fine. " She added, trying to evade his questioning glare.
" Jyeshtha, I know you lie to us so that we don't worry about you and we are able to be at peace, but I never knew you'll lie to your to be husband. " Yudhishthir told her, still eying the blood on the rocks.
Meanwhile, Kunti who had enough of her daughter trying to be everyone's saviour by disregarding herself, ran up to her, and yanked Karunika's hand towards herself. There, she saw traces of dry blood. She looked up at her daughter, tearfully.
" Putri. You lying to us benefits no one. If we know what the problem is, we can look for a solution. But if you don't tell me, your own mata then what would I do? " She asked her daughter, holding her face in his hands.
The Yuvraj meanwhile, although concerned with her health, did not like her lying to him. But he couldn't stay mad at his love for too long, so he elected to be fake mad. Seems to solve all problems doesn't it?
" Yuvraj-"
" Kumari, please either start walking, or climb the palki while we carry you, and find a place where Nakul and Sahdev may treat you. " He told her, while the others hid their faces, knowing his games by the six weeks he had now travelled with them.
"Al-alright. I'll walk. "
" Fine. Mitr Karn, let's start moving shall we? " He said, nonchalant.
" Avashy mitr. Yudhishthir, you rest for some time. I'll take over. Then Arjun, Nakul and Sahdev. We'll keep changing every prahar. "
" Ji Jyeshth. "
All this time, Karunika looked at her Yuvraj, who looked everywhere but her. Now, she knew he was angry at her for lying to him,but not so angry that he wouldn't even look at her. So, she resolved to appeal to him.
Pulling him back lightly with her hand, she said " Yuvraj. Please forgive me. I am sorry. I won't lie to you ever. I promise. " She said, looking up at him with wide eyes.
" Kumari. We have promised to share everything with each other, be that love, pain anger, sadness, joy or even illness. If you don't tell me what is -"
He was cut off by someone's loud, and very painful cries. They all stopped to look, and Bheem, looked ahead, then ran down the side of the hill.
" Bheem! Arre Bheem where are you going? " She asked after him, coughing as she went.
" Hold on Jyeshtha. We'll all go together. " Arjun told her.
They walked down the hill, but Karunika managed to twist her ankle as she stepped in a ditch.
"Aah! " She said, wincing as she got her foot out, bent oddly.
The Yuvraj, not even taking a moment picked her up in his hands, like one would, while helping the injured, and carried her off. Watching all this, Kunti realised, that her daughter had truly chosen a gem for herself.
They came down next to Bheem, and Mata Kunti exclaimed , " Bhagwan Vyas! " Toching his feet, while the rest followed the same.
Karunika, being the stubborn person that she was, asked her love to put her down, but the second she tried to put strength into her foot, she fell, right in the feet of the bhagwan.
" Jyeshtha! " "Kumari! " "Karunika! " "Putri ! " They all called out to her.
" Putri. I hope you understand you are ill ? " Bhagwan Vyas told her.
" Bhagwan, I hope you can treat her. She is our sister." Bheem said, lightly massaging her feet.
" Avashy. Putr Nakul, putr Sahdev, please go, and get some of the important leaves and herbs for the aushadhi. I hope you know which ones. Both for her feet and the bleeding in her coughs. "
" Ji bhagwan. " They said, running away.
" Pranipat Bhagwan. " Adam said, touching his feet .
"Aayushman bhav. Yuvraj, so you did leave it all behind. " He
asked.
" Bhagwan, I have no idea if it is right or wrong. But I have learnt from my mata, that decisions taken with pure love and trust in your love can't be wrong, and I trust my love. " He said, fondly looking at Karunika.
Meanwhile, the twins returned with the leaves and herbs, using which the bhgwan made an aushadhi, carefully applying it to her feet, and then, giving her one for the blood.
" Putron. I knew, a simple fire wouldn't kill you all. I hope, that you'll stay here for one night, before proceeding to Naimisharyam. But on the way, do stop by at Kampilya. You will find the solutions to many of your problems. " The Bhagwan told them.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Karunika sat outside her hut, fanning herself with her odhini, when two people, grabbed her, one by her hands, and one by her mouth so that she couldn't scream.
She tried to yell, but was stopped, by the hand on her mouth. They picked her up, and that is when she realised it was her brothers, Bheem and Nakul.She glared at them, eyes sharp, and they immediately let go off her.
" You idiots! What are you doing at this time of the night? What if I'd yelled ? " She whisper yelled.
" Jyeshtha. Yuvraj Adam wants to meet you. Who are we to deny our Jijashree's request. He has called for you near the waterfall nearby. " Nakul told her, inching away from her hand, knowing she was about to pull on their ears.
" You -"
" Jyeshtha. Scold us later. First go to Yuvraj. He's been waiting for you since the last 30 minutes. " Bheem told her, snickering at the last bit.
" Haan haan. Jaa rahi hoon. I swear. If either of you follow me, I will tell mata what you did. "
" Avashy Jyeshtha. Shubh Ratri." Nakul said, and they ran off, laughing.Unbeknownst to her, her brothers would never leave her alone with another man, in fact, if they could they would follow her around even after her marriage, just so that they could protect her. In accordance to their ' love', Arjun and Sahdev, sat behind a tree, waiting for their sister to come.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
" You called for me Yuvraj? "
" Yes. But please don't call me that. Don't call me Yuvraj. It makes it very formal. "
" Alright. Then what should I call you? I will be calling you Arya after our marriage anyways-"
" Say that again? "
" What? Yuvraj? " she said, now coy.
" Nahi, the other one. " He said, walking closer.
" Raajkumar? " she said, now a grin on her face, while the kumar stood just five steps away.
" Nahi. You know what I mean. "
" Oh. Vajji Yuvraj. " She said, now nearly laughing, but by then, he reached her, and grabbed her hand, pulling her to him.
" You know very well what I mean. But alright. You want to tease me, fine. I won't show you the gift I brought you. " He told her, caressing her face.....
The kumari stood there, flustered out of her mind. It seemed to her, as if everytime she stood near him, her mind refused to function.
" I-I-I don't nee-need any gif-gifts, you are my biggest gift, Arya. " She told him, finally able to string words enough to make a sentence.
" Oh how that warms my soul. You are exquisite Kumari. "
" Don't call me kumari. "
" But then what should I call you. Should I call you Karunika, or Dayanidhi, or Raajkumari or Priye ? " He whispered in her ear, waliking her to the edge of the fountain, moving behind her.
" Karunika is fine. I like it." She said, now completely out of her mind.
" No. But I like priye. I will call you Priy. My priy. " He said, laughing at her flushed face. " Come, I'll show you your gift." He opened his hand, to show her the most beautiful blue flowers that one could imagine. They were the same shade as his eyes, and she loved every petal of it. He stood behind her, arranging it in her head.
" There. That looks perfect. Now you can go back. My Priye. Your brothers are spying on us from the tree over there. Go before they attempt to kill me for loving you. " He told her, laughing at her comically large eyes at that information.
" But I told them to stay away! I won't leave them. Morning mein I'll twist all their ears. " She said, huffing.
" Arre priy. Hold on." He said, gently wiping the water off her forehead, and then sending her off.
She ran away, blushing as red as a rose, while her brothers knew nothing other than the flower being exchanged. It should stay that way as well. Their Jyeshtha will scold them in the morning, just wait.
The prince stood there, dreamily, wishing for times to become better soon. He could not tolerate the secrets anymore. Even if their family knew, it is not advisable for an unmarried woman to be alone with an unmarried man like this. The world would blame her for being promiscuous. Such was the society they lived in.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
" Jyeshtha. We must leave for Kampilya. " Yudhishthir said, standing outside her hut.
They greeted Bhagwan Vyas, and moved towards Kampilya Nagri, walking into to the villages by the end of the day. Now, her brothers were rather confused. She didn't speak to anyone save for her love, Yudhishthir, Karn and their mata.
They reached a potters house, where they asked to stay in a dharmshala. But realising all were full, the potter invited them to stay with him.
" Brhamin ho? " He asked them.
Before Yudhishthir said anything, Karunika said, " Ji, by karm we are brhamins right now. " He agreed.
" Kumari, why did you lie to
him? " Karn asked her sternly.
" When did I lie Jyeshth. We are by our karm brhamins. By birth we may be kshatriys, but by karm we are brhamins. Just like you assumed you were a sot putr by birth, but by karm you called yourself a kshtriy. I don't understand where lied. " She told him firmly.
" She's right mitr Karn. By our tasks, we are brhamin only. " Adam added, supporting his lady love.
" Of course. You'll support her anyways. Prem has made you blind. " He muttered, earning a laugh from the rest of them, while Kunti watched her children fondly. Yes life was hard on many days, but it was also rewarding.
________________________________
Next stop.. Panchali ka swayamvar. Lakshmija Narayan milan. I'm so excited to write, just as I am to read your opinions on the same. Please Comment and vote.
With love
Radhe radhe ❤