Draupadi, Karna and Bheema frowns looking at Sutasoma. They have been calling him for good 5 minutes. Who knows what he is thinking so much!
Draupadi smiles. His face looks so comical this way.
She ruffles his head, "Chanda!"
Sutasoma's thoughts break when his mother touches him. He immediately turns red hearing the nickname she used to call him when he was younge.
"Maa," he groans in embarrassment.
"Panchali, what's the use of us giving out sons names? You nicknamed each of them," Bheem scoffs.
"What's troubling you so much, Putra?" Karna nudges his shoulder affectionately.
"What's troubling my Chanda?" Draupadi asks again.
"Maa, Maya is so sick," Sutasoma sighs.
Three of them are immediately alarmed. Draupadi stands up.
"Why didn't you say this before? What happened? Is the ved here?" she is already out of the meeting chamber.
Sutasoma follows behind Karna and Bheema, "I don't know, Maa. Maya insists it's not something serious. She only needs rest."
"What's the symptoms?" Draupadi asks.
"She has been throwing up. Nausea all morning and can't eat anything. Even her favorite fishes. She feels weak all over," Sutasoma says.
Draupadi, Bheema and Karna halts on their steps. Three of them look at each other.
"Malini, inform the female veds immediately. And call Mata Kunti," Draupadi smiles.
"Maa, why are you smiling? Dadishree Kunti? Why Maa? Is this something serious?" Sutasoma turns pale.
Bheema and Karna pats his shoulders encouraging. Draupadi smiles shaking her head she alone enters Maya's chamber.
"Why are you all smiling?" Sutasoma asks them confused.
Outside Maya and Sutasoma's chamber everyone is waiting impatiently. Sutasoma is now visibly panicking. What's so wrong for his mother to call everyone of the family here?
"Calm down, bhrata," Satanika holds his brothers shoulder.
"I can't, Satanika. What happened to Maya? She was fine a few days ago. How could I be so careless?" Sutasoma's voice breaks.
"I will ask Maa again for permission to enter, bhrata. Don't worry. Bhabishree will be fine," Shrutasena sends a maid inside again.
Right now all of them are anxious about Maya. A ved male or female doesn't matter now.
The door opens a few minutes later. Instead the maids, Padma welcomes them inside smiling. Sutasoma runs inside first with Shrutasena.
Pandavas and others follow behind. Karna only has a smile on his lips. If Draupadi's heart is filled with happiness, the news of course is happy. And from clueless Sutasoma, he has an idea beforehand.
Maya has her face buried in Draupadi's chest. Her mother in law is showering her with kisses of love.
"Maya," Sutasoma calls anxiously.
Maya doesn't remove her face from Draupadi's chest. Instead she snuggles more in her arms. Draupadi also holds her lovingly. Sutasoma sits on the foot of bed near his Maa's feet.
"Panchali, is everything okay?" Yudhisthira asks first.
Draupadi smiles tenderly, "My Chanda will become a father soon. Everything is more than okay, Arya."
Sutasoma lowers his gaze in a flash. Draupadi giggles gently pulling up his face. Her face broke with love seeing the tears on Sutasoma's eyes.
"My Chanda will have his own stars now," she embraces Sutasoma as well with Maya.
"Gives me deja Vu of the day when he took birth," Yudhisthira ruffles his head coming closer.
The day Sutasoma took birth, noone was as scared as Bheema. Breaking all rules he forcefully entered Draupadi's chamber. Seeing her screaming in pain and crying, he came out all pale. His blood pressure dropped tremendously that Nakula had to come out and assist him instead. Two people were on the bed that time. One giving birth to a prince and another scared for his wife.
Sutasoma places his crown on his mother's feet. He touches her feet. Hot tears fell from his eyes on her feet.
"Putra, pay respect to God first. Not me," Draupadi corrects him.
"I just did, Maa," Sutasoma looks up to his mother's gaze, "Maa is the very strength of her sons. Because of your sacrifices, we are standing here today. I pay my first respect to you."
Draupadi's eyes moistures immediately. She couldn't help but plants another kiss on his forehead. Pandavas look at the scenario with soft eyes.
"Congratulations, bhrata!" Satanika and Shrutakarma were first to embrace Sutasoma tightly.
Sutasoma hugs them tightly as well. He pays his respect to his eldest who pulls him to his chest and congratulates him. He pays his respect to his fathers.
Draupadi always had maids following her daughter in laws around. They barely needed to do anything. Maids are always present at their left and right. And now Draupadi appoints Padma to Maya as well.
Priyamvada, Malini and Padma are always with Draupadi following her every words. Aside from Padma, Priyamvada and Malini are gifted to Draupadi by Krishna himself. Later they knew Krishna wrote his sakhi before to take Padma as her maid as well. They work as the assistant of the Samragni herself. Their status is higher than maids and they have immense freedom as well. They don't need permission to enter Draupadi's chamber even.
"What's the need, Bua? I don't wake up at night hungry," Maya protests when Padma brings some food.
"Yuvrani, you may not be hungry but the person inside you can be. They are here in case," Padma says.
"Let her, Maya. It's for you only. If you struggle, Maa will come here herself,"
That makes Maya stop protesting. Her mother in law is talking care of her as if she is a toddler. When she walks by, her mother stares at her the entire time. She is banned from the kitchen. Her father in law isn't less any way. This morning, he cooked some mouth watering sweets for her himself.
"Arya, did you write to Matashree Hidimba and Bhrata Ghatotkach?" Maya asks.
"Of course," Sutasoma smiles.
"Are you feeling okay?" Sutasoma asks sitting beside her.
"I am not sick," Maya snaps.
Sutasoma smiles secretly. Her mood swings are so entertaining. She is mad at him one second then cries and apologies the next second. She pulled Shrutakarma's ear this morning. That poor boy wailed animatedly for an hour. Satanika got his experience from Siyaanshi so this time he is miles away from a second pregnant woman. That's what he declared but he is around the most. He checks up her regularly as well.
"Arya, what do you think? Is it going to be a boy or a girl?" Maya asks.
Sutasoma lays on her lap, "I really hope a princess. We have enough boys in our family that is."
Maya giggles. This morning everyone was talking about it as well. Her father in law desperately wishes for a grand daughter.
"My very own princess. You know Maya, if it's a boy I will teach him everything. I would keep him on his toes. He must exceed me or he has to be equal to me. You will see Maya, we will go to hunt together, we will practice together..." Sutasoma goes on excitedly the events as if he is living that time.
"What if it's a girl?" Maya asks caressing his hair.
"Then, I wouldn't need to teach her anything this sort,"
"Because she is a girl?" Maya asks in disappointment.
Sutasoma smiles softly touching her face, "Because she will teach me everything from anew. She will be my teacher. She will teach me how to braid, we will make garlands, we will paint together. And she isn't allowed to marry before 90."
Maya gets tears in her eyes for laughing so much. Sutasoma pouts in return. He turns on her lap. His heart fluttering as her laughter fulfills his chamber as well as his heart.
Draupadi bows and touches Balarama's feet and her Sakha's. She doesn't meet Balarama's eyes though. Balarama looks at Krishna and Arjuna helplessly.
"Sakhi, who offended you this time?" Krishna asks settling himself on her bed.
"What? Do you want the list?" Draupadi snaps.
"Yes, actually,"
Draupadi couldn't hide the smile on her lips this time.
"Behna, you won't even look at me?" Balarama cooes at her.
"Malini, send Bhadra here. Her eldest brother wishes to see her," Draupadi doesn't acknowledge him at all.
"Krishnaa, are you that angry with me?" Balarama again tries to talk with her.
"Samrat, inform me if Shreeman Balarama needs anything," Draupadi was about to go when Balarama holds her wrist making her sit beside him.
Pandavas watch smiling. Only Draupadi throws tantrums with the greatest warriors this carelessly. She is so angry with Balarama that she didn't even look at him once.
"Kanha, who is this Shreeman Balarama? Do you know him?" Balarama asks Krishna with world's surprise on his face.
"Nope, Dao. Never heard of him. He sounds like a warrior. Do you know him, Bhrata Bheem?" Krishna plays along.
"Of course, I do. Panchali, he is a very scary wrestler. Be aware of him," Bheem joins in.
"Not only that, Panchali I have heard he is very cruel and beats people regularly," Arjun doesn't lie though. He and his Madhav were beaten on a regular basis while living in Dwarka.
"You two have no respect at all. He is your elder. Why are you bad mouthing him?" Draupadi snaps at her husbands now.
Balarama smiles. Here she is. She is the Samragni of Aryavarta, knowledgeable of all Shastras but so naive to a different point. She is simple minded. How can she not bear hatred in her heart? So pure for this world.
"What's that to you? You won't look at me, talk to me. Let your husbands curse me. What can I even do?" Balarama sighs faking sadness.
Draupadi straightens up looking at him guiltily. Balarama almost feels bad from tricking her this way.
"Forgive me, Dao. I didn't mean to insult you," Draupadi becomes guilty immediately.
Balarama pats her head lovingly, "How can Krishnaa insult me? I have sworn to protect her all my life."
"You also have no conscious Dao. How can you not visit your sister? Is that little she means to you?" Krishna decides to lighten to fire again.
"Bheema, please drop him in Ganga. I barely appeased one Krishna now another starts," Dao rubs his forehead.
Everyone bursts into laughter.
Balarama and Krishna came to bless the union. Nandini wanted to stay with her Maa but Draupadi orders her to go.
"In a few months, you will be with me all the time. Let Jiji Rukmini spend her days with you," Draupadi hugs her.
Ceremony of blessings Shrutasena is going on. Maya's pregnancy adds more happiness to the event. But Draupadi and Krishna had an entire discussion pending.
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