"Aarya, what is it that you want?"
He looked at her steadily without articulating a word. What did she want, she had asked him. All his life he had only been fighting, bottling up anger and bitterness, struggling with dilemmas and today this beautiful lotus before him was sprinkling her intoxicating fragrance on him, gradually permeating through the layers of his soul.
"Now that my lost wandering being in this vast unpredictable, ocean of life has got an anchor, I wish to hold on to it and..." he said gazing into her bright eyes, the remnants of the black kajal although smudged, gave them a raw intensity.
"And?" she asked reaching forward to take his hand in hers.
"And I don't want to lose it again" he completed, clasping the fingers of her hand that held his.
"And you won't" she replied firmly matching his gaze.
Karna tentatively brought his free hand near her forehead. He searched her eyes for any sign of protest and finding none, he tenderly tucked some stray locks behind her ear. She was not evading his lingering touches on the soft skin of her ear and sensing this, he let his fingers glide down the length of her hair stopping when they reached her elbow.
He was bringing his hand out of her hair when she caught it mid way. She smiled at the surprised look on his face as she brought his hands closer to her face, her eyes orbiting over them as if in some deep examination.
"Draupadi?" he asked unable to comprehend her actions.
"Aarya, your hands have always mesmerised me..." she said fingering them delicately, they were so soft and smooth, even more than hers, without a single callous so unusual for a maharathi (great warrior) like him.
"How is it possible?" she thought aloud.
"Because my natural skin armour though concentrated at my chest extends all over my body invisisbly" he explained.
Draupadi's eyes fleeted to his chest for a few seconds before abruptly focussing back on his hands drawing a soft laugh from her husband.
"Oh Panchali you have brought in my life something so beautifully new and overwhelming. I can't name it yet but I have never felt more stable before, yes there are still several issues to be sorted but now I have greater energy" he said gently enjoying the blush creeping up her cheeks on her head lowered in shyness.
Draupadi tried to say something but could not manage to bring a syllable to her lips. She spotted the silver box of pedhas on a little table. Her eyes gleamed mischievously. She dropped his hands and walked towards the table leaving her husband staring after her slightly astonished.
"What are you doing Panchali?" he asked, his voice rising in bewilderment and even a little panic.
She did not reply and continued walking towards the doors, the box of pedhas in her hand, giggling to herself.
"Panchali you can take half of them but leave the rest here" he commanded rather childishly.
"No I want all of them" she replied already opening the door.
'What! No way" he ran towards her grabbing for the box in her hands.
She clutched them equally tightly trying to pull them away unmindful of the servants and soldiers in the corridor.
"Panchali leave them alone. My mother has made them for me" Karna said pouting.
"So she is not only your mother. The sweets will fall if we keep tugging at the box. Don't pull at it" she replied.
"You can do that, why me?" he said stubbornly.
Just then the sound of someone clearing their throat in a manner that seeks attention brought them to a stop. They turned their heads towards the source of the sound and whom did they find? Radha and Adirath stood before them with suppressed smiles.
"Radha ma... ma..." Karna fumbled.
"Looks like your children are yet to grow up, Radha", Adirath chuckled to his wife.
"We are embarrassing them, Swami, let us go" Radha said smiling sweetly at them.
"You keep them Panchali" Karna said softly after his parents were gone.
She gave him a questioning look.
"It is only because of you that my parents came to visit me in my own kingdom today. Pitashri had almost cut ties with me when I was crowned King of Anga and Ma had no choice but to follow him" he said, the corner of his eyes glistening, "But today they came to my palace because they see it as your home... Anyways I have to attend court. I will take my leave for now Panchali."
Draupadi stared after him clutching the box of pedhas to her bosom. A smile appeared on her lips. She was going to do something her husband would like a lot and for that she needed Radha ma's help.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The King of Anga was sitting in his study in the silent stillness of the hot afternoon. Life was at the lull but his mind was racing, jumping between one possible conclusion to another but fixating on none. No other life gave him company in his grand study as he sat looking intently at two letters on his table.
His brows furrowed in deep contemplation. One of them he expected but not so soon and the other completely unexpected but its content was something he had wanted to know for a long time but he had to verify it first.
Karna stood up from his seat. He had to act on the first letter now lest the people he held dearest might burn in unexpected ways.