Author's POV
Everyone stood shocked, they all tried to find a trace of amusement or any kind of joke but found none. With each passing second, their hearts were leaping into their mouths.
"What are you all talking about? You all married a single woman?" Dhritrashtra asked.
"Yes jyesht pitashree, five of us married Draupadi." Karna said.
"Adharm!" Pitamah roared loudly making everyone gasp.
"Pitamah please listen to us. The situation was such-"
"Maun ho jao Yudhishthir isse pehle ki mere shastra tum panduputron ka astitva khatam kar dein." Pitamah roared and everyone stood shocked at his words and voice that held only hatred.
(Shut your mouth Yudhishthir before my weapons cease the existence of pandu's sons.)
"Pitamah, it was my fault. I asked them to divide whatever they got. It was my fault, not their." Mata Kunti said coming forward.
"Don't Kunti." Saying this pitamah went away.
"Panduputron, you all have committed a grave sin and for which you shall be punished." Saying this, Maharaj Dhritrashtra went away followed by everyone else. Mata Kunti went to talk to maharani Gandhari. Vidur went after Pitamah leaving eight of them alone.
Aahana moved towards Draupadi and held her hand.
"What to do now jyesht?" Arjun asked Karna.
"I have no idea Arjun. This is more messed up than expected." Karna said.
"Let's go to my room and try to solve this issue." Yudhishthir said and everyone followed him.
Aahana looked at the familiar corridor. Many good and bad memories were associated with this palace. Nothing really changed here. As soon as they entered the room, they were met by a weird smell.
"Das, what is this smell?" Nakul asked the worker standing there.
"I'm sorry Princes but kumar Duryodhan uses this room for his get togethers with friends and." He hesitated.
"Don't hesitate, be specific." Bheem said.
"Pleasures like drinks and women." He said the last part in a very low tone. Aahana stood shocked. It was her room, they lived here. She looked at her husband who was already looking at her.
"This is height of shamelessness. Why didn't you clean the room then?" Arjun asked.
"Because they asked us to allot a different room to rajkumar Yudhishthir and his wife." He said.
"It's alright. Tell us which room is that, we'll go." Aahana said politely as the poor man looked scared to death.
"Ji rajkumari." the man bowed and showed them the room adjacent to Karna's old room. Aahana made Draupadi sit on the couch and gave her a glass of water. All the brothers thought about the situation.
"Jyesht bhrata, we shouldn't have come here in the first case." bheem stated.
"Bheem, this is our home." Karna said.
"Bhrata, home is where family is. And the way everyone is treating us is not how family does." Nakul said.
"Nakul, bhrata Karna is right. This is our home. And maharaj is like our father. If he has taken the decision then we have to accept it." Yudhishthir said.
"Jyesht, it's your right to be the yuvraj." sahadev said.
"And this time, it's not only about your rights. But also about Draupadi's respect." Arjun said.
"Yes jyesht. If we accept their decision, then it will be proven that we are wrong." Sahadev said.
"And this time, pitamah is also against us." Arjun mumbled as everyone looked at him.
"Arya, can I say something?" Draupadi asked Karna.
"Sure panchali."
"If you all give me the permission, can I talk to pitamah for once." She stated softly.
"Why panchali?" Bheem asked.
"Arya, this sitiation is because of me. Maybe if I keep our point in front of pitamah, he will agree." Draupadi said.
"She's right." Aahana said for the first time since they came.
"If you both say so. Aahana, will. you please accompany her. Honestly, I don't trust anyone in this family." Karna said as Aahana looked at Yudhishthir. He nodded his head in a yes as both the ladies went out to meet pitamah.
Pitamah stood alone in front of his mother, maa Ganga. Though Vidur told him everything about the situation, he was still furious.
"Pitamah!" Aahana called out softly.
"Aahana, you are like my daughter but what you've agreed for has made me furious. Go away before you have to face the wrath of my curse." He said.
Aahana just stepped back as Draupadi decided to come forward.
"Mahamahim, mata Ganga is the purest entity in the world. So I, the fire born princess, Draupadi tell mata Ganga, if I'm impure, if I and my husbands have committed a sin by marrying, if my jiji Aahana and rajkumar Yudhishthir have made a mistake by agreeing to all this, I request you to take me as an offering in your pure waters." Draupadi said as she stood near the river. To pitamah's shock, the water rose to great heights but didn't even touch Draupadi. She just joined her hands and came to where Aahana and Pitamah stood.
"They could've taken sanyas." Pitamah said dejectedly.
"Pitamah, they were torn between their duties as a son and as a prince." Draupadi stated.
"Putri Draupadi, what you have done may be the need of the situation but what now. No one will consider panduputra Yudhishthir as their king. Even I cannot allow him to adorn the throne of Hastinapur. Somewhere of the other, people will consider this marriage an adharm. How will I explain them?" Pitamah said helplessly.
"Pitamah, if we have two plates of food, one with extra salt and one with poison, then we choose the one with extra salt to satisfy our hunger." Aahana said calmly.
"What do you mean Aahana?" Pitamah asked.
"Pitamah, people know both the princes. They know who is adharmi and who is not. If they consider Arya adharmi then they also have to agree that this is the first time he's agreeing to something like this. And you know Duryodhan." Aahana said politely.
"You are right. I'm sorry putri Draupadi that I doubted you." Pitamah said after some thought.
"Pitamah, you are elder to me.Please don't apologize." Draupadi said.
"Putri Aahana, I apologize to you too. I consider you my daughter and still accused you of something like this and spoke such hateful words." Pitamah said, his voice sounded guilty.
"Pitamah, fathers have a right to scold their kids." Aahana said as the three of them smiled.
"Sorry for interrupting mahamahim but there is something urgent." a soldier came running.
"What is it?" Pitamah asked.
"Maharaj has given orders to capture all the six princes and put them in prison." The soldier said as Aahana and Draupadi looked at each other. Though Draupadi was shocked to the core, Aahana expected something like this to happen.
"Dhritrashtra has literally become blind in his son's love. Draupadi, Aahana both of you go to your husbands. I'll go and talk to Dhritrashtra." pitamah said and hurriedly left.
"Jiji, what now?" Draupadi asked.
"First let's go. They might need us." Aahana said as they both hurriedly reached the room. The sight in front of them had them shocked. Yudhishthir and Karna didn't resist the soldiers capturing them.
"If you want to capture the mighty warriors like us, go and get magical ropes. These won't work." Bheem growled.
"Bheem, they are doing their work. Let them." Yudhishthir said calmly as Karna instructed the same to Arjun and the other two. All of them started moving out when they saw their wives at the door. Panchali was almost in tears while Aahana stood there, emotionless.
"Aahana, it is better for both of you to return to either Panchal or Dwaraka. It's not safe here and we being away will not help." Yudhishthir spoke.
"No arya. If we go then everyone will think that what we've done is wrong." Aahana said.
"Jiji is absolutely right. We have done nothing wrong. Also, we are not giving them a chance to prove us wrong." Draupadi added.
"We don't know when we will get out." Karna said.
"You will very soon. Pitamah has gone to talk to maharaj. He'll get a way out." Aahana said.
"It's time to go." A soldier shouted from outside. Panchali looked at everyone with teary eyes.
"Don't worry about us panchali. Worry about them as if they don't feed bhrata bheem on time, he will become a gorilla." Arjun said as everyone laughed and Draupadi smiled through teary eyes. Everyone started going. Aahana looked at everyone. It felt as if her family is going far from her.
"Take care of each other both of you." Karna turned and said. With one last glance at Aahana, Yudhishthir moved out followed by his brothers.
Aahana held Draupadi and they both smiled at each other.
They moved out to go to mata Kunti's room when they met Gandhar raj and Duryodhan midway.
"Oh bhabhiahree, pranipat. I heard that both of your husbands are prisoned. That's so sad. I'm sad for you both. Poor you, you would've thought that you'll be the queen and look now, your condition. It is worse than a dasi. This is what you get for rejecting me in the swayamwar." Duryodhan said.
"Don't forget your limits rajkumar Duryodhan." Draupadi yelled. Aahana stood quiet as she didn't feel the need to answer the fools.
"Calm down mere bache. They both are hurt. They must be worried also that what if rajkumar Yudhishthir is killed in prison. Panduputra will be out of the throne game." This statement of gandhar raj made Aahana literally thirsty for his blood. She wanted to strangle him to death right away.
"Mamashree." She turned towards them with a sickly sweet smile. Shakuni's face paled at the sweetness.
"I really appreciate your concern for us. You've shown concern when no one did. Thank you mamashree." Gandhar raj smiled nervously but her next statement scared him to death.
"Ek baat smaran rakhiyega gandhar raj, agar mere parivar main se kisi ko bhi ek kharoch bhi aayi ya unhe karagaar main ek pag bhi rakhna pad gaya to phir kal subah tak, panchal ki panch akhshauhani sena or Dwarka ki Narayani Sena, balram Yadav or Vasudev Krishna ke sath Hastinapur ke dwar pe nazar ayegi." Aahana said menacingly and left with Draupadi.
(Remember one thing Gandhar raj, if anyone of my family member gets a scratch or they have to step in prison, you will find the army of panchal and Narayani sena of Dwaraka along with Balram Yadav and Vasudev Krishna on the gates of Hastinapur by tomorrow morning.)
Shakuni and Duryodhan were left dumbstruck. Never in their lives did they imagine that Aahana will speak like this, forget about threatening.
Meanwhile, Shri Krishna smiled in Dwaraka. When asked by balram the reason of that smile, he answered.
"Now the queen takes the lead dau."
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