30. Yahvi.

                                    

                                          
~ LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO ~
Yahvi fidgeted with the end of her sari as she entered the common chamber of Pandavas. The five wives of the Pandavas sat in a circle on the couches. The eldest three of them- Devika, Valandhara and Draupadi had needle and thread in their hands and a large platter of jasmine flowers was placed on the table. Draupadi was the first one to notice her arrival. "Yahvi?" She spoke and invited her with a smile. Yahvi took the seat opposite to Draupadi and greeted everyone with a grin of her own. Kerenumati and Viajya were muttering somthing in hushed words as they sat beside Yahvi. 
"Yahvi," Draupadi called out, snapping Yahvi's attention back to her. She hummed in response. Draupadi looked at her with twinkling eyes, "How is Manipur? I've never been there." 
This perked up the interest of all the Pandava queens. "Yes, neither have I been there." Devika commented as she wove another flower through the needle. 
Yahvi smile. Her eyes becoming distant as she looked back at the memory of her Kingdom, "It is beautiful," She said, her love for her kingdom evident in her voice, "A majority part of it is covered by lush green mountains. Clouds are the frequent visitors to the forests. They seep as low as the mist to touch the blooming flowers in the gardens. A faint scent of petrichor lingers in the moist winds and the swampy thoroughfares of the wet evergreen forests. The rays of sun often overshadowed by the lofty mountains."
"That must be so nice to witness. I'd love to be there sometime." Draupadi said and Yahvi's eyes lit up at her words, "Of course!" She exclaimed, "It would be wonderful!" 
Draupadi laughed at her childishness, "You're so cute."
Yahvi almost fainted hearing those words. Her idol had called her cute. It was a dream that had came true, she even laughed! Oh god, that twinkling laugh could brighten anyone's day. She grinned like an idiot and looked at Draupadi with awe. 
"What are you doing?" Yahvi pointed to Draupadi's hands that held the half-done jasmine garland.
"Oh, I'm making a garland," Draupadi replied, "Have you never done it?" 
Yahvi shook her head in a no, "My father never allowed me near sharp objects."
Draupadi found the answer weird but she did not comment on it, instead she patted the seat beside her, "You want to learn how to do it?" 
Yahvi could feel her face lit up like a candle, "Hell yeah!" She immediately jumped into the seat and carefully looked at what Draupadi was doing. It was pretty simple- gently hold the sessile of the flower, weave it through the needle and upto the desired length and then it was done. She looked at each movement of Draupadi with great attention, as if her life was dependent on it. 
"Do you want to try it?" Draupadi asked, and Yahvi nodded eagerly. She took the garland from Draupadi's hand and did as instructed. One-by-one, she wove the flowers through the thread, and there it was!
"I DID IT!" She exclaimed happily, flaunting the piece of art. The Pandava Queens laughed and praised her. Yahvi being nothing better than a kid, sucked all those praised gleefully. The family seemed like her own. They were so warm and friendly, never did they make her feel like an outsider. 
"Bhabhi!" Arjun whined as he entered the chamber with Nukul hot on his tail. 
Devika looked exasperated with their banter. She was fed up with the number of times these two came for her with the silliest things one could come up with, "What did you do now, Nakul?"
Her gaze burned into Nakul's. He breathed out a gasp of betrayal, "Bhabhi," He said with his mouth open as if someone had stabbed him in his back. The ultimate betrayal pinched his heart and fake tears rolled down his eyes, "Why does everyone thinks it's always me?" He sobbed and leaned on Arjun's shoulder, who rolled his eyes at his brother's drama, "Oh God! Why? Why did you do this to me? Is there no one who can understand me?" He pretended to wipe his tears and hunched his shoulders, "Bhabhi," He looked at Devika with immense sorrow in his eyes, "Do you also think I'm less romantic that Bhrata Arjun is?"