Before the Cacophony-||2||

                                    

                                          



It has been three days since they were moving. The arrival was estimated on day 4, or if Pragati was too tired to sit on the palanquin - then maybe 5. Suthanu was annoyed by her little sister's impatience. She fidgeted badly- and constantly chewed on the fact that long journeys were indeed not her cup of tea. 
                          
'Get hold of the brat.' Suthanu screamed on her running sister. 'The break is no more than 5 minutes.' Abhimanyu announced looking equally agitated. 'If my legs were made of wood than I could have given a second thought to this command. But as of now- I agree to disagree.' Pragati sighed in an old fashion. Prativindhya scooped the water in his hands, splashing it on his face. the fragrance of Chandan was heavenly. 'beware of snakes.' Shrutsena signaled Pragati. ' Is that a move to scare me?' She asked. 'Oh, sister deary! Of your scarce knowledge, I can't to nothing.' Suthanu sugar-coated the daggers. 'Easy, Suthanu.' Prativindhya warned his sister. ' The Chandan trees hold the most vicious snakes Pragati.' Shrutkarman took the kusha grass in his hand. 'Let's get going.' Pragati hurried back to the servants to order them a resume. 'Better.' Abhimanyu remarked before taking over his horse. ' I didn't know mere snakes can drive a Kuru Princess off fear.' Shaitanika whispered. ' For god's sake she is just 12.' Prativindhya scolded Shaitainika.
                          
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Panchali sat motionlessly on a stone near her hut. She pretended of working on some pulses- but everyone knew for the better. ' The sages left for the day.' Bheem scrubbed his teeth with a woody bark. ' Is this the time to brush your teeth Bhrata?' Sahdev slapped his hands on his hips.
'No time is appropriate for heavy eaters.' Arjun smirked. ' If you people can shut up with  this banter- I can better concentrate on my work.' Panchali Rushed her hands to find pebbles. the stones were peculiar and much larger. The big ones were easily caught and separated but the small ones exactly looked like the pulse- and that was causing all the annoyance. ' You have been doing it for the tenth time Panchali. I know the children are coming and it's important for them to eat pulses without pebble' Arjun rolled his eyes. 'I ate 20 pebbles yesterday - and I don't find any reason to impress our kids as if we still have any royalty left in our behavior.' Bheem laughed with Sahdev. 'You know what Arya, I don't care if we were eating all the wrong stuff every day. But children are children. No compromise with their health.' Panchali sniffled dust from her nose. She has long forgotten that what it had been to wear soft silk and walk on carpets.



                          
'They aren't here still. What is taking them so long?' Nakul conversed his doubts sitting on a nearby tree. 
'They are not going to fly Arya, are they?' Panchali asked in her vanity, as she crumpled the kusha grass under her fist.
'Your humor has gone very dry, Panchali.' Yudhistir remarked with his eyes still closed in meditation.
'At least someone is trying to maintain the humor.' Sahdev whispered as he saw his wife shook her head in admittance.  
'You all were so busy doing things that you never bothered to check that my humor was ever so dry.' Panchali passed a ghostly smile. ' Not until Suthanu took over me.' She closed her eyes to remember her daughter who was a spitting image of her, with whom she didn't need a mirror. When she was born her big eyes would hold the world. She would spill a tear or two thinking that what it would be like to be present on her wedding day behind her- trying to figure out when did she grow up to be so large that her arms couldn't hold. And now she couldn't fathom remembering what was the name of Pragati's doll or Suthanu's toy prince- she had never got the chance to know in the first place.




                          
'Matashree!' there was a voice so delicate that it may cut right through your skin. Her calloused hands felt embarrassed as she gave a hand to her younger daughter in order to get up. She embraced her with all her might in order to see if she could still hide her child in her arms. 'You didn't give me a chance to wish you.' Pragati managed to spell a sentence. 'Doesn't matter.' Draupadi snuggled close to her hair. She felt two arms encircling her back as she could feel the heat of her eldest daughter's skin. ' Pranipat matashree. Hope I outgrew your height this time.' Suthanu cracked a joke to lighten the air around them. Panchali chuckled on her daughter's antiques. Dry humor, indeed.


                          
Shrutkarman and Abhimanyu walked together with an age gap of two years and a height gap of none. Arjun widened his eyes to hold back his emotions and look at the marvel he had created with the women he had loved. Of all the toil and trouble they had borne; this was their nirvana. The shade of your son's sweet smile on your face was enough to wash all the tiredness away. 'Pranipat Pitashree.' they sang in unity and Arjun couldn't help but smile till his ears- the same happiness surrounding him, when he got a sweet from Bheem's platter.




                          
Prativindhya had touched his father's feet the moment he was out of his chariot. All the debates and discussions on his father's dharma for the past twelve years had swelled his heart of admiration. They looked at each other as if they had met after every sunset and before every sunrise. Prativindhya didn't show, but,  it felt safe under his gaze as if all the problems were far from him. Repercussions of his some decisions have been the most awful and the most wonderful parts of their lives. Patience in love, patience in separation. Humility and respect even after everything is lost.



                          
Sahdev looked back at the knowledge he had gathered so far. He was great in astrology but still had failed to trace the enormous eyes and the masculine gait his son possessed. When he spoke he felt intoxicated - trying to find questions in his sentences which he could later ask. He had lost so much time. He is 15 now- Shrutsena. Capable of taking over an ax over his shoulder. Sahdev laughed when his son cracked a mild exchange in humor but was shivering of the intensity their lives had changed - him still being so oblivious of it.




                          
Nakul looked over Sutsom and Shaitaink talking to each other - punching and beating on rare occasions. And then he saw his elder Bheem looking so mixed up with them as if he had been always there - like all these 12 years were just a 12-minute long bad dream. ' Don't start crying!' Sutsom cracked a joke, on which Shaitainika made a face giving shivers to Nakul down his spine. Did you hear that  Nakul looked at Bheem. the very last night as Nakul had returned after a bath Bheem had given him a piece of strong advice - 'When the children arrive- Do not Cry! or else..' 
                          
He had thought of all the times they had missed these replicated exchanges between their kids- which made them fathom and hate the night they had left all this behind.


                          
Draupadi's eyes were misty as she spilled a tear over her cheekbone. She was serving a glass of water to each of her children as her husband chatted with the girls. 'Sorry!' she apologized in a hurry- wiping her tear. ' The Queen of Inderprasth cannot risk her image to be tarnished of these small troubles, could she?' Suthanu rolled her eye as her brothers cracked a smile. ' We aren't here to take your apologies- Mata.' Pragati added. Draupadi cracked a smile as Arjun shook his head in admittance of their small girls. ' Fat people give enormous advices.' Abhimanyu looked everywhere but at Pragati. ' You think I didn't hear that.' Pragati was furious at this one. She got up from her place. 'Now enough is enough. What's going on here? Do you think Pragati is a joke to crack it every time you get a chance- Suthanu and Abhimanyu?' Prativindhya stood up for his sister.  Nakul and Sahdev rolled their eyes -'Righteousness!' they remarked, earning a glare from Yudhishthir.
                          
'Stop kidding me.' Suthanu lazily defended, as Shrutkarman nodded. 'Is being fat wrong ?' Bheem narrowed his eyes and Suthanu choked on water. ' Until it becomes a barrier for proposals and that is what my sister lives for.' Pragati sniffed on the account of Bheems's support. 'Mata!!' Suthanu screamed in annoyance. ' Your younger daughter has made my life hell. She wants me to get married and then pack me off to some land nobody knows. She has the most bizarre suggestions. the last time she introduced a servant as a prince to me- whom she had clad with finery- is that what decency is?' Suthanu complained. Panchali held a laugh. 'What is all that Pragati?' Panchali tried scolding her. ' A minute.' Sutsom spoke. ' he wasn't  a servant.' He was furious. ' Damn! he was my friend.' Sutsom's mouth swelled in anger. ' Was that?' Suthanu narrowed her eyes. ' He wasn't a prince still. Bad fortune. Period.' Pragati announced as the Pandavs gave in for a laugh at this one. ' Now you are even.' Panchali announced before joining her husbands.



                          
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