Marriage is a bond, made by purity of thought.





Karna was nervous and anxious, wondering if his letter had cleared her doubts. He was speaking with Pitamaha Bhishma about various kingdom works, and looking at the door.

"Putra, even if you look 10 more times, I don't think they will appear from thin air." said Bhishma, looking absolutely amused. He had a small smile on his face.

" Pitamaha! " said Karna, his face flushed.

"I don't see Gandhar raj, anywhere? He is usually the first person to interfere!" said Karna, curious.

"Well I might have sent him back to Gandhar. I cannot stop him from coming to the wedding though. " said Bhishma, a bit sheepish.

Karna looked at Bhishma, then laughed out loud.

Really? That's amazing. In the wedding I don't really think he can do much, that also in front of you, Pitamaha." said Karna, laughter still in his voice. Bhishma chuckled along with him.

A dwarpal entered then, "Mahamahim, Rajkumar, Maharani Gandhari along with the others had returned. They are asking for your presence." informed the dwarpal.

" You are dismissed." said Bhishma. Karna had a uncertain look on his face.

"Putra, everything will be fine. Do not worry. Now, let us proceed where they are." said Bhishma, as he stood up.

Karna nodded as he got up. Both proceeded towards the main hall.

Kunti and Gandhari were discussing various things with the Raj purohitji, like the things needed in various rituals and all other important things for the yagya.

"Putri! What is the news?" asked Bhishma as both Karna and him entered.

"Tatshree, the alliance is fixed. The wedding is in 2 weeks. I am so excited!" said Gandhari, a brilliant and happy smile on her face.

"Atyant subh samachar layi ho, putri! " said Bhishma, smiling as well.

Kunti smiled and went straight towards Karna. Her hands reached to cup his cheeks, as Karna leaned on his mother's touch.

"Putra, you have no idea how happy I am. I have never thought I would ever have you back. I had lost hope, long back. Parantu Bhagwan Narayan ki kripa hai, I got my son back. This day has been such a happy one for me, especially since your wedding is coming up." said Kunti, tears in her eyes.

"Maa! " whispered Karna, before pulling Kunti in an embrace. Bhishma and Gandhari smiled at the mother-son duo.

"Now, Kunti do not shed anymore tears. It's a happy occasion. We need to start preparing. From sending invitations, to the cleaning of the palace, to buying gifts, to Brahman bhojan...so many works are there. Kunti, we need to hurry, only 2 weeks and so so many works." said Gandhari, panicking slightly at the end.

"Jiji shant! We will manage. The first wedding of the lineage have to be grand. First, let us take jyesht's permission. Then we will start the preparations. Putra Karna, you go take some rest." said Kunti, as she turned to address her son.

Karna smiled and nodded.

"You are lucky. We will be asked to do various things, while you get to take rest." muttered Bhishma to himself, which Karna heard.

" Tatshree..." called Kunti, when Karna left the room. He proceeded towards his own room, wondering where his brothers went?







Karna entered his room, to find his brothers doing something or the other in the room. Yuddhisthir sat on the bed, Bhima was on the throne like couch, Arjun sat on the only swing in the room, Nakul sat on the steps leading to the balcony and Sahadev stood in the middle of the room.

The most peculiar thing was what they were doing. All of them had a parchment and quill in their hands and they were scribbling something or the other.

"What are you all doing?" asked Karna.

"Arey jyesht, you came...good good! Stand straight and still please." said Nakul. Nakul hurried over to Karna and started to write something on the parchment, while circling around him.

" We are doing preparations for your marriage!" replied Yuddhisthir, regarding Karna questions.

"And what preparations are you doing?" asked Karna, very amused.

"I am handling the decorations of your room, Nakul is dealing with your clothes, Sahadev will deal with all the extra furniture the room will need, Bhrata Bhima is dealing with the food that will be kept here and bhrata Yuddhisthir is dealing with all the rituals and customs and coordination too. " explained Arjun, still writing.

"Why? I mean maa would have dealt with this things anyway!" said Karna, confused at his brothers excitement.

"Well, someone started a favourite devar competition, without informing us!" said Bhima, before glaring at Nakul, who looked sheepishly.Karna blinked.

"Kya? Favourite devar competition?"asked Karna.

"Let that be jyesht, tell me what is Bhabhishree's favourite food?" asked Bhima, continuing from before.

"She likes almost everything. But kheer is her favourite." said Karna, wondering if his brothers had gone mad or not. Bhima immediately wrote that down. Before anyone can ask something else, Kunti entered. She looked at her sons who were spread around her eldest room.

"What's going on here?" asked Kunti, absolutely flabbergasted. "Favourite devar competition!" replied Karna, very amused.

" What?" asked Kunti, her brows furrowing. Why were her sons being weird again?

"Pata nehi maa!! This Nakul is the main culprit! He created a competition, which has no significance. Bhabhishree loves all of us equally!" said Yuddhisthir, looking absolutely confused.

Kunti palmed her forehead.

"Your brothers will make sure I have grey hairs before I even enter old age!" replied Kunti to both Karna and Yuddhisthir, who exchanged a similar look, agreeing with their mother wholeheartedly.

"Putro! " called Kunti. Bhima, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev came over to their mother, smiling at her.

"Ji maa? " asked Arjun.

" Stop this competition, now! You can continue when Advika is here to judge it!" said Kunti.

"But..maa, this idiot brother of mine already started the competition before anyone of us even had any idea. He is already ahead of us!" said Bhima, grumbling.

"Fine, if you must continue this ridiculous competition, do it outside of your brother's room. He needs to rest!" ordered Kunti.

" Ji maa. We will let jyesht have his rest." said Yuddhisthir, glaring at the other four, daring them to disagree. All four nodded obediently. Kunti smiled.

" Let them stay, maa. They wont make much noise I am sure!" said Karna.

" Okay son. If you are sure!" replied Kunti, before leaving the room. The six brothers sat together within the seating area of the room.

"By the way, jyesht what did you write on that letter that Bhabhishree kept it with herself, even when she was downstairs with us." asked Arjun his tone teasing.

"Offo! Must be a love letter! Don't poke you nose there." said Bhima, causing all his brothers to snicker and Karna to blush.

"I have a question, jyesht. May I ask?" asked Nakul, his voice thoughtful. Karna nodded at him. The others looked at him curiously.

"What will you call bhabhishree, after marriage?" asked Nakul, very seriously, as if that is the most important question.

Yuddhisthir's eyes twinkled, Bhima snickered and Arjun and Sahadev spotted twin smiles. While Nakul looked very seriously at Karna, whose high cheekbones were coloured with red.







They say that when the sky is clear and the sun is shining very brightly, then the day will reflect the positivity present in the atmosphere. Hastinapur palace and the Kingdom had seen busy days for the past 12 days. Only two more days were left before the marriage of their eldest Rajkumar.

The absolutely majestic palace was beautifully decorated and cleaned by the huge workforce of the daas and dasis. Maharani Gandhari and Rajmata Kunti were run ragged with the workload. The invitations were sent to various kingdoms to invite them to the marriage of the eldest son of the Kurus. The gods were invited too and they were asked to bless the union, as it is a part of the rituals.

The people of Hastinapur were very happy. They contributed with cleaning the city and decorating. Such happiness had not been seen in the city of Hastinapur for very long. They all enjoyed and celebrated every day.

Karna was teased a lot by his brothers. The brothers always stayed together and got to know each other well. Anyone can see that while all the six brothers were close, the pairs of Yuddhisthir - Sahadev, Bhima - Nakul and Arjun - Karna was a hit. Yuddhisthir could be found in the garden reading a book along side Sahadev who always had his head on his lap, and his nose in a book. Bhima could be seen cooking new dishes while Nakul tasted them. They experimented with both food and medicines. Arjun and Karna would mostly be seen in the archery area, or near the Ganga, seating and talking, about anything and everything. They all spent time together during the evenings, exchanging details about their day to each other. Kunti would watch with a proud smile, as they all pulled each others legs, teased Karna about his upcoming Nuptials and regale her with the most embarrassing tales of each other. Kunti found herself to be happy and content. She prayed to God, that all her six children remained the way they are - United.

Though not everyone was happy with the developments. Duryodhan was displeased and unhappy, but he could not do anything, as his mamashree, the Gandhar raj Shakuni will arrive straight for the wedding. Apparently he had a lot of work to complete in Gandhar. So Duryodhan tried to ignite troubles by badmouthing Advika, which led to the pandavas nearly using their weapons, and Karna threatening him. Later, he was forced to ask for forgiveness, by Bhishma. He started to wait for the day, he could have his revenge on the six brothers.







Advika had left the day after she said yes to the marriage proposals with Krishna, Balrama and Subhadra, for Dwarka. Her family in Dwarka had been absolutely happy for her. The city was beautifully decorated and the citizens celebrating. She met her Rukmini bhabhi, whom she had not met. All the four females, i.e., Subhadra, Advika, Rukmini and Revati got along wonderfully. It took them very little time to become best of friends.

The elders started the preparation of marriage. Invitations were sent, the Brahman bhoj arranged..and so on. Krishna and Balrama did not leave any stone upturned for their priye Mayuri. The mandap had been made..and it was beautifully decorated with various flowers, leaves and silk clothes.

Every citizen opened their homes for the various guests which had already started to arrive, from nearby villages and Kingdoms.

Dwarka was content, happy, excited and eager for the wedding.







It was night, the moon and the stars were shinning very brightly. Advika stood on the balcony as she gazed on the lighted city of Dwarka. Her mind was thinking about something absolutely different. It caused a small smile and a slight blush to appear on her face.

Flashback:-

It was night time. Advika could not sleep, so she decided to take a walk in the backyard of her house. There was a stable for horses there. She went there Her horse, a pure white horse, called Avra stood there, awake like her. She spoke as she kept a soft hand on the horse's face.

" You know, I cant sleep." said Advika, her voice soft.

" I wonder why?" asked a smooth and husky voice from behind her. She twirled around immediately, in her hand was a dagger. A hand with slim, long fingers caught her wrist before she could throw it.

Advika focused within the night, as the moon spread it's moon light on them, helping her to see. Her eyes widened. A small smirk graced the lips of a handsome chiseled face. His eyes danced with amusement, as he softly held the hand that had the dagger.

" Sakha? " said Advika, confused at he was doing here, at night time.

"Yes Advika?" said Karna, laughter in his voice

" What are you doing here?" asked Advika, still a bit dazed and confused over his sudden appearance.

" Well I came to meet you! But I did not think you were planning to kill me! Thanks for the amazing welcome." said Karna, chuckling at her embarrassed expression.

" I thought you were someone else, like an enemy!" explained Advika, a red tint on her cheeks.

" I guessed!" said Karna softly, a smile on his face, as he let her hand go. Advika gulped before keeping her dagger into it's place. His proximity suddenly overwhelmed her,as she looked at everywhere but at him.

" Do you want to come with me, for a walk?" asked Karna, a bit nervous.

" Sure." Advika nodded her head.

Both of them walked towards the very same place they had spent so many times together - the cave.

" This place is lighted!" said Advika.

" Yess, I did that, before I went to get you!" said Karna, a bit embarrassed.

" You are lucky, that you found me awake and out of the house. What if I was in my room?" said Advika, her smile teasing.

" I would have thought of some idea!" replied Karna, his eyes twinkling. A silence appeared between them as both collected their thoughts.

"No one forced me! I agreed myself! You are happy, right?" asked Karna, his eyes looking at her. His attention completely on her.

"Yes! Thank you! I did not want anyone to take a decision they cannot live with." said Advika, avoiding his gaze.

Karna reached his hand to tip her chin gently and force her to look him in the eyes. He spread his hands on the sides of her cheek, cupping her face.

" It was my decision. Completely my own. And I believe I am falling for you!" said Karna, his voice soft and warm.

Advika's eyes widened. She placed her much smaller hands on the hands that was holding her face.

"I think I might be falling for you too!" she whispered just as softly and warmly.

" We will explore these feelings together, yes?" asked Karna, his eyes twinkling as his lips curved into a beautiful and bright smile.

" We will!" she answered.

Karna bent her face close, before pressing his lips to her forehead. Both their eyes closed as they savored their feelings.

End Flashback.

" Jiji!! " called a voice from the back breaking Advika, from her trance. She turned around to find Subhadra and Rukmini bhabhi standing there. She smiled at them.

"You seemed to be immersed in the thoughts of jijashree! I have called you four times before you responded." teased Subhadra, causing Advika to blush.

"Subhadra, let her be. You can tease her later! Mayuri get ready the lamp lighting ritual is today, in an hour!" said Rukmini, while Subhadra pouted.

"Ji bhabhishree. " replied Advika. She changed into a beautiful dress, before leaving her room. The entire family along with the Raj purohitji left to the bank of River Ganga. Advika was asked to float the lamp on the Ganga.

" We invite the pious Goddesses Ganga to the wedding of the daughter of the Earth and the princess of Dwarka. We seek her blessings for the union of two souls. She may bless them with the purity of both heart and intentions." intoned the priest.

They all joined their hands to seek her blessings.

"A new start has been made! But the journey will be tough. I believe she will cross the hurdles and succeed in her quest, the reason for which she was born." thought Kanha, as he watched Mayuri's smile.

He smiled knowing the future will be tough, but perhaps Advika will become their shield and their guide.









It was the day right before the wedding. Dwarka and Hastinapur both were busy in the preparation of their haldi ceremony ( Turmeric/ Haridra) . In the haldi ceremony, usually the groom and the bride sits in a place, and the people/ family members start applying the haldi paste on his face and arms with a beetle leaf. It is said the application of haldi, brightens and cleanses the skin of the people who applies it.

In Hastinapur, the brothers teased Karna, before the ceremony...but then allowed him to get ready. These 2 weeks they have bonded very well, and have seen how each of them complemented each other so wonderfully. The haldi ceremony started with Gandhari applying the first round, then Kunti, then Dushala and then one by one all the other females started applying it on him. After quite a while the ceremony ended.

In Dwarka, the haldi ceremony was quite joyous. Mata Parvati had also arrived in disguise wanting to take part. She used an ascetics disguise, but Advika felt the divine energy around her. She did not know who she was, but she took the blessing for what it was. Krishna smiled serenely at the beautiful scene.







Night fell as the moon shone bright, illuminating the the world with its moonlight. Both Karna and Advika could not sleep. Tomorrow was the big day, the most important day. A new important chapter will begin tomorrow. Both watched the night sky as they promised to themselves that they will make their relationship work and will be the shield of their family.

A new day awaits.....