Life is a journey, travel it well.



When the entourage of the Royals of Hastinapur, left the the borders of Hastinapur, it was evening. The Sun has set, and the night sky was littered with stars.

"Ruko! " came a order from the front. Every member of the entourage stopped.

"Maa, I think we should rest here. A few miles from here, the forest will start. It is better if we travel through it, in the morning. I hope you agree, brothers?" asked Karna, as he came to stand in front of their mother's chariot. " Yes jyesht, that would be best!" replied Yuddhisthir, as he got down as well. " And, there is a small river nearby. We can set up tent, there!" said Arjun, getting down from his horse. " Then, let us start the preparations immediately. Bhima, stay with maa and Advika, while we five deal with the arrangements." ordered Karna, looking at Bhima. " Ji jyesht! " said Bhima, nodding his head. All the brothers left to deal with the arrangements, while Bhima, Advika and Kunti watched the preparations. Nakul and Sahadev directed the daas and daasis to bring the tents. There were total of 4 tents. One for Kunti, one for Karna-Advika, one for Bhima and Yuddhisthir, and one for Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev. Arjun was dealing with the security details with only 20 soldiers. Yuddhisthir made sure the arrangements where done as it should be, and everything was placed perfectly. Karna went to scope out the surroundings. The arrangements were done for the night. The place looked beautiful, as Kunti and Advika got down from the chariot. The moon spread its light, as white clouds floated by, revealing clear sky.

It was rather late when they all finished eating. The females did not wait for the males to finish. All of them ate together.

" Maa, you should go and rest. The journey must have been tiring for you!" said Arjun, as he sat with his brothers and sister-in-law. " You all should rest too. We will be starting the journey early tomorrow, won't we?" asked Kunti, as she made to get up from where they were sitting in front of the river. " Haa maa. We will start early tomorrow. It will take eight days to reach Varnavrat." said Yuddhisthir, as he looked at Karna, who nodded. " Eight days?" asked Bhima shocked. " Haa bhrata Bhima, that place is pretty far from Hastinapur, but is within the Kuru Kingdom. It is near the borders, I think." replied Arjun, as he looked at his elder brothers who nodded. " Oh! That's quite far." said Bhima, with a thoughtful look on his face.

" Well don't stay here too late. Subhratri, putro, putri! " said Kunti, as she smiled at her children. " We won't maa. Subhratri! " answered Karna, with a smile. There was a chorus of Subhratri from everyone. Kunti walked back towards her tent.

The seven people sat quitely for a while. Yuddhisthir and Karna exchanged a look with each other, both wondering whether they should tell or not. Karna looked a bit pensive, but then nodded resolutely at Yuddhisthir, who nodded as well. Arjun and Advika had noticed the silent conversation going on between the two brothers. They exchanged a look with each other. " Bhrata? Jyesht? " asked Arjun, looking at his elder brothers, wondering what was going on between them.

Arjun's call had made Bhima, Nakul and Sahadev, look towards Karna and Yuddhisthir's direction. All of them waited for them to speak.

" Before leaving Kakashree Vidur, said certain things to us." started Karna, his look tensed.

" Kakashree Vidur? About what, jyesht?" asked Nakul, voicing out everyone's thoughts.

" He said three sentences. One, that any weapon that is not made of any material can kill as well, anyone who knows this will survive. Two, Fire can extinguish the body, but never the soul. Protect the soul and you will live. Three, If a forest catches fire, it cannot touch the rat or porcupine who lives and hides within a hole, if one knows how to read the stars. " explained Yuddhisthir, a frown on his face.

" It is a warning by Kakashree." said Advika, after a few moments of thought.

" But about what, bhabhishree?" asked Sahadev.

" That is something neither Yuddhisthir, nor I can understand. What do you all think? " said Karna, his face still tense.

All of them had thoughtful looks on their faces.

" Aise nehi hoga....Aap sab ab vishram karne jayiye! It is quite late. We need to leave early tomorrow. We can think about this later." ordered Advika, getting up. " Bhabhishree sahi hai! Our brains are not working well, it needs rest. Subhratri! " said Bhima, as he got up too. All of them got up as well and left towards their tents one by one. The only people left were Arjun, Yuddhisthir, Advika and Karna.

" Jyesht? " asked Yuddhisthir, looking at his elder brother.

" One of us need to stay awake. I will stay awake. You all go and sleep." said Karna, as he sat on the rock again. " Parantu jyesht, let me stay awake..." protested Arjun.

" Let it be Arjun. Your brother has the habit of not sleeping if a puzzle presents itself in front of him. It's of no use arguing, let us take our rest. Come both of you!" said Advika, beckoning them, towards their own tents. " Par bhabhishree.." said Yuddhisthir, looking back at Karna, who was gazing into the water, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. " No buts brothers. Go to bed. You can take the next night shift. Now, Subhratri! " said Advika, making sure both her stubborn devars have went inside their own tent, before she entered her own. Karna stayed awake the entire night, thoughts churning with the warnings given by Kakashree Vidur.







Eight days passed in traveling and rest in between. None of the youngsters said a word of those three warnings to Kunti. All of them wanted to find out what it meant, before telling their mother. There was no use worrying her needlessly. One beautiful morning, they finally reached the edge of Varnavrat. The place was huge having 2000-5000 inhabitants. A fair will be held, in a few months time, so all the people were busy in its preparations. When they saw the royal entourage, they came to welcome them, with flowers.

A stout man with a mustache and beard was standing right in front of the welcoming party. He wore clothes similar to that of a minister and looked rather wealthy. Karna and Yuddhisthir went to help the females down from their chariot. Yuddhisthir helped Advika, while Karna helped his mother. All the other brothers also dismounted their horses. All came towards the crowd formed in front towards them. " Pranipat Rajmata, Yuvraja, Yuvrani, Rajkumaro! I am Purochana, the minister from this village of Varnavrat. I welcome you to this place." said Purochana, folding his hands.

" Dhanyavad manyavar! Can you show us where we are staying?" said Karna, his face not showing his emotions.

" Ji Yuvraja, wo..actually, Maharaja had commissioned a special palace to be built here for your stay, but the palace will take ten more days to complete. If there is no problem, I would be blessed and honoured if the esteemed Royals will accept this humble man's abode as their home, for a few days?" said Purochana, his voice the epitome of modesty. " Manyavar, we would be happy to stay in your home for a few days, till our palace is completed." replied Kunti, a smile on her face. " Aho bhagya humare Rajmata! Please come with me, it is this way!" said Purochana, as he estured towards the road. He then looked towards the crown prince, who nodded, which made him smile. He started to chat with Kunti, as she asked about his job and family. The brothers and Advika followed a bit behind. " Jyesht, I don't like this man. He makes me very uneasy." murmured Sahadev, as he went a bit closer to Nakul, who smiled at him reassuringly. " Something about him is suspicious." agreed Karna, with his youngest brother. " Perhaps, one of us can keep an eye on him, at all times." said Yuddhisthir, thoughtfully. " Let us see and learn about him first, before deciding what to do." said Advika, giving her own input. " Haa Bhabhishree, and jyesht what about those warnings of Kakashree?" asked Arjun, as he joined the discussion. " Let us reach and see the situation. Then we will speak about it at night." decided Karna, getting nods from all of them.







" Welcome to my house. I am sorry you may be a bit uncomfortable at such a small place!" said Purochana, a bit sadly. " No no Purochana, your place is beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Will you not introduce us to your family?" said Kunti, with a smile as she and her children entered the place.

The house was moderate in size. It showed that Purochana was a minister as well as a architect. The rooms spacious but not large.

None of them had a problem with the house. It was enough for them. " Ji Rajmata. This is my wife Sunaina and my son and daughter." said Purochana. All of them greeted each other before being shown their rooms. The brothers all came into Karna and Advika's room after freshening up. " Jyesht, what do you think?" asked Yuddhisthir, as he sat on one of the chairs. Arjun stood leaning against the wall, near Advika,as she sat on one of the chairs. Karna was standing in the middle, pacing on the floor. Bhima and Sahadev sat on the edge of the bed, while Nakul stood near the door, making sure no one was nearby. " Firstly, I think in these 10 days we should be done with the Puja in Pitashree's and Mata Madri's name. Then one of us need to see that palace, that is been built. I have a bad feeling regarding this." said Karna, his posture tensed. " Haa jyesht. I will go inform maa about this. The puja should be completed within 10 days. Arjun and Nakul, why don't you two go and check the palace?" said Yuddhisthir, looking at his brothers, who nodded back. " Sahadev?" called Advika all of a sudden, her voice a bit urgent.

" Ji bhabhishree?" asked Sahadev, wondering what she wanted to ask. " You know astrology right? Check the current situation of the planets, according to us please." said Advika, as her brows furrowed. " Okay." replied Sahadev, a bit pensive. " Do you have any idea of the warnings, love?" asked Karna, wondering if she had any idea. " Not clearly yet. The only thing that stands out is fire. I feel as if something is missing." Advika replied.

" I don't understand why we need to stay for an entire year." grumbled Bhima, as he listened to his brothers talk.

" Neither do I!" said Sahadev, his lips forming a pout.

" A fair will be held, where our presence is necessary. We are representing Tatshree, in the fair. It will be held, a few months from now. The fair is held a month long." said Karna.

" We should get to work now. The sooner we have the pieces of the puzzle, the sooner we can understand the warnings." said Arjun, as he moved from he was standing. With that all of them got busy in their respective works. Karna went to see the town and kept Purochana busy. In that small amount of time, Arjun and Nakul went to see the half made palace. Yuddhisthir told Kunti about Karna's decision. Kunti was happy and gave her blessings for the puja to be conducted within these 10 days. Advika spoke to Purochana's wife and then stayed with Sahadev, who looked through the astrology chart. Bhima went in search of the kitchen to get food for them, before they all returned.

All of them had the warnings of Vidur, spiraling in their thoughts within their mind.







By nighttime, when Kunti, Purochana and his family has slept, the six brothers along with Advika left the house sneakily. They all entered the forest and made their way to a clearing within the forest, which was lighted by moonlight. None of the brothers wore any jewels on their body. Only their dhoti and angavastra was there, along with weapons. Advika also had not worn any jewellery other than one pair of thin bangles which does not make any noise. " What did you see Arjun, Nakul?" asked Karna, as they all sat on the rocks that were present there. Arjun face paled as he remembered what he had seen. He exchanged a look with Nakul. " Jyesht, the palace, it is made up of lacquer. Many flammable substances are being used to create it." murmured Arjun.

All of their eyes widened. The shock hit them hard, as everything clicked into place.

" Now I understand, about what Kakashree warned us!" whispered Advika. " Yes, and even in the charts, it can be seen a problem is coming our way." said Sahadev, looking worried. " The third warning tells us the solution to get out of it." said Karna, his voice soft but his eyes cold. To hear that people are trying to kill your family, is rather jarring. Advika slipped her hand in his, calming him down, slowly. "The third solution? Ahh...a tunnel!" said Yuddhisthir, his eyes dark as well. He did not like the attempt on his family at all. " Yes! But how bhrata? We cannot exactly dig a tunnel ourselves. It would be suspicious." said Sahadev, as he looked among his brothers and sister. " I believe Kakashree took care of that for us!" said Arjun slowly, a thoughtful frown on his face. " How?" questioned Advika, as she looked at Arjun.

" There was a man, a miner to be specific. I believe he is from Kakashree. He said something about a rat hole to me." said Arjun softly looking at his brothers and sister. " Good to know! For now, we need to wait for an opportunity to leave! But for now, don't let Purochana know that we may know something. Arjun tell maa, whenever you get the chance." said Karna.

A silence descended upon them as they all processed the news that the Kauravas were trying to kill them. Who else can it be anyway? And they were trying to mend their relationship.

Advika chuckled all of a sudden. Six heads snapped towards her. " Love?" asked Karna, his eyebrows raised. " Nothing! It's just that you and I were thinking we will help these five with their divine powers, but look... a murder attempt all of a sudden." said Advika, a sad smile on her face. Karna nodded thoughtfully, while Yuddhisthir shifted a bit guiltily.

" Divine powers?" asked Bhima, confused. "I don't know about divine powers, but Bhabhishree I would love to have a duel with you. I never did get a chance after you came. I saw you that day, your moves were brilliant." said Nakul, gushing at Advika's skills, which made her grin. " I would love that too. But I did not get that. Divine powers?" asked Arjun, a bit excited at getting to train and confused over powers. Karna nodded at them. His eyes settled on Yuddhisthir, who was not meeting his eyes. Karna raised his eyebrows. " You know Yuddhisthir?" asked Karna, looking a bit amused. " Ahh...I might have heard about it from maa, when I accidentally eavesdropped on her conversation. I was small then." said Yuddhisthir, his cheeks pink. Arjun and Bhima's jaws dropped. Advika chuckled while Karna smiled very amused. The twins laughed aloud at the thought. " Why don't you tell, what you know. I will fill in the gaps." said Karna, gesturing him to start. Yuddhisthir hesitated a bit, but followed his elder's orders. He explained about Pandu's curse, Kunti's boon and their birth story. Then Karna continued the story, how from the Surya dev, he was born, from Dharmaraj ,Yuddhisthir was born, from Vayu dev, Bhima was born, from Indra dev, Arjun was born and from the Ashwini Kumaras ,the twins Nakul and Sahadev was born.

In the end the silence reigned supreme. All of them were surprised.

" So will you five want to explore what divine powers or qualities you have?" asked Advika after a few moments. " Ji bhabhishree! " answered Arjun, excited now, to explore his limits. Yuddhisthir nodded smiling, Bhima grinned, Nakul and Sahadev were vibrating with excitement on their spot.

Karna chuckled at their enthusiasm.

" We will need to find a way to get you to at least find your capabilities. We don't want anyone knowing that all of us have divine blood in our veins." said Karna, as he got up.

All the brothers nodded as the six males and one female made their back to the temporary house they were staying and slept the night.











" Destiny is changing slowly but surely. The end results will be the same, but the path different. Destiny has chosen the perfect person, who is playing her role well. Let us see, where the path takes us and how different it is! The first dice has already been played!" said a divine voice, as it watched over the scene.