Perhaps what you think is right for yourself, it may turn out to be opposite.

The scenic beauty of nature bespoke of it's sheer magnificence as the sunlight entered the forest through the leaves. The fluttering sunlight created a beautiful atmosphere within the forest. Kunti, Advika, Karna, Yuddhisthir, Bhima, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev walked through the forest leisurely.Kunti halted them as it was time for lunch, and there was a good place to sit beside the small stream flowing by.

"Jyesht, apko gyaat hai...that there is a Rakshas here in this forest. I got to know from the villages nearby, when we were passing through." said Arjun.

Karna raised an eyebrow at him, his lips quirking.

" What does that have to do with us? Do you want to fight him?"

" Of course not. Bhrata Bhima is the hothead among us, not me. I remember we are in hiding,

I was just telling the news I found!" said Arjun, having a purely innocent look on his face.

" What do you mean by that Arjun?" roared Bhima.

" Bhima, softly please. We don't want to attract attention." reprimanded Yuddhisthir.

" Ji Bhratashree! Arjun, what do you mean by that?" asked Bhima again, softly. But his eyes were throwing fire at him, making Arjun gulp.

Before he can answer though, a scream penetrated the forest's calm atmosphere. All of them stood up shocked.

" It seems like it's a girl!" said Advika, her brows furrowing.

" Yes. Yuddhisthir, Arjun and I will go and see. Baki sab yehi rukiye, hum shigra lotenge! " ordered Karna, his voice soft yet commanding.

" Sambhalke Putro!! " said Kunti, softly. All three nodded before leaving immediately.



*******

Karna, Yuddhisthir and Arjun walked slowly towards the area from where they had heard the scream. There eyes widened at what they saw.

A girl of about 20 years were sitting under a tree with two Rakshas with weapons standing in front of her. Those rakshas were trying to coarse her to go somewhere. There were two corpses of a male and female, must be the girl's parents.

Karna signaled at Arjun, who launched arrows at lightning speed. They hit the mark, that is, the veins in the side neck, killing them instantly. Yuddhisthir went towards the girl, trying to calm her down while Arjun came towards Karna, who were near the corpses.

" Jyesht? "

" Something is wrong. My senses are saying something is terribly wrong here!" said Karna, his brows furrowed.

" Wrong?" asked Arjun, his eyes narrowed.

" Yes, don't say anything to the girl." said Karna, whispering.

" I won't. Now that I think, something is weird at this place." said Arjun, giving a slight nod. Karna exchanged a look with Arjun, before going where Yuddhisthir was.

" Devi, aap thik hai? What were you doing here?" they heard Yuddhisthir ask.

" Wo...my parents are nobles, we were traveling to reach our home, when they attac-k-e-d." said the girl. hiccuping at the last.

" I see. If you want, you can come with us. We are traveling too. We can leave you at the next town." said Karna, his voice soft.

" Ji Dhanyavad! It would be a great help for me." said the girl, tears still flowing.

" Please follow us!" said Yuddhisthir, before he got up to show the way.

Karna and Arjun followed, a little behind from them. Both had a thoughtful look on their faces.

******************

Advika's pov:-

I frowned after they left. Why does this situation feels weird?

" I hope the children are alright!" said maa, her eyes closed and hands joined in the traditional prayer gesture.

" What is a girl doing in middle of the forest?" murmured Bhima.

" That is what I am thinking too." I replied.

" You know bhabhishree, you have to be careful." said Nakul, his smile a tad mischievous.

" Why?"

" Well, as far as I know, Women tend to clung to their heroes. What if this girl clung to Jyesht, like a leech?" said Nakul, his eyes sparkling.

" You do remember, bhabhishree is a women too, right? Or did you forget that??" said Bhima, very annoyed.

Sahadev and I snickered at the flustered look on Nakul's face. Maa looked amused as well. We heard footsteps, as we all stood up again. Bhima stood beside me, while Nakul and Sahadev surrounded maa.

What we saw made all of us blink our eyes!

" Bhabhishree, am I seeing right? It's not an illusion right?" asked Bhima murmuring quietly to me.

" I don't think so Bhima."

There in front, coming out of the multitude of trees where Yuddhisthir, and a girl clinging to his arm. The girl was beautiful, but something about her felt a bit fishy to me. I kept those thoughts aside for now, wondering where Arjun and he was.

Ah!! They sure looked very amused, as they followed behind their brother. I could see Arjun muffling his laughter, while Karna eye's where laughing with mirth.

Now, that I looked clearly, Yuddhisthir looked very uncomfortable, but his gentlemanly nature will not allow him to say a word. I stifled a smile at his disgruntled face. Nakul and Sahadev were looking gobsmacked at Yuddhisthir, who glared at them.

When they approached us, the girl finally let Yuddhisthir go, who immediately came to stand slightly behind me, as if using me as a shield.

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow, while he gave slight pleading look. I nodded softly, while my eyes probably expressed amusement.

" Tumahara parichay putri? " asked maa, in her soft yet regal voice.

" Wo..mai Maya! "

I raised my eyebrows, but smiled when maa introduced all of us.



***********

Advika's pov continued:-

Night has fallen, as the moon rose high, spreading it's light. I slowly breathed, spreading my senses. Maa was asleep. I slowly got up, then. I found Nakul and Sahadev was curled up with their arms around her. Yuddhisthir was sleeping too, with his arm thrown over Bhima's head. Maya was sleeping a few feet beside me.

That meant it was Arjun and Arya who are awake. I slowly got up, making sure not to make noise. Not that it was hard, I only had a pair of bangles given to me by Maa, and gold earrings and my Chudamani, which stayed hidden under my veil. Anything else were sold, as money was a requirement when we were in our safe place.

Now, it is not required. But my thoughts are wondering again. What was I thinking? Oh yes! Arjun and Arya! Where are they?

I looked around to find them sitting on two rocks facing each other beside the small stream. I walked towards them. Arjun probably saw me and whispered something to him. He nodded. Arjun was about to get up, when I arrived behind Arya.

" Ruko. I need to speak with you both!"

Arjun blinked before nodding and sitting back down. A slim, large fingers circled around my wrist, bringing me to sit on the rock slab. I smiled at him, which he returned. We have not got much time with each other, these days.

" Kya baat karna tha, priye? " asked he.

I looked at them then again at everyone to check once more. They are asleep still, thankfully.

" I don't trust her. The entire situation reeks of something suspicious."

" Jyesht said the same bhabhishree. I feel the same too. I noticed she was not very upset at her parents death." said Arjun, his voice thoughtful.

" That is interesting!" I said, humming a bit.

" They may not be her parents. The corpses were a bit too cold. As if they were killed 5-8 hours back." whispered Karna.

" That is possible. Nothing matches up jyesht. If they were killed way back, why did she screamed so late, and did you notice the behaviour of those rakshas?"

" Yes anuj. They were scaring her, but not harming her."

" What was the name of the rakshas, again?" I asked.

" Name, bhabhishree?"

" Yes, name." Arjun looked contemplative for a while, before he answered.

" Hidimb, I think."

" We need to keep an eye on her, at all time. Something is fishy." said Karna, his charcoal eyes had darkened.

Arjun and I nodded, before silence descended for a while.

" I should go and sleep. Should I jyesht?" asked Arjun.

" Go ahead!" said Karna, his eyes softening.

I smiled. I knew he wanted to give us some space. We watched as he went near maa, and laid down, his hands coming over his closed eyes.

" They look so cute!" I said, my smile widening.

I watched him smile too as his eye's shone a bit.

" What happened?" I asked.

" Nothing, it's just...I can't help it. Sometimes, I wondered how nice it would have been to grow up with maa and my brothers."

I took his palms in my hand and gave a small squeeze.

" What about Radha ma and Adirath Pitashree? You would never have grown up with them then! And you have them now, why are you thinking like this?"

" You are right! I am being speaking like a fool, aren't I ?"

" Haa arya! " A soft chuckle escaped me, at his sheepish look.

I simply laid my head on his shoulders closing my eyes. My mind wondered around various thoughts. The prominent being that Karna could feel so insecure sometimes, even though there is no reason to feel so.

" These months went pretty well, no?"

" Yes. Their powers did surprise me.." I heard him whisper.

I smiled at that.

" Nakul and Sahadev, Arjun and Bhima have been using their powers and they never realized it. They thought it was normal." I could not help but chuckle, remembering their shocked faces.

" Haa, maa was shocked too. She also never thought those where their divine side manifesting itself." said Karna.

" Yuddhisthir's second one is rather rare. He is a very pure individual!"

" Hmm....of course he is special. He is my brother after all. My family tends to be special. Even Adirath Pitashree and Radha maa is different than most." I heard him say.

" Haa haa...I wonder what kind of dangers we are going to be facing again."

" Hidimb, as far as Arjun managed to put together, is a powerful individual. Though I believe Bhima can defeat him."

" If something does happen, then we have a plan."

" Oh! Something will happen. Have you noticed our luck? The fact we spend 7 months without any problem worries me."

I simply shook my head, agreeing with him. We all attract trouble like moth to the flame or honey to the bees.

I looked at him, only to see him looking back.

" What?"

" Nothing. It's been a while we had some time to ourselves."

" Indeed." I nodded, at him. I shifted a bit, then told him to move. He raised his eyebrows, but shifted to the extreme right of the rock slab. I nodded pleased, before laying down, my head on his right thigh.

" You don't mind?"

" Of course not..." I heard him say, as I smiled and looked at the stars that twinkled prettily on the sky.

I felt his fingers play with my hair, while his face looked upwards too, leaning to rest his back against the boulder.

" Priye...."

I hummed instead of replying. My hands stayed laid intertwined on my stomach.

" Do you think I should say anything about my second powers...?"

One of my hand went straight towards his lips, stopping him from speaking.

" Don't! Not now....later." I gestured towards Maya, at which he nodded.

I was about to remove my hand, when he stopped it. He placed my hand on his cheek, nuzzling it. I smiled, shy all of a sudden. His lips had a hint of a smile too. Both of us turned to look towards the sky, as I slowly retracted my hand.

This night was a beautiful one.

****************

Author's pov:-

Five days was spent together with Maya, as they journeyed towards the other end of the forest. Maya was a talkative girl, bold and blunt. She said what she felt. Mincing words was something she did not know. The brothers interacted with her less, leaving the interaction to the females. Bhima stayed away mostly, as Maya's eyes mostly followed him. She would usually blush if someone noticed. Advika was amused at this behaviour. But after a few days something, something clicked to her. From the next day, she paid a bit of attention to Maya.

Due to paying extra attention, Advika managed to corner her.

" Jiji? " asked Maya, a bit nervous and confused.

" Tell the truth." said Advika, her eyes and voice was cold. Her mere aura had shifted from the usual soft spoken daughter-in-law to an apex predator, who was ready to pounce at the slight indication.

" What truth? Why are you behaving like this? What have I done?" asked Maya, her voice shaking a bit.

" That's exactly what I want to know! From the first day, I noticed that you have been subtly steering us in a particular direction. If you think that none of us have noticed, you are very wrong. All of us know. I suggest you to speak the truth."

" I have not lied." said Maya, her voice shaking.

" I don't have patience for this, at all. I mean it Maya, tell the truth. Or else nothing will stop me from protecting my family. I have already noticed the powerful illusion surrounding you and the forest. I know it has something to do with you." said Advika, her eyes cold and narrowed. Those hazel orbs had darkened to chocolate brown.

In a blink of an eye, Maya transformed and threw a dagger, which was caught by Advika within a second.

" Now will you tell the truth?" asked Advika, as vines wrapped around Maya's body. Maya struggled against them. These vines were a bit to strong, and she could slowly feel her energy leaving her. Her eyes widened. A soft gasp escaped her lips, fear in her eyes.

" What are these?" she asked. Advika shrugged and raised an eyebrow.

" I will tell. Please remove them devi." said Maya.

The vines squeezed a bit too tight before slithering away from her body.

" The paralytic will loose effect in two hours. Talk." said Advika, as she sat down in front of her. She finally noticed how Maya truly looked. Not average, but not very beautiful either. She had a charm to her though.

" My real name is Hidimba. I am the sister of Hidimb. He is the King of the Kamyaka forest. I am a rakshasi. I was ordered to bring you all to him, so he could eat you all." she said, a bit softly.

" I see. We guessed that." Advika murmured to herself.

" Anything else you want to know, devi?" said Hidimba.

" Yes, why are you staring at Bhima, most of the time?"

" There is no specific reason." said Hidimba, a slight blush on her face. Advika raised her eyebrow.

" Hidimba, I do not dislike you. You are someone I truly respect. But, when someone tries to harm my family, I am not kind. Since you did speak the truth, I have nothing against you. I can guess the reason well, but I rather hear from your own mouth." said Advika, a soft but sad smile on her face.

Hidimba looked a bit stricken before slowly and softly saying " I may have fallen for him."

Advika gulped. This was bad. Very bad. She has nothing against Hidamba's love. No, the problem was Bhima did not feel the same. If they married then, Hidimba would be left behind. The Kuru clan will never accept her, forget about the human society. Above all it will be Hidimba who would get the backlash. She could feel it in her bones. She hated the fact that in the end, it will be Hidimba who would left behind, and that was something she did not want to happen. There was only one way to make sure Hidimba does not get hurt and Bhima is not forced into a marriage. She need to show Hidimba, that what she thought was the best for herself, might not be so.

Hidimba had tensed as Advika remained silenced. She hoped she would not be mocked for her feelings.

" Hidimba, I...look let me tell you bluntly...I don't think Bhima loves you. He may respect you but love is another matter all together." said Advika, not mincing words.

Hidimba winced at that. Advika squeezed her immobile hands softly smiling a sad smile.

" You don't think I should marry him? Is this because I am not a human?"

" What?..no!! How am I supposed to explain it?" said Advika, a bit frustrated.

" Tell me the way you think it. I won't mind." said Hidimba, softly. Her eyes glistening.

" Sweetheart, look I don't know if what you feel for Bhima is love or infatuation. Both are similar. But dear, love happens for both sides. You cannot force someone to fall in love with you. I know Bhima, and you have spent these 5 days with us. What do you think about your and Bhima's interaction?"

Hidimba thought back for a while and then winced.

" We hardly spoke and when we did he was polite. That's all."

" Yes, and I won't mince words. The Kuru clan won't accept you as a daughter-in-law. I don't even want to say anything about the society. They will simply put the blame on the female, and then say she must have ensnared him or something similar." said Advika, wincing herself at the thought.

" Love cannot be forced huh! Here I was about too..." Hidimba muttered.

" About to?" asked Advika.

" Tell Mata Kunti, that I wish to marry him." said Hidimba, her face sad. Advika's eyes widened.

" Maa, would probably say yes and order Bhima to marry you."

" Why? If he does not want too, surely she won't force him?" said Hidimba, her eyes widening.

" Human rules are different dear. Here, if a mother orders or asks, you don't say no, whether you like what you are doing or not. Bhima won't question back, he would simply follow what he had been asked to do."

" That is not right! His opinion matters too."

" I never said human's were perfect." replied Advika, shrugging her shoulders.

" Can I think for a while, alone please? " asked Hidimba, a vulnerability present in her eyes.

" Of course. Don't run alright. I will check up on you in an hour." said Advika, as she got up. Hidimba nodded as her body retained it's feeling back.

" Devi? "

Advika turned back.

" I am sorry, I threw a weapon. It was an instinct."

" I know. Hidimba?" called Advika gently.

Hidimba turned to face her.

" Call me Jiji."

******************

In the end, Hidimba softly said that she would not speak of her feelings. She further said that it was possible for it to be infatuation. She did not wish to force someone into a binding, when they may not have a choice.

Advika had smiled at that and nodded. It was the right choice as well, because Bhima had been angry and refused to forgive Hidimba. He had been rather short with her. Hidimba had said nothing about it, simply shrugging and saying that she was ordered to do it. Her brother would have killed her otherwise. She had literally no choice.

The other brothers had simply smiled and forgiven her, understanding her plight. Kunti had also nodded, saying she understood.

They all planed that Bhima would defeat Hidimb, and free the forest of his rule. Bhima on the other hand refused to listen, but when both Kunti and Karna had ordered him, he had grumbled but did not say no.

" Jiji, you were right."

" About?" whispered Advika, as Hidimba stood beside her watching as Bhima spoke or rather infuriated Hidimb with his comments.

" That he won't say no if his mother asks. But why did he listen to his eldest?"

" Because...in human culture, you don't say no to your eldest. Mothers and Fathers held the highest position. If your father is no more, then it falls to the eldest child, mostly son. They are never to be denied, of what they asked."

" It is weird. I have said no to my brother a lot of times."

" Then why did you not say no, when he asked you to bring us?" Advika asked curious.

" I did, but then he threatened to kill me. What was I supposed to say? So I agreed." answered Hidimba, as they watched Hidimb and Bhima wrestle to the ground.

" Self-preservation. It is the base of our instincts." said Advika as she watched as Bhima wrapped his powerful arms around Hidimb's neck.

" We are not that different from humans!" said Hidimba, her voice absolutely dry.

" Of-course not."

They stopped their conversation, as they heard a mighty roar. They watched as Bhima gave a mighty tug on the head of Hidimb, separating the head from the body, thus ending his life. A lone tear fell from Hidimba's eye.

*******************

Advika smiled as she watched Hidimba dress as she should have done before, as the princess of this forest. Now she looked rather beautiful.

Her ferocity can be seen the way she dressed.

" Jiji, how do I look?"

" Beautiful, my dear. Now, what is supposed to happen?" asked Advika.

" That is what I would like to ask as well!" said Karna from behind as he and the entire family entered.

" As far as I know, now Rajkumar Bhima is the king of this place/ forest." replied Hidimba, candidly.

" Kyaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

" Yes. What did you expected when you slayed Hidimb? Obviously you will be the King. The rakshas won't respect anyone else." said Hidimba, hiding a smile at his disgruntled expression.

" Ye dekhiye jyesht, before you, your anuj became a king!" said Arjun snickering.

" Jai Maharaja Bhimsena ki! " teased Nakul further, before yelping as Bhima charged towards him.

Yuddhisthir was muffling his laughter while Karna chuckled. Kunti was smiling fondly, while the rest of them were snickering or laughing.

" Arey Bhratashree choriye! " said Nakul, as Bhima caught him by the neck.

" Haa, bhrata. Ab aap Maharaja hai. Which king runs after their younger brother?" said Sahadev, before hiding behind Karna, who was chuckling at the three's antics.

" Putro!! " called Kunti.

All of them immediately straightened and step forwards. Karna stood beside Kunti watching them. While Yuddhisthir was beside Karna, while Advika and Hidimba stood at Kunti's other side.

" Putri Hidimba, what should we do according to you?" asked Kunti, gently.

" Mata, according to the rules, Rajkumar Bhima will be the crowned King of this forest. And..." trailed of Hidimba.

" And?" asked Kunti, gently gesturing her to continue.

" Well, a heir is required as well. Since I don't think he would be able to stay here." said Hidimba, hesitantly.

" What? I am not staying here...I am not separating from my brothers. Can't you rule this place. You are Hidimb's sister. You know what to do and what not to do. I am more than ready to give up the crown." said Bhima, almost desperately. The mere thought of staying away from his brothers was terrible for him.

" I can. But they would still need an heir...to show that he is your representative. Then I could rule on behalf of the heir or you." said Hidimba, patiently.

" Where will we get an heir?" said Bhima, frustrated.

" Calm down Bhima. We will find a way. Hidimba, is there a way?" Karna asked softly.

" There is Bhratashree. A ritual usually used if the King and Queen is not fertile, to create an heir. We need Kumar Bhima's blood and a rakshasi's blood. That's all."

" Where will I find a rakshasi now?"

" Hidimba jiji is standing right in front of you. If you want any other, then...you have to search. Surely Maharaja, your soldiers can search a rakshasi willing to donate blood for the Mighty King, who defeated Hidimb?" said Arjun, snickering at his elder brother's predicament. Bhima was absolutely flustered. Everyone chuckled at his look while Kunti, Advika and Hidimba giggled.

" Well...there you go. Solution is right here! Hidimba, do you mind?" asked Advika, smiling brightly.

" Not at all jiji. It is in my favour. I get to be the ruler in the end." replied Hidimba smiling.

" What about the child?" asked Bhima.

" Well you could take him with you, if you want. Or he can stay here. I will care for him obviously. My blood will be used after all. Technically he is my son." said Hidimba, in a matter of fact tone.

" What about me?" asked Bhima now confused.

" Offo! He is your heir as well. Therefore your son. I believe you call them adopted son. Does it matter in the end?"

" Putri, I believe we all are a bit confused here. Can you explain properly, from the start?" asked Kunti, a confused look on her face.

" Mata, in our culture using that rituals means the child that is created belong to those whose blood is used. Meaning, if my blood and Kumar Bhima's blood is used, then the child created would be ours. In human culture, I don't know if you have anything similar or not, though!" said Hidimba, wondering if she explained well or not. She did not know much about the humans after all.

" Yes, there is something like that. It's called PutraKameshti Yagya. So, the child will be a blessing?" asked Kunti.

" Yes." replied Hidimba.

***********************



Hidimba and Bhima did the ritual and a baby was born. The baby was named Ghatotkach, because of his round shiny head. All of the family was happy and celebrating. He may be born by unconventional means, but he was still the first grandchild of the family. The baby was cute. He mostly always stayed with either Kunti or Karna. Thankfully though, Ghatotkach was not a fussy baby.

Everyone decided they will stay for a month, to spend time with the baby. Hidimba had simply nodded happily. She was rather busy with working with the other Rakshas and Rakshasi. Bhima had literally sighed in relief at that.

Ghatotkach slept with Kunti and at times with Advika and Karna. He was everyone's favourite, given the fact from Karna to Sahadev, all spent the one month always with him.

Bhima and Hidimba became friends. Hidimba had understood Bhima really had no feelings for her, other than that of a friend. He saw her as family though and a close friend. She also realized that Advika had been right, when she had said that marrying him would have been problematic for her. As she would be left behind, in the end. She definitely did not want that. She was happy as she was. The month sped by fast.

" Mata, I will miss you."

" I will you too dear. Take care of yourself and the little one, yes?"said Kunti.

" Of course. It is my right and duty."

Hidimba watched with Ghatotkach as they all disappeared from the view.

" I know we will meet soon. I can feel it." murmured Hidimba.