Closure is such a beautiful thing, not because it helps to fully end one chapter but because it marks the real beginning of a new one.

Author's POV

It has been two years.

A very busy and long years.

While Karna and Advika's friendship has strengthened, not everything was good or happy. Karna in these years had approached many Gurukula's in Hastinapura to learn archery, but he had been insulted and rejected every time. Advika had soothed his dejection with her calm words and told him not to give up, to try again. Thankfully, he had calmed and continued to practice on his own, till he could get a teacher. On the other hand, Advika's mother had given birth to a little boy. Her father had been ecstatic and taken to spent his free time with him. This turn of the events led to her family members less supervision. Therefore, it had allowed her to meet with Karna frequently and sort through whatever left of her previous memories, which were fading rapidly. Advika also spent her time learning whatever scriptures she could get her hand on. Her mother managed to sneak away scriptures and various books about geography and philosophy when she saw her daughter's interest. This was all done without letting anyone know about her studies. Her mother had noticed her sneaking away once, though she was not asked anything, she would always give Advika a secretive smile.

While, Advika and Karna friendship was growing steadily. There had been various close calls where they could have gotten caught but by God's grace they had escaped skillfully. In the end, both had decided, they needed a new meeting place, where no one can catch them.

Many changes took place, not only in their lives but also in the lives of the Royals of Hastinapura. Maharaja Pandu along with Maharani Kunti and Rani Madri had left for the forest, a year back. The people of Hastinapura had protested to the decision of their beloved King, but Maharaja Pandu had been adamant. These also had the side- effect of crisis regarding the throne. In the end, Rajmata Satyavati along with the Mahamahim Bhishma, had decided to crown the elder Prince Dritharashtra, the Maharaja of Hastinapura. Princess Gandhari became the next Maharani. Mahamahim Bhishma and Mahamantri Vidura will counsel him in various matters and help run the kingdom, until an heir was born.

After all these political changes, the elder three queens Rajmata Satyavati, Rajmata Ambika and Rajmata Ambalika left for vanvaas.

Now the reign of Maharaja Dritharashtra would complete a year in the next few days. Therefore, various preparations were going on to celebrate. While everyone was happy...two people in Hastinapura did not care about these matters and stayed away from the preparations of celebration. Advika was a bit uneasy, as she stood in front of a huge kadai (a huge cooking vessel, thick and circular) making repetitive motion with the huge serving spoon in the thick curry.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not hear her mother's footsteps behind her.

"Putri? What is the matter? Why are you so absent minded today?" Advika's mother questioned. The mentioned daughter jumped a foot in the air and the ladle fell from her hands.

Her mother laughed at her daughter's startled face, which was scowling currently at her mother. The noise had attracted the attention of the eldest lady of the house - Advika's Pitamahi (paternal grandmother), Sunaina.

She came inside the Rasoi ghar(kitchen) and looked at the mess on the floor, due to the ladle falling on the floor. A scowl appeared on her face.

She spoke in with a snide voice, "Lagta hai bahurani, tumne apni putri ko kuch nehi sikhaya hai thik se. (It seems daughter-in-law, you have not taught anything to your daughter properly.) Even if you had, she probably did not learn properly. As it is, my putra will have to waste money and valuables on her future marriage, now she is wasting even the food."

Advika's head lowered. She did not allow her tears to show, that would simply give her ammunition to use. She had been hearing this kind of taunts from the past two years. When she was young, her mother had shielded her from everyone in a manner that she only stayed with either her mother or Aarini bua, therefore not allowing her to meet anyone of their immediate family. No wonder she had spent excessive number of times with the mentioned two persons.

Her mother spoke defensively, " Mata, galti Advika ki nehi meri hai. (Mother, the fault is mine not Advika's.) I frightened her, so she dropped the ladle. It was not her fault."

Sunaina replied " You would obviously take her side, after all you were the one who bought her in this house." She turned around to leave.

"Who knows why she was abandoned by her birth parents? I pray to the lord; this girl does not bring Alakshmi in my household. The faster she is gone, the better." she muttered as she left.

Though the bitter words were spoken softly, in the absolute silence of the Kitchen, her words were heard loud and clear. Aaratrika had a stricken look on her face. She turned around to find Advika with a pale face. Her mother opened her mouth to reassure her but Advika pushed past her to the exit of the kitchen.

Before Advika could leave, her mother spoke " Putri, please return home before nightfall and use the back door. I will keep it open and make an excuse. If anyone asks tell them I send you to the vaidji (healer) to learn about medicines."

Advika turned around for a bit a small smile in her face and nodded her head. She immediately left the house.She made her way quickly and sneakily toward the edge of the forest and took a quick right turn from there. After some distance, she saw a huge cave in a distance. She speeds walked to get there, turning behind quickly to see if anyone followed her. Thankfully, no one has.

She came in front of the cave and entered swiftly. The cave was an entrance to a beautiful sight. The picturesque scene of a waterfall creating a small pool of water, was a calming one to Advika. This place was a safe zone to her. She met with Karna here almost every day or spent some time here alone, sorting through her turbulent thoughts. This place was an escape from her home. A home away from home, of sorts. Accidentally she had stumbled upon this place, when she was thinking and searching about a safe place to meet with her only friend. She had fallen in love at first sight and shown it to Karna the next day. From then onward, this place had been their spot.

Advika sat down on a big slab of rock and started to meditate to calm her emotions down. This is again something, she had started doing when she had been too emotional to think clearly and take rational decision. The meditation had always helped and she taught it to Karna, when she noticed his problem with anger. After the introduction to Meditation, Karna had considerably calmed down and his anger rarely creates problems, anymore. She had seen him mediating a lot, especially after the cruel rejections from the gurus in the various gurukuls. It seemed to help him and he was a lot calm afterwards.

" Kya hua hai Advika? (What happened Advika?) Is everything alright?" Karna questioned.

He had come before their designated meeting time, feeling something amiss with his only friend. He smiled when he entered their meeting spot, only to see her in deep meditation. His instincts had been right, when it told him something was wrong. Karna had found a precious friend in her. He had found not only was she intelligent for her age, she could also hold serious discussion on various taboo topics with ease. She voiced her opinions and could debate for hours.

In these past two years, she had taught him various things. Her bringing in various scrolls and scriptures, to teach him, had been a absolute surprise. He had been astonished that she had wanted him to learn from them.

When asked she had answered without a thought " Of course, I want you to learn. Education is for all. You deserve to learn just like myself. I cannot learn because the society does not want women to learn more than the basics. But that never stopped me, you should not let it stop you either. Now learn! You only get this week to learn those."

She had shoved the scrolls in his hand and proceeded meditate. He had gaped like fool before following her instructions. From there, these two years had been amazing for him. There were downfalls of course, like when he wanted to lie and tell the Gurus of the Gurukula that he was a brahmin but she had shut him up quickly. He had been so angry with her that he had stopped talking and meeting her for weeks. He had also foolishly gone to enact that plan as well, but she had caught him before he could. Then she had proceeded to scold him. But she also spoke her opinion on the matter. Those words where something he would remember forever.

She had said then, "If you go with this foolhardy plan of yours, you will simply provide the society an excuse to tarnish your image and name. Lying is not right. To protect that lie you would have to say a hundred lies. That's not right at all. If people find out about your lies, who would believe you? They would all think that whatever you say is a lie. If the Gurus find out then they would curse you. Is that what you want, to get cursed? To live with a curse? Please think before you act. Aisi galti maat kijiye. (Don't make such a mistake.)"

He had been left stumped by her words. She had also given him the Ramayana and told him to learn from the epic. Later, at home he had realized what a huge mistake he would have done. He jerked from his thoughts when he heard Advika responding to his previously asked question.

'She would always take a minute or two before she answered', he thought fondly.

"Kuch zyada nehi, wahi jo chalta rahta hai. (Nothing much, just the usual.) It hardly matters now. " Advika replied.

Karna jaw clenched at her words. He saw her blood shot eyes, realizing she must have been crying before she meditated.

"Again?" He questioned. She simply nodded not answering.

"Are you alright now? " Karna again asked, a worried note in his voice.

" Haa (Yes), I am fine now. Don't worry. So, what are we doing today?" Advika asked, trying to distract him. Karna sighed before allowing the topic to change.

" I wanted to tell you something." Karna said, now a bit nervous.

"What do you want to tell me?" Advika asked curious.

" Well! I just found out a week back, please don't get angry. I took a bit of time to digest the news. So..." Karna trailed off, visibly arranging his thoughts. Advika simply listened, knowing he will speak again.

"I am adopted! Mata told me she and pitashree found me floating in a basket filled with lotus flowers, at the Ganga ghat." He spoke again, looking at the water in the pool intensely.

"Oh!" Advika said, her brow furrowed.

A silence followed. It was not a tense one, but a rather calm silence. Karna was probably thinking how he found out about his adoption, while Advika sat with her brows furrowed.

She suddenly said " I am adopted too." Karna looked at her from where he was sitting near the little pool.

"That is the reason behind most of Pitamahi's taunts and Pitashree indifference. I don't know anything beyond that. Mata told me she will explain tonight." Advika spoke subdued.

"I see." Karna replied. Another silence followed. Both Advika and Karna were thinkers. They took time to settle their thoughts before deciding in any course of action or plan.

After sometime, when both have thought through their similar revelation, Karna again spoke "I have decided not to pursue shiksha in bow for now. I want to find out about my birth parents first."

"Good for you. I agree, I wish to find out about mine as well! Do you have any idea how to find them though?" Advika asked.

"I was hoping you would have some ideas." Karna said looking sheepishly at her.

She chuckled. Karna smiled at her laugh, even though it was at his expense. She had been morose today.

He said, looking straight at her " You should not let anyone's words bring you down. You know yourself the best and thus can judge yourself. Apne upar vishvaas rakhiye, sab thik ho jaiga. (Believe in yourself, everything will be fine) We will find some solutions to our problems soon. Let's focus on what we can do, for now. Right?"

"Ji! (Yes)" Advika replied. A grateful look in her eyes. She closed her eyes before opening them. A determined look in her eyes.

" We should get back to work...learning various scriptures?" She suggested.

Karna replied " Sure."

Both got engrossed into learning various scriptures. They did not have any teacher, so they have to learn from these scriptures only, till they get a fair teacher.

Time went by, as slowly the sun began to set. Karna looked up from his scriptures and noticed the time.

"You have to leave soon Advika. It's already sandhya.(Evening)" He spoke.

Advika glanced up at him from she was sitting and sighed.

"I can stay for a little while. Mata said to return before nightfall. How can you even understand that it's sandhya kal (evening time)? I did not notice at all! And we are in a cave for goodness' sake, you could not see the sun either!" annoyance clear in her voice.

Karna smirked before saying " Talent!" Advika rolled her eyes, far used to his false arrogance.

Both spent another hour together, before getting up from their respective places. They kept the scrolls and scriptures in a box which is kept hidden in the cave.

Karna said " I can take you home, if you want?"

"No, not needed. You go home, we had a long day." she replied.

Karna nodded. Both paused at the entrance at the cave.

Karna said " We have new goal. To figure out our parents. I hope we can succeed!"

" All we can do is try. Let's hope for the best." She replied.

"Yes! Same time tomorrow? " He asked their customary last question.

"Of course," she replied back.

Both went their separate ways. Both hoped they would find some answers soon. Karna hoped to find something about his parents. He accepted his current situation, even though he had to give up learning his bow temporarily, until he gets a fair teacher. And the truth about his adoption gave him new hope of a new beginning. To find out about his birth parents, even though it is a lofty goal. He had hope both he and Advika could find them.

While Advika accepted her family as they are. She had been struggling against the harsh words and rejection along with indifference showed towards her, from her family other than her beloved mother. She hoped that she can get some clue regarding her birth parents. Her mother promised to tell her tonight after all!