Advika's POV:

It was nighttime. Everyone had slept for the day, yet I knew my stubborn husband wasn't asleep. I came inside the hut to verify my thoughts. Yes, indeed, he wasn't there. This day had been very hectic for all of us. While it started with happiness and as a normal day, it surely spiraled down very soon. Rakshas, Jayadratha...

I wonder what Dushala might be thinking about her husband's bald head, especially when it was done by her cousin brothers. I have absolutely no second thoughts on suggesting the idea of removing his hair. He deserved that. If he had attacked us - the adults, no one would have been very angry. But he planned to kidnap our kids. That was something we will never forget.

I got out of my thoughts as I realized I was near a cliff. I looked forward to finding him standing there.

"Kya hua? Not feeling sleepy?" I asked as I went near to the edge where he stood.

"Not really," he said, his voice soft yet a hint of anger could be found. I simply smiled a sad smile.

We stayed quiet for a while. I knew he would speak his thoughts again. We rarely have any secrets between us.

"I am wondering at how low can a person go. To harm a defenseless child, a baby? With this rate those Kauravas are going at, there will be War," he spoke.

"Do you want War?" I asked after a bit of deliberation.

"No. War helps no one. But allowing them to go without punishment also makes me feel enraged," he said, frustration clear in his voice.

"Then they will get punishment," I replied.

I agreed with him. War truly helps no one. While I am sure none of us will care if those people die, still if they die, we will harm one person. Mata Gandhari. And what about those females, who are the wives of those 100 brothers? What about Vikarna, who was brave enough to stand up against his brothers? What of their children? What of those innocent soldiers who absolutely have nothing to do with the entire matter? Why should a child lose his father, a wife lose her husband, parents lose their child? For what? To War? Just because of a throne?

"How? I know they will not let the matter go so easily!" said Karna, his brows furrowed. His question brought me out of my rather heavy thoughts.

"Of course not. Shakuni lost his legs. He will either stay completely quiet or simply do something that leads to his death. Dusshasan lost his hand to my blade. Over that, while we are in Vanvaas...our Kingdom and wealth are monitored by Kanha and dau. Only if we get caught during our incognito year, do they have any chance of trying to get our wealth and Kingdom! Do you think Duryodhan will stay quiet, even after all this?"

"Nope. Out of everything, he will want war," he said, a sad smile on his face.

"It may not be war, though," I hummed softly after speaking.

He turned completely towards me.

"What do you mean? Why do I feel like you have a plan?" I heard him ask.

I smirked a bit, my red lips stretching.

"Because I have a plan. It's in the starting point though."

"What is it?" I could almost feel his hope and slight excitement.

I walked away from him slowly as I spoke, a mischievous smile playing on my red lips.

"Aha! Not so soon. Only when the time arrives shall you know, dearest husband. For now, stop pondering about it. Otherwise, you will get wrinkles and grey hairs before you even become a grandfather."

"Hey!" I heard him say as he gave chase. My laughter rang through the clearing.

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Author's pov:-

Four months had gone by very swiftly since that day. Draupadi was very heavily pregnant. Her stomach was huge. She was in the middle of her ninth month.

Entertainment, in the form of tantrums and mood swings, was an everyday thing by now. Almost everyone stayed back at their ashram, so that no one missed a single thing.

"Am I fat, jiji?" asked Draupadi, pouting. She was sitting on the comfortable mattress, which was made by Bheem and Sahadev for her.

"No. Why would you think so, Draupadi?" said Devanshi, who was sorting through fresh vegetables, sitting beside her.

"Okay. Now, baby...when will you come out?" said Draupadi chirpily.

Devanshi laughed at her antics.

"Draupadi, the baby will come when he is ready to come out," said Vandita laughing, as she came over to them with some fruits in her hands.

"I know, jiji. But, I hope he doesn't take much time, like his siblings. Bhavya took nearly an extra week to become ready to come out," pouted Draupadi.

"True. Raghav was also born two weeks late than your due date. Advait was also born two days late, wasn't he?" asked Vandita.

"Yes! I hope he comes out soon. You hear that baby? You better come out soon! Don't make your mother wait so much!" said Draupadi, softly patting her enlarged bump.

Devanshi and Vandita shared a smile at that.

"Talking to my daughter, are we, priye?" said Arjun, as he came over.

"Yes, but who says it is a daughter? I know it's a son!" said Draupadi, indignantly.

"What if it's both?" said a cheeky Arjun, his smile impish.

Draupadi's eyes filled with tears. She sniffed.

Devanshi and Vandita were very confused at the sudden tears. What happened now?

Arjun, on the other hand, panicked. What did he say now?

"What happened, bhabhishree? What has bhrata done now?" said Nakul, coming over with a gentle smile.

"He called me fat!" said Draupadi, sniffing.

"When did I call you that?" said Arjun, brows furrowed and very confused.

Nakul winced at that.

"Do you not remember, when Sahadev said, according to medical practice and knowledge, one becomes more enlarged to accommodate two babies? Are you calling me fat, Arya?" said Draupadi, her lips quivering, her doe eyes wide and teary.

"What happened?" asked Advika from behind them. She carried a fruit basket in her hand.

"Nothing much. Bhrata thinks we all are welcoming twins in two weeks," said Nakul, very amused.

"Are we?" asked Advika, her eyes twinkling.

"No. I checked. Only one baby, sadly," said Nakul, expressing fake disappointment.

"How sad!" said a dry voice. Karna was looking at them with a very exasperated expression.

"So, I am not fat?" asked Draupadi.

"No, you aren't, dear," assured Arjun.

"Okay. Then will you make me lunch, Arya?" asked Draupadi, changing her mood from sad to happy immediately.

"Me?"

Karna and Nakul coughed at the sudden task, which had been repeated a lot. Advika smirked, amusement in her eyes. Devanshi and Vandita looked like they were trying to hide their laughter.

"Yes, you! I said 'Arya', did I not?"

"Okay," said an absolutely resigned Arjun.

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All the females made sure that they cooked food for everyone, and only then would Arjun be allowed to cook. Devanshi, Advika, Vandita, and Draupadi waited outside the kitchen. Draupadi had fallen asleep with her head on Advika's lap.

Karna and Nakul decided to at least try to help Arjun. Draupadi had strictly said that no one could help him.

They were thinking of ways to assist him without Draupadi realizing they were helping him. So they sat outside the kitchen, discussing which way of helping him would work. Everyone looked up when they heard faint footsteps approaching.

Yuddhisthir was returning from the gathering of sages with Sahadev from one side, while Bheem, Ghatotkach, Kalyani, and Vritika with the kids were returning from the Kamakhya forest.

Kalyani released Gaurav's hand, and he ran towards Nakul, who picked him up with a smile. Sahadev also took Harshada from Vritika, who smiled with her arms free. The other three toddlers were carried by Bheem and Ghatotkach.

"So what's happening?" asked Yuddhisthir as he saw everyone standing or sitting in front of the kitchen.

"Orders of Draupadi. Arjun is trying to cook," said Devanshi with a twinkle.

Yuddhisthir blinked before shaking his head amused. "So, we aren't eating lunch?" asked Kalyani, curious.

"No, we will eat. We three made the food before Arjun went to try his hand at cooking," said Vandita, earning a sigh of relief from Bheem and Ghatotkach.

"So, what is Kakashree trying to make?" asked Ghatotkach, curious.

"Who knows, dear? Only he knows what he wants to make!" said Vandita with a very amused smile.

"IDEA!" said Karna, suddenly shocking them.

"Hush! Not so loud!" admonished Advika. Karna smiled sheepishly.

"You got an idea on how to help bhrata, jyesht?" asked Nakul.

"Yes. I was hoping boiling water would do perfectly for Ghatotkach, right?" asked Karna, his eyes expressing his hope that they would understand. Arjun, who was hearing everything, understood what his jyesht meant.

"So, the first step is to boil water," he murmured to himself. Outside, everyone blinked. Ghatotkach was flabbergasted.

"Bade Pitashree, why would I need boiling water? Normal water is fine!" he said, rather innocently. Karna slapped his forehead, but Bhima had a glint.

"Ghatotkach, rice can be cooked in heated water. Do you understand, my son?" said Bhima loudly.

Arjun blinked before smiling. "So, I need to wait for the water to heat before I add rice!" he murmured to himself.

Draupadi had woken up, hearing loud voices and giggling from Devanshi and Vandita. Advika was very amused. Kalyani and Vritika were snickering.

"Rice? Water?" she asked sleepily. The males looked at each other. Now, how will they help Arjun?

"Now what will you do?" thought Advika, sending a teasing look at Karna and Bheem, who looked tensed.

"Bhabhishree, did Arya finish cooking?" Draupadi asked.

"No dear. He is still cooking," Advika answered.

"Okay. Can I have some grapes till then?"

"Sure, dear."

"Ghatotkach, son, when did you come? Come here, sit with me. Tell me, how is Hidimba jiji? I heard she had a daughter! I hope she comes to meet me soon," chattered on Draupadi.

While Draupadi started to munch on ripe, green, juicy grapes and her mind was busy talking to Ghatotkach, Bheem joined Karna on the stairs of the kitchen.

"Now how to help him, jyesht?" asked Bheem, as he sneaked a glance at a tensed Arjun, who was also looking at them with a pleading look.

"Let's start talking," suggested Karna.

"The vegetables are rather ripe during this time," said Karna loudly.

"Yes, jyesht. Especially if you cut them properly, they taste good," replied Bheem just as loudly.

Draupadi blinked at their weird talk, but Ghatotkach managed to gain her attention. He finally understood why his bade pitashree was speaking so weirdly. Hopefully, his kakashree would be able to make something edible. Arjun smiled.

"Vegetables, vegetables, where are you sweethearts? Ahh, there you are! Now how am I supposed to cut you?" murmured Arjun as he grabbed a carrot. He snapped the carrot in his hand when he tried to cut it using cutting utensils.

"Oh well, this way is better!" with that, the fearless Gandhivdhari Arjun started to snap all the carrots like that. Karna and Bheem, who were sneaking glances at his progress, looked positively in grief at the condition of the carrots.

"Jyesht, he killed the carrots! How could he? The carrots are supposed to be lovingly cut and seasoned, not mercilessly killed!" whispered Bheem.

"I know, I know, my anuj. Anyway, he is our little brother. Little brothers should be forgiven, as they don't know any better. Arjun also doesn't know the intricacies of cooking," consoled Karna.

Bheem also nodded forlornly.

All these antics were observed by Advika, Nakul, Sahadev, Vritika, Devanshi, Yuddhisthir, and Kalyani. Vandita and Ghatotkach kept Draupadi busy and fed her a lot of grapes.

"Bhabhishree, ye log bhojan paka rahe hai, ye fir kuch aur?" asked Kalyani, whispering conspiratorially. Advika snorted.

"I still don't understand, how can carrots go with rice?" said Yuddhisthir, looking confused.

"Of course you don't. You made gajar ka laddoo when I asked for besan ke laddoo," said Devanshi, teasingly.

"How was I supposed to know laddoos aren't made of carrot? Laddoos look orangish in color; I thought they are made of carrots, since carrots are also orange," said Yuddhisthir, a sheepish smile on his face, while a red tint appeared on his cheeks. Everyone giggled at his logic.

"At least you made something, Bhrata. Your brother made Puris that looked like a Kingdom's map than a Puri," said Kalyani, with a mischievous smile towards Nakul, who flushed red.

"Only Jyesht Bhratashree and Bhrata Bheem are rather capable in cooking. Now that I wonder, did you take help from them when I asked you to cook Kheer for me, Arya?" asked Vritika, turning towards Sahadev.

"Umm...yes. I cooked though; they simply gave me instructions," clarified Sahadev immediately. Vritika hummed in response, satisfied.

"You said that you didn't take any help when I asked how you made the kheer so tasty!" accused Nakul.

Sahadev shrugged, "You should have used your brain, twin brother!"

They all looked at the free entertainment – cough-cough – Karna and Bheem trying to help poor Arjun.

"Salt is a must for food. Without it, the food tastes bland. Very important," said Karna.

"Yes, and spices! They add taste and aroma to the food!" said Bheem. They sneaked a look at Arjun.

"Okay, so salt and spices. Now where is this lovely salt that Jyesht is praising so much about?" murmured Arjun.

He found a small pot filled with salt. He looked at it. Beside it were spices kept in very small quantities.

He took both and dumped the entire thing on the pot, where rice was cooking, and where he also added carrots. Karna and Bheem looked at each other horrified.

"What is he cooking? So much salt and spices?" murmured Karna, looking at Bheem.

"He dumped those in the rice, where he dumped the carrots as well," said Bheem, his voice just as horrified. Advika, who was listening in, broke out into giggles.

"Bhabhishree? What happened?" said Yuddhisthir, a bit alarmed at seeing his sister-in-law giggling.

"Your anuj is creating poison, not food," said Advika, trying to control her giggles. Everyone who heard her blinked, then looked towards the kitchen to see their brothers' horrified expressions. All of them snickered.

"Ahh!!" yelled Draupadi, all of a sudden.

"Her water broke!" yelled Vandita. Their eyes widened.

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It has been hours.

Arjun had come out of the kitchen immediately at Draupadi's yell. After he had carried her to the bed in their hut, he had been promptly kicked out. Advika, Devanshi, and Vandita had gone in. Nakul had run to get the midwife, who had entered the hut, two hours ago.

Arjun was pacing in front of the hut. Yuddhisthir held Bhavya in his arms, cuddling her, who she watched her father pace from left to right. Kalyani and Vritika held Jyoti and Harshada, who were awake as well. Nakul was dealing with his son Gaurav, who wouldn't stay still. Sahadev held Devansh in his arms, who was blissfully asleep, unlike his twin. Bheem and Karna were simply standing. Ghatotkach also looked at his panicking Kakashree with amusement.

"Kakashree?" called Ghatotkach.

"Yes, putra?" said Arjun looking at Ghatotkach.

"Don't you have experience with these things?" asked Ghatotkach curiously. Nakul and Sahadev snickered at the question, while Bheem snorted. Yuddhisthir and Karna shared a bemused glance.

"Uhh..yes, why?" asked an even more confused Arjun.

"Then why are you panicking?"

"Good question, son," said a voice from the door of the Ashram.

They all turned to find Kunti, Krishna, and Balrama standing there.

"Maa, Madhav, Shri Balrama!" said Arjun, looking relieved at seeing them.

Kunti smiled as she approached Arjun. "Don't worry, everything will be fine," said Kunti, as she cupped his cheeks, while Arjun nuzzled her hands. "True. Don't worry too much, Parth. Pranipat, Jyesht!" greeted Krishna, with a knowing smile. Karna simply smiled an enchanting smile back.

"I am glad you all could arrive in time," said Karna.

"See bua, I said you must come here today. A new member is coming after all," said Krishna.

"Of course," said Kunti laughing.

After two more hours, a cry was heard. The baby was born. Everyone gathered around to see the newborn. While the young toddlers looked at their youngest sibling with interest.

"Look, Draupadi, your son sure could not wait to meet his family. After all, he arrived before time, just as you wanted," said Advika, a teasing smile on her face. Draupadi gave a radiant yet tired smile, her happiness clearly seen.

"I believe he arrived early because he did not want to eat the food his father made, not because he wanted to meet his family," muttered Karna, making Krishna snicker to himself. So true!