Matsya Desh:

The six brothers and their wives, excluding Advika, along with Maharaja Virata and his wife Maharani Sudeshna, sat in the open veranda of the palace terrace, while Advika was busy speaking with Krishna.

"Samrat, I hope the food was to your and your family's liking?" asked Sudeshna softly.

"Indeed, it was. I believe Bheem was rather happy with the tasty dishes," commented Karna, looking towards Bheem, who nodded.

"Yes, Jyesht. It was good," said Bheem, with a small smile. Vandita sat beside him, and they whispered with each other occasionally.

"If you give permission, I would like to say something, Samrat," said Virata, a bit hesitantly.

Karna smiled and nodded, "Please Maharaja, no need to be so hesitant."

"We have heard tales of your sons' heroics. If it is possible, I would like to propose an alliance between one of your sons and my daughter, Uttara," said Virata, still a bit hesitant.

Karna's face blanked a bit, while his brothers exchanged glances with their respective spouses. Virata and Sudeshna looked at each other, wondering if they had been too forward.

"Maharaja, I won't deny I like Uttara. Arjun has nothing but praises for her. She would be a wonderful addition to our family. But, in our family, we do not do anything without consulting with each other and the kids, if it involves them. I can't promise anything without speaking to them," said Karna, using every ounce of diplomacy.

As Sudeshna's face fell a bit, Arjun spoke up, "Jyesht is correct, Maharaja. Isn't Uttara a teenager currently? Let her enjoy her life before she has to choose her life partner."

"Yes, Arya is correct. We aren't saying no; it's just that we need to speak with the kids and know their preferences before committing to anything. It is them who have to marry, after all. Not us," added Draupadi.

Virata smiled thoughtfully, while Sudeshna also looked a bit perky at the not-complete-no.

"Of course. As you wish. I hope I wasn't too forward," said Virata, with joined hands.

"Not at all Maharaja. Every father has the right to find the best possible groom for their daughter," said Yuddhisthir, with a smile. Karna simply nodded back, with a smile.

Virata smiled at the words of the Yuvraja. They were such down-to-earth people.

"It reminded me, we have girls in our family too whom we need to find grooms for," commented Devanshi, thoughtfully.

"I had no idea there were princesses in Indraprastha. We only heard of princes," said Sudeshna, curious.

"No Maharani, we have a lot of daughters. Aparna, Jyesht's daughter, is the eldest princess of Indraprastha. Then Dhruvi, bhrata Yuddhisthir's daughter, and Anaya, who is Jyesht's youngest child. Then Bhavya, Jyoti, and Harshada, daughters of bhrata Arjun, bhrata Nakul and mine, respectively," replied Sahadev with a gentle smile.

"We will get six son-in-laws then!" said Vritika, with a soft, excited clap of her hands.

"Yes, but my Aparna's swayamvar or finding any good alliance is a first priority. Then my Dhruvi's. Our other daughters are still small enough. We will have years for them," said Devanshi thoughtfully.

All the brothers' faces specifically fell at that. Kalyani, who noticed, giggled at their faces.

"What happened?" asked Draupadi, a bit confused.

"Look at their faces, Jiji. They look like as if their daughters are about to leave their home or something," said Kalyani, still giggling a bit.

Everyone who was listening to their conversation looked at the faces of the males, who actually looked a bit sad.

"They should be sad. Look at you all. They haven't even met their sons and daughters after so long, and all of you are already planning to ship them off to other places," commented Advika, with a small smile, as she came towards them.

"Indeed," grumbled Bheem, making Vandita pat his arm in consolation.

"Pranipat Samragyi!" got up Virata and Sudeshna, though our favorite family remained seated.

"Pranipat Maharaja and Maharani, please take your seat," said Advika, sitting beside Karna, passing a smile.

As soon as she had sat, Karna spoke up, "What happened? Did you talk? Was the solution you thought of applicable?"

Advika smiled at the curiosity of everyone, "Yes, we talked. Yes, it is applicable. Now, can I tell what I have planned?"

Karna nodded, with the brothers and Virata leaning forward to hear. The females also looked a bit intrigued.

"The plan is to organize a tournament of sorts between the two sides. There will be 10 warriors from each side, male or female. This will allow us to dish out justice. No killing allowed, though," explained Advika.

"This can work. We can finish all aggression in a controlled environment, with not much harm to anyone, especially not the innocent people," commented Karna thoughtfully, as his mind considered a thousand strategies.

"But Bhabhishree, will Maharaja Dhritarashtra agree with this?" asked Arjun, a bit skeptical.

"Yes, he will. We have the upper hand here," replied Advika, with a small smirk.

"The boon, which you did not ask," said Sahadev, with wide eyes.

Advika nodded, "Indeed."

"If we can help in any manner, I would be glad to help!" said Virata.

"Of course, Maharaja. We will keep it in mind," said Nakul, softly smiling.

"Bhabhishree, who will go to Hastinapur with these propositions? And what about Duryodhan and his ilk?" asked Kalyani, softly.

"Kanha will go, and so will I. I haven't thought of anyone else," said Advika.

Sudeshna and Virata looked a bit shocked that the Samragyi herself would go. Karna paid no heed to the shocked looks, "You will participate as well?"

"Yes," replied Advika.

"Alright. Us six and you, seven warriors are already final," said Karna, with a slight glint.

"We can think of the people participating later, Jyesht. Who else will go with Sakha and Bhabhishree?" asked Vandita, curiously.

"Hmm... Arjun, you will go alongside both, as the chief commander of Indraprastha," finalized Karna, looking at his brother.

Arjun nodded, a glint in his eyes, "Yes, Jyesht."

__________________________________



Hastinapur:

"Maharaja, they have arrived," announced a soldier.

Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Bhishma, Drona, and Duryodhan were waiting for them - for Krishna, Advika, and Arjun. As soon as the vanvaas had been done and over with, Krishna, before coming towards Matsya Desh, had already sent a letter saying that three people from the sides of the Pandu's vansh would meet them before leaving for Indraprastha, which had already been given back to them with their wealth. Gandhari, Drona, and Bhishma had sighed in relief at the thought, while Dhritarashtra was indifferent, and Duryodhan had been jealous and frustrated.

"I am so happy. I wish they will hold no ill will towards us!" whispered Gandhari.

"I truly hope so, putri," said Bhishma.

The conch shell sounded, and Dwarkadeesh Krishna entered in his royal regalia, with a very charming and mesmerizing smile, his peacock feather swaying in an invisible wind. His eyes twinkled with untold knowledge as he smiled. Beside him stood his ever-regal sister, rumored to be his twin and most favorite, Samragyi Advika. Her regal and cold posture completely in contrast with her brother's warm aura. Her eyes, which would have twinkled upon meeting family, held a steely look. Her soft hands, which once would have embraced them, were simply clasped in front, showing her superiority as a Samragyi. On the other side of Advika stood Rajkumar Arjun, whose entire posture was relaxed yet held a dangerous edge, as if ready to respond in a moment's notice. His usual calm and twinkling eyes were turbulent as he gazed at them.

"Pranipat to the esteemed elders. Duryodhan, greetings," said Krishna, with a smile.

Duryodhan scoffed, while the others greeted him politely. Bhishma sent a warning look at Duryodhan. They had decided to let Kanha do the talking while Advika and Arjun observed.

"I am glad to find you well, putri Advika," said Gandhari.

"Of course, Rajmata. God always protects the truthful," answered Advika, diplomatically. Gandhari's face fell a bit, but she smiled a small, sad smile.

"We are not here for pleasantries. Maharaja Dhritarashtra, we are here to collect a due from you," said Krishna, pleasantly, diverging the topic to the matter at hand.

"A due?" asked Dhritarashtra, a bit shocked.

"Yes, a due. A boon that is still unfulfilled, which you gave to my sister, 13 years ago," answered Krishna calmly.

"I-..I-don't rem-ember!" stuttered Dhritarashtra.

Krishna's eyes twinkled a bit, while his lips played a very small smile. Arjun rolled his eyes, not caring about propriety, making Duryodhan glare at him, not that Arjun cared. Bhishma and Drona sighed.

"I see. It seems like Maharaja Dhritarashtra has forgotten, Mayuri. What would you suggest?" asked Krishna, a tiny glint in his eyes.

"Not a suggestion, Kanha. I will simply give a curse in exchange for the boon," said Advika, flippantly.

"No! I remember," said Dhritarashtra, panicking.

Advika's lips curled into a smirk, while Duryodhan fumed.

"Good to see your brain working, Maharaja. I wish to dish out justice for what happened those 13 years ago, in the so-called Dyut Sabha. So, as my boon..." before she could complete, Duryodhan spoke up angrily.

"You and that family of yours cut my brother's fingers off and my Mamashree's leg off! What more do you want to do?"

"That was the punishment for your Mamashree daring to call for the humiliation of the Kulavadus of our family, and your brother got his fingers cut off because he had the audacity to follow through with the orders. Be thankful that Bhabhishree respects Badi maa Gandhari so much; otherwise, she would have lost a son as well as a brother that day to the most brutal deaths," said Arjun, his eyes blazing.

Everyone looked a bit shocked at the rage, while the brother-sister duo looked chilled out. Advika kept a hand on the arm of her younger brother-in-law, "Calm, little brother. No need to waste your energy on being angry. And Duryodhan, please stay in your limits. I was speaking to your father, not to you. Learn how to respect your betters. Here I thought, in these 13 years, you managed to learn some manners on how to speak to your Samragyi."

Krishna hid a small smirk at the scathing reply.

"You were saying something, Samragyi?" asked Dhritarashtra, pointedly.

"Yes, I want to organize a tournament with 10 warriors on each side of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. No killing will be allowed. Warriors can be male or female. My boon is that you will make sure your son Duryodhan participates along with 9 other warriors chosen from your side," said Advika.

Dhritarashtra, who already understood why this was happening, yelled out a 'No'.

Advika spoke, "O son of Ambika! Be very careful of your response. Either you accept my curse or accept my terms for the boon you promised. Choose wisely."

Dhritarashtra, still a bit horrified and petrified at the coming humiliation, had no choice other than to obey, "As you wish. Duryodhan along with 9 other warriors will participate and fight in the proposed tournament."

Duryodhan watched with red, fuming eyes.

Advika smiled, "Thank you Maharaja. Further details will be sent by the Samrat, by tomorrow. I ask for your leave!" With that, she got up, folded her hands to the elders, and walked away. As she stood under the sun, with fresh wind blowing by, she heard her brother's voice.

"Well played Niyatinandini."

She turned around with a smile, "The solution is always within the problem, no? Took the component of war away and kept the fight to the controlled medium."

A gentle laugh from Krishna was her answer.

Just a few more days, she would close this entire chapter of Hastinapur, and then she will spend her time with her kids and family.