The yellow flags came into view as Arshia and Arjun slowed their horses down. They climbed down and looked around when a arrow struck hardly to the ground, restricting their further movement.

A smile made up Arjun's face as he looked over at the five kids. He picked up the arrow and broke it, throwing it at the kids. As a result,4 of them backed away but one of them caught the broken arrow. Arjun's eyes moistened as the kid and him walked to each other.

Arshia watched in confusion until she realised what had happened,Arjun had recognised his son, Abhimanyu. A warm feeling arose in her heart as she saw the interaction between the father and son. She smiled, clasping her hands together.

"Abhimanyu,if you hadn't recognised,this is Arshia." Arjun turned to her. Abhimanyu's eyes held happiness as he moved to her and bent down for her blessings. She smiled and blessed him.

"How are you dear?I hope everything's fine. You have amazing archery skills." Arshia put a hand on his cheek, carreseing it. The younger melted into her touch as he leaned in.

"Mata,I am fine. I hope you are fine too." Abhimanyu said,with concern. "I am fine Abhimanyu,as you can see. Don't be too tensed and don't practice archery too hard. You have to balance things,okay?" Arshia patted his head. He took her hand that rested on his head and slightly gripped it.

"Mother,I have to practice hard. I can't live knowing you were insulted so gravely." His voice was stern. Arshia sighed.

"Hatred isn't suitable dear." She flickered her eyes at Arjun. "Please meet Vasudev, Brother Arjun. I will be meeting him soon enough,you should talk to him about....more important things. I will be with Abhimanyu." She smiled at him. He smiled back, brightly.

Arjun nodded, walking over to Abhimanyu and patting his head. "I will be heading off,Arshia." He said softly as he walked off.

.

"Look at this Mata! Isn't it so pretty?Mata Subhadra told me this was your favourite flower so I wanted a whole garden for you,so that when your exile is completed you would come here and rest!" Abhimanyu childishly explained.

"Yes Abhimanyu,I love it all lot. Thank you." Arshia put her hand on the his shoulder whole looking at the beautiful flowers. "Mata,are you really okay?" Abhimanyu asked, stopping in his tracks and looking up at her. She looked at him and pinched his cheeks. "Deary,I am absolutely fine. Now,stop acting all grown up,you are still in your youth."

"Mother,I am not a child!" He whined,his stern-self vanishing. "For me,you will always be a child Abhi. Even if you get married and have children,you are always a child for your mother." Arshia ruffled his hair. Abhimanyu eventually gave in.

"Angrani and Prince Abimanyu,you are requested at Princess Subhadra's chamber." A maid came in and informed. Providing her a curt nod,Arshia walked away with Abhimanyu.

"Matashree,have you met Pitash-Angraj Karna?" Abhimanyu asked, looking up at her. "Yeah,I have. But what's with 'Angraj Karna'? You were about to address him as 'Pitashree'." Arshia squinted her eyes at him.

"He is in the rival side,how I am supposed to call him pitashree? I wish he was on our side." He whined. "And you know,I haven't talked to bharta Vrishaketu in such a long time,a bit more than half a decade to be precise. I really want to meet him." His complaints continued.

Arshia smiled.

"If you love him as a father,it shouldn't matter if he is a rival. He gave you the fatherly love right?And anyways,I am sure he loves you like a son. Even Vrishaketu would want to meet you. I will make it happen,no worries." Arshia assured. His eyes widened.

"Seriously!"

They entered a chamber when he exclaimed.

"Seriously what?" Subhadra asked, grabbing the duo's attention. Arshia smiled at the elder girl who stood up in surprise by seeing Arshia. "Arshia!How have you been!" Subhadra greeted, pulling her into a tight hug. An 'uff' escaped her mouth when she felt the sudden yet light weight on her but quickly stabilized and hugged her back.

"Fine,how are you?" They pulled away as Subhadra nodded,tears crystallising her eyes. "Hey, it's fine. I am back and so will the others. Don't cry or brother Arjun will have a grudge against me." Arshia whispered the last line. A divine watery laugh left Subhadra's mouth as she shook her head.

"Here sit." Subhadra pulled her and made her sit beside her. She held Arshia's hand and turned to Arjun.

"There will be no war." His grave tone announced. Arshia became attentive.

"No war?How is that fair or possible!" Abhimanyu exclaimed. "What kind of decision has uncle taken? If it's on Jyesth Mata's and Mata Arhsia's insult,there is no question of dharma-adharma!I will ask uncle right away!" Abhimanyu protested.

"Abhimanyu!" Subhadra stood up, swiftly leaving Arhsia's hand and walking to him. "Your father nor your uncle has taken this decision. Arya, brother's words don't ever have a single meaning. His decision to not pick up weapons must have a meaning,whatsoever. His other name is Ranchod,Arya. Sometimes to defeat the enemy, brother leaves the battlefield. He doesn't need to lift weapons to succeed." Subhadra smiled, keeping Arjun in deep thought.

Arshia sighed, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. Knowing the future,she definitely has an upper. It feels as if everything lies in her hands. Not having a war means living with the insult for life but having a war means losing everyone she loves and cares for.

.

"Mata,why the tensed look?" Abhimanyu asked, entering the place. Arshia sat on top of a swing surrounded by white and divine light. The younger sat near her feet was looked up at her.

"Sit here dear." Arshia moved to her left, leaving the right part of the swing empty for her teenager. He smiled, shaking his head and scooting over to her feet. He laid his head on her lap, closing his eyes.

"I find peace near your feet mata. I don't know why but sitting near your feet and resting my head on your lap comforts me the same way when I sit near uncle's feet, it's a different kind of peace and I beg for it." He closed his eyes, getting comfortable. Arshia's eyes moistened as she ran her hands through his hair.

Vrishaketu ran in her mind. How eagerly she wanted to meet the child,how he wanted to hold him and tell him she missed him and what not.

She gulped as a tear managed to escape her eyes. She wiped it and played with Abhimanyu's hair.

"Son,why do you want this war?" She asked. Abhimanyu opened his eyes and sat facing her. "For revenge Mata,for your revenge,for Jyesth Mata's revenge. My Matas where so horribly insulted 13 years ago by those evil men,they deserve nothing but death!"

"A man dies first because of his own thoughts. Isn't it tensing to think of killing someone? Isn't it hard to go through a whole war? I won't stop you from thinking how you think but aren't you afraid for your life? Is it even possible to come out of war alive? No one matters Abhi,no one should matter. You can't be selfless for life,at some points if you don't think about yourself,you become selfish to your own mind and heart. Listen Abhi,even if this war happens and you happen to participate,please stay safe. I can't lose you." Arshia carresed his cheek.

"Mata,why are you against this?" He whispered.

"The fear of losing Arya and Vrishaketu scares me. Not only them,my other 8 children,them too. No child should die trying to win some war caused by adults. In this world,no children should ever depend on adults,no child. Thinking that my father or mother is there to protect me,you are completely wrong because of this war happens and I participate,I will have to go against my 9 children. G-Go against children who th-thought I would protect them no matter what ha-happens. It-it breaks my heart."

Abhimanyu went on his knees and pulled Arshia into a hug.

"Mother,I can't see tears in your eyes. Please don't cry." Abhimanyu pulled her closer and made her lay her head on his shoulder. "Abhi,I am fine." Arshia said, trying to pull away.

"I won't trust adults,mata but it would hurt me to not trust you and what hurts more is when you try and hide emotions. You can't,they are supposed to be expressed. You can't stop what is supposed to happen,mata. Adults can cry too, infront of their children. There is no shame to." Abhimanyu counseled, rubbing her back.

"Hey,is everything okay?Arshia,why?" Arjun widened his eyes to see Arshia crying on Abhimanyu's shoulder. "She misses Jyest-brot-uh Prince Vrishaketu." He awkwardly addressed. Arshia pulled away, wiping her tears.

"He is your eldest brother, Abhimanyu." Arjun ruffled his hair. He turned to Arshia,his face turning stern. "The war is happening. Madhav has agreed to come to our side and his Narayani Sena on the other side. It's just that,he had decided to not pick up weapons. It's just that,Madhav had decided not to pick up weapons."

"What?" Abhimanyu exclaimed. Arshia sighed and leaned back. She hasn't been thinking much about the war,has she? It's just her child and her husband in her mind,the thought of war just in the back compartment of her brain.

.

Time passed by and they were getting back to the Pandavas and Draupadi. Arshia still hasn't met Krishna as he had the Kauravas to manage.

"Mata,why not stay? Pitashree,you too, please. I have missed you so much." Abhimanyu flickered his eyes. Arshia patted his head and smiled.

"We will meet again son." Arshia backed away to give Arjun and Abhimanyu their moment. "Going away without even glancing at me?Did we grow that distant?" A voice divine-ly said. Arshia flickered her eyes over at Krishna,who had a smile playing on his lips.

Arshia folded her hands and bowed her head, smiling.

"Parth,why don't you stay for a bit?My sakhi has decided to go away without meeting her sakha,after 13 long years. We have a bit too much to talk about." The lord smiled,a bit too sweetly.

Arjun laughed and nodded. Walking to Abhimanyu and putting his arm around his son, walking away.

"Ignoring me?The Arshia I knew would never do such. Are you mad at me?" He smirked. Arshia shook her head. "Even if I was,you would have found a way for me not to be. You control everyone on your fingers,anyway." She smiled back.

His expression slightly fell but he shook his head.

"Yeah? Let's go inside and have a talk."

.

"Have you met Angraj Karna?" He asked, sitting in the swing. Arshia nodded and sat on a small throne infront of the swing. "Have you decided not to open your mouth today?We can't have a conversation if you don't." He said,a hint of mischief in his tone.

"We have nothing to talk about Vasudev." Arshia shrugged, leaning forward and resting her face in her plams. Krishna laughed.

"We don't?So we are going to ignore your plans and thoughts about stopping what happens in the future,the reason for my birth." He leaned forward,the eye-contact being intense.

"You weren't born for the war,lord. You were born to demolish adharm from the era. You weren't born to sit as a chariotter and lead the war, silently. There are other ways to remove adharm from this era,ways which doesn't involve death in such a large scale." Arshia leaned back and softened the eye-contact.

"So,you want to change destiny?Faith?"

"Remember what you said to me when I was denying to come here or not believing that you are actually God and there is a way to go time travel. You told me I had a chance to rewrite the strings of faith and that convinced me to come back to this era. I am not leaving without making efforts to change the war ahead."

She took a deep breath in and let it out.

"It won't hamper your cause of birth,I promise. Adharm is vanishing either way but not how you knew it would. This will be difficult,it has to be. The gods above planned this, it's destiny as you said it was but not making efforts? That's not me."

Arshia smiled,her back completely leaned against the back of the chair and tilted her head. Krishna's smile/smirk disappeared,her words running through his mind.

And for the first time in his life,the avatar of lord Vishnu,felt confused,the future being a bit hazy to see.

What was happening?

(I hope no one is offended!)

. . . .