Today Indrprast is buzzling with activities. Yudhisthir has announced for such a large feast and over that has invited every known Kingdom too. Maids ran here and there fulfilling one work or the others.
Valandhra is too weak to even walk. Nakul recommended that she should not feed Sutsom for a while so Aanyati is feeding him through her breast. Rajeshwari was ready to help but her own body is still recovering and no one want to risk anyone's health. Bheem mostly stays with Valandhra, either caring for her or her son.
Beside that, Sutsom has developed strange likelihood with Yudhisthir and urges to stay with him all the time. Yudhisthir happily fullfills his wish wandering around with Sutsom in his arms giving Bheem and Valandhra some alone time.
Draupadi is the best help for Aanyati at present assisting her in one work or the other. But deep down she feels alone. Jealousy will not be the correct word to express her feelings. One of Nakul's animal friend told him that Arjun has began penance on one of the mountain near Manipur.
Draupadi only cry and pray for her husband's well being all the time even when she is doing some other work, wishing for him to return soon. Aanyati can see in her eyes how much she regret saying those words to Arjun but still she tries to play strong and don't show her feelings.
The feelings which Aanyati saw when Sutsom and Kamanshi took birth, the feeling which shine in her eyes when she play with a kid.
Then there's her naughty brainless brother who presented a huge gift box to Karenumati when she became pregnant. Karenumati with pure love opened the box just to lift the whole palace on her head with those screams.
He presented Karenumati with a real living jaguar. She ran throughout the palace screaming her lungs out while Nakul ran behind her to control her, the jaguar too came out frightening everyone who came his way.
At last Yudhisthir had to jump in and scold Nakul for his deed . Nakul promised he won't bring animals to the palace not atleast jaguar. Upon asked the reason of this gift, he said, he want his child to be as strong and fast as that jaguar.
But despite it being only the fourth month of Karenumati's pregnancy, Nakul has reported many complications. Karenumati's body is too weak to support the growth of a child inside her, it can affect her health as well. Nakul even told her to abort the child but she refused. She believes if God has sent this life on earth then she should bring it to life no matter what.
Nakul with some of his new experiments has found a way to know the gender of the child and he got to know as well but Karenumati strictly warned him not to tell her the gender and destroy all the surprise.
And then there's Aanyati's laal (kids) . They literally shook the whole palace with what they did few days ago.
As Yom and Yojak are growing, they started crawling here and there. Maids had a hard time running after them. If one crawled out and the maids went behind him wondering about his cuteness, the other would vanish, making them search the whole palace for him.
Aanyati would have been more than obliged to look after them but she has to feed every coming guest and ensure no one returns empty handed.
More than thousands of Brahmins are coming on Indrprast's door nowadays for blessing the princes and collect alms. Aanyati hardly remains free to look after them.
Moreover the maids urges to look after them due to their charm and Aanyati couldn't deny.
On one such day when everyone was busy in one work or the other, Yom and Yojak thought of giving them some entertainment.
They were playing in Aanyati's chamber while maids looked after them. It was just for a moment that maids attention diverted from them when Yojak slipped out of the chamber.
Yom, just as a big brother should do followed him while talking in his infant's lauguage probably cursing his anuj for being such naughty.
With his little steps, he reached the royal sabha where proceedings were going on. Aanyati said beside Yudhisthir with her face covered. Everyone sat there on their designated places.
Yojak, somehow went to the balcony where other females stood and escaped from their eyes to reach just above his parents head.
Whatever happened after that was too much for anyone to believe.
" Dharmraj do you hear Yom's voice?" Aanyati asked while one of the minister read a letter.
" I thought my ears were drumming" Yudhisthir replied clearing Aanyati's doubt.
When their eyes travelled throughout the sabha, they saw Yom sitting at the entrance, his eyes gazing above their head, hand pointed in the same direction and voices as if asking for help.
The whole sabha looked at him in suprise, how did he reached here? They were yet to get much bigger shock.
Their gaze travelled to where Yom was pointing. And there was the apple of everyone's eyes, hanging on one of the largest curtain above their heads.
" YOJAK!!" Aanyati screamed while her child giggled at her, his little hands grasping the curtain firmly. Within minutes the sabha broke out into chaos.
Ministers were too shocked to even react. Nakul went upstairs to pull the curtain while Bheem stood down all ready to catch Yojak in his arms but that child had other plans.
He himself pulled one of the thread holding the curtain and slowly with the curtain came down into Aanyati's arms. She clasped him to her chest as the fear vanished from her heart.
Everyone seemed amazed of the little prince who did what many of them could not even think of.
Those maids had a earful from Aanyati for being so careless while Yudhisthir examined his child again and again. Did he fly? How then he reached those high curtains.
Since then Aanyati didn't left the kids away from her. They stayed in her arms every time whether it's the sabha or she was feeding the Brahmins.
And then there's Aanyati's youngest brother who has choose to stay in Madr forever according to Bheem.
Yesterday a letter came from him through an eagle asking Yudhisthir to sent a letter to Madr naresh Chandrajeet to accept Indrprast's domination over Southern Madr.
" I won't say no to him but we should forge alliance instead of domination" Yudhisthir voiced his thoughts discussing this topic with Aanyati.
" Sahdev is not the one who would say anything without a strong reason Dharmraj!" Aanyati said " if he wants you to call for domination then there should be a reason as well"
" But Southern Madr is no less than Indrprast. Both the kingdoms are equally prosperous. Domination is for those who are inferior Panchali"
" You are not collecting alliance for Indrprast Dharmraj. It's on the name of Kuru Kingdom, it's with the stamp of Hastinapur and Hastinapur is surely stronger than both the Madr unified " her voice had a convincing power which always made Yudhisthir agree and that's what happened this time as well.
He put the stamp of Hastinapur over the letter and sent it to Madr the very next second.
" Ahhhhh"
" It has to be Nakul" Aanyati shook her head as the couple went outside to see what happened now ?
Here in Madr, Sahdev sat in the meeting chamber of Chandrajeet with Shalya, Sudhman and Chandrajeet himself.
" What is this?" Chandrajeet began, his gaze stern as he pointed towards the letter from Indrprast.
" A letter" it was Shalya. Chandrajeet closed his eyes in irritation as Sahdev smirked which Sudhman did noticed.
" Why is Indrprast asking for domination over Southern Madr? Do they have forget Madr is much more capable....."
" Hastinapur" Sahdev cut him short. " It's not Indrprast Maharaj! See the stamp of Hastinapur at the corner " that's all he said. It was enough to shut Chandrajeet. Sudhman's gaze was intense and observing as he examined Sahdev. There's surely something going on in his mind.
Chandrajeet stood up angrily and stormed out without any wait. He knows Hastinapur is far more stronger than Madr but he can't accept anyone's domination over himself, never. Shalya is their relative and so they are already in alliance but Southern Madr always stayed away from the politics of north focusing entirely on trade.
Has the time came? Should he enter into this race? Or should he accept Hastinapur's domination and become their supporters?
" Accept their proposal Maharaj" it was Sudhman, his gaze stern like always.
" But Guru Dev..."
" Don't argue Maharaj! Hastinapur is the emerging political force which which shake Aryavrat in future. We can't withstand them at any cost. We won't have any loss in accepting their domination over us" his decision left no room for discussion.
Chandrajeet much unwillingly accepted the proposal. Sahdev's smirk grew bigger with each passing second. Once Chandrajeet and Shalya left he went to Sahdev who deliberately stood there waiting for Sudhman to come.
" I have spend decades dealing with politics Pandu Kumar! The respect I get from these people hasn't come in dowry to me. " His eyes bore into Sahdev's soul as he spoke " whatever is going in your mind, stop that right now otherwise the consequences won't suit you"
" I was thinking of ending whatever was going in my mind manyavar and you are telling me to stop it" Sahdev smiled " let's do one thing. We end in together, once and for all"
Sudhman kept his gaze straight while Sahdev gestured him to come.
" May I come in Maharaj?" Sahdev asked for permission standing on the gate of Chandrajeet's chamber.
His wife Chavi left leaving the males alone.
" What was so important that you had to come here Raj Kumar?" Chandrajeet said, his voice neither sugar coated nor rude.
" Nothing much Maharaj just thought of digging the past with you today" Sahdev sat at the sofa placed nearby. Chandrajeet sat in front of him, his face showing a mix of emotions, fear, anger, confusion and much more.
" Don't twist your words Kumar! Say what you want clearly" Chandrajeet stared hard into Sahdev's eyes who just smiled.
" I don't want anything Maharaj. But if you are being so generous then let's hear your confessions today. I hope you know which confession I am talking about"
Chandrajeet took a sharp breath before saying " I am not interested in telling you my deeds. You say what you know and I will correct you"
Sahdev willingly began " thirteen years ago your brother di... I am sorry, your brother was killed so brutally that anyone who would have seen him must have cried tears of blood. His wife died in pain, his son got killed but to your problem, his only daughter ran away, wandering everywhere looking for help, she did whatever she could to survive but at the end destiny again brought her to you and you siezed the chance by capturing her."
Chandrajeet laughed loudly, maybe in satisfaction" how good it feels to listen about your work from others. But there's always a problem in it. Bards don't know the whole story. They always miss some part of it. " He leaned closer to Sahdev "yes , I killed my jyest, yes, it was me who put fire to his palace but he escaped so I killed him by my sword, his wife died because of me, his daughter too ran away but is now caught but his son, his son never died "
Sahdev was not expecting this and Chandrajeet knew it" I knew it from miles that you are in love with my dead brother's daughter Pandu Kumar. You don't see Raj Kumar taking stand for a dasi. I knew this moment will come when Vijaya will return and my dirty little secret will be exposed and for this moment I kept her brother, the only son of my late brother Suryajeet alive. That lad must be getting his daily dose in his cave. " Chandrajeet laughed more loudly " And now he will die because of that fool, his sister's mistake. "
" Maharaj!!!!"