"jiji!!!" Aanyati was playing with Yom and Yojak in her chamber when Karenumati came shouting. Her breath ragged.

" Calm down Karenu . What happened to you?" She asked in confusion.

" Bhrata Arjun!! " She tried to speak. Aanyati became tensed as well.

" What bhrata Arjun? What happened to him?" She asked placing her sons in their cot.

" Come with me jiji, fast" Karenumati almost dragged her " Moti will come to look after Yom and Yojak. "

They reached the main gate of the palace just to find Arjun in the clothes of a commoner, his brothers standing with him, Yudhisthir smiling at a distance as if feeling proud, Draupadi is heartbroken, her sisters supporting her.

" Arjun?" Aanyati approached him.

" Bless me bhabi maa" he bent down touching her feet " bless me that I achieve what I want "

" My blessings are always with you Parth but where are you going?" She asked clearly shocked.

" Rishi Durvasa has given me the way to change his curse bhabi shri and I am going on that way only. I will have to pray to bhagwan Shiv and I will be leaving for north east to do penance and please him " Arjun declared. Aanyati could not understand what to say. He is not wrong in doing so but Arjun leaving alone is troubling her , God knows when his wish will be granted and when he will return.

" There no need to worry Panchali " Yudhisthir came in" I know my anuj, he won't return without achieving his goal and when he will return, he will be all safe and sound. " He assured sharing smile with Arjun. Then both turned to Aanyati

" Yashasvi bhava parth " she blessed with tears in her eyes. Moti brought Yom and Yojak out. Arjun took both of them in his arms capturing their little faces in his memory.

Yom looked sad but Yojak smiled in a strange way as if smirking again saying now your wife is mine till you return.

Arjun finally moved to Draupadi whose tears knew no bound.

" You will surely have the happiness of becoming a mother Draupadi " he gave her a weak smile. She took a pot of water from the dasi and washed his feet, drying them with her anchal and placing that anchal near her heart.

" Return soon " she whispered holding his hand, a touch which lingered on his hand till he returned.

All bid farewell to Arjun with tears in their eyes unaware of what destiny have in store for them especially Aanyati. " When did he grow so much jyest?" Bheem asked hiding his tears. Before Yudhisthir could reply, a letter came for them.

" Pranipat Maharaj! I am from Shivi. This letter is for you" he handed it to Nakul who read it before revealing.

" Jyest, Maharaj died because of a prolonged illness and maharani comitted sati with him. Angraj Karn is handling the situation there and he wants us to come as soon as possible because Shivi was promised to you and people there are rebelling without any king" his words hit everyone like a blow.

" Dharmraj! We must leave soon. Devika is alone there " Aanyati said thinking how that poor soul must be surviving without anyone of her own unaware of the fact that there is someone who belongs just to her.

Yudhisthir was deep in his thoughts. His kids are just eight months old, his wife is still weak, Rajeshwari is due to any time, Valandhra is pregnant as well, Bheem, Nakul and Vishwajeet can't leave, Yuyutsu will have to stay here in absence of the king, Nakul is needed here, he is the chief doctor of Rajeshwari and Valandhra.

" Karenumati, Aanyati pack your belongings. You two will be leaving with me. Nakul! Prepare for the safe journey of Yom and Yojak. " he announced moving toward the sabha hall .

Somewhere inside the forest of Madr, Sahdev realised that he should have listened to Vijaya because he was now lost, this forest was playing tricks with him again and again. He stepped on the same place sevent time.

Tired of this game, he thought of using the mantra he learnt from Arjun for such situations but before he could do so, he was engulfed by dark clouds without any origin. His vision died as he heard some noise.

Many wicked laughter echoed around him as he struggled to get out but of no use, these powers were demonic, magical and Sahdev was not having any weapon with him to empower it with a chant. He needed just something, even a pebble which he could use but the smoke was making him blind. He tried to pick up something from the ground moving desperately to get anything he can find.

Suddenly the wicked laughter ended, the smoke disappearing slowly. Sahdev gained his vision just to find Vijaya standing in front of him.

Before he could understand what just happened, a witch charged toward Vijaya lifting her off ground with her hand.

That witch was wearing all black clothes, her face full of wrinkles, skin loose, hairs disheveled, her smell unbearable and eyes red, she was choking Vijaya through her throat, she struggled to breathe.

" Vijaya!!" Sahdev shouted running toward her but several other witches came in his way, laughing evily, their teeth black as she chanted something and formed an enery ball in their hands ready to throw it on Sahdev.

But he is a warrior who knows how to tackle such situations. He picked up a stone from the ground, chanted a mantra and threw it at the one choking Vijaya. She burnt to death there only leaving behind a black smoke.

Vijaya fell on ground breathing heavily. Sahdev did not stop and threw anything which could be empowered by mantra on those witches, burning them one by one. He was slowly overpowering them with his strength. But one of them threw a spear on him from behind , a black spear made of black magic.

" Raj Kumar!!" Vijaya shouted making him turn behind. Before the spear could hit him, Vijaya came in between. The spear made of dark energy passed through her waist and vanished leaving a black mark on her belly. Sahdev could not register what just happened.

She fell in Sahdev's arms, her body pale, eyes barely open and pulse low.

" VIJAYA!!" Sahdev dropped to the ground, Vijaya's head in his lap, his eyes red whether from tears or anger, he himself did not know.

Before he could kill the last witch she disappeared with a demonic laugh. Sahdev turned his attention to Vijaya whose body had turned numb.

" Vijaya!! Please keep your eyes open... Please nothing will happen to you" he placed his hand on her glass like face, a tear escaped his eye so did Vijaya's .

Before thinking further, he picked her up in his arms and ran toward the river. His mind playing the previous scene again and again. She is suffering because of him. It was he who entered the forest inspite of her warnings, it was he only whom she came to save and that spear was also meant for him but she accepted it without caring for her life.

He can't let anything happen to her, no not at all, he have to do something soon.

With all his might he ran to the river and placed Vijaya near the shore. The witches used black magic on her and he only knew one way to save her so he invoked a Yaksha.

His chants echoed throughout the shore as a water Yaksha appeared in front of him. His face covered with dirt as she showed his white teeth, his big belly jiggled as he laughed, with hairs longer than his height and beard almost touching the ground he stepped on the land.

" Open your eyes Pandu putr and tell me why you invoked me" that Yaksha asked in his heavy voice.

" I want you to save her from the effect of black magic" Sahdev put his demand forward. That Yaksha laughed shaking his big belly.

" So desperate to recover her? Who is she to you?" He asked with a hint of mischief in his voice.

" That should not matter for you. Do as I asked" Sahdev was getting impatient. Although he knew about this nature of Yakshas but he was not in his senses right now.

" And what will I get in return?" He asked revolving around Sahdev. " Why should I save her?" His eyes enlarged as he talked.

" What do you want?" Sahdev asked, his gaze stern. That Yaksha again laughed loudly

" Are you ready to give me anything I ask for?" He asked coming closer to Sahdev's face.

" Anything" Sahdev said looking into his eyes. That Yaksha laughed on his face and put his finger on Sahdev's chest near his heart.

" You are in love Pandu putr! You are in love" he announced and then started laughing again going high in the sky and then coming toward Vijaya.

" Today I grant you what you want Raj Kumar. Your love will be saved but I will come asking for my favour to return and if you won't then she will die in your arms again " he announced throwing a cloud of dark smoke on Vijaya's face and then disappeared with his terrible laughter still echoing around them.

Sahdev ran to Vijaya checking for her well being. Her pulse was normal, her face gained it's natural colour, she breathed normally. Sahdev placed his hand on her cheek carresing it with .... love wondering about that Yaksha's words - Is he actually in love???

Vijaya came back to life, her eyes opened slowly, she looked onto her surroundings and saw Sahdev smiling at her.

" Welcome back to life" he said and helped her to sit straight. She seemed scared.

" Those witches.... They" she asked clearly in fear.

" They are gone. You are safe now" Sahdev assured as Vijaya sighted in relief. " But why did you enter inside the forest knowing it is not safe?" He knew the answer but he wanted to hear it from her.

" I saw those witches flying to the forest and came to alert you but you were already surrounded by them so I threw that stone on one of them diverting their attention" she narrated as it happened, worry still visible in her eyes. He wondered what this worry is for? Him??

" And who told you to jump in front of that spear to save me?" He asked in fake anger, a pink hue covered her face as she found no words to describe why she did so.

" Because I knew that if anything happened to me, no one will be affected but if anything happened to you the whole Indrprast will be devastated " she finally said as Sahdev again drowned in his thoughts.

Is it true? No one would have cared for her death? No, he would have. Why? He don't know.

" Come now show me the way out, we have to reach Madr by morning. Soldiers must be searching for us " Sahdev said giving his hand to her to stand. This time she accepted his hand making his heart flutter.

Is he actually in love? He wondered.

Both walked together to their camp and began their journey to Madr in the morning with new questions in their mind, seeking answers which lie only within them.

Their destiny leading to an unknown path where echoes of past will hinder in their present and will change their future altogether....

Arjun is leaving for the north east. You know what will happen....