"This chain looks really good on you, Ishu! Keep wearing it and never take it off!", Draupadi said in awe. Vaishnavi, forgot about all embarrassment and was just lost in her husband's eyes, "Sure, Krishnaa! I assure you that I will never take it off!". Arjun smiled at her, just as lost as her.

All of a sudden, a series of chariots seemed to come near them, making their eye contact to break. Krishna and Vaishnavi looked at who it was, and saw a silhouette of a man, brighter than the sun himself. Vaishnavi immediately said, "Krishnaa, I think you should go inside the temple! Many Princes are coming! And what if they become crazy looking at your beauty? Even before marriage?", to which Draupadi chuckled and nodded at her. While going back, Draupadi turned around and said smilingly, "Don't worry Ishwari! The man I am going to marry would be sane enough to not go crazy, and also will have all senses under his control!", and started walking away. Vaishnavi was worried that the maiden doesn't know the truth yet.

'Oh God! This girl is having her hopes up for Arjun! How can I tell that he is already married to me and is not ready to marry anyone else!'

Thinking this, she turned around to see that Arjun and his brothers, except Yudisthir who was with his mom, were missing. She thought that they must have left the place to avoid Kauravas. She sighed in relief and was about to go, but stopped seeing Ashwathama in front of her. He also stopped looking at her at once, it's been days since he even got a sign of her afterall. He tried to initiate a conversation, but got interrupted by his best friend, "Ashwathama, why did you stop there? What happened?". Ashwathama immediately broke the eye contact and went towards his friend, "No, Mitr! I was waiting for you to come only!".

They both hugged and were about to enter the palace, but soon, the charioteer stopped looking at the maiden in front of him. Her eyes were glowing with a hint of power, with a little anger towards the man in front of her. Duryodhan told that charioteer with frustration, "Ugh! Hey! You fool, what happened? Go forward!".

The charioteer soon started trembling and stuttered, "N- No, Prince Duryodhan! I- I'm afraid of that girl! I've heard a lot about h- her! She beats people by flying in- in the a- air!". Duryodhan grumbled and waved his hand in dismissal, "Ah! You are afraid of a stupid woman? Huh?".

Vaishnavi sharply told, "Ashwathama! Tell your friend to keep his mouth in limits! No one is stupid here!". Krishna kept his hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her down. Duryodhan huffed in frustration and said, "Ashwathama! Tell your friend to behave like a woman!". Ashwathama looked at both of them confused, as they were having an intense eye contact competition.

"Mitr! We are not here to fight! Let's be responsible and respectful here! Vaishu! Please understand!", Karn interrupted their long lasting competition. Vaishnavi looked down with irritation in her face, and started to walk away. But soon, a huge Brahman came in front of her, stopping his vehicle infront of the chariot. She looked at him and immediately recognised it was Bheem. She smirked and nodded at him, which he reciprocated back. She immediately left the Place with Krishna, in search of Draupadi.

But, they both couldn't find her anywhere. "Kanha, where did this girl go?", Vaishnavi asked. Krishna, who was leisurely taking his time to walk, said, "Haa! Who knows? Maybe she met someone special!". Vaishnavi looked at him with a confused expression, "Special? What are yo-", but she trailed off when she saw her staring at her husband, who was helping an elderly woman to pray to Lord Shiva. She noticed that Draupadi was so lost in looking at her husband, which stung her a little.

'Hah! N- No No! He told me he wouldn't marry anyone else! No! No!'

As Draupadi was leaving the place with a content smile on her face and so lost, she accidentally bumped into a Brahman, making all his sticks to fall down. Coming out of the trance, she bent down and helped him pick up the sticks and was constantly apologizing to him. The Brahman could not utter a single word and kept on looking at her. He was trying to pick up the sticks by himself, but was so lost in her, he was collecting air, not sticks.

Once she was done, she looked at him to ask if he needed any help, and couldn't utter a word looking at him. To her, he was way more handsome for a Brahman.

"Are you okay, sir?", Draupadi asked him, looking at his unusual built. "Yes! Thanks for asking! I- I'm okay Princess, Haha!", The Brahman became hyper and started to laugh to settle down the awkwardness. Draupadi smiled and started to go, but was stopped by the over hypered Brahman, "Princess! Watch out!", which made her startle and stop right there. She looked at him with a questioning expression, to which he replied, "There is a thorn!", and took it out of the way and threw it away, which fell on Dushasan, who was examining a fruit in a plant. "Aaarghhhh!", a loud shreik of Dushasan was heard by them, making Draupadi turn towards the direction, but the Brahman jumped in front of her to distract her. As he smiled sheepishly at her, she couldn't help but smile at how messy the handsome looking muscled Brahman was.

Clearing her thoughts, as she only wants Arjun inside her mind, she immediately left the place, leaving the Brahman wondering to himself, "I thought I was the most beautiful person ever to be born in this earth, Nah Man! God really said 'Here's your competition, and you lose!' Heh!'', he smiled to himself, feeling many things he never felt before.

***

In the midnight hours, where everyone was departing to their chambers, Vaishnavi stood in the garden area, looking at the moon, playing with a stick in her hand. "What are you doing now, Husband?", she muttered to herself. Draupadi was extremely excited for the next day, and was only talking about Arjun, and only Arjun.

"H-Hey!", a man's voice called her, making her come out of her thoughts. She turned around and replied, "Yes! Who?". She couldn't see in the darkness, so she went forward to see. The man went back from her, afraid that he might get electrocuted if he touched her, again. But, he accidentally stepped on a rock, making him fall back. Soon, he held onto something, which prevented him from falling down, a stick to be precise.

The maiden soon pulled him up by the stick, making him stand straight. His forehead was shining like a diamond, giving her the insight of who it was. "Ashwa! What are you doing here, late at night?". Ashwathama couldn't control his happiness, as she called him by his short name, which he thought he would never hear again. He immediately wanted to hug her, but alas, he couldn't. Soon, he composed himself and cleared his throat before saying, "Well, I could ask the same thing to you! Vaishu!".

She turned around and looked back at the moon and said, "I was enjoying the view here. Enjoying the beauty! Of the moon!". She started smiling to herself, and was wondering at how Arjun looked hotter in this Brahman Avatar, long hair, Vibhoothi, simple clothes, than his usual Rajkumar attire.

"If you tell me what the joke is that you are thinking of, I would also laugh!", he tried to make a conversation. She hit him softly with the stick and said, "Stupid, I wasn't laughing. I was smiling". He continued, "And what are you smiling at?". She replied without thinking, "Of course, Ar-", but stopped midway and changed the sentence, "uh- I mean the Moon!". He frowned at that but decided to ignore as she was talking to him, finally. He wanted to apologise to her for his behaviour and started to say, but she spoke before him, "Ashwa! Man! I forgive you, if you are here to talk about that! Don't worry! I actually forgave you a long time ago!", and threw a smile at him. And there it is, the smile he has been yearning for since past few days, which felt like an eternity to him. He felt like dying the whole time when she didn't even care to look at him. He just had one thought in his mind now, He wanted her. He smiled back with all the teeth displaying out, which only made her chuckle.

Ashwathama did not want to waste this opportunity and came near, "Vaishu! Uh, I- I wanted to say something to you! The reason I came here is...-!", he trailed off, looking at her brown eyes. She raised her eyebrows and asked him to go on, "What Ashwa? Why did you come? The reason is?". He deviated the topic with a nervous laugh, "Hah! Haha! Nothing man! Why else would I come? To see Draupadi's marriage ofcourse!".

He closed his eyes gritting his teeth, mentally facepalming himself. She replied, "Oh! I se- Wait, you came here even before her swayamvar was announced didn't ya?". Ashwathama just nervously chuckled and wiped the sweat beads forming on his forehead, "Ha- Haha! Yeah, I was just messing with you! Haha!!!".

She smiled at how stupid he was behaving right now and turned her concentration back to the moon, holding her chain. "What are you guys doing here in silence?", a loud voice beamed throughout the garden area. Vaishnavi irritated, turned around to see Duryodhan coming towards them. "Exactly, in silence, Dury! Don't have to scream out loud!", she whispered with clear irritation on her voice.

He came near her, but Ashwathama stopped him from going too close. Duryodhan raised his eyebrows at him, for which he just shook his head slowly. Duryodhan gave him a weird look and started to speak, "What Dury? I'm Duryodhan!", to which she replied, "Yeah man! I will call you like that only! Your name is darn too long!".

"Oh, don't bluff!", he scoffed, which she returned back. Ashwathama, standing in between them, saw how childish they always fight with each other, and how he was always the one who gets sandwiched. He looked at them both standing at each directions and facepalmed himself. "Aargh! Bhratashree! This thorn isn't coming out of my hip!", Dushasan, even more louder than his elder one, came into the scene.

Vaishnavi dramatically looked at him amused, and started to laugh out loud. He gave her an irritated look and asked, "Hey, Vaishnavi! Do you think it's funny? Huh?", to which she replied laughing, "Oh poor Dushy! You just need to apply a little salt and it will come out! You have been struggling since morning? Haha!", she held her stomach, unable to control her laughter.

Duryodhan immediately looked at her and said, "Hey, strange lady! Don't try to kill my brother with your weird remedies!". She immediately stopped laughing and looked at him dead serious. "Try and see, Duryyyy!", she deliberately irritated him. "You-", there, again, their cat and mouse game started. By then, Ashwathama came with a little salt on his hands and rubbed in the area where thorn was stuck. And to their surprise, it did come out, making the second Kaurava scream in joy. "Bhratashree, It- It did come out!", making them both turn towards him, who were pointing index fingers at each other.

Vaishnavi immediately went, "Hah, told ya guys!", and jumped in joy. Dushasan also joined her in jumping, holding Ashwathama and made him do the same. "Thanks Vaishuuu!", Dushasan screamed, to which she stopped jumping and kept her index finger on her mouth, indicating to maintain silence. She whisper-shouted, "Anytime, Dushyyy!", and they three went back to do a stupid dance. Duryodhan looked at them with his hands on his hips, and smiled a little looking at the weird girl in front of him.

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