"sss", Vaishnavi hissed as Sairandri was tending to her wound caused by that demon of a commander. With her sister giving a stern look to her, vaishnavi was just sheepishly smiling at her. "Why would you always risk yourself silly girl!? Can't you see people are worried about you?", Draupadi was relentlessly muttering to herself tending to her wound.

"Krishn-", Vaishnavi was about to speak but was cut off by her ice cold voice. "Don't. Even. Listen to mom"

Vaishnavi just bobbed her head closing her mouth indistinctively. A part of her was obviously enjoying the attention she was getting from her sister, even in the form of reprimanding. As she didn't have a mother to do all this to her. Vaishnavi smiled faintly as Draupadi, the most beautiful and the pious woman on the earth was scolding her like a little kid, "I did what was needed and there was no need for you to intervene either, Krishnaa."

Draupadi looked up at her and frowned, "What do you mean by that? If not me, who will save you? Don't trust my husbands, I've lost hope in them". Vaishnavi almost dry chuckled at that, "Hey, don't blam- actually yeah! You are right. Brawns no brains. Haha". It invoked a little laugh from Draupadi and they both high fived. "We are way better than them", Draupadi said chuckling. "And just bear with me for a moment more, we will be done before they all come".

"Ishwari!", her husband came running towards with a hellbent worry look on his face examining her. "You are okay right? Huh? Did he- did he hurt you in any way?", he kept blabbering to her. She held her hand up pacifying him, "Chill chill! I'm okay. Don't worry". The remaining brothers entered the area with a concerned look.

"That bastard! How dare he manhandle you?", Bheem roared while Nakul added, "vaishu! Have this medicine". Each of them expressed concern with her while she locked her eyes with Draupadi, who shook her head silently asking her not to reveal that she showed her face to kichak to save her.

Vaishnavi sighed silently and smiled, "Guys, Guys! If he can manhandle me, I can woman-handle him too", she chuckled, "I know how to tame him". Sahadev chuckled and said, "You do know. We all know that Vaishu Bhabhi. It's just there is a certain femme fatale who is insanely jealous", making everyone chuckle except for the one and only.

"Ha! Ha! Laugh it up guys. It's my wife who I'm watching getting betrothed right!", Arjun scoffs, still drawing circles on her wrist. Vaishnavi hissed as he touches a certain wound caused by keechak, making everyone alerted. Arjun sneered, "That Bastard! How dare he touch my wife!".

Draupadi enters the conversation calming him down, "Aarya. Please be patient. It's just a matter of another 15 days. Please be patient". Vaishnavi turned towards him too, "Arjun. She is right. Just another 15 days. Didn't i tolerate him for the past 11 months? Hmm?", she pacified him, which seemed to calm him down and turned towards her holding her hand.

"I- I can't..", he trailed off. Bheem placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, "Strengthen up Arjun. We can do this. But Vaishu, i will kill him by my own hands!!", Bheem roared. Vaishnavi said, "You will. His death is by your hands alone and alone". As everyone was being anger at what happened, Vaishnavi and Draupadi waited for another 15 dawns to come, to see the brighter future ahead tied with inevitable destruction.

***

As the early morning birds chirped in Hastinapur, Shakuni and Karn started to rule out all the kingdoms they were able to. In one year, they went to all known kingdoms to see if they were hiding there. Dushasan was checking on the kingdoms which were remaining for them to check, even the smallest of small ones.

"Tch! Where are they? Why are we so unsuccessful?", Karn sneered while Shakuni pacified him, "Patience Angraj-", but got cut off by him, "What patience? Now only 15 days are left! How are we supposed to find them? Where is Duryodhan anyways? We are doing this for him and he-", Karn stops, hearing someone chanting something so faintly.

He followed the sound, while Shakuni and dushasan followed after him. Karn stopped near the entrance of duryodhan's chamber and looked at his friend bewildered, who was laying on the bed with the piece of cloth on his face, one that belonged to the love of his life. "Vaishnavi... Vaishnavi... You are so beautiful...".

Karn cringed at the sight and woke him up, "Duryodhan! Mitr wake up! Please!", making him wake up with a jolt, "Vaish- Vaishnavi!". Shakuni just shook his head at the situation in front of him as his nephew was totally a lost case.

"Where is she? She was with me just moments ago? Where? Wh-", he trailed off waking up to reality. In a rage, he threw things from his table onto the wall, "Why can't she be mine!!! Aghh!". Karn tried to stop him, but got pushed by him, "No one. No one comes near me! No on-"

"Aarya!".

A voice stopped him. Fuming, he turned around to see his wife, Bhanumati, standing with his son and daughter. His gaze softened at their sight and he calmed down a little. "Bhanu!. I-", he started explaining, but she held up a hand looking down, "No need to explain".

He looked down in shame, while bhanumati looked at him with Pity holding his chin, "It's okay. You have me... It's okay". With that, he hugged her tightly. "I don't deserve you. You are too good for me. I love you so much!", he started blabbering while she soothed him smiling. "But-", he said which made her hand's movement stop. "But?".

"But I can't forget her either... She is my first love. I know my ways were wrong. Very wrong. But..- i love her too much to forget her... Even though she hurt me a lot of times"

Bhanumati closed her eyes to subside her irritation at the mere mention of Vaishnavi, but forced a smile, "Aarya. I know you love her. But.. but please at least with me don't invoke her name. It hurts", she choked while he consoled her. "I'm sorry priye. I'm sorry I can't help it".

Shakuni looked at her and gestured to her that it was okay, while she nodded looking at him.

Karn, Shakuni and Dushasan left the place as Bhanumati was being successful in taming the sorrow-filled demon. Karn, in a fit of rage, pushed a vase down, "Vaishnavi Vaishnavi Vaishnavi!!! When is he gonna get over her? Never?". Shakuni closed his eyes and said, "Never. Tch! What does he see in that obnoxious girl!". Dushasan adds nervously, "But, if we don't find them, he might go crazy Mama shree!".

Shakuni nodded knowingly, "I know my dear Dushasan. I know. He is not just driven by the madness of her, he is also driven by the vengeance against the Pandavas and that pride filled Draupadi. We will find them. We wil-", Shakuni stopped, an idea clicking on his head. "Oh i just know how to!".

Karn asked hopefully, "How?". Shakuni took his dice and rolled it in his hands, "You know Angraj, Yudhisthir is a very clever man. Wherever he goes, the land will be filled with prosperity and fame and success. Bheem, the place will be filled with tastier food in the entire planet, Arjun, the place will be filled with arts, Nakul and Sahadev, the place will be filled with healthier animals, Draupadi, the place will be filled with beauty and grace in ladies and finally, Vaishnavi...", he hissed, before continuing, "The place will be filled with absolute wierdness".

Karn and dushasan drop into thinking while duryodhan joins them from behind, "You are right Mama shree, and there is only one kingdom which excelled in all these in the past one year. Isn't it das?", he asked a servant to which he nodded. "Prince duryodhan. The only place like that is-", he was about to say but got cut off by Shakuni, who threw his dice onto the map on the table, which landed in a particular kingdom.

"Matsya".

***

O....oooo... Aaa...aaaa...

Everyone in the palace woke up not to the birds chirping that day, but to a nightingale singing to her favourite person, a god.

O Kanha Ab To Murli Ki Madhur Suna Do Taan O Kanha Ab To Murli Ki Madhur Suna Do Taan

The king and queen joined her while she was doing the prayers to A vishnu idol along with her stubborn nephew and niece forcing them to sit with her, while she was lost in the song singing it.

Main Hu Teri Prem Deewani Mujhko tum pehchan Madhur Suna Do Taan

Along with the queen, Sairandri and the minister Kank joined, totally lost in her voice. A voice which made even the greatest of cooks, Ballav, to stop cooking and listen to her, and stop the best animal doctors granthika and tantipala to listen to her.

O Kanha Ab To Murli Ki Madhur Suna Do Taan...

Arjun, who was getting ready for the day, dropped everything in his hands. Oh how long it has been since he heard her voice. The voice that united them, the voice that made him go crazy over her. The voice he fell in love with.

Jabse Tum Sang Maine Apne Naina Jod Liye Hai... Kya Maiya Kya Babul Sabse Rishte Tod Liye Hai.

He, without wasting any more time, ran after the voice, as if he was hearing it for the first time. He chased after the voice, getting a deep nostalgia along with her scent filling his senses, Petrichor.

Tere Milan Ko Vyakul Hai Ye.. Kabse Mere Praan.... Madhur Suna Do Taan

There she was, as beautiful as ever. As soon as his eyes laid on her, he felt his heart skip a beat, as if seeing her for the first time. For an eunuch like himself, a person who would never get feelings for a woman in the past one year, the amount of feelings this woman has evoked in him was immaculate and unbearable, and he wasn't complaining about one bit of it.

O Kanha Ab To Murli Ki Madhur Suna Do Taan..

She opened her as soon as his scent filled the entire hall, Petrichor. Without breaking any eye contact, she started smiling without her knowledge, while Uttar was looking at them and was mentally preparing himself to wash his eyes with bleach.

Saagar Se Bhi Gehari Mere Prem Ki Geheraai Lok Laaj Kul Ki Mariyada Saj Kar Main Toh Aayee.

Not once her eyes, forget about averting gaze, even blinked. For an eunuch like himself, who isn't supposed to attract a woman to himself in this one year, was being very captivating and absolutely beautiful by just breathing in her eyes, and she wasn't complaining one bit.

Meri Preeti Se O Nirmohi Ab Na Bano Anjaan.... Madhur Suna Do Taan

She felt a shuffle beside her and closed her eyes in irritation, assuming her nephew was trying to get up and held his hand before turning to him, only to be met by keechak, who was now sitting beside her with a stupid grin on his face, and she left his hand immediately after realising she held his hand.

She gave him a sheepish smile before continuing with closed eyes, only trying to concentrate on her Kanha, and no one else, or cheating her determination at times by thinking about her husband.

O Kanha Ab To Murli Ki Madhur Suna Do Taan Main Hu Teri Prem Deewani Mujhko Tum Pehchan Madhur Suna Do Taan Madhur Suna Do Taan Madhur Suna Do Taan.

She started to give aarthi to everyone, deliberately skipping Keechak, and the first one being Brihannala to get it. As soon as Brihannala took aarthi, Vaishnavi immediately took it as well, smiling at each other.

Uttar, being the ever cocky one, intervened, "Ugh! Stop flirting, you two!! Mausi, you are so stupidly obvious ugh!". He earned a pull on his ear from his sister Uttara, "this is the way you talk with elders? Huh? Calling her stupid? Sorry mausi!".

He got out of her hold and screamed, "Ouch, Uttara. Yes she is stupid. She is technically our Bua and she made us call her Mausi. How stupid is that now?". Vaishnavi intervened and said, "Kiddos! Kiddos! Whatever Tara does, it has a meaning. For a greater purpose okay?", she said as if dramatically self boasting herself, making uttar to roll his eyes, while Keechak wasn't even listening to the conversation happening, eyeing on Draupadi, who was getting more and more uncomfortable under his gaze.

Sudeshna asked while taking prasad, "Tara? Why is it that you were praying to that Krishna? You never fail to amaze me, in a bad way of course", she smirked, to which vaishnavi answered smiling, "It's Ashada month Bhabhi. Guru poornima is coming up, so I started to pray to my guru, Shri Krishna from Vrindavan. And besides...", she looks at Yudhisthir, "This month's 3rd day is very important too", her gaze travelling to Arjun and finally to Draupadi.

Of course it is important. After all, it's the day their exile ends.

Sudeshna asks her in a questioning way, "But it, the month, starts in the evening isn't it? Why did you pray early in the morning?". To which Vaishnavi replied, "As chandra vanshis, the clan of moon, we don't follow the thithi starts with morning, but which starts with evening, which made today have 2 different thithis from morning to eve-", she trailled off realising something.

She looked at Arjun and Yudhisthir with widened eyes gulping, which wasn't unnoticed by her brother Virat.

'If we follow Chandravanshi, and today has 2 thithis... The day I got disrobed also had 2 thithis... Which means...'

"The prince of Hastinapur, and the kings of Gandhar and Ang respectively have arrived at the court hall!", the announcement broke into everyone's attention there.

Draupadi and vaishnavi shared a look, as did Yudhisthir and Arjun. Vaishnavi looks at Virat with a questioning expression, while he blinks his eyes in reassurance. "Ugh, what do they want now?", Keechak's attention broke from Draupadi, momentarily to the task in the hand.

Meanwhile, in the halls of Virata, Duryodhan was getting excited as he heard the voice of her after a long time. "It's her Mitr... It's her. The voice. It's her's! Here I come my love...", Duryodhan started to blabber with Karn and Shakuni like a mad man, one with the sinisterity of finding the Pandavas, and the other with the anticipation of finding her.

"Here I come."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Guess who's back lovelies... It's me..!!!

Guys, i love you all for sticking with me at my worst times and timings. There were many changes in my life that I couldn't give time to this book, now that I've settled into this new lifestyle, I'll be updating often. I'm so sorry for making you wait guys.

The next chapter will be up probably tomorrow if not the day after. But not more than that.

Anyways guys, how was the chapter. Please vote and comment 😁