Two-short on my babies, coz I missed em'🥹🤍
Ākarṣaṇa (1/2)
| SubhadraArjuna |
Subhadra was extremely furious. Her brother had planned to get her engaged to the Kuru prince, Duryodhana.
She refused. She despised the thought itself.
And she thanked her stars that even her parents weren’t on board with her eldest brother’s decision.
"Chitra, darling, I just had that thought—" Balarama spoke, following Subhadra through the corridors, and oh boy, he realized at that very moment that his little sister was a fast walker.
"Thought? He is a good student, Dau. But him as a partner is the most abominable thing ever!" Subhadra clipped back, the sound of her anklets jingling ever faster."
"How could you even think of letting your sister marry him? That monstrous human being," she added, a little out of breath. She was comparatively shorter than her brother, so to stay ahead of him and maintain the distance, she practically had to run.
"Okay, Chitra." Her brother stressed her name. "I promise, I will never ever think of getting you engaged."
He offered.
She paused.
Not bad, huh.
"I promise that it will only be your wished-for person. We all shall agree," Balarama spoke, his eyes full of tiredness.
"Promise?" Subhadra closed the distance between her brother and herself.
She was not naive. She knew how to take advantage of situations.
She was raised that way—to swim through court politics, not drown in them.
"Yes!" Balarama nodded, opening his arms to embrace his sister in a hug. "You are even tougher to soothe than your Revati Bhatrujaya."
Subhadra let out a giggle and hugged her brother. She was extremely jealous of the fact that her brother was the one who got all the tall genes. He was nearly a foot taller than her.
"Oye! Do I see a couple of traitors hugging without me?" a voice echoed in the background.
A guard stifled his laughter.
Subhadra and Balarama didn’t have to turn back to identify the speaker.
"Here comes the other dramatic one," Balarama exhaled, bracing himself for the impact of his little brother’s hug.
Oh, how much Subhadra loved her family.
___
Arjuna loved the sea.
He watched the waves crash onto the shore from a hilltop. The constant muttering of people didn’t affect him; all he heard was the sound of the waves.
The lovely shades of blue of the sea and sky complemented each other very well.
"Partha!" Amidst the sound of waves crashing, he heard the voice of his best friend, very much highlighted.
"Madhava," Arjuna immediately walked toward his best friend, adorned in yellow clothes.
"Partha!" Krishna dramatically exclaimed, hugging his friend like a lovesick person. Mitravrinda, who stood next to Krishna, playfully rolled her eyes and walked toward Bhadra.
"Your wives must hate me, huh?" Arjuna wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
"Oh, sure they do. Not everyone has a chance to experience such a blissful friendship like ours, Partha," Krishna answered proudly.
Arjuna nodded at the words of his friend. Krishna was the louder one of the duo. Arjuna sometimes felt embarrassed by the loud, outgoing nature of his friend, but he would not change a single thing.
Krishna muttered something to the servant who was following him around and held Arjuna’s hand firmly.
"Come on, Partha! Today you are going to see the best of us Yadavas of Dvaraka," he announced proudly as he dragged Arjuna through the crowd.
The latter didn’t speak, just hummed in response.
He suppressed a giggle, thinking how absurd it would look to strangers—a sage with worn-out clothes and untamed hair being dragged around by royalty.
"And this is Partha, the beauty of Dvaraka," Krishna spoke, his tone full of appropriate pride.
They stood amidst a valley between the hills. The crowd chattered on their way to the main area, stalls bustled with traders, and foreigners looked around in amazement.
The festival felt as if it were being conducted in heaven.
Or maybe even better than heaven.
Arjuna moved his eyes through the crowd, looking at everyone.
He spotted Balarama and Revati with their kids.
Oh, by looking at the expression on Balarama’s face, Arjuna could bet that he was being scolded by his wife.
Rukmini and Nagnajiti stopped at a few stalls to converse with the traders. Satyabhama, Kalindi, and Lakshmanaa talked with other officials. Mitravrinda and Bhadra looked after the kids, putting them in place.
Arjuna felt at home.
It reminded him of his home.
His mother, his brothers, his Draupadi, his Ulupi, and his Chitrangada.
Arjuna paused, his eyes staring at a maiden. He didn’t want to, but his eyes wouldn’t move either.
She is ethereal.
She was at the entrance of the area, conversing with a foreign trader, probably explaining the culture.
Arjuna noticed the way her hands moved as she spoke. The way she constantly fidgeted with a piece of hanging cloth.
Stop, Arjuna, it’s creepy.
"Pretty, right?" Krishna interrupted with a playful smile.
Arjuna knew that Krishna had noticed, but still chose to play innocent. "What, Madhava?"
Krishna immediately corrected his expression. "Dvaraka, Partha!" he said in a you-know-what-I’m-talking-about tone.
"Yes, yes… it is very pretty,"Arjuna replied, playing innocent. His eyes wandered toward her again. "Exquisite," he added.
He just blinked, and she vanished. Arjuna could swear on his life that it took only a second for her to disappear into the crowd.
His heart started beating fast.
No, no, no, no. Where is she? Who is she?
"Who is she?" he muttered without thinking much. He turned to look at his friend, who was already grinning widely.
"My sister, Partha. Very pretty, right?" he replied in a teasing tone. Arjuna hated to admit how annoying that tone was, yet still pleasant.
Oh.
Arjuna paused. Twelve years had passed; she had been a youngster back when he had met her. "Is she engaged, promised, or married to anyone?"
Krishna had never replied this fast. "No."
He paused dramatically.
"They are planning to conduct a swayamvara for her."
Oh.
"If you like her, abduct her, Partha."
