***

[Ashram of Great Sage Sunanda]

⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅

These majestic mountains, touching the sky and colliding with the clouds, and these waterfalls emerging from their rocky hearts, nurturing the flourishing, wondrous trees and the radiant plants!

How enchanting it would all be if only I knew where I was.

Somewhere nearby, the chanting of mantras resonated, their words spreading like nectar in the air.

I decided to move in that direction, hoping that at the very least, I would discover my whereabouts.

And what happened to me?
How did I arrive in this place?
But I was injured, right?

"Mother!"
"Mother!"

A very small child was running towards the ashram in front of me. His loincloth was larger than him, and he was holding it up as he ran.

How adorable he looked, with those large amber eyes!
I couldn't help but laugh.

His mother came out of the ashram and embraced him. This scene would have melted my heart if it hadn't seemed so oddly familiar.

「This woman... I have seen her somewhere...」

Suddenly, everything began to feel familiar.

This woman,
This child,
This chanting,
This ashram,
This environment!

Why does everything feel so known?

Gradually, everything began to fade. It all started turning into dust. The child clung to his mother as tightly as he could, but everything was dispersing like dust.

His mother looked at me with sorrowful eyes.

"Please save my child!"
"Please... save my child!"
"Please... Save-"

And she completely turned to dust. The child, too, began to turn to dust slowly, but I ran and held him in my arms.

He was crying. Only one word escaped his lips... "Mother!"

I held him as tightly as I could. I did not want him to turn into dust. For some reason, I felt pity for him.

I felt as if my back was splitting apart, my hands were tearing, and my eyes were shattering into pieces.

A scream escaped my lips. It felt as if something was burning me from the inside. Those moments were worse than hell.

Slowly, everything began to feel calm. When I opened my eyes, there was nothing but darkness all around. I released the child from my embrace, but he simply bowed his head, wiping away his tears.

Then he looked at me...

No..!
He glared!
As if... he wanted to kill me!
His eyes...!!

"This all happened because of you!" he muttered softly.

"What?"

"You are the cause of this!"

He yelled so loudly that it shook the very core of my being. Before my eyes, he transformed into a colossal, immensely gigantic bird.

His wings were so vast that they could cover the sun!
He resembled an eagle, yet he was distinct!

Light began to emanate from his body. My eyes could not bear it. I closed my eyes as quickly as I could, but I could still feel the intense light. It felt as if everything was burning.

「I was burning! This agony! Every bone in my body was breaking!」

It was as if someone was forcibly extracting my soul from my body. And then-

⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Shaurya woke up, panting and drenched in sweat. He looked around and found himself alone in a dimly lit hut.

Just then, Krishna entered, and he was no longer alone.

"Still alive, I see!" She Smiled.

Shaurya looked at Krishna, who sat down next to him, munching on a carrot.

"According to the Mahrishi, you were supposed to wake up after a week due to the deadly poison, but you woke up in just three days!"

Supporting his injured hand, which was bandaged with a piece of cloth, he began to head outside.

"Hey! Where are you going in this condition?"

"Some questions are best asked in solitude with nature."

Krishna looked at him with a puzzled gaze.

"What does that mean? Do I talk too much?"

***

[Dwarka]

「Do the Lord of Dwarka not have other servants?」

「 He make me do all the work! ...Huh!」

Chitra set aside the polished sword and, wiping her sweat, moved towards the mace.

「He even reject my leave application for trivial reasons!」

Flashback-

⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅

___Day(1):-___

"What is this?"

"A leave application, Dwarkadhish!"

She made a face as adorable as a puppy. Her cuteness was blinding.

Krishna inspected it with great seriousness.
Very deeply!

"You should use the word 'Faithful' instead of 'obedient'."

And she walked away, pouting.

___Day(2):-___

"Where is Dwarkadhish?"

She asked a soldier.

"He has gone on a city tour."
"Come tomorrow!"

___Day(3):-___

"Dwarkadhish, my leave application--"

"I'm taking a day off today."
"Come tomorrow!"

___Day(4):-___

"Lord, this--"

"I'm going to sleep now."
"Come tomorrow!"

Chitra fumed.

"Dwarkadhish!!...."
"I've been making rounds for three days."
"Have some mercy!"

Krishna cast his gaze upon her and smiled.

"Hm....! Let's see..."
"My weapons in the armory have been lying there for many days. If--"

"I understand!"

Chitra immediately set off for the armory.

And a melodic, delighted laugh escaped from Krishna's lips, filling the air with an enchanting warmth.

"This girl..!" he chuckled.

⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅⑅

「But today, I shall not rest until I secure leave from him.」

Chitra meticulously arranged all the weapons and armaments. As she completed her task and stepped outside, the whispers among the maidservants reached her ears.

"Hey dear! Do you know what transpired in the Chedi Kingdom today?"

••••°°°°••••°°°°••••
••••°°°°••••°°°°••••

In the vast expanse teeming with valiant knights and warriors, the clatter of arms and scriptures reverberated. Chitra wandered amidst it, seeking the Dwarkadheesh.

Suddenly, the air itself seemed to be pierced as a whistling arrow, sharp and resolute, surged towards her. Its approach was like a cruel whisper of fate. In a cry of sheer panic, Chitra instinctively shut her eyes, her heart pounding as if sensing the cold embrace of death.

"Is this the end of my journey?
Am I in heaven?"
"But why does it seem so dark here?
Have even the Sun God taken leave today?"

Before her thoughts could spiral further into despair, she was jolted by a familiar sound-

A laughter that struck as deeply as the arrow itself, capable of piercing the strongest of hearts.

Her eyelids fluttered open. The arrow was above her head, and there stood the Lord, laughing...

What a divine sight!

Perhaps this was why the Gopis could never remain truly upset with Him.....

"Will you just keep staring at me, or do you plan to say something too?"

His playful words seemed to pull Chitra out of her dreamy haze, urging her back to reality. She took a deep breath, steadying her thoughts.

"Dwarkadhish! Shishupal has been crowned the new king of Chedi."
"Yet, despite being our relative, why has he not sent us an invitation?"

The Lord's face retained its ever-familiar smile as He glanced at her with an indulgent gaze.

"This bond remains intact only because of my aunt Srutashrava's efforts. Otherwise, such a thread is fragile and could snap at any moment..."

He spoke with gentle reassurance, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

"But you mustn't concern yourself with this."

"Now tell me-how many days' leave do you require?"

「Uff........Dwarkadhish!😍
Who could ever ask for leave when You inquire with such tenderness?」

***

»»--•°•𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚊 𝚁𝚞𝚔𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚒 (8)•°•--««

[Vidarbha]

"Rukmini, I have already made myself clear. I will not repeat myself again."

The air was thick with tension, so palpable it seemed to seep into the room through the latticework, only to swiftly retreat as if unwilling to linger.

Much had been spoken and heard, and yet, much more remained unsaid.

"Brother, I too have made myself clear."

The princess's unshakable resolve needed no elaboration. It shone brilliantly in her eyes, a flame that could not be extinguished.

"Your words, Rukmini, cut as sharply as the edge of a blade."
"Keep them sheathed."

The charged silence resonated louder than any spoken words, a battlefield of emotions poised for an unseen climax.

Even her brother possessed a resolute determination.

A peculiar amalgam of ego and authority!

"You cannot decide my future, brother!"

Rukmi's eyes flared with rage, his teeth grinding together.

"You are forgetting whom you are speaking to! Your future rests solely in my hands, and your marriage will take place only where I decree."

he thundered, his voice echoing through the hall.

"This is the most significant decision of my life, and I alone shall make it. No one has the right to interfere"
"Not even Mother herself!"

At that moment, Rukmi kicked the table with such force that it shattered into splinters, scattering everything placed upon it.

Its wreckage mirrored the state of his chaotic thoughts.

None dared oppose him, yet here was his own sister standing defiant, answering him back.

"Rukmini!!! ... I swear, if you dare defy me, I will turn your life into a living nightmare."
"You shall marry only Shishupala, and that is my final decree! Should anyone attempt to challenge this, I will sever their head from their body!"

He roared, his voice a storm that left everyone trembling, unsure of where his tempestuous wrath might land next. His ego swept through the room like an all-consuming hurricane.

"No!"

All eyes turned toward the princess, radiant like a sunbeam cutting through the raging tempest-steadfast and resolute.

"If you wish to kill me, then go ahead. But I will never marry that fool!"
"I love only Dwarkadhish, and I always will!"

Rukmi could restrain himself no longer. In a flash, his sword sliced through the air, aimed directly at his sister's neck.

Sharp!!
Deadly!!

But a dagger intercepted it mid-strike.

Jayā stood before her Princess, her loyal but modest blade halting the crown prince's vengeful sword.

"Forgive me, Your Highness! But as long as I stand, no harm shall befall the princess."

Rukmi hesitated, a flicker of realization glimmering in his eyes as he grasped what he had almost done.

Yet his fury was far from extinguished-much more than Jayā had anticipated.

He pushed Jayā aside and stormed toward the door.

Yet, just before making his exit, his gaze fell upon the copper scroll bearing the very artwork that had emboldened his sister to argue with him this day.

With a single, swift swing of his sword, he reduced the painting into a hundred shards.

"Nooooooo!"

Princess' eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"From now until the day of the wedding, the princess will not be permitted to step outside this chamber."

he bellowed at the servants before storming off, leaving his sister amidst the scattered fragments of painted paper.

The princess rushed forward, gathering the vibrant shards into her arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks in an unbroken cascade.

Jayā had never before seen the Rukmini weep in such a manner.

She sat beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, attempting to reassure her.

"Why?..."

"Why is it so difficult for you to love me?"
"Am I not worthy of you?

Is my love hollow?

Why do my eyes remain deprived of the joy of your presence?..."

"Is this my destiny-to remain separated from you, to live apart?

Will I never taste the bliss of your love?"

So many "whys" and "whats" filled the air, but the one who could answer remained silent.

"Surely!....."

"All the fault must be mine!
I am the one who is unworthy.
I am weak, A burden.
You are the Master of the Universe, and I-a mere insignificant woman.
I am not even worthy to be the dust beneath your feet.

"I don't deserve even a glimpse of you.

What should I do, Prabhu?

What should I do...?"

Her voice choked as she spoke, tears flowing freely, soaking the scattered fragments before her.

Words refused to cease, but her sobs and tears spoke volumes louder than words ever could.

The winds, as if bowing in reverence to her love-drenched tears, carried them toward Dwarka.

At the open window stood the Lord, the gentle breeze caressing his face, touching him with the essence of her love.

There was a slight warmth!

Prabhu moved his hand in that air.

As though wiping away her tears!
As though his fingers stroked her tear-streaked cheeks!

He longed to pull her close, to tell her that the Master of the Universe is incomplete without his universe!

Unworthy without her!
Fragmented, broken.

"Forgive your Hari, Haripriya!"

"In this moment of hardship, I cannot even wipe away your tears....."

"Please!... Forgive me!"

It was a rare moment when the Almighty felt his power falter. He, whose mere breath could shake the entire cosmos, found himself unable to even shake.

A single tear escaped his eye!

Unbeknownst to him!

---

"Actually, I knew it!"

😶.....

*Ahem...

Seems like my story's glitching again...

Close it Wattpad!

close it!

close it!!!

______________________________________

Radhe Krishna♡