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Karna and Yudhishthira joined Draupadi, Vrishali and Uttar at the entrance and shared glances as they invited Rukmi inside, the Vidharbha Naresh held his head high and the blue gem engraved on his crown glittered in the sunlight. The sky blue angavastram and royal blue dothi accessorised with gold and blue stones oozed extravagance and royalty.

The brother of Vaidharbhi Rukmini was ushered into the camp with respect. Trespassing soldiers and other salient warriors spared glances at his direction and ventured upon their chores without delay. Aarthi was offered and servants led them to the tent which accustomed facilities to accommodate the guests.

Yudhishthir's hospitality made Rukmi and his company rather pleasent and they began to put forth their reason of visit.

I can't help but notice that your side has turned out to be rather frail Samrat Yudhishthir.
A courtier amongst the guests commented with a mock grin.

Kaurava army already has 9 Akshauhinis and warriors like Gangaputr Bhishma , Bharadwaj Putr Dronacharya, Kuru Kulguru Kripacharya , Shivansh Ashwathama and king of prajgyothisha , Bhagadatha and more . I mean, if this is how it goes , I don't think you will stand a chance.
Rukmi blabbered with a smug grin , while his feet rested atop a small table that was kept amidst the cushion patted seats. He was leisurely sprawled on the sofa. As he offered a sympathetic glance to Yudhishthir, which rather conveyed his sheer pity.

Yudhishthir was feeling disdained by Rukmi , but didn't expressed it for the sake of a peaceful gathering.
Karna , who sat on a chair next to Yudhishthira observed the king of Vidharbha.

Rukmi was as calculative and influential as much as he was bratty and boastful; Karna understood that much. He had turned the confident Dharmaraj into an insecure family man within minutes.
Yudhishthir was a master at keeping a straight face , and that's the only thing that kept Rukmi from digging further.

What do you intend to convey Vidharbha Naresh? Whatever you just said , is an information I am aware of , the warriors and akshauhinis participating from the side of Kaurava army might definitely be strong enough to withstand any hurricane , but we ain't weak either.
Yudhishthir resolved aloud.

Oh Samrat ! My intention wasn't to make you feel inferior . I intend your well being , and that is the exact reason why I am here to offer my help , you can take it if you want to stand against the mighty Kaurava. Vidharabha and it's army is willing to fight for the pandava to provide them victory.
Rukmi proclaimed.

Yudhishthir smiled mechanically at the king who laughed at his own statement. The few courtiers who came along with Rukmi stifled a mocking laugh as well. Karna smiled too as he got up from his chair.

When he was about to put down the offer , Krishna walked into the tent, and Rukmi's gleeful demeanor morphed into sheer disgust as he stood up from his seat , almost toppling the table over, others rose from their seats as well. The air held the tension so adamantly that the occupants of the tent held their breath for a moment.
But nonetheless Dwarakeshwar kept his warm smile alive as he extended his greetings to his brother-in-law.

Pranam Bhratha Rukmi!
Krishna joined his hands in greetings, and smiled even brighter . Karna wondered if that was even possible. But Rukmi sneered at him , as he wrapped the edge of his angavastram belligerently over his right hand, all ready to leave. But turned to Yudhishthira;

With one condition Samrat , I want this coward Krishna out of my sight.
Rukmi commanded.

If that's so , then you are very much free to walk out of our camp Vidharbha Naresh. We would rather have a proud death with Krishna by our side, rather than a "donated victory" by your hand.
Karna said , matching the enthusiasm with which Rukmi proclaimed earlier about the victory he would obtain for them.

You are letting me down for this puny coward , ( Rukmi pointed at Krishna) who wouldn't even raise his weapon in this battle. What a waste!!
And who are you to interrupt our talk , you pathetic excuse of an existence!
Rukmi snarled at Karna as he smeared dirt over Krishna's calibre .

Halt !! That's enough Rukmi , you are insulting my elder brother along with my friend. I want you to leave this camp the very instant ,that's final.
A loud voice rumbled like thunder across the room as Arjun stepped in.
Everyone in the room turned their attention towards the entrance to see an enraged son of Indra.

Rukmi gulped visibly.
We will see how you win this battle Arjuna , with few children and some bastards by your side.
He groaned.

That's enough!! You heard my brothers King Rukmi , leave our camp at once!! That is an order.
Yudhishthir's voice fell like a verdict over the audience of the room.

Rukmi gestured his courtiers to follow him as he intently scrutinized Karna and Krishna before leaving the tent, followed by other guests. Arjun bit down his anger at the insult, he knew the exact meaning of what Rukmi just said.
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Draupadi was quite stupified due to the ongoings. When she sat to the left of Yudhishthira, she didn't expected Rukmi to be such an imbecile . His glances crept over her every now and then and his gaze only held disdain and mock for her. She felt like leaving the place at once . But it was against the decorum , so she glanced at Vrishali several times for solace, who for her surprise turned out to be her sister-in-law, as she comfortably sat next to Karna. And her reassuring smiles were the only thing that kept her at bay.

Now it seems , Rukmi was afterall a callous human and things were better without his alliance. She exhaled deeply, letting out a breath she didn't realised she held the whole time.
'He was turned down for good.' she reassured herself as she glanced at a furious Arjuna.

'Seems like every day here is gonna be eventful !' she thought.

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Evening casted a vehement glow over the horizon. The dusk cleared way for the twilight, as Karna entered the tent that was arranged to hold official meetings among allies and warriors. Drishtadhyumn - the fire born prince of Panchal , sat at one end of the long and wide table and Shikhandi sat on a seat to his right. King Virat and Prishathaputr Drupad were present in the hall as well. Many other kings who pledged alliance with the Pandava brothers were among the occupants of the hall. They gave him a side glance and chose to ignore his presence. Upapandava were seated at the third row from the centre table. The brothers walked upto him and sought his blessings with respect.

Pranipath Thathshree. (Greetings uncle)
They chorused.

Kalyan ho putro! (Stay blessed sons)
Karna blessed them wholeheartedly.

How have you all been ?!
Radhey enquired dotingly. Those children weren't any less than his own sons. And he didn't wanted to miss the opportunity to get to know about his children any further.
They smiled endearingly ;

We are doing fine Thathshree, I hope you are not having too much trouble adjusting to this environment either.
Prathivindya said with genuine concern at the end.
Karna patted his head gently.

I am as fine as I could be in a war camp son.
Karna smiled, so did the Upapandava.
As they ushered him inside.
Karna sat on a chair in the first row , as asked by Yudhishthir earlier.
Rajkumar Shankh and Kumar Uttar joined them in the tent as well.

The tent had it's dome high up in the air , it was spacious and was decorated mildly for comfort. Temporary pillars and walls were covered in silk curtains which fluttered along with the evening breeze that crashed through the window . The last few rays of the dusk crept inside the hall along with the wind , and servants walked in and out of the room to lit the torches , provide drinks and to arrange necessary aids.

As karna was lost in thoughts about the upcoming war and the about his opponents , a distinguished baritone of a youngster echoed in his ears.

Maharathi! I think I have missed your name among many guests and formalities.
Shankh, the eldest son of King Virat and brother to Uttar and Uttara stood beside Vasusena's chair.

Radhey turned around to meet a sturdy warrior , much younger than himself , and as old as his son Vrishsen , stare at him intently.

I am Suddeshnasut Shankh. Abhimanyu's brother-in-law.
Shankh introduced himself , and had a toothy grin at the end.
Karna liked how the lad has given his whereabouts the way karna would understand. He seemed sweet and humble.

I am Radhey Karna. Abhimanyu's elder uncle.
Karna gave a mischievous smile in return.

It's so nice to meet you sir!!
Abhi has mentioned about you in one of his many letters . I kinda guessed it to be you; turns out, my assumptions are right.
Shankh said with enthusiasm.

I am flattered, that I happened to be a topic of discussion on your letters.
Vasusena quipped , matching the young man's enthusiasm.
Shankh flushed a bit, as he returned a sheepish grin.

Well.. hopefully we will see around often Maharathi!
Shankh extended farewell as he noticed more warriors joining the tent for the gathering.

Sure son.
Karna added lovingly. They parted with a hearty smile and admiration for eachother.

Arjun and Krishna walked into the room and the entire hall full of kings and warriors rose to convey respect.
Karna was still seated adoring his brothers when he noticed his odd status in the hall as he got glares from others. So he was about to follow the 'decorum' but was greeted by Abhimanyu rather loudly, as Karn stood up to acknowledge his nephew.

Thathshree!!! Pranipath.
Abhimanyu entered the tent following his father , and Vrishsen was right behind him apparently having a conversation with Krishna.
Abhi bent down to get Karna's blessing and the room full of royals were poking a hole on him with their gazes.
Karna instantly brought Abhimanyu back to his posture and placed a loving hand over his head, as he muttered a heart-felt blessing.
Vrishsen took his blessings as well and the duo of friends were ushered to be seated in the second row along with Shank and Uttar.

Arjun saw the flustered state of Karna and noticed how everyone else in the room was staring at him weirdly. Arjun decided to add more fuel into the fire.
He bent down to touch Karna's feet seeking his blessings.
Karna almost jumped back , but restrained himself from being stupid and placed a hand over Parth's head as he gathered Arjun back to stand straight by his shoulders.
Abhimanyu stifled a laugh , as he understood his father's alternate intentions.

Krishna shook his head at the silliness adoringly and ushered the sabha to be seated. And Arjun took his seat next to Karna and Krishna sat on the other side.
Yudhishthira, Bheema , Nakula entered as well . Yudhishthir was supposed to be at the other edge of the table but he traced his gaze back and forth between the position and his elder brother. Karna knew what Yudhishthir was upto , so he blinked his eyes to convey that the Samrat must occupy his designated position in the assembly. And Yudhishthira heeded his brother.

Sahadev was the last to enter the hall , completing the council of allied nations and warriors, with maps, scriptures and documents in his hold.
Upapandava helped him to set the table with necessary documents and Sahadev finally seated himself beside Bheema.

The meeting and the matters of discussions changed in every half an hour as they discussed over every other important necessities and matters. And when the matter of culinary was brought up by Nakula , Krishna was quick to respond about someone willing.

King Udupi wants to stay on neutral grounds. So he proposed to take the responsibility of providing nutriment for everyone participating in the war from Maharathi class warriors to foot soldiers on both sides.
Krishna conveyed an important proposal that came up to them.

Will the Kaurava be willing to share a common catering with us.
Sahadev put forth his worry.

It is a matter that king Udupi is supposed to be concerned about , if it's a yes from our side , then I think we should convey our consent.
King Virat suggested.

Absolutely.
Nakul agreed.

Then we shall extend our appreciation for his willingness as well Jyesht.
Bheema spoke up.

Sure Bheema. Brother Krishna , you wouldn't mind exchanging our appreciation along with our consent for his catering initiative, to king Udupi. will you?
Yudhishthir said addressing Dwarakeshwar.

Sure Jyesht! I will express our gratitude to King Udupi.
Keshava volunteered.

Then that is decided.
Arjun nailed the matter behalf of the assembly.

King Drupad looked a bit agitated about certain matter , and he kept exchanging meaningful glances with king Sahadeva of Magadha and with king Nila of Mahishmathi.
Samrat do you think it was a good decision to turn down a king like Rukmi. If he joined the Kaurava , then they will gain even more strength.
Drupad finally brought the matter to the table of evening discussion.

Ha Maharaj , King Rukmi of Vidharbha could have been a good alley, turning him down had brought an uncertainty over the matter of attaining atleast equal strength in Akshauhinis to that of the Kaurava army.
King Nila agreed.

I know that we are lagging behind in the matter of military strength. But once our uncle , Madraraj Shalya joins us with his 2 akshauhinis, we will be equally strong to the Kaurava.
Sahadev said , trying to assure himself as well as others.

We shall not ponder over the matters that is not in our hands anymore. Instead, let's focus on things we have a hold on.
Drupadputr Drishtadhyumn interrupted the diverting conversation.

But this is not a matter to be ignored Yagyasen. Rukmi will obviously sort revenge for his insult by joining the Kaurava with his army.
Satyaki- the commander of the Vrishni army intervened, pointedly staring at Arjuna.

But there is no point in arguing about it now, commander Satyaki. I understand the looming possibility of Kaurava's military strength taking another leap. But King Rukmi is boastful and disrespectful . He insulted my brother and asked Krishna to retrieve from our side . Which is not acceptable. So I asked him to step out of our camp. I still think that was the right thing to do.
Arjun justified his action.

Rukmi did respected the authority of the Samrat and from what I head ,I didn't felt that he was deliberately trying to insult him either. I think Gandivdhari had reacted rather impulsively.
King Sahadeva stated.

I wasn't talking about Bhratha Yudhishthir; King Rukmi insulted my eldest brother Karna and I , Kuntiputr Arjun will never tolerate such an insolent behaviour towards any of my 5 brothers.
Arjun declared , a bit enraged.
Karna placed a firm hand over Arjun's palm that rested over the chair to stop him from raising from his seat.
Arjun considerably calmed down at the gesture and realised that he was being rude for no reason.

I apologise for the harsh behaviour.
Arjun heaved a sigh.
The war that lay ahead against his own family and being the general of the army was taking a huge tall on him. Many occupants of the assembly understood his frustration.

Like Prince Drishtadhyumn said earlier, there is no point on arguing over this matter. King Rukmi's alliance has been turned down by the samrat and I respect his decision.
Drishtaketu , brother of Karenumathi extended his opinion from where he was seated in the second row.

I think the same. May be we should move on to other important matters at hand.
Iravan- eldest son of Arjuna, seconded the opinion.
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By the late prahar of the day, the sabha was adjourned and only few key warriors were scattered in the humongous hall, for a casual talk.

Bheema and Nakula sat with Vrihakshathra- one among the kekeya brothers , who was banished from kekeya by his own kinsmen. They were discussing about some matter; which the Upapandava took intrest in, as they joined their conversation.
Karna left with Shankh , Uttar and Abhimanyu as the trio insisted on taking him somewhere "cool" and Sahadev joined ; while Vrishsen went in search of his dear mother.

Drishtadhyumn took a seat next to Arjuna;  Gudakesha was immersed in his thoughts seated in a corner on his own. Krishna had to meet king Udupi and thus Arjun was left behind without company.

I don't understand why you give so much importance to a new guy who happened to join our side. You can't upset every other kings and allies just because of that one person.
Panchal kumar stated with a hint of annoyance.

Arjun snapped his head out of his thoughts and gestured his brother-in-law to take a seat beside him. Drishtadhyumn obliged.

Who is this stranger with an obscure identity? And you all seem to care about him a bit too much. I know he is in support with us in this war. But what is so special about him, that all 5 of you consider him as your eldest brother!!
All of this seems ridiculous to me.
Drishtadhyumn bombarded Arjun with his questions.
I even heard that he is the son of the former charioteer of Gangaputr Bheeshm.
Is it true?!
Panchal kumar concluded with disdain.

That is enough brother!
Arjun whisper yelled at Drishtadhyumn.
He has a name and it's Karna , he was raised by Radhama and Mahoday Adhirath, who belongs to the charioteer clan . But Bhratha Karn is an exceptional warrior , don't misunderstand him. And I don't want to hear anyone talk so belligerently about him. I respect and adore him as much as I did pitha Pandu and  Bhratha Yudhishthir.
Arjun concluded with frustration, his gaze roaming around elsewhere in suppressed anger.

What!! Seriously now. Have you lost your wits?! A shudra being a warrior itself says a lot about his rebellious nature. And rebels are not worth any trust. But here you are praising his glory , and comparing him with the great King Pandu.
Drishtadhyumn lost his cool , as he stood up from his seat , toppling the chair to the ground with a thud.

Arjun stood up as well , the other few occupants who were scattered across the room immersed in their own discussions, turned their attention to the bickering princes.

What is wrong brothers ? What are you both having a disagreement over?!
Bheema questioned , his brows frowned and face shrunk in annoyance.

It seems Prince of Panchal has some problem with our eldest brother . He claims that Bade bhaiyya is not worthy of our respect and trust.
Arjun said dramatically, with his hands thrown in the air in frustration.

Bheema's jaw clenched as he stood up to explain, other kings and warriors in the room tensed. Prathivindya went out to summon his father who is apparently the right person to stop this mess that is about to be created.

Brother , I don't think you have to have a say in the matter on whom we trust and respect. Bhratha Karna earned our respect not just with his support but also with his guidance. And we trust him and love him because we felt doing so.
Bheema said with an eerily calm voice as he addressed Drishtadhyumn- Who was known for his bad temper.

Then don't expect others to have similar opinions about him. I don't like his presence here. Neither do we know about his exact identity nor about his skills with weapons. What if he ended up needing a patrol in the battlefield?! We are already short in military strength , and now we have an apparently great 'warrior ' whom none of us have ever heard of till date!!
The absurdity of this situation is insane!!
Drishtadhyumn screeched in mockery.

Drishtadhyumn!!
Bheema roared in anger.

What is going on here?!
A calm and composed voice rang through the hall . It was heavy and smooth enough to hold both bheema and Drishtadhyumn at bay. The authority in the voice grabbed attention to the entrance.
There stood Suryaputra karna in all his glory and behind him stood Abhimanyu and Prathivindya.

Am I the reason of this ruckus Drupadputr?!
Karna walked in with measured steps.

Yes! We don't trust you enough- well 'I' don't trust you enough.
Drishtadhyumn said rather calmly and corrected himself at the end.

I get it , you might have never heard of me and that leaves a blanket over my identity and my prowess in weaponry . I don't blame you for your mistrust but I would rather appreciate you for your honesty and straightforwardness.
Karna concluded as he approached Drishtadhyumn, towering him with his Ashtarathni physic.

But Bheema , Phalguna you both could have been a bit more understanding. He doesn't know anything about my origin as much as you both does , so rather than being agitated you could have explained it to him. Don't create a rift between, while there is an impending war. You both are on the same side , and unity is what makes all the difference. Don't argue , I don't wanna be the reason of your fights.
Karna concluded softly scolding both his brothers.

If you have doubts on my skills then either you can choose to have a practice duel with me or can wait till the first day of the war.
Karna suggested to Drishtadhyumn.

I was impulsive , I should have trusted my brother's with their decision. It's okay I shall wait till the first day of the war.
The fire born prince understood the necessity of trusting the Pandava brothers at the time.

But incase you needed a patrol in the battlefield, I don't think you are gonna get one. We are comparatively short of
Foot soldiers.
Drishtadhyumn added a mock remark at the end with a smirk. Karna chuckled  wholeheartedly at that, Abhimanyu snickered behind him.
Finally the panchal prince made a genuine attempt to smile at karna. And karna returned it along with a farewell.

Get some sleep kids , tomorrow you all have a meeting to attend with your foes, about deciding the date to begin the battle.
Karna added , as he turned around to leave.

Kids!!.
Bheema whined.
Yeah , especially you Bheema.
Karna exclaimed.
Others chuckled at that .
Bhratha shree ..
Bheema whined again.

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No. Of words: 3800 !!
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HAR HAR MAHADEV 🙏