"Rajmata, Maharani―" A dasi spoke up, stopping Kunti in the middle of Indraprasth's now sombre hallways.

"Tell her, I don't want to have anything. I'm not hungry." Kunti cut her midway, passively answering the question.

She sighed, yet to decide whether she was crestfallen, indignant or wholly nothing. Everything looked placid and others were so even-tempered, disappointing her even more. She was lamenting a yet another rift caused amongst her own children, just for the sake of one's pride and being persnickety for their self seeking rights.

Her wandering, water brimmed eyes came to a rest, fixing themselves on an articulate yet hushed sight in front of them ― Dhriti's chamber.

"No matter if I'm here or not, my chambers should always be lit up with diyas.
I don't like darkness." A lone tears rolled down Kunti's tired face as she remembered her daughter's words.

The room looked dispirited, the little lamps were blown off with to the heavy winds circulating around. Dhriti's aura always surrounded her chambers, in the little things she has left back ; but not today. This time, a daughter, a sister, a rajkumari and now a Queen had really left Indraprasth.

Kunti walked inside through the darkness, taking a intentive look at each object neatly riveted at their places, her maiden jewellery pristinely arranged in front of the quaint mirror which reflected the dainty moon light falling on it through the curtains.

"Mata..." Kunti's evocative trance was interrupted with Draupadi's low voice as she walked inside, until she stood right behind her mother-in-law.

"The sunshine of Indraprasth has been overshadowed with pride." Kunti spoke, without turning around as she gently picked up one of Dhriti's necklaces.

"I was wrong. Soo wrong that I failed to realize―" Draupadi's voice wasn't firm anymore.

"No Draupadi. You weren't at fault. If there was anyone responsible for all this, it's me.
Its me, me as a mother whose sons always took their sister for granted.
It was me who stayed quiet without realizing how selfless that little piece of my heart is, to bear everything for a greater good.
It's me who always asked her to be silent instead of retaliating against something.
Its me who didn't stop all this even when I had all rights to do so." Kunti sounded defeated.

Draupadi was grief stricken and dumbstruck at Kunti's condition. Panchali was always fascinated by the nobel yet bold personality she had and always thought that it was actually Kunti who transformed the little flower like daughter into what she was today.
Kunti maintained a cordial relationship with almost everyone yet, seeing her weekly break down had guilt tripped Draupadi to a more larger extent.

"You know what were Aryaputra's last words to Madri?" Kunti's swollen eyes looked up, to meet Draupadi's anguished ones.

"Madri.... our Dhriti, my Vrindapriya, she's a royalty with or without the titles, with or without the throne of Hastinapur accepting her as the Raj Kanya Kuruvansh.
Raise her just the way you both will raise our brave sons. I want my daughter to grow up into a strong and self-reliant woman.

Today, I've raised that nine year old into a woman her father always wanted her to be but–but I failed to raise his sons like a Kuruvanshi.
Their ignorance and silence have disgraced the might of this Kuruvansh." Kunti wiped her tears, not wanting to trace back to that time when both Pandu and Madri left the seven of them behind.

"I–I don't even deserve to face her anymore.
I have degraded mine as well as Aryaputros image in front of everyone else." Draupadi looked away, wiping her tears.

Silence once again dominated the desponent little domain as Draupadi let out her shaky breath, without realizing that she had held it for quiet long.
Her eyes occasionally glanced towards the entrance of the chambers, checking ever now and then to make sure her little kids, who share an unbelievably close bond with their Bua are familiar with any of this rifting wreck.

"I've lost my husband, my children have lost their parents. All because of.....a curse.
Draupadi, I don't want to lose her. No–no, I can't lose my Dhriti. What if-what if she's in danger?
If–if something happens to her, Aryaputra will never forgive me. Never." Kunti forlonly sat on the bed, her sudden loud cries now worrying Draupadi.

"Mata, I've always looked up to you with a sense of respect. Your amiableness, your genial aura. The way you've singlehandedly raised the six of them is just because if your firm virtues.
You have done more than enough from your side Mata, as a devoted wife, a devoted mother a grandmother and now a Rajmata of Indraprasth.
You're a warrior as well, not on the battlefield against another state, but on the war front of life, bravely battling all the hurdles.
And brave warriors don't cry, do they?" Draupadi gave a small smile, gently wiping Kunti's tears as she sat beside her.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Yes they do!
I don't want to be the strong one anymore, I can't pretend that everything is fine when it's not." Dhriti exclaimed falling down on her knees as Samudra Dev held her weak body.

Devi Tirangini slowly smiled, fondly brushing her daughter's disheveled hair.

"Shri, you're my putri. My Sindhuja. You must know one thing, crying is not always a response to our sorrows and frustration, sometimes it's all about acknowledging roots of those sorrows. At this point all that matters is the way you embosom them– your pains, the broken trusts, the rifting entanglements and self-reliance.

Cry out how much ever you want to Sindhu, but once it's done, I won't appreciate a single tear rolling down your eyes. They aren't worth these tears, and everyone shall soon repent for their actions." Devi Tirangini wiped her tears, being a serene brace-up for her child.

"I had turned a deaf ear to every little signal just for the sake of my family, for the fact that I loved them to the highest extent and everything, all of it just came shattering down like a thunder destroying all the verdure around." Dhriti looked up at her mother.

"Maa.....
Everybody was a silent spectator. No one felt the need to defend me. Was I that wrong? Did I really deserved this Maa?" Dhriti's lips slowly parted as warm tears continuously rolled down her reddened face. She sounded miserably dejected.

"Shri, as much as I love to blame destiny for putting you at multiple tests just to elucidate an embossing example for the coming ages......" Samudra Dev chuckled seeing Dhriti finally break a small grin at his words.

"Sometimes the only person you're destined to be, is the person YOU decide to be.
I've seen you grow up, not once, not twice but many times. And I've seen you being a better version each proceeding times." Samudra Dev smiled, pointing at her.

"Sindhu, you don't need anyone to defend you. You are valorous enough to have your own back.
You don't have to be helpless when you know your inner virtues, child.
Noting can give you inner peace but you, yourself. That is what you need Shri. I don't want to see you lose yourself in a crowd of pride." Tigrangini took a deep breath.

"I don't want to go anywhere now. I don't want to break a smile just for everyone's else's sake even when I'm battling within myself.
Maa, I want to re live those days, when I was just Pitaji's Shri, your Sindhu and nothing else. Lakshmi's aura cannot match up with the bitterness Dwapara Yug has to offer her." Dhriti cried, burrying her pounding head in Devi Tirangini's motherly embrace.

"Narayan! Narayan! Pranipat Mata, Samudra Dev and Devi Tirangini." Devarshi suddenly arrived, gaining the attention of the two ladies.

"Pranipat? Looks like munivar is learning the mortal language." Devi Tirangini smiled, blessing him.

"Pranipat suits the best for the Samragyi of Dwarka. I just tagged along." He answered, with a small smile, watching Dhriti wipe away her tears.

"Mata, won't you bless your humble devotee today?" He asked, now disheartened.

"What power do I hold to bless you Devarshi? Right now, I'm no one." Dhriti sniffled with a small laugh.

"Narayan! narayan! Mata, you don't need to be anyone to bless me. I've vowed to serve my Prabhu and Mata, irrespective of the end number of tests and penances I have to go through.
Sacrificing your titles and responsibilities won't favour the future of Aryavart, Mata." Devarshi pleaded with fear evident in his dramatic voice.

"Does not matter. Aryavart has already been blessed with their Samrat and Samragyi, both prideful and ignorant enough and that's what people really look out for." Dhriti's eyes shot up in anger.

"So you'll leave your little Vaishnavi all by herself, won't you?" Samudra Dev raised his brow.

Dhriti felt her beat skip for a second as her raged eyes now imparted uncertainty and fear.

"No! No I won't. I've already been a terrible mother.
I won't leave her at any cost, even if I'm asked to sacrifice everything. I won't let anything happen to her." She shook her head in dismay.

"You aren't a terrible mother, Sindhu. Look at your hands, it just shows how selfless you were to do it without giving a second thought. You're everyone's hope Shri.
If not for anyone else, you have to hold it together, for the sake of a mother in you. You won't breakdown and give up on them, will you?" Devi Tigrangini softly held her palms. Her hands trembled as mollified tears rolled down her face.

"I won't give up on Kanha and Vaishu.... I can never." Dhriti cried, her voice barely audible.

"You are the Mother of Three Worlds. I know you can't and won't give up on your children." Tigrangini smiled through her tears, cupping Dhriti's tear stained face as the younger on nodded with a small smile.

"You look even better when you cry." Tigrangini commented, turning around.

"What!" Dhriti giggled in amusement, finally moving her eyes around to absorb the tranquility of Samudra Lok engulfed in shades of blue hues and significant golds, reminding her that's its her very safe place, like it has always been.

"I said what I said." Tigrangini replied with a laugh.

"Seems like its time for me to take it as a compliment. Yesterday Satyaki called me a tomato.
Do I really look that red when I cry?" Dhriti asked, partly running to match up with Tirangini's pace.

"Have a look yourself!" Her mother smiled, slowly making her sit in front of her lustrous reflection.

"Unrecognizable...." Dhriti started at her reflection.

"Not for long." The Goddess of Oceans smiled, taking her daughter's long hair in her hands, carefully brushing it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Mata, raise your hand up like this." Prativindhya poked Draupadi as she sighed, following her son's instructions, breaking herself away from her trance of thoughts about Arjun.

"Yes! Just like that. Now keep pointing your finger towards that star." Shatanik furthered.

"Prativindhya, Shatanik! Its already past your bedtime and I'm sure a scolding from Jyesht Pitashree isn't cheerfully acknowledged." Draupadi raised her brow, still positioning her hand the way her boys wanted it.

"This is our starting point Mata.
Now we'll count all the stars and when we'll come back to the star you're pointing at, we'll be done!" Prativindhya announced in glee as Shatanik clapped his hands.

"Don't frown Mata. Bua once told us that all of them used to do a routined stargazing at the banks of river Ganga.
Sounds so fun na?" Shatanik excitedly narrated.

Draupadi couldn't help but break a wide smile at her sister-in-law's mere mention. There was no possible way to hate her and yet their relation was caught up in such a fury.

"What else did she say?" Draupadi initiated a different topic.

"We know you are just escaping from counting the stars." Shatanik chuckled snuggling in her arms.

"Remember Jyesth, that day bua was narrating us, Sutasom and Vaishu some incident?" Shatanik looked at his elder brother.

"What incident?" Draupadi piped in, with some enthusiasm left in her.

"Yeah I do remember. It wasn't funny about how her and Mata were better without their babies." Prativindhya frowned making Draupadi give out a loud laugh, also pitying her son's precious expressions.

"I know that isn't true. She loves us. A lot...." Shatanik raised his hands as the other two looked back at him, waiting for him to complete his sentence.

"......Yes yes, especially me." He completed with an uncontrollable laughed ignoring Panchali playfully rolling her yes.

"We'll I know her first." She poked Shatanik.

"Quality over Quantity, says Pitashree Sahadev." The boys laughed back, unknowingly allowing Draupadi to temporarily keep aside her previously pondered musings.

_________________________________________

Yes yes yes, Jimmy Zinda Hai!

(This would be a more successful movie than Selmon Bhoi's Tiger Zinda Hai. Jk)

Wait I have a lot to announce actually.

Firstly,
Our book won the first place in the Swan Awards hosted by ThetaTelugu

All thenks to all those precious people who voted.

Second,
KuruFamily has posted my Interview in their book― Conversation With Ur Favorite Writer.
Do give it a read !

Next,
This chapter might come out as boring but I had no other idea so I ended up tributing the moms here.

Next update might take more time because I've decided to be a bit more concerned about my life (Haha).

Anyways,

Hope you like it.
If you do, don't forget to vote and comment.
Thanks.
xx.