"Bua, now you're out of stories!" Shatanik chuckled as he layed his head on Dhriti's lap.

"Shatanik, its almost been like four months that I am telling you a story on daily basis.
Obviously I'll run out of them." Dhriti chuckled.

"Haan, its been four months, we didn't even realize.
Bua, don't you mis Dwarka?" Shatanik dreamed.

"Ofcourse I miss Dwarka putra. Each and everything there." Dhriti closed her eyes. For her, each and everything in Dwarka was Kanha and Kanha only.

"But don't go please.
Me and Bharat Prativindhya, and also Sutasom have got used to your presence here." He smiled.

"Hm... But I have promised Kanha to be at Dwarka soon. What about that?" Dhriti grinned.

"No! No! You're not going anywhere. I'm not letting you go." He frowned.

"Okay okay, I'm here right now isn't it? And now stop screaming otherwise you'll wake someone up. Its so late and we both are awake." Dhriti silenced him, as he sheepishly widened his smile.

"I won't go to bed before you tell me a story." He shook his head.

"You're like your father." Dhriti stated.

"Handsome and brave?" He elated.

"No......
A dumbo!" She giggled, pinching his nose.

"Yeah, about the story. A few weeks ago I saw a beautiful flower on the outskirts of our palace near the river, something like I've never seen before. So beautiful and charming. Tomorrow, I'll go there and closely have a look at it. And then.....I'll tell you about the flower.
Now go and sleep. Good night." She completed, closing her eyes.

"What? Flowers! Boys are not Interested in stories of flowers." He woke her up.

"Hm.... You don't know about Brihannala, loaded with flower malas." She controled her certainly uncontrollable laughter.

"Now who's this Brihannala?" He asked.

"I'll reveal this when Bhrata Arjun is with us.
Shatanik, enough now , or I'll myself fix you in you bed." Dhriti spoke, once again closing her eyes.

"I'll sleep here for today. Pitashree has asked me to protect you." He smiled snuggling in her arms.

"Shatanik you're three." Dhriti reminded.

"Good night warrior." He chuckled.

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

"Me and Sahadev are going to the main city for some work." Bheem smiled, as he informed Kunti.

"To bring their favourite food!" Prativindhya whispered to Draupadi and Dhriti.

"I am going for a ride. A blissful day for a perfect outing. Anyone joining?" Nakul stated.

"We have work, unlike you Arya." Draupadi spoke.

"Panchali, this was a good chance to come with me as I was alone. But I understand busy lady, bye everyone." He faked a disappointment, leaving the hall.

"Your 'Handsome and Brave father' just got rejected." Dhriti looked at Shatanik, mimicking his words from last night.

"What are the two of you giggling about?" Panchali raised her brow.

"Telling him the wonders of his father.
Also, teaching him ways to deal with rejection. In case you know....." Dhriti grinned.

"He's just 3 years old! Dhriti." Panchali reminded, half laughing.

"This is an early learning age!" She answered back, making Draupadi having no bounds of laughter to their banter.

"Accha boys, I'll be back in sometime." Dhriti smiled, exiting the huge Palace, for the first time in four months, without anyone protecting or helping her out with it.

"Today! Today she'll come here and I, Maharaj Kans' most loyal minister would avenge for his brutal death by her dear husband.
Watch out Rajkumari! You are weaponless. Can't even fight me." Kaalvakra devilishly laughed, watching Dhriti carefully walking towards the beautiful flower, unfortunately a part of his illusion to surround her.

"I've loved and studded myself with a lot, almost every flower of Aryavart. But I had never seen such a pleasing one, shining brighter than a diya." Dhriti praised its beauty, as she carefully approached the sole blooming flower, with a protective hand on her belly.

"Shri, don't go any further. Its an illusion like the golden dear!" Parvati worriedly blurted out.

"Don't try to change the destiny, Shakti. What is meant to happen, is about to." Brahma dev stopped her.

As soon a Dhriti touched the flower, black clouds started appearing and surrounding her.

"Without any weapon.
Not even having your brothers around to help you......" Dhriti was alerted by Kaalvakra's voice.

"....here at the quiet, lonely outskirts of Indraprasth, who's going to save you and the little child Rajkumari?" Kaalvakra continued.

"Whoever you are, have the courage to come and speak in front of me and stop acting like a coward." Dhriti spoke, trying to maintain her calm.

"We'll see who's a coward and who's a real warrior now. Let this face off decide." Kaalvakra laughed, finally appearing in front of her.

"Remember me? Ever heard about me" He asked, smirking at her.

"Why should I? Are you someone special?" Dhriti sassed back.

"Hm..... I've never loved sharp and witty girls like you." He spoke nearing her, with a raised sword.

"That's good, not everyone understands my wit you see?" Dhriti took a deep breath, now deciding what to do.

'The energy developing inside you will harm your dear baby. Calm down Dhriti, you can stop him.' Her conscience kept repeating to her.

"Look Yadav kumari, you have two ways.
One, come with me wherever I take you, I promise to keep you as a Queen, my Queen." He smirked.

"You Dumb, Foolish man, don't cross your limits while talking to a women!" Dhriti raised her voice.

"......Or, just know that you'll be dead in a few minutes. Just like Krishn killed Maharaj Kans." He completed.

"Oh so who are you, Chanoor or that Kaalvakra?" Dhriti tested him.

"That does not matter, dear." He laughed, pointing the top of his sword towards Dhriti.

"Ofcourse it does, stupid Kaalvakra." Dhriti kicked him down, scaring him for a while.

"You kicked me? You don't know whom you are messing out with." Kaalvakra stood up, taking out his bow.

"Makes sense,
cause you don't know whom you are challenging..... either." Dhriti's tone lowered, as she realized she can't back any further.

"Yeah, so tell me, whom should I kill first? You or your dear child?" He snapped his knuckles.

"Keep you filthy mouth shut and wait for me to bring my weapon. Its against Dharma to attack an unarmed opponent." Dhriti stated, stopping him.

"You aren't my opponent.
You're my ultimate goal. Taking you away as mine or killing you here are the only two options left." He grinned, twisting her wrist as Dhriti as she tried to break loose.

"Kaalvakra, you are inviting your death!" Dhriti's divine voice echoed.

"My death? How?
You don't have access to any weapon. Your brothers are not around to come and free you and your husband, he's in Dwarka, nearly unknown to all this." He smirked, looking at his sharp, powerful sword and her painful cries.

"You can't even walk without stumbling with your heavy belly.
One! Just one wrong step, and you and your life would be shattered.
Call whoever you want to.
You can't change the fate. You can't save and defend yourself Dhriti!" He raised his sword with full force, ready to attack her.

"How dare you touch me!" She shouted, kicking him once again, flicking away his sword with bare hands.

"So you won't listen to normal attempts. You want to keep it elusive? As you wish dear." He smirked, tying Dhriti in illusion as she gathered her breath.

"KANHAAAA!!!!" She internally screamed, calling him as she put all her attempts to free herself.

"Nothing will happen Priye. Think..... Your blessing never go unserved. The amount of love and compassion you shower is always reciprocated." Kanha reminded her through his puzzles

"Tell me! Why aren't you out smarting me now? Now how will you protect the lives? The truth is you can't!" He tested her patience, trying to push her.

"She can't, but I definately can. And I will!" A boy shouted from the other direction, shooting a mighty arrow which pierced Kaalvakra's chest.

"Ah!!!!
Who are you? And how dare you attack me without my knowledge?" Kaalvakra egoistically whined, trying to remove the arrow out of his chest.

"It does not matter who I am.
Leave her!" He shooked Kaalvakra's half dying body, gently pulling Dhriti out of his strong grip, angrily looking at the red marks on her wrist.

"I came here to fulfil Maharaj Kans' last wish....." Kaalvakra managed to speak, weakly throwing his sword towards the boy, lightly slitting his arm.

"Kans' last wish was to kill ME?
Liar! He's Jaya, he would never say that
Definately not on his death bed.
This was not his last wish, it was Mamashree Shakuni's wish out of pure rage and vegenance." Dhriti sarcastically stated as Kaalvakra breathed his last.

"Vrishasen......" She proudly smiled, turning towards him.

"Pranam Rajkumari." He bowed as Dhriti nodded.

"How should I thank you?
Come let's go to the Palace. Everyone would be glad to meet you." Dhriti smiled.

"Uh N-no. I think we're okay here." He denied, looking at the cut on his arm.
Vrishasen was not that old, just an eleven year old kid, having Karna's shine in his personality and Vrushali's innocence in his eyes.

"Why?" Dhriti asked, touching the wound as her single touch instantly healed it.

"How did you do that?" Vrishasen's eyes shot up in sudden excitement.

"I had to thank you for saving me. Also, you denied to take a visit to the palace, so we had to treat the wound somehow." Dhriti spoke, walking around as Vrishasen followed her.

"And why do we need to treat the wound?" He questioned, making Dhriti smile.

"Want something to eat first?" She asked, offering some fruits from the garden as he happily took it, sitting down on the cool grass.

"Now coming to your question. When we get a cut, on the battlefield or whenever, a lot of blood runs out.
Now, if we don't treat it and try to stop that wound, the blood will keep flowing out of our body making us weak. We might lose all our energy.
And then how will brave warriors like you protect everyone? So I healed your wound." Dhriti smiled.

"But when Pitashree's friend Yuvraj Duryodhan and Rajkumar Dushasan had such wounds, they said they didn't wanted to get them treated because that reminded it of the revenge they had to take?
But even they'll lose their energy if they don't treat them na?" Vrishasen asked whilst eating.

"Bhrata Duryodhan and Dushasan dumbos. They really did that?" Dhriti mumbled in disbelief as the little one nodded a yes.

"Next time you see them doing this, tell them why treating the wounds is necessary. They'll definately listen to you." Dhriti said in a worry.

"But when Pitashree gets such wounds, Mata Vrushali applies some paste and then covers it and then it takes soo much time to heal.
But you did it within seconds. How?" He spoke with efficient hand expressions.

"Because I'm a magician." Dhriti joked, giggling at his expressions.

"Oh really? Then show me a trick." He joked back.

"Come on Shri, do you even know tricks apart for making lotuses shine?" Dhriti put her brain at work.

"I have a signature trick in sword fighting.
But you see, I cannot do it in this condition." She stated, not sure about entangling him in her maya.

"That flickling the opponent's sword?" 
He asked.

"Yes absolutely! But how did you know?" She asked in surprise.

"Pitashree was telling me about that when you went on a war with him.
And everyone tries to do it, but fails at it. Me as well." He chuckled.

"Would you mind if I call you Bua?" He asked all of a sudden, after keeping quiet for a few minutes.

"I AM your Bua." She thought smiling at his innocence.

"May I ask why?" She tested him.

"Look, Because I call Yuvraj Duryodhan and Rajkumar Dushasan as Kakashree. And since you are their sister......" He tried wiggling his brows.

"Yes yes dear, I got it. Just testing you. You can call me whatever you want." He patted him.

"You just did the job Priye." Kanha spoke in a proud tone.

"I was not gonna let Vrishasen and his siblings get deprived of my love due to the enmity between my brothers." She smiled.

"Then Bua, I want to become a warrior like you." He shook her.

"Like me? Not like Angraj?" She asked in surprise as he nodded.

"You'll be braver than me then. But.....
Only if you choose the path of righteousness, nothing else." She ruffled his hair.

"Got it! The path of Dharma!
One more thing!" He spoke, climbing in his horse as Dhriti listened.

"Please don't tell anyone that I was here. Pitashree and Kakashree Duryodhan had strictly informed me not to enter the territory of Indraprasth. Otherwise I'll be in trouble." He confessed looking down.

"Don't worry Putra, I won't tell this to anyone.
By the way, I like this little horse for little you. What's his name?" Dhriti smiled, carassing the plain brown horse.

"Horses don't have any names Bua." He spoke nonchalantly.

"But they should na? What if he gets lost somewhere. How will you call out for him?" She questioned.

"Sorry! I don't have answers for your extraordinary questions. But bye. We'll meet later. That time I'll answer you." He waved, taking a leave as Dhriti kept thinking.

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

"Where were you this whole time? Prativindhya said tou weren't in the Palace." Bheem asked, taking a seat beside her.

"Thinking....." She fidgeted her fingers.

"Thinking what? Anything serious?" He asked in a worry.

"Horses should have names na?" Dhriti whispered to Bheem as they gathered for the evening assembly with the ministers.

"This is a very serious question of great political and personal importance. Come let's ask Jyesth to discuss this matter with everyone." Bheem jokingly nudged her.

"Munivar....." Dhriti closed her eyes.

"Yes Maate, you can name your horse if you want to. No worries." He answered beforehand as Kanha chuckled.

"You agree na! See even Nandi has a name. Vasuki and Seshji have their names. Oh and Mushak as well! What's wrong with horses then?"  Dhriti gave a thought.

"Shri, talk about something else." Gauri stopped her, changing the subject as Dhriti kept conversing with them, paying almost no attention to what's going on in the Raj Sabha.

_________________________________________

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