Dhriti took one last glance at her brothers who were standing near their chariot.

"I hope no one is crying. Anyone wants more hugs or something?" Dhriti laughed looking at them trying to lift up the mood.

"Yes I need few more." Draupadi chuckled as Dhriti smiled, hugging her.

"Last time when Vasudev Bhaiya was leaving for Dwarka, I told him to take you with him beacsue you trouble me. My wish is finally getting fulfilled." Nakul teased.

"Just few minutes earlier, you were the one- 'didi don't go, we'll miss you' and look what's happening now Crybaby?" Dhriti teased back.

"I have kept your sword and your bow-arrows in the chariot. You're incomplete without them warrior." Arjun said as he turned towards Kanha.

"Keshav...." Arjun let out a worried yet happy expression on his face a Kanha held his shoulder.

"Lakshmi can never be separated from her Narayan. And Narayan can turn this entire trilok upside down for his Shri. Shri is a part of him. Don't worry. " Kanha mischievously said as Arjun smiled, still confused.

"Lakshmi-Narayan? Shri?" Arjun asked.

"You'll know soon Brihannala." Kanha chuckled.

"Madhav! I hate you." Arjun playfully shouted, knowing that he can never ever hate him.

"Krishn, take care of her. She has a child's heart. Your love is beyond the three worlds. Stay happy both of you." Kunti said patting Kanha as he held her hand, assuring the mother in her as they saw Dhriti taking the blessing of Dronacharya and Kripacharya.

"You know you can come to Dwarka whenever you want Bua. That's your home as well. And Mata And Rohini Mata would be more than delighted to have you." Kanha smiled as Kunti nodded.

Kanha climbed the huge chariot has he gave Dhriti a hand pulling her up.

"Dhriti..... You're the KulVadhu of Yaduvansh now. Both you and Krishn, don't even think of troubling Devki and Rohini there." Kunti instructed as Dhriti bore a fake disappointment.

"Agreed I like to prank. But I'm not that troublesome. Come on Mata. Praise your daughter a bit, now you won't get a chance everyday na." Dhriti crossed her arms making Kunti laugh.

"Don't forget to keep practising. Your skills are your strength." Dronacharya gently reminded as Dhriti nodded, knowing that she can't be separated from her weapons.

"So you want to handle the harness?" Kanha playfully smiled at her.

"I would have loved to, but you see, you never took me to Dwarka before, so I don't know the way. You better ride them, so we reach Dwarka on time. " Dhriti smiled back

"Mata Yashoda and all the Gopis of Vrindavan used to say that no one can defeat Kanha in the fight of words. But little did they knew that his Priya, growing up on the other side, would single handedly defeat him in this." Kanha laughed as Dhriti kept quiet for a minute before abruptly shaking his arm.

"Kanha!"

"Arey arey Priya! What happened?" Kanha asked chuckling.

"I want to meet Yashoda Maiya and Nand Baba." She said as Kanha stopped the chariot and looked at her in awe.

"When you entered Hastinapur for the first time, I left Vrindavan, to end the havoc caused my Mama Kans. After that I never visited Vrindavan. Neither me, not Dau ever met Yashoda Maiya, Nand Baba or Kaka Akrur. " Kanha explained.

"So we can go meet them now. Can't we?" Dhriti asked hopefully.

"First tell me, when river Ganga was released from Mahadev's jatha, did she ever returned back?" Kanha asked as Dhriti nodded a no.

"Then consider me as a river, who's motive is jagat kalyan. I can't return to Vrindavan Priye." He said as Dhriti put herself in a deep thought.

"So does that mean that the river in your soul would leave your Priya behind and keep flowing for Jagat kalyan?" Dhriti asked looking at him.

"Priya.... Now answer one more question. What does a river need to flow without ever stopping?" Kanha questioned, a smirk now plastered on his face.

"The powerful force , that makes the way for the water to flow." Dhriti answered, still not understanding.

"And what do I need to complete my objective of Jagat kalyan?" He questioned once more.

"Shakti. Courage, Vijay. Companion. What else?" Dhriti said.

"Shakti- Adi Lakshmi, Courage- Dhairya Lakshmi, Vijay- vijaya Lakshmi. Companion- Shri." Kanha said, knowing that now's the time.

"These are some of the forms of Shri Ashta Lakshmi." Dhriti spoke, something bothering her.

"You are my Shakti, Dhairya, Vijaya and Shri. Now you know, no one in this entire universe holds the power to separate us." Kanha said pushing the lose strands of her hair behind her ears.

"I am Shakti? I'm - I'm Shri?" She asked startled yet in disbelief.

"Kanha! Tell me na." She said as Kanha just shrugged, giving his signature smirk as he took a hold on the harness once again.

"The time has come Priye." Kanha smiled at him as she reciprocated it.

"For what Kanha?" She asked curiously.

"Truth is not always what your eyes see, or what your ears hear. Its beyond that." Kanha spoke.

"I know, that don't know the entire truth of this world. I don't even know the truth about myself.
Some say I'm not an ordinary being. Others point out I fell in love with an extraordinary boy. Mata never revealed or told us the way I was born. Or who gifted me, the way my brothers were gifted by the Lords of Devraj Indra's Sabha. I asked Bhrata Yudhishthir and Bhrata Bheem a few times but they say they don't remember." Dhriti sighed as Kanha kept smiling at her.

"How should I explain you Priy Chanchala? How." Kanha smiled looking at her ever radiant face.

"Don't you remember anything Priye?" Kanha asked as they neared Dwarka.

"Remember? Am I missing out something Kanha?" Dhriti asked, curiousness covering her flawless face.

"Everything Priya. But don't worry. Your Kanha's here to make his Priya remember everything." Kanha said diverting his attention back on the route.

"Yadu Shresht, Rajkumari! We're now entering Dwarka." A soldier announced as a the godly smiled on Dhriti and Kanha's face widened.

Anyone could have made out that it was Dwarka. It was like heaven on earth. Each and every house, the streets, every single corner decorated with little diyas, flowers and colours.
The essence of peace, felt in every breeze gently hitting their faces.
The men playing the huge dhols and tashas while the ladies and little girls sprinkling flowers on their paths.

Dhriti and Kanha immediately stood up at the sight of the citizens of Dwarka celebrating their arrival as the couple joined their hands in order to greet them.

"This is Dwarka......" Dhriti smiled with moistened eyes as she felt nostalgic about it.

"This is the first time I'm coming here. Yet. Yet I feel like I've stayed here forever." She beamed looking at Kanha as he nodded.

"Because Dwarka resembles Vaikunth in almost every aspect. Only one thing missing here was Mata Lakshmi And now she's here." Devarshi said, overjoyed, as Kanha smiled as his comment.

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

"Is everything ready? The arti thali, Haldi kumkum, the things required for Griha Pravesh, Krishn and Dhriti's chambers? Everything?" Rohini asked in a hurry.

"Yes Mata, everything is ready. Why are you in such a hurry." Revati said slowing down her pace.

"Krishn and Dhriti would be arriving anytime now. Arya said they have entered Dwarka. But where are they." Devki enquired.

"Look! Here they come." Subhadra smiled as the 6 of them walked down the entrance steps to welcome them.

Kanha got down, giving Dhriti a hand as they left their chariot and walked towards the smiling figures of their family members.

"Earlier it was me, now the whole Dwarka is talking about you." Kanha chuckled looking at Dhriti.

"No, they're talking about us." She said correcting him.

"Your selfless and unconditional love always conquers me Lakshmi. Everytime." Kanha thought before profoundly smiling back at her.

"Rajkumari! She's beyond beautiful.
They both look so surreal together." Subhadra's closest dasi said shaking her.

"I told you, you can't describe how she is. The person needs to watch the aura surrounding them by his own eyes." Subhadra smiled as they saw Dhriti and Kanha standing in front of them.

Vasudev and Dau gently smiled as both if them approached first. Both smiled as the couple bent down to take their blessings.

"Aayushman Bhava, Akhanda Saubhagyavati Bhava." They smiled patting the younger ones, making a way for Rohini.

Rohini walked in, holding the Arti thali the maid placed in her hands as she put a tilak and sprinkled rice grains on both of them.

"Welcome to Dwarka, Dhriti!" She spoke carassing Dhriti's face as Devki joined in.

A few tears escaped Devki's eyes. The sight of Dhriti and Kanha together had pleased her beyond limits. She quickly wiped them off before placing a jasmine garland with lotuses between them , around Dhriti's neck as the latter smiled at her.

The procession ended as Subhadra gladly stood on Dhriti's other side while they were escorted inside the palace.

"KulVadhu's Griha Pravesh symbolizes the pravesh of happiness, peace and prosperity. And that's why, in this ceremony of Griha Pravesh, kumkum and the kalash full of rice hold an important place." The Raj guru spoke as Dhriti looked at arrangements made for their welcome in awe.

"After tilting the kalash full of rice, the bride's footprints dipped in kumkum, resembles the presence of sakshat Shri Mahalakshmi. Its brings shakti, prosperity, material and non material wealth and happiness to everyone's lives." He further added as Kanha and Dau smirked at each other.

Dhriti nodded at his instructions as she slowly lifted up her right leg, to gently push the kalash.

A smile appeared on everyone's face as the dasis placed a thali full of red kumkum for Dhriti to dip her feet in while Kanha stood closely behind her.

As soon as she dipped her feet in the thali, golden light started forming around both of them. Maharishi Garg looked at Kanha who smiled while assuringly nodding as Maharishi joined his hands in front of Dhriti.

Dhriti happily took her first step inside the palace as she left her footprints behind.
What made Mahalakshmi different from every other bride was the fact that even after dipping her feet in red kumkum, her heavenly footprints left golden marks on the the Palace's main hallway.

"This girl is not normal." Muttered the Raj Guru to Maharishi Garg as Kanha shot a glare at him.

"When Krishn was in Vrindavan, every other person used to say the same thing.
Afterall, if Shri Mahalakshmi's feet won't be golden, then who's golden feet do you expect Raj Guru?" Maharishi spoke as he left him behind.

"Come Bhabhishree, we'll take you to your room." Subhadra squeezed Dhriti's hand as she smiled.

"Yes yes, come Dhriti I've had everything ready over there. Let's go." Revati smiled as the three women walked towards Kanha and Dhriti's room.
But there was a difference in Dhriti. She did not appear as the same person the whole Aryavart talks about. She had seemingly gotten quiet and just smiled and nodded to whatever everyone said, rather than speaking and laughing like she usually did.

"Did you tell her anything Krishn?" Dau pulled Kanha aside.

"I may or may not have told her about Ashta Lakshmi." Kanha smiled realizing Dhriti's change.

"Then why is she appearing so quiet? She's not even laughing or giggling like she usually does. You must have told her something about it." Dau looked at Kanha with squinted eyes.

"Dau, I did not tell her anything. She's figuring things out by herself. My Shri is smart enough to do that." Kanha laughed, assuring Dau as he nodded, walking away.

"Dau!" Kanha called him as Dau turned back with a questioning face.

"Its the right time." Kanha beamed with a huge smile forming on Dau's face as the two brothers walked inside.

_________________________________________

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