I could feel my breath. The air going in and coming out. But every time I breathed, there was a strange burn that left trace in my throat. There was no pain or irritation. Just the feeling. I could faintly hear the Vedic hymns. I knew my consciousness was just born. But this wasn't the normal procedure. Unless I was a divine being. The heat touched my whole body, I could hear the crackling of fire. The heat and the flames embraced me gently, caressing me occasionally. The wind was blowing stronger, fanning the flames towards my face. But I knew fire won't hurt me. Because he was my father. Yajnasen. The God of Fire. People called him Agni Dev. I opened my eyes, knowing that the process was over. The scenes I had been imagining came live.

There was fire everywhere. The fire was spread all over my body and reached as far I could see. The whole world I saw was burning. But in the blaze, I saw figures. Some stood up, some collapsed on the ground. But they were all silent and stunned. They all remained frozen in their state. I looked around. I realized it was a yajna. I had been aware of another consciousness who took birth before me. He was a man. Dhrishtadyumna, I had picked on the name. The warrior who would slay Drona.

My prophesy had been nothing less than him. I had heard the skies thunder and the terrible oath my new father had taken.

"I want a daughter, the most beautiful of all times, strong in her character, devoted to her Dharma, her intelligence at par the rulers of the Great Bharata Varsha. Like a flower crushed to give more fragrance, such should be her purity that breaks through the most severe trials. A daughter who would fulfill my desire of vengeance against Hastina. Oh, divine Gods, bestow upon me the daughter that would be the home wrecker of the Kuru Household! The one who would bring about the greatest war of all times and shall be the epitome of courage, strength, righteousness, chastity and morality! Bless upon me such a daughter!"

I smiled. The life's key factor was knowing the purpose. My prophesy was my key. At least I knew who I was. And what I was to do. The flames around me nudged me forward. I took a step. The breeze was cold. I stepped on the edges of the Agni Kund. The flames left my line of vision, the world I saw earlier was not burning at all. It had been me who was burning inside it. My eyes took in the vivid and vibrant colors of the world I had stepped in. The wind blew faster, the fire leapt up higher, crackling more. As if it was a war between my father, Agni Dev and Vayu Dev. I looked around. The only people who stood out from the crowd were a couple of men. One who had gray hair stands with eyes that held intelligence and experience. His golden crown studded with thousands of gems shined. He was wearing a purple dhoti and angavastram. I knew it was the most expensive color dye. He must be the King of Panchal, Maharaj Drupad. My new father.

The man beside him was somewhat familiar. He was wearing his dhoti of same color as mine. Only I was wearing a long saree of orange silk that was made with golden threads. The only jewelry he had on were his kundans on his ears. His forehead held a mark of fire. He was bronze toned, and his eyes were blazing red. He must be my brother. He was holding a sword.

I saw another...person at some distance. He had doe eyes. Like a woman. His lips were neither thin nor thick. He had a muscular body. But his presence was quite...womanly. He didn't look much younger than Dhrishtadyumna. I saw some resemblance with the King. He must be my half sibling or a blood relative.

I stepped down slowly, not making a mistake like stumbling on the edge of my saree. The wind was mercifully still now. It was just enough to make the anchal of my saree blow along the wind. My untied hair too flowed in a more graceful way, not hindering my vision. I made my way to the father and brother I recognized. On my approach, I felt him holding his breath in awe. He had indeed asked for a masterpiece when he had prophesied me. I folded my hands into a pranam and bent low to touch his feet.

"Pranipat, Father. Please give me your blessings." I heard my deep musical voice for the first time. It's sound echoed in my ears.

"May you prosper, my daughter! Rise up." He smiled. I smiled back and was back in my original stance. I nodded at my brother who was indifferent to my birth. Yet, his eyes betrayed his admiration and affections for his sister.

"Pranipat, to you too." I nodded at the man behind my new father. He was surprised that I had addressed him, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded. So, he was older than me. If he had pranamed me, I would have thought he was younger or equal in age.

"Maharaj, christen her, this dark, lovely beauty who stepped into this world as your daughter." The sadhus performing the yajna commanded.

"Oh, divine sages, this daughter has taken her birth from the Holy yajna. So, she shall be Yajnaseni, the daughter of Yajnasen. Now, as a mortal, she will carry my name. Her name shall be Draupadi. She is the Princess of Panchal; therefore, she is Panchali. This great descendant of my father Prishat, Parsati, is going to create history. This dark one, the most beautiful one, the one who will be the protector of Dharma shall be led by the flag bearer of Dharma. Only that one, the other dark one, deserves this precious daughter of mine. Krishnaa. Her name shall be Krishnaa. Krishna and Krishnaa." He declared. Suddenly there was a shower of flowers on us.

"Shikhandi, will show you the way. Rest, Draupadi. You have much more to experience." Father smiled and patted my head. He went away with Dhrishtadyumna. The man behind him waved at me. I guessed his name was Shikhandi.

"This way, Princess." He gestured and walked beside me as an escort. Some six people, bodyguards, followed us at a distance. We entered the palace and I saw for the first time how magnificent it was. The architecture was so precise, so neat that it seemed like the whole palace was built on a single piece of gold. There wasn't a single flaw. The diamonds and gems sparkled, getting reflected in various angles. The torchlights were up high but there was good lighting. I saw some people carrying things, I saw some discussing things. Everyone was busy in their own way. No one welcomed me as an intruder, neither as a guest. It felt like a normal person had just entered, someone who already belonged to this place. As we walked through various sections, the General Shikhandi explaining the history to me, I noticed when we entered the women's quarters. There were no more males I could see. We then halted in front of the central quarter, the most decorated amongst all others.

There were a line of women bowing their head outside the entrance, the eight soldiers behind them indifferent to my arrival. The General stopped.

"I shall have to stop here, My Lady." He said, I glared at him. "I mean...Princess." He corrected himself earning another frown from me. "Draupadi." He gave up, I smiled.

A maid came forward. She looked young.

"The best tutors of Panchal have been arranged for you. You will be studying everything because enough are a Princess, a royal descendant. She is Malini, your personal attendant. You can ask her anything or deliver messages through her. If you want anything, you can do so through her. She is around your age so; she might be a good company for you." He smiled.

The maid bowed again, smiling.
"Then, I shall take my leave." Shikhandi pranamed. I reciprocated the gesture.

"Take care, Brother." I said.

"Princess, this way." Malini gestured me towards my room. I nodded.

There wasn't much difference in the main palace and my room. Except, my room had more diamond and silvery elegance than golden. I noticed sapphires embedded along with diamonds, decorating my room. The blue radiance was beautiful. The window was open, the air blowing in had fragrance of roses and lilac. I slowly made my way to the bed. There were scented candles of wax and diyas lightening up my room. The fragrance soothed my body.

"Can I ask you anything I want?" I asked the maid.

"Yes, my Lady. I'll do my best to answer you." She smiled and replied.

I thought for a while. What was the name, again? Right.

"Who is...Krishna?"