A Different Turn of Events

A Change in Loyalty

In the Dyut Sabha -

Duryodhana felt like he was on top of the world. He had just won all of the wealth of the Pandavas as well as their kingdom. On top of that, he was able to convince the man in front of him to gamble with his two younger brothers. Shakuni's dice would never fail him, thus the twin Pandavas have become Duryodhana's slaves.

Duryodhana was happy but not yet satisfied. He wanted his cousins to lose everything. He wanted all 5 brothers to be his slaves. He wanted to humiliate and crush the arrogance of Dhrupad Kanya. Duryodhana wanted them at his feet where they will never hope for freedom or kingship.

Yudhishthira, on the other hand, was scared. He had lost his wealth and kingdom. He gambled his two youngest brothers and lost them as well. He was afraid to gamble with another one of his brothers but he had no choice. It was his dharma as a king and Kshatriya but he has hope.

"I am sorry. The game must come to a stop since you have nothing that could equal my Anuj, Arjuna," Yudhishthira says with a relieved smile.

Little did he know that Shakuni had already anticipated his move and told his nephew, "Mere bhanje, you do have someone that can equal Arjuna. Don't forget your mitra, Angaraja Karna."

Duryodhana was in a tough spot. On one hand, he was this close to making the Pandavas his slaves but how could he gamble his friend away like that. What if his uncle lost? Then his precious friend would be their slave. He could not allow that to happen.

Sensing his nephew's dilemma, Shakuni reasoned, "Mere bhanje, do not worry about your mitra. Trust me. I will not lose this game, I am a master at this game."

Duryodhana thought about it for a moment. He was having a bad feeling but he knew his uncle could never lose a game of Dyut unless it was on purpose. Despite his bad feeling he decided to trust his uncle. Duryodhana stares at Yudhishthira and says "Not so fast Yudhishthira. I have someone who can equal Arjuna. My mitra, Karna, equals Arjuna in both status and valor. I will bid my mitra."

"Duryodhana, you are breaking the rules. You do not have any right over your friend, you can not bid him," says the strong voice of Bhishma.

Shakuni steps in before Duryodhana and replies, "Mahamahima, do you not know of the bond that my bhanje shares with his mitra. In fact, they would refer to each other as bhratha if they could."

"That still does not change the fact that Duryodhana has no right on Angaraja since they are not blood brothers," Bhishma counters.

"Then Mahamahima, does it mean that Rajamata Satyavathi had no right to you, after all, you are not blood-related," Shakuni questions.

"Of course she does. We may not be related by blood but we share the same bond that I share with my Mata Ganga," Bhishma replies angrily.

Shakuni smiles, "Then that means my bhanje has a right to Karna as well because their bond is no less than the bond he shares with his 99 other brothers."

Unable to refute Gandhara Raja's point, Bhishma looks down and stays silent. Seeing his grandfather beaten once again Yudhishthira agrees to bet Arjuna against Karna. The game begins once more and once again Shakuni seems to be winning. It seemed Arjuna would also become a slave today.

From the Battlefield -

"Not everything is as it seems, Shakuni mama. Niyati has changed and the catalyst for this change started many years ago. No one can change niyati mama, not even you," says a man of dark complexion. The man is sitting on a chariot with a war happening in the background but it does nothing to diminish his divine features. A tell-tale sign to find out the identity of this man is set in his crown in the form of a peacock feather.

This man is none other than the eighth avatar of Vishnu, Krishna. He closes his eyes and uses his divine powers to change the loyalty of the dice. This change will bring great consequences but the consequences are unknown to everyone, even the divine Krishna. It is now up to niyati to bring dharma back to the world.

Back in the Sabha -

The sabha was silent. Everyone seemed to be frozen. Upon closer look, everyone had an expression of shock on their faces. No one could believe the sight in front of them. Suddenly the laughter of Bhima rang through the room. Arjuna's face has a relieved expression and the twins sprout smiles on their faces. The tension had fled from Yudhishthira's shoulders, replaced with a calm and happy expression.

"It seems your luck has run out Shakuni mama," Bhima cries, "Duryodhana, now that sutaputra is our slave."

That is right. Duryodhana had lost Karna to Yudhishthira. The dice were clear. His uncle had lost his friend. Duryodhana feels like the air was being sucked out of him. How could he have bid his dear friend? Karna had always tried to help Duryodhana and lead him on the right path but Duryodhana would never listen. He should have heeded his friend's words. He should have trusted his gut feeling. He should have never bet his mitra.

Flashback -

"Mitra, please do not do this. This is wrong. It is not the way of a Kshatriya. If you want the defeat of the Pandavas then let us do it on the battlefield," Karna pleads.

"No mitra, mamashree's plan is flawless and you know that mamashree never loses in Dyut," Duryodhana says.

"But this is not right mitra. Just order me and I will declare battle against the Pandavas. I will defeat them and give their kingdom to you, mitra. This is not the right way to deal with the situation," Karna reasons.

"Mitra, it does not matter how many times you defeat them. They will always come back. This time I will not let them come back," Duryodhana replies stubbornly.

"As a friend and well-wisher, I am warning you mitra, if you go ahead with your mamashree's plan everyone will label you as an adharmi. I know you mitra. You are not an adharmi, you simply want the love and respect that you neglected to receive from childhood. I do not want you to lose something important. The game of Dyut is not child's play, even Gandhara Raja can make a mistake. Please reconsider but if you still decide to follow the plan then know when to stop. This is all I can say," Karna says, resigned.

Back to Present (Dyut Sabha) -

"Where is that suta anyway?" Bhima questions.

"Shut up Bhima, don't forget that two of your brothers are still my slaves," Duryodhana threatens weakly.

"We have your dear mitra, Duryodhana. You shouldn't be so arrogant. Who knows what we may do?" Arjuna threatens back, "Where is our slave anyway? I want him to do something for me."

"I will never tell you," Duryodhana roars.

"You are breaking the rules. Does that mean you wish to forfeit the game? Don't you forget that he is our slave now? As per the rules, you must hand him over to us or quit the game and leave with our respective winnings," Yudhishthira says, surprising the sabha.

Duryodhana is frightened for his friend. He has never seen Yudhishthira like this. He decides to tell them his friend's whereabouts. Duryodhana hopes that they won't hurt his friend too much if he follows their demands. Duryodhana pleads, "He is in his room sleeping. His family's death anniversary was just yesterday so please be kind."

"Someone, go get Das Karna," Arjuna says loudly, "There are some surprises waiting for him."

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A/N - How do you like it so far? Do you have any ideas you want me to incorporate?