Duryodhan's pov
Duryodhan was tired from dealing with the chaos, but he did not let it show.
Karna having disappeared from the wedding had, of course, left behind absolute chaos. Vrushali said she did not know where he had gone, but she did not look at all upset, so he suspected she knew something.
Someone said Karna had been seen leaving Anga on horse with Yudhishthir. Duryodhan laughed at that derisively.
Someone commented that he had jilted Vrushali at the altar--they had always thought the status gap a bit too much--a King and the daughter of a charioteer--
Vrushali raised an eyebrow and turned to exchange a wry smile with Duryodhan, who found nothing to smile in that.
"SILENCE," he commanded the bunch. "IF I HEAR ANOTHER COMMENT OF THAT SORT--"
"Duryodhan! Don't you go losing your temper now..."
Vrushali led him away. Duryodhan wondered how she could be so offhanded about the insult.
He asked her so.
"I am the child of a charioteer, am I not? And so is--so is Karna. Besides, they are Karna's guests," said Vrushali. "Losing your temper with them doesn't look good. Come on, let's sit down."
Then Duryodhan caught the distressing sight of Radha Maa crying. Vrushali's parents and Adhirath were all crowded around her, so Duryodhan figured he did not need to go and console her.
"Karna will be back soon," he assured Vrushali.
Vrushali's lips twitched.
"Oh yes, I'm fairly sure he would not jilt me at the altar."
She definitely knew something of her groom's mysterious disappearance. Duryodhan, in whose nature subtleness was not a particular strength, pestered her.
She evaded the questions with such expertise, Duryodhan steadily went on the verge of exploding with exasperation.
Since he did not want to take out his frustration on his sister-in-law, he took to pacing the threshold of the pavilion.
Till finally the voice he had been waiting from spoke.
*******************
"Duryodhan."
"Where have you been?" Duryodhan started to ask before registering his friend's expression. "What's wrong?" he asked in a hushed voice.
"The Queen Mother...she..." Karna sounded agonized.
Duryodhan took his arms; he was shaking.
"My mother?" he asked anxiously.
Karna shook his head, disconsolate.
"Queen Mother Kunti--I cannot--I cannot ever face her."
"All right," said Duryodhan in a voice of forced calm. "All right, we will rethink the plot, okay? Come on, now, everyone has been waiting for ages...we can discuss Varanavat later."
"Not that!" shouted Karna.
Heads turned towards them, and exclamations rang out at the groom having been spotted.
"Heaven's sake," muttered Duryodhan, pulling Karna out into the garden, out of sight from the guests. "If not that, why can you not face her? Where were you, anyway? Did you go to Hastinapur?"
"Yes, Yudhishthir came and said..."
"So that bit is true. I thought those people who said they saw you leaving with Yudhishthir were--sorry, go on."
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Anuj's claim to affection (A Karna-Arjun what-if story)
Fanfiction~Book 2 of Mother's secret series~ At the graduation arena, Arjun is winded by a stranger's fierce hatred towards him. The stranger swears himself to his cousin Duryodhan and vows he will defeat him and prove the son of a charioteer can also become...
