Aftermath: The outlasting Krishna-Arjun journey

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟛: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕪

Krishna's pov

Indraprastha improved Arjun's state of mind.

For one, he and his brothers had created the city out of barren land with their own hands. Then, it had good memories entwined with each corner and crevice.

Of course, there was work to do, a lot of it--setting up the court and alleviating the conditions of the subjects who had lost their menfolk in war. Yuyutsu, who was to be installed as Indraprastha's king, worked in perfect harmony with them.

Apart from that, Krishna ensured he and Arjun spent maximum of their free time outdoors. Sometimes they would go to visit poor families, sometimes to forsaken gurukuls that were slowly repopulating, sometimes, the forested lands around.

One day they stumbled across a bunch of faded, jeweled benches in the woods.

"Look, Madhav, this is where we used to come with Panchali and Satyabhama to play chausar and have feasts every month," said Arjun in wonder. "The villagers constructed these benches in your worship."

"Ah, yes," said Krishna. "You were never particularly fond of these, though, were you?"

"No, I preferred the branches." 

Arjun grinned and climbed atop one and offered Krishna to join him, and they spent the hours till twilight climbing trees.

Each day they met people they used to know when Yudhishthir ruled Indraprastha. Some of their families had been forced to side with the Kauravas, but they always had a nice word to offer Arjun. Krishna smiled as he heard them--people blamed fate, Duryodhan, Bhisma, Yudhishthir, Bheem, Krishna and everyone for the war, but nobody blamed Arjun.

Nobody, however much they had suffered, could hold such a personification of innocence for the war.

The palace of Indraprastha was still as illusionary and impressive. A large part of the architecture had been planned out by the two of them, so they were forever discovering bits and pieces that made them reminisce.

"This disguised pool right here," Arjun said. "This was your idea, Madhav. This is the one Bhrata Duryodhan fell into."

"Not my fault," said Krishna demurely.

"I was not blaming you." Arjun pulled him along. "And these revolving stairs--jyesht and Panchali were against them but you helped me convince--"

"Coerce," corrected Krishna.

"Well," conceded Arjun. "But you were the one doing the coercing, not me."

"You were the one doing the coercing through me," said Krishna. "When have you not used my powers to your advantage?"

"I never used you," said Arjun firmly. "You let yourself be used."

"Out of love," said Krishna, injured.

Arjun put his arms around Krishna promptly. "Oh yes. Certainly."

***

While during daytime, Arjun seemed to have recovered well enough, at nighttime, he stayed awake every day, huddled into himself, terrified to sleep. He was not known as 'Gudakesa' for naught; he was capable of withstanding the lack of sleep better than any human, and yet, it was wearying him down nonetheless.

Krishna would frequently wake up in the middle of the night, only to find Arjun's haunted gaze fixed upon him unblinkingly.

"How long do you intend to keep this up, you idiot?" Krishna would ask.

"I cannot even close my eyes, Madhav," Arjun maintained. "There are terrible scenes waiting to flood in."

Even Krishna's supernatural efforts to will him to sleep did not work, so determined was his friend to stay awake.