Aftermath: The outlasting Krishna-Arjun journey

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟜: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕧𝕠𝕣

Arjun's pov

Not heeding Madhav's advice had never ended well for Arjun.

He had tried sometimes, when following through with the advice would be too tiresome. Madhav, in spite of his infamy in emotional coercion, never used it on him. He would always leave the choice to Arjun.

Arjun had realized pretty early on that following Madhav's instructions always led him right.

And yet it took him a week after Madhav left for Dwaraka to screw up his courage. That day, he woke up very early and headed for the charioteer colony of Hastinapur.

Many of them were up and about at that hour. Arjun, who had expected much hostility, was relieved when they guided him readily enough to the dwelling of Bhisma's charioteer Adhirath, whom the world had known as Karna's father.

Arjun's hand was unsteady as he knocked.

An old woman opened a door a crack and gasped when she saw him. Arjun took a step back. Then the door was opened by her husband, who was frowning.

"What brings you here, Rajkumar Arjun?" asked Adhirath.

"I wondered if--" Arjun cleared his throat. "--if I could speak to Vrishaketu?"

"What do you want with him?"

"Nothing, sir--I mean, you must have heard he's--he's--" Arjun dared not speak the tie between him and the orphaned child. "We only recently came to know about our shared blood with your son--"

"Us as well," said Radha wistfully. "Maybe a month earlier than you got to know, Rajkumar."

"He should have told us, Radha Ma," said Arjun, the lump in his throat overcoming his senses. "If he had told us, we would never--never have fought in a war opposite him--"

"He was helpless, son," said Adhirath, also wistfully. "He had bonds to Yuvraj Duryodhan far superseding blood."

"But we could have tried to stop the war," said Arjun desperately, his voice rising. "We could have done anything! Anything but what actually happened!"

The old couple looked at him apprehensively. Arjun tried to get a grip on himself. These were things he had not spoken to anyone in his own family, and here he was, venting it to his brother's family.

"Anyway," he said, bowing his head. "I know apologizing does not cut it, but I am truly sorry for what I did. I cannot forgive myself, so I do not expect your forgiveness."

"We do not blame you at all," said Radha unexpectedly. "We are old enough to understand you and our Karna were both victims of destiny." She glanced at the stairs. "Vrishaketu, however...has found it difficult."

Of course he will, thought Arjun. Of course.

"Thank you for your understanding," he told the couple, "but do you think I might speak to him once?"

Both of his hosts hesitated.

"Well, I suppose it cannot hurt," said Adhirath, reluctantly. "Go and talk to him, Radha. See if he's--"

But there was no need, for the boy appeared down the stairs precisely at that moment.

***

Vrishaketu looked a lot like Karna. But Arjun had never seen Karna relaxed, just out of bed, in the comfort of his home, so the boy reminded him not of Karna, but another boy around the same age.

Cousins.

Abhimanyu and Vrishaketu would have been cousins.

They would have grown up together, playing in the fields, arguing, protecting each other like Draupadi's sons did.