Aftermath: The outlasting Krishna-Arjun journey

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟝: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕗𝕖 𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕖

Krishna's pov

Preparations for Dwaraka's spring festival was going on in full swing when Hastinapur's guests arrived. The city had already been a dash of colour and joy; the first two guests to alight, however, brightened the world to Krishna.

"Parth! Panchali! Welcome to Dwaraka!"

"It's Samragni Panchali now, Madhav," began Arjun, only to be force-fed a tumbler of neera, and thus being forced to shut up, apart from a, "Madhav, get off!"

"Well done," Draupadi told Krishna, who was preparing to attack her with another tumbler of neera.

However, at Yudhishthir alighting from his chariot, Krishna swiftly turned well-behaved (the Samrat had that sort of an effect of people--you could not goof around him without feeling like a goof) and went to greet him and his Aunt Kunti. Bheem, Nakul and Sahadev came after them, gazing around at the surroundings, where a group of people were trimming grass, another group fixing lanterns on the branches of tall trees. Kunti and Yudhishthir were hailed by a group of townsfolk, and they went off.

"It has been years since we last attended a Spring Festival, hasn't it?" Nakul said. "Madhav, I saw you offering that excellent drink to Bhrata Arjun, was it only for him or for us as well?"

"Offering?" said Arjun.

Krishna flung an arm around his neck, almost strangling him, and called for more neera to a servant passing by. "Also, the sweet stalls have started from yesterday--look over there."

He indicated at the colourful bunch of stalls near the palace walls.

"Ah, great," said Bheem, making for the stalls immediately.

"It is unhealthy to stuff yourself with sweets before the festival has even begun," said Arjun primly.

"Prig," muttered Krishna as Panchali and the twins followed on Bheem's heels.

"Did you call me a prig after preaching morality to the whole world, Madhav?" asked Arjun.

"All right, what are you salty for?"

"You left," said Arjun. "You left for your beautiful city and left me alone in my--oppressive city."

"Oppressive?" said Krishna. "Is that how your jyesht is building your capital?"

"No," admitted Arjun. "It's not Hastinapur that's oppressive. It's just--"

Krishna caught his arm and propelled him towards the open fields. They squatted down on the grass, slightly damp with dew as Arjun talked.

"I went to the King of Anga's home the other day. His adoptive parents were nice about the whole thing, but Vrishaketu--" He tore a wisp of grass into tiny bits absent-mindedly. "He already hated me, and when I let it slip that we're related by blood--we are never to have your surviving nephew as our family, that is clear."

"You have to give him some time, Parth," said Krishna. "How can you expect him to understand the very first day he meets someone he only knows as--"

"His father's killer," finished Arjun bitterly.

A war could turn even the purest of souls bitter, reflected Krishna. It could make even someone who had nearly never complained of their life begin to curse fate.

Both Parth and Panchali were included there. 

Arjun could not be bitter for long, however.

"Before we set off for here, jyesht and Aunt Gandhari attempted to call a meeting with some of our nieces," he continued. "Jyesht used to know some of them quite well before the gambling match, so did my brothers and Panchali. During my exile with you, some of them were frequent visitors of Indraprastha, it turns out.