Elements of Fire

69. Putting To Sleep

"There, done" Karna said after some time, delicately letting the thick braid fall on her before standing up and walking over to her.

He smiled at her, wordlessly pushing her down by her shoulders until her head touched the pillows. She complied without a protest, lying herself down comfortably.

The lamps were dimming fast and soon darkness would pervade the chamber, she was about to shut her eyes when she startled as the other side of the mattress creaked.

Draupadi's breathe fast, her hands clutching at the silken bed sheets. She heard another creak, the semi darkness of the room all of a sudden giving her a claustrophobic feeling.

She felt the mattress sinking near her feet, her senses keenly alert of the minutest changes in her surroundings. She heard her husband grunt, the crickets chirping in the potted plants of one of the balconies, the hissing of the embers in the fire stands of the room which would soon stop burning letting the dark cloak of night to also cover the chamber.

Her eyes darted to the majestic doors of the chambers, impulsively wondering if she should make a dash for them.

'That is so stupid' she mentally chastised herself for the thought, 'And I am no silly girl.'

Draupadi began unconsciously tracing the lines on the marble floor forming irregular patterns in the fading light, when there was yet another creak and then a tall shadow loomed in her line of vision, crossing over her and falling on the floor preventing her observations of the details the marble carried.

"Aaa" Draupadi yelled before she knew it, turning around sharply, her eyes wide in shock, and then she gaped taking in the sight before her.

"What happened?" Karna asked urgently looking down from the draperies that fell down from the stands of her four poster bed.

"What are you doing Aarya?" Draupadi asked, not keeping out the surprise from her voice, taking in the sight of her husband kneeling near the stand, his hands raised undoing the draperies she had torn in her fit of anger some moments back.

"Oh I was removing this ripped fabric" Karna explained as he managed to unfasten the cloth, "Radha ma says that sleeping in an ill kept bed is inauspicious and brings misfortune..."

"And this, Panchali" Karna continued, stepping down after some time, carelessly letting the long silk fall on the floor near the ceramic fragments of the vase, "This is damage and not unkemptness."

"Oh...I see" Draupadi muttered, not understanding whether to laugh out of exasperation or tell herself off for the impulsive over imaginative workings of her mind, "But any servant could have done that..."

"I can do it faster than them, give them a break too" Karna replied sending her a pleasant smile as he walked up to her lying form and without any warning spread one of the blankets over her.

"What's this for, Aarya?" Draupadi gasped returning the resolute look on his face with a puzzled one.

"You may catch a cold, winter is approaching" Karna stated, his mind recalling the last time he had woken up to having his wife sleeping in the same room as his and he had nearly given up to his desires.

"But it is not even Deepavali( an Indian festival with different myths attached to it where basically earthen diyas and candles are lit)...it is still warm enough to sleep without any covers" Draupadi protested pushing away the blanket from her chin which only seemed to make all more keenly determined to accomplish his self imposed 'task'.

"There is no harm in taking precaution" Karna retorted, but his next actions brought another round of fresh momentary surprise and anticipation for her.

Karna gave her a satisfied look after she had finally complied with him and then walked over to her dressing unit. Draupadi watched him, stunned, as he began quickly removing his light ornaments and then walked over to the nearest couch near her bed.

"Aarya?" Draupadi asked softly as he made himself comfortable on the couch, carelessly throwing his angavastra(upper garment) over himself, "Aaarya...you..?"

"There is no way I am leaving you alone tonight, Panchali, you are stressed" Karna answered before she could articulate her question and then continuing in a teasing manner, "Besides the decor of this chamber is very expensive and many of the artifacts irreplaceable and some heirloom of Anga palace."

"Oh...I see..." Draupadi muttered, relaxing into the pillows at last, lying quietly for a long time when she was again startled.

"Panchali, stop staring at me" Karna mumbled yawning heavily, "I need to wake up early for my prayers and training— Don't be so surprised, Panchali, I am a warrior, my senses are alert even in sleep."

"But I can't sleep so early" Draupadi replied, her mind unable to comprehend any of the happenings of the day.

"I can't sleep when someone stares at me" Karna said, the syllables jumbling under the effect of sleep, "Okay...I will tell you a story...Once there was a sailor, he went on many voyages...Panchali, shut your eyes and try to sleep...so, he went on many voyages on a merchant sleep..I mean ship..."

Draupadi pressed her hands to her mouth, desperately trying not to laugh out loudly, while her husband's voice carried on talking of islands and far away countries. Draupadi smiled to her herself having calmed down considerably, listening to an incoherent account of one of Aadi's adventures in a strange land of spices.

Neither did Karna complete his story, nor did Draupadi stay awake for too long, both cocooned in peaceful slumber, the day's tribulations finally washing themselves away in the blissful quiet of the cloudless half moon night.

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