Kairavi

Chapter 45

“She is pregnant.” Kairavi wailed with joy.
Walking out of Yadhavi's room, she wiped her tears and sniffed to pacify her running nose. “Abhinandan bhrata Arjun, Jiji is expecting.”

However, her timbre didn't match her appearance.
Her kajal was smeared on the eyelids and hair looked like it had hosted a nuclear attack.

Arjun heaved a sigh of relief on hearing that Subhadra was okay. Draupadi walked towards her and embraced Kairavi for breaking such pleasant news to them. "Come on, let's get you freshened up now."

Chandraja followed her sister-in-law mindlessly to the bathing area. "It's Varchas, jiji. My brother is growing in Subhadra jiji's womb." 

Panchali gasped in excitement, "After all, he is the only one in the entire universe, who can match Aryaputra Arjun in gallantry." 

The son of Chandradev and his consort Rohini, Varchas was the deity of light. 
As per the condition put forth by Narayan right before Kairavi's birth; the most eminent and valiant warrior of the three realms was supposed to take birth as Gandivdhari's son.

"His martyrdom would be admired till the end of eternity. Sada vijayi bhavah, Abhimanyu." Aadidev proclaimed from Vaikunth.

Meanwhile, the twins were high and dry about Kairavi's breakdown.
"She tried to kill herself. We can't pretend that it didn't happen just because the news of bhabhishree's pregnancy is huge, right?" Sahadev prompted Nakul, who nodded in acknowledgement. 
What the youngest pandav couldn't see, was his brother's rising temper. 

"That's not how you deal with such things, Kairavi!" He backed her up to a wall. "Nakul! Calm down!" Sahadev tried to pry him off of her, but his determination was stronger than his arms.
"What do you think!? Dying is the only way out? YOU'LL FIX EVERYTHING BY DYING?" His voice broke at the last part.

"She's not in the state to hear that right now!" His brother was trying his best to calm Nakul down. 

"What else should I do, Arya?! You two left me with no choice. I prayed to Mahadev for your well-being in the battlefield for 2 years; and what did you do? 
Married other women and started families with them?" She ranted.

"You would've understood what I'm going through if y'all were impotent. What is my significance as a queen now? 
What is my significance as your wife!!" Her hands landed on his bare chest with a smack and he stumbled back.

"We didn't have a choice, Kairavi." Sahadev put a hand on her arm, but she shoved it away. "I have nothing against your wives or children. But you both married secretly! 
You think I'm insufficient as a woman.

Just when my wounds had scabbed, my husbands ripped it open again."

She continued to yell. "I know what this is about. You thought I wouldn't have let you marry Karenumati and Vijaya if I got to know about it." "That's not true! Stop assuming things!" Nakul shouted.

"Nakul, do you seriously think she will understand?" Vijaya spoke, with Karenumati on her side. They were standing at the door of Kairavi's room. "She's batshit crazy!" 

"Vijaya! Don't make me say something I'll regret later." Sahadev raged with wide eyes.
"She can't hide behind sympathy for long, Arya. You have to admit that she isn't mentally stable. It might sound hurtful to her but it is the truth, she can harm our children." 

"Vijaya.." Kairavi was shocked. "I don't think this place is safe for the six of us. If she can hurt herself in resentment, then she can certainly attack anyone else. She makes me worried about Shatanika and Shrutasen, they're very young."

Nakul was about to grab her hand and give a heroic speech, but Arni scooted back and contracted her arm away before he could get a hold of it.

"LEAVE!" Angry tears flooded her eyes. Sahadev and Nakul glared at the princesses of Madra and Chedi while walking out of the room.

"Why did you save me yesterday, Aryaputra Nakul?" 

"Because you can't leave me so soon, sakhi." She put a hand on her chest, gasping in surprise. "Where did you come from?"
"I'd rather keep that to myself." Krishna smirked, making her choke out a defeated laugh. 

Her face fell again, "Do you think I'm nuts?" 
"Sanity is a tricky term, Chitrakshi. What seems illogical to you, might be reasonable to me. One person can't define "sanity" for everyone. "

"I can't see the other end to my situation, Govind."

"See for yourself, Arya." Karenumati pointed at the window outside Kairavi's room. Nakul found her talking to the space beside her.
"What more do you want? She's talking to herself. Only crazy people do that." Sahadev rubbed his forehead. "I refuse to believe this."

"Nakul!" He spoke up brusquely. "She can hear people in her mind."
"Yes, yes-."
"Great, another attribute of the insane." Vijaya remarked sarcastically. 

"The bottom line is that, nobody among us is going to lurk anywhere near that Kairavi." 

"Jiji." Sahadev's tone was stern towards his second wife, who rolled her eyes.
"Console yourselves all you want, rajkumar. But that, over there is a gone case." Karenumati spat bitterly to defend Madrakumari's claims. 
Glaring back, they both left the scene, muttering something under their breath.

They were right on their part. Chandraja freaked out just after their arrival. Any ordinary person would assume she was unstable by what she did.
And as new mothers, they had every right to protect their children as well.

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"Kabhi kabhi maarg apne nikat hote hue bhi manushya ko nahi dikhta.

Jaanti ho kyu, sakhi?

Kyuki wo usse apne netro ke samaksh dhundne ka prayas karta hai. 

Ye aniwarya nahi, ki tumhari har samasya ka samadhaan spasht ho. 

Jab jyotiringah apne path se bhatak jaata hai; tab wo apne aantrik prakash ki sahayta leta hai.
Kadachit, is samay upaay tumhare andar chhipa ho? Bas usse dhudne ki aawashyakta h.

Aur wo yadi nahi mila, toh smaran rahe, ki mai tumhare andar hi vaas karta hu."

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"But, what if I can't find the solution inside myself, or in front of me?" Krishna confused her even more by bursting out laughing.
He rested both hands on her shoulder and said,

"Tab toh apne piche dekhna hoga, sakhi."
The last thing Kairavi saw was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, before he spun her around.

She found her husbands staring at her, looking like they were struggling to find words.
"Are you okay?" Sahadev asked. She nodded, "Better." "Who were you talking to?" She scrunched her brows, wondering why they hadn't greeted Govind yet.

"Gov-" she tried to touch his arm, but caught emptiness instead. Her head shot towards the right, and saw Krishna missing from the spot he had been in, literally thirty seconds ago.

"Are you sure you're okay, love?" Nakul asked.
Kairavi buried her face in her palms in exasperation. 

"Uff, Kanha."