I truly respect all characters of this epic and have no intention to hurt anyone's feelings. This is a pure work of fiction. Please forgive any mistakes since it is my first piece of writing on IF. All reviews, negative or positive, are welcome as I'm in great need of your critique.
Banner credits: Angela_Grokes. (Thank you for making such a wonderful banner Angiee❤️)
This SS was my first writing on IF and I am thankful to everyone who has encouraged me to write, it is because of all of you lovely people that I am still writing. Hence, I have decided to edit my SS, and re-post the parts for. I hope you like what you read😊
Chapter 1 - The United Souls
The Samragyi of Indraprastha was seated in her chambers, trying to comprehend everything that had taken place a few hours ago.
Draupadi had been waiting for that news to arrive for twelve years, and when finally it had; her joy had known no bounds. The valiant warrior Sabyasachi, her aryaputra Arjuna, was returning to the palace after a long, heart-wrenching separation. But what she did not realise was that her glee was short-lived.
The daasis lined her eye-lids with kohl, coloured her lips with the extract from beetle leaves, and while she was getting her shringaar done, another daasi entered and announced breathlessly, a little reluctantly, looking at Draupadi almost...pityingly, "Samragyi, Rajkumar Arjun has arrived with his new bride. Everyone is awaiting your presence at the Nagar Dwaar."
Drupad was a valiant king; his daughter was a strong woman, but that moment saw his daughter's heart shatter, break into a million pieces. It felt like a shard of glass had been driven through her heat, ripping it apart, and a lone tear rolled down her cheeks. Her heart pained -- pained like it had when she had received the news of her third husband marrying Ulupi, the Naga princess and then Chitrangada, the princess of Manipur but she had consoled her lamenting heart, finding solace in the realisation that they wouldn't live with her, torment her with their presence itself. And now, after everything she had endured, she was being made to face this? Had Arjun forgotten his vow, or were vows only meant to chain her, bound her?
But eventually, Draupadi composed herself with immense self-control, and like an unaffected queen, masking the maelstrom of emotions that was rippling through her, she moved swiftly towards the main gate of the palace. As she reached the Nagar Dwaar, taking brisk steps, her head held high, all eyes turned to her.
The unrest in her mind was witnessed by all but acknowledged by none. Her aryaputra Arjuna was the first to notice the turmoil in her mind, showing on her face and as their eyes locked, something deep passed between the two, and she noticed his beseeching, almost pleading gaze. But Yajnaseni stood with the expression similar to the calm before an arriving storm and carried on circling the thaal of aarti around the newly married couple, still holding Arjun's stare. Her eyes reflected her agony, proving that eyes are the windows to one's soul, as she performed her queenly duty of welcoming the new bride, her husband's new bride.
As soon as the welcome was over, Draupadi shifted her gaze away abruptly, slashing her hair and turned around sharply to leave the scene. Immediately, Subhadra's excitement left her face and the colour drained from it. The air tensed, and the other four Pandavas tried to lighten the atmosphere, but on realising their failure in doing so, Yudhishtir kept his hand on Arjun's shoulder and passed a short, serious smile to Subhadra before he led the others into the palace.
After a long pause, Subhadra composed herself, and gathered the strength to speak, "Don't worry arya, bhratashree did warn me that something like this would happen, but he also told me how to make my way into jiji's heart her hridaya." Arjun only nodded in response, and she made her way past the lush green gardens of the palace towards the samragyi's small hut which had housed her for a few months now.
...
When Subhadra reached Draupadi's hut, she was pleasantly surprised to see the simplicity of it. She had heard numerous tales about the grandeur of the palace of Indraprastha and now this sister of Krishna was witnessing for herself, the love and the sense of duty with which the mistress of this palace was living.
She took a hesitant step into the hut and scanned her surroundings. Finally, her eyes fell on Draupadi, who was seated in a corner, facing the window, witnessing the sun retreat towards its cradle, the sea for rest, where the blue lord himself rested on his Singhasan, his throne, made by the SheshNag. Subhadra noticed her shoulders shaking, as the queen shed tears silently, unknowingly.
Draupadi saw Subhadra enter from the corner of her right eye, and wiped the moistness off her cheeks as she turned to face the meek looking woman, her face flushed with youth, her eyes shining, a soft smile playing on her lips. Why did she have to remind her so much of Govind?
"Jiji..."
...
A few moments later, Subhadra had managed to win the title of being Draupadi's younger sister. Draupadi knew she was the queen, and she couldn't act irrationally, it would be unfair to Subhadra. After all, she wasn't to be blamed. She had only made the mistake of falling in love, like she had once. Only, Subhadra had gotten what she wanted, while she had been deprived of the love she had desired. With great effort, Draupadi tried to smile at her. She wasn't angry with Subhadra, she told herself. She was angry with her husband, their husband.
Subhadra led her jiji into her chambers, the chambers that felt the presence of their queen after a long, long time. Draupadi was in her chambers after a long-long time. She took it all in, the intricate, elaborate carvings of the window frame, her huge bedstead with the net canopy draped over it, the rich, blended colours of the entire room and the antique designs. A gust of cool wind blew just then, and Draupadi walked towards the huge, spacious balcony, noticing the last rays of sun that were making the marble shine. Her eyes fell on the practise ground, where during her first days of marriage she had chanced upon Arjun practising his archery, and had quickly diverted her gaze, admonishing her treacherous heart. It was her year with him now, and yet-yet they were distant, she realised, sadness filling her eyes.
Subhadra tenderly noticed her every move, and then understanding that the daughter of the Yajna desired to be left by herself, she silently left the grand chambers of the queen.
...
After coming from Draupadi's chambers, Subhadra had told an anxious Arjun about the events that had transpired in the hut and had then retreated to her own chambers, while Arjun had smiled, acknowledging her efforts and the space she was ready to give them both.
Arjun was now ready to face his beloved wife, whose soul had always been with him in the past years.
He then strode towards Draupadi's chambers, his mind actively thinking what he would say to her, when he spoke to her firsthand, as his wife, only his.
As he entered, Arjun looked around urgently, for any sign of his beloved but when he saw that no one was inside, not even the daasis, he dubiously replayed the conversation he had had with Subhadra. Just then, he heard the tinkling of anklets and turned around to find a maidservant hurriedly rushing towards the servant quarters. Stopping her, he questioned her about the whereabouts of the queen, and as he did so, the daasi immediately looked down, blushed profusely, blinked nervously and hesitantly pointed towards the door down the hall, with several steps in succession and an engraved door, the Snaan grah.
The maidservant rushed away shortly after, while the master of the Gandeev stood there, his lips lifted up in his signature lopsided grin before he proceeded towards his decided destination.
...
Draupadi had decided to go for her Sandhya Snaan in order to relieve herself off the stress. She had ordered a daasi to get the Snaan grah ready and had herself proceeded towards it, a while later.
She was now wearing a light shining orange to golden coloured silk sari which had a thin border on it made of gleaming gold threads. Her beautiful, curly luscious locks were descending down her back, all the way to her waist and then just slightly above her knees while her hair from the front was held back, leaving only two thick strands that framed her face. She seemed beautiful, almost surreal as she entered the pool of water filled with petals of the blooming, fragrant roses from the gardens of the palace of Indraprastha.
...
As Arjun entered the Snaan grah, he was a bundle of nerves, a whirlpool of mixed emotions was brewing somewhere in a part of his mind, a mix of anticipation, anxiety, fluttering, desire, happiness and...love. An emotion that he could express and feel -- without any bounds -- when it was only them, in the forest, when it was only the couple who had fallen in love at the first sight of each other, the two lovers who wanted to experience a lifetime together, a lifetime of each other, of Arjun and Draupadi.
On entering, Arjun found the area empty, and he assumed that Draupadi had already left, but how could she? He had come from the passage through her room and he was certain that she wouldn't come out through the open passage of the women's quarters. His gaze fell on the adjoining room, and he figured she would be there. Being new to this particular part of the palace, he had no idea which passage led to what, and just as he was about move towards the room, he heard the sound of splashing water from the pool.
Arjun turned around immediately, and when he did, he was awestruck to see the site in front of him. His wife was in the pool of water, her long hair damp, and the ends dipping into the water surrounding her. From where he was standing, he could see her side profile clearly. Draupadi's eyes were closed, while her lips were joined in a slight smile, water droplets clung to her face and his searing gaze fixed on one such droplet that slipped down her cheeks, all the way to her neck, tantalizingly slow. His eyes followed the droplet that had now merged into her skin and made their way to the wet blouse which clung to her bosoms like second skin, further accentuating her curves.
Arjun was lost then, admiring her gorgeous frame, her perfectly symmetrical face as she tried to blink away the water droplets from her eyelashes. He was a dead man, in awe of his wife, the wife he wanted in his arms, the wife who he had missed so thoroughly in the past years, and the wife he had yearned for.
He was shaken out of his reverie when Draupadi suddenly made a delicate movement, taking a slight step forward, indicating that she was about to come out of the water. Instantly, Arjun removed his turquoise uttariya with fine golden embroidery from his shoulder. The ornate piece of clothing slipped down and fell in a heap on the floor, as he took quick but hushed steps towards the edge of the pool. Without making the slightest noise, he strode down the stone steps and stepped into the water.
As Draupadi took another step towards the further edge, her back to Arjun, intending to step out of the pool, her waist was enclosed in a tight grip, and she was turned around, as a consequence of which she landed onto someone's well-toned chest. Without looking up, she wriggled against the person's tight grip on her, struggling to get free. Her eyes flashed with anger and as she looked up to face the man, her eyes locked with the hazel ones that had turned several shades darker. Arjun was looking down at her with an unrecognisable glint in his eye, while her erratic breathing gave away her shock, as she stilled.
The moment seemed to last till eternity, as they stood in the water, Draupadi's lithe frame fit perfectly against Arjun's well sculpted body, her waist encaged in his arms. Arjun suddenly frowned as strands of Draupadi's hair blew onto her face, blocking his vision of it. He brought his hands close to her cheek, lightly touching it and slowly removed them, admiring her perfect face.
Draupadi was distracted by his touch on her skin, and as her expression changed from that of surprise to that of anger, she pushed his hand off, making the water splash vigorously and maintaining her stance of a fiery queen, looked straight into his eyes, "What are you doing here aryaputra Arjun? You should have been off romancing your new wife in her chambers, after all this is your first night with her in Indraprastha", she emphasised Indraprastha, indirectly referring to the time he had spent with Subhadra in Dwarka, and while she said this, her deep anguish was clearly visible in her inky depths.
It hurt. It hurt Arjun when he realised the amount of agony he had caused to the person he loved so much. His heart constricted as that time flashed before his eyes when he had won her in the swayamvar and when they had been walking towards the potter's hut. How happy and content she had seemed. Her bright smile, that had made him fall for the strong woman that now stood in front of him, flashed before his eyes. And that gave his poor soul hope, hope that she would express her love and accept him again, with all her heart. With this thought, a distinct confidence made his heart swell, and he lifted up his wife in his arms, walking out of the water, and towards the private passage that led to their chamber. A surprised Draupadi protested with all her might, hitting his chest with her fist, but the well-trained archer did not budge.
...
Arjun strode confidently towards their chamber, already aware that Draupadi had ordered solitude and hence no maidservant was expected to be there. When they finally entered the chamber, Draupadi's protests had faded and he moved directly towards the huge mahogany bedstead gently placing her on it as he positioned himself on top of her. Running his hand through her luscious hair, he cupped her cheeks and placed a light kiss on her right cheek. Draupadi's hands involuntary fisted the sheets, and her eyes fluttered shut as a lone drop of tear escaped from the corner of her shut eye. Noticing this, Arjun pulled her chin up, urging her to open her eyes as their gazes locked.
"I am sorry, so sorry Panchali.
"I know what I did was wrong, I broke the vow I made to you, but it wasn't in my hands. Madhav wanted me to do this, to marry Subhadra. He is the person who has forever guided me, showed me the right path. Tell me, how could I refuse him when his eyes screamed I marry his sister, save her from the torment of marrying that vicious Duryodhan? You know, that don't you? You know how much he means to me, to the both of us. But Panchali, believe me when I say this, all through my exile, I broke one vow every day, except for that year when you were rightfully mine. You were in my thoughts, every single day. Even when I married Ulupi or Chitrangada, I was thinking about you. I married them only for the power they brought that would work to Indraprastha's advantage, the kingdom that is yours. And I know I was selfish but..."
"Why?"
"Because I love you Panchali, I love you more than anyone, anything in the world and I know that you will understand me, the situation that led me into doing this."
As he finished, both their eyes were misted with tears, but nonetheless, they smiled. They were reunited.
Arjun reached over, and pulled Draupadi into a passionate hug, as they wept in each other's embrace, Draupadi's palm placed on his toned chest, while he had his arms snaked around her waist. In the next few moments, they were swept in a wave of passion as Arjun nuzzled her neck softly, his hold tightening on her waist. Draupadi moaned in pleasure, and her hands shot up, fisting his hair. Lost in ecstasy, Arjun peppered kisses along her jaw line while his hands rose up to the dori of her blouse, snapping it in a jiffy and then slowly, he pulled the straps down her shoulders.
Draupadi moved her hand up and down his toned torso, gripping his shoulder blades for support and placed open mouthed kisses along her shoulders, kissing his cheeks, as her hot breath fell on the side of his neck. Their breathing turned erratic as he slowly unravelled her sari and his eyes turned midnight black at the sight of his bare wife as the sari was carelessly thrown in a corner. A guttural groan escaped Arjun's mouth as he placed hot kisses over her swollen peaks, heading towards her waist, while Draupadi's nails dug into his back, marking it.
Finally, as Arjun continued marking her, his impatient wife pulled him towards her, surprising him and crashed her lips onto those of her unsuspecting husband. The kiss was hot, scorching as intense passion plunged in waves along the couple. Arjun bit into her bottom lip, as she swept her tongue across his full lips, while their hands were everywhere, and her soft skin clung to his chest. Draupadi rested her forehead against his, just as the kiss broke, both of them breathing heavily while Arjun swept his hands through her curly, luscious locks that now fell over his shoulder.
"I love you, arya."
Draupadi's chest heaved, anticipating a response after the long pause that followed the confession. As she looked up into the eyes of her husband, she saw his looking intently at her, his gaze burning into her. The next moment, their kissing has revived, becoming more demanding as Arjun flattened her on the bedstead.
Arjun smiled at the love that shone in his wife's eyes and in the blink of an eyes, he had her completely bare, while he himself got up to get rid of his vastra. Having done so, he dove straight into the waiting, outstretched arms of his wife, as she marked him with her lips and teeth, licking a path down his chest, teasing him, discovering him.
He growled loudly, as his patience wore thin, and he switched positions, going on top of her. Angling himself against her spread legs, he finally thrust into her, making her shout as they finally became one. Her hands clutched his shoulders tightly as her core tightened around him and gradually, as the pace became rapid she lost herself into the ocean of love her husband had created for her.
Eventually, after loving each other through the night they lay in each other's arms, utterly spent, under the sheets, as peaceful sleep overtook. They slept with satisfaction and love on their faces, as husband and wife.
(Guys please buddy me if you want a pm regarding the updates)
Chapter 2 - A Cryptic Declaration
Chapter 3 - The Glint of Challenge
Chapter 4 - Victory of the Night Warrior
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