Chapter 6

I ran as fast as I could fearing what would happen if I could not. No, don't think about it. Don't think just run. I could hear steps behind me, telling me there was no way out. I knew that but this wasn't the time to believe that. If there was even a 0.01% chance I would grab it. Run, run, run... I kept chanting to myself.

And so I ran through the dark alley. I could see the ruins of the buildings in some of the streetlights which still worked. I turned around to see how far they were. The biggest mistake I made in my life. They weren't near but stumbled over a broken bottle of beer and I fell. The glass pierced through my skin. I pressed my hand to my mouth to muffle a scream. Tears were running through my eyes.

Blood was rushing out of the wound, but I couldn't wait I had to run. Their drunken shouts and loud footsteps were getting near. They were having fun chasing their victim. I tried to get up but I couldn't walk it was difficult to even take a step forward. But I somehow limped into a storehouse that had a broken lock. I could see blood dripping from my wound, just hope others won't notice it.

Nearly all the windows were broken which was bringing pale moonlight into the room. There was a thick layer of dust covering the whole room. Blue drums were kept in the room upside down. I hid inside one of them. After that everything was dark.

Water still fell from my eyes from fear or pain I don't know. I silenced myself but it was of no use as in a few minutes someone entered the room. The voice sent chills down my spine.

"Baby, where are you? You know you can't hide from me."

I woke up drenched in sweat, my uneven breaths reminding me of my nightmare. I hoped that they would stop once I left kalyug. But, I was so wrong. They trailed behind me like moths to a flame and they hit harder. I felt like I was reliving the time, I desperately wanted to forget.

One step at a time I reminded myself. I took deep breaths, trying to calm down. When I gained that, I got off my bed and went towards the mirror. 'I look like a wet rat,' I thought.

"Smile Aarohi, nothing has happened. You are safe now." I softly whispered looking at my image and I smiled. I tried different types of smiles like the one showing my white teeth or the one which just upturned the corner of my lips. The one which looked the most real hid my ugly truth.

Did Draupadi do the same? Did she hide under a facade that she was ok? Had she ever felt like it was her fault? That if she had not rejected Karna or if she had just refused to come to Hastinapur she would have avoided that. Did someone hold her when she had complete breakdowns or did she hide her pain and cried herself to sleep?

At that moment, I knew why I was here. I would never let anything like this happen to Draupadi. No woman should go through that pain, that fear that she can do nothing to stop it. I will fight for her and with her, whatever it takes.

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The grandness of the palace wasn't forgotten by me. It would take decades to get used to it. The morning was refreshing, infinite times better than home. I could hear many birds singing melodies and the sounds of Morning Prayer. The fragrance of essence stick was just wow. It was a divine experience. But I still missed home, old songs which my mother played in the morning. I and my father did not like that decade. But for her smile, we used to endure it, and you know what it was worth it.

I asked a few maids about the way they stared at me, maybe my clothes were very weird for them. I was wearing a tracksuit and my hair was in a high ponytail. It was so difficult to walk in lehenga let alone do what I had in my mind. I could feel their stairs but thankfully they did not point it out to me. I looked confident outside but I was very nervous.

I went to the training grounds. It was basically land in a certain place outside the palace with no natural vegetation. The land was divided into different sections, according to ranks and type of weapon used. It looked like the whole army was present there. It did not take long to find the Pandavas. They had ground to themselves.

I took a deep breath and went in the area. Weapons were kept aligned in a corner. I was so engrossed in them that I didn't see an knife coming until the last moment. I closed my eyes closed and stood frozen in the place. It felt like my muscles had given up. I waited for the hit which did not come.  I opened my eyes and they widened as they saw the knife mere centimeters from my face. I was so shocked that I couldn't even speak.

Turning my face a little I saw Arjun holding it. How did he even catch it and where did he come from? Is he a vampire? Then he took the knife away from my face and started inspecting it. I took a deep breath, I was still dumbfounded.

"Other girls would have run away." He muttered to himself. I wanted to shout, give me some time to react you foolish man. But before I could say that I got another question.

"What are you doing here, devi?" he asked me.

"Oh nothing! I am just trying to catch a fish." I replied sarcastically.

"You don't have to do that, if you want fish ask servants they will bring that for you." He answered politely.

"Did you think it was true?" I asked him. I was shocked that the great Arjun couldn't understand sarcasm.

"Why would you lie for such a petty thing as that?"

"I lied." Or did I? Is sarcasm considered a lie.

"Oh"

"Yes Oh. I obviously came here to learn and practice. Isn't that what are you doing?" I said as a matter of fact.

He laughed! He literally laughed at me. "You are so funny, but I would advise you not to lie."

His words made me angry. Can't I learn weapons? Is it so uncommon here? I told him that I wasn't lying. I said it with straight face, but it still took some time for him to come to terms with it and then his face was of shock and worry.

"I still think that you came to the wrong place. Mother teaches sewing and culinary inside the palace." He replied seriously.

"I came here to learn weapons, which your mother can't teach, you can. So will you teach me?" I asked going straight to the point.

"But, you are a girl." He said as if it answered my each question. Maybe for him it actually did.

"Yes I noticed that, and?"

His shocked expression turned into concern and then into anger. His face was like an open book. It was almost fascinating to see the change in the expressions of the great warrior.

He asked being a little frantic now, "Is someone threatening you? Is it Duryodhan? Just tell me that name and I will make sure that he gets punished."

"It's nothing like that. I just came here to learn and what if I am a girl? Mata kali was one too, but she killed a lot of monsters as she knew how to fight."

"But she is a goddess."

"Don't you insist on calling me devi?"

"But you said I shouldn't."

"Do you listen to me?"

"Okay now I won't call you that."

"So you will not teach me."

"No, I won't."

So he won't listen. I had enough of his insults. I turned around and crashed into another human being who was apparently so strong that I tasted the ground, so much for a grand exit.

Yudhishthir held forward a hand to help me, his expressions as nonexistent as that of Mr. Ambrose. I did not take his hand. Got up on myself and left muttering curses under my breath.

"What is she saying?" Yudhishthir asked.

"Jeasth, whatever it is it wasn't ment for kids." That was the last I heard of them before they went out of my hearing range.

I was so enraged. They didn't even give me a chance. Seriously everyone says Pandavas are so great. What is so good about them? Look how they show their male supremacy and he really thinks that Duryodhan is threatening me. Seriously Duryodhan! Oh yes Duryodhan!!!

Hello friends,

I am so sorry for late updates. I am giving college entrance exams right now so I rarely have time to right anything now. But I will try to update as soon as I can.

Word count : 1534