42 The Return...
Prakriti's P.O.V,
"Hey, do you know about it?"
"About what?"
"The widow of late King Pandu was returning with her sons."
"Yeah, let's welcome them at the Nagar Dwar (City Gate)!"
"Right! Let's go and see Yuvraj Yudhishthira!"
"PitaShri! Me too!"
...
In one fine morning of the Hastinapur, almost half of the Hastinapur was gathered around the roadside of the path leading to the Royal palace, waiting for the arrival of the Pandavas.
After all, Most of them were curious to know about the rumoured of divine Children of esteemed deities!
The City gate of the Hastinapur was tightly packed with the melon eating crowd, wanting to celebrate the return of Devi Kunti..
As for why such eagerness?
This is the deep respect earned by the short lived reign of late King Pandu who completed the Ashvamedha Yagya without the help of the might of Bhishma!
He was a Maharathi, an impartial ruler, a beneficiary of the netizens of Hastinapur. His righteous character and the decisive action of abdication of the throne due to his inability to provide a heir to the kingdom, stemming from the curse of Sage Kindama, won the hearts of the commoners and Kshatriyas.
[Note: His rule was really short. Therefore, I was unable to find anything he did for his Praja. However, considering his character, he must have been a good ruler. So yeah, I decide to describe him as it is. After all, there's nothing to gain from defaming King Pandu, aside from the harsh insults of his fans.
If there are any?]
...
"I wonder, how would our Yuvraj look?"
"Me too! I heard he turned eight this year!"
"No, I heard he was only five last year?"
...
Having nothing else to do, the crowd began their chit-chat before the royal soldier arrived and shouted out loud, "Attention everyone!!! The royal caravan of Maharathi Bhishma and Royal Mentor (Raj-guru) Kripacharya along with Maharani (Great queen) Kunti is on her way!"
"Everyone! Move away from the path leading to the royal palace!"
"Any kind of offence against the respect of Royal Caravan will not be tolerated!"
Neigh!
Neigh!
Tuk!
Tak!
Heeding the severe warnings given by the royal soldier of Hastinapur in a neutral tone, the chattering crowd stopped bickering and knelt with their head touching the ground, to show the appropriate respect for the royals.
Though they wanted to glance at their princes, they didn't dare to break the protocol. To hold their head high before a royal is nothing more than a death wish in this period and more to come.
More so, when locking gazes with a Kshatriya is welcomed as a constant of strength if done by another warrior and an offence if committed by a commoner.
Sigh... These humans and their stupid rules...
Thankfully, the court of Hastinapur isn't that bad. Though, the offenders will be punished if they ever insulted the royals, death isn't a punishment for this crime.
Or, if it is done against King Dhritarashtra, Bhishma, Maharishi Kripacharya, and Devi Gandhari, they will be forgiven.
[Note: It doesn't mean commoners don't have any right against royals. When standing in the royal court, they can speak their minds without the fear of status. Also, if a royal gave their permission, they can continue their own works. Its just, Commoners have to show the due respect to the royalty to prove their loyalty.]
...
When the royal caravan went afar, the crowd stood on their feet and tried to glance at the thin silhouettes of the princes and others through the transparent curtain of royal coach...
Even this was enough to satisfy the subjects of Hastinapur as they swiftly returned and resumed their works...
...
Inside the Royal Coach,
Devi Kunti is seated with little Nakul and Yudhishthira who was carrying Sahadeva on his lap. Before them were the curious Arjuna and Bhima eagerly observing the Hastinapur with their big round eyes.
But, for different reason.
(Bhima) (Wow! There's a lot of delicious food! Ahh! I can't wait to taste them!)
(Arjun) (?????) [How would I know? He's still a child!]
Meanwhile, Yudhishthira remained seated in his place without showing any desire to look outside. His calm and collected demeanor was totally different from the display of naivety of his brothers.
Observing the antics of her children born from the mighty deities, A smile finally bloomed on her pale face after half a month from her husband and sister's unfortunate incident.
In spite of the plain white Saree worn by her, her natural beauty blossomed the inside of the royal coach with her allure. Still, it lost to the motherly aura of purity and maturity surrounding her very being.
After the untimely event, She has placed her focus solely on worshiping the lord and raising her children with utmost love and care!
She wanted nothing more than to fulfill the wishes of her kin and watch them grow to be fine individuals and avid followers of Dharma and manners.
Therefore, to start anew from the place her life as a woman started, She prayed for her late sister and husband, giving them her farewell...
'Oh Arya... Sister Madri... May you find peace in Heaven...'
With these thoughts, the most important characters, the true initiator of the greatest war in Sanātana are finally gathering at the palace of Hastinapur!
...
...
