Arjun's POV:
The morning light filtered through the curtains of my chamber, gentle and golden. I sat up slowly.
Madhav was gone.
No trace of the playful smile or the warm eyes that always held the answers I sought. And I… I had too many questions.
I couldn't stay still anymore.
"I must go to Dwarka," I whispered to myself.
Not just to see him. But to find clarity.
And… to meet Subhadra.
I didn't know what I would say to her — or if I had the right to say anything at all.
But I needed to go.
---
Scene: Royal Court of Hastinapur
The court was loud. Too loud.
Arguments floated like arrows, sharp and pointed.
"Yudhishthir is dharmaraj!"
"But Duryodhana held the kingdom in their absence!"
"The Pandavas are forest-dwellers turned kings?"
Voices clashed. Eyes shifted. Loyalties were tested.
And yet, the most dangerous weapons were missing from the battlefield —
Arjun. Karna.
Bhishma sat like stone, unmoving but listening. Drona, too, watched. Silent, watchful.
And in the shadows…
Duryodhana whispered to Shakuni.
"Words won't win this, mama. If they want war, let them have it. Karna will fight for me. With him, I don't need their blessings."
Shakuni grinned, his eyes gleaming.
"Then let the dice be cast, dear nephew."
---
Karna's Home,
Karna sat polishing his bow. His hands moved with practiced grace, but his mind was elsewhere.
Vrushali entered, arms crossed.
"So... the most powerful man in Hastinapur hides in his house?"
He didn't look at her.
"I'm not hiding. I'm thinking."
She smirked.
"Is that what you call avoiding the court and sulking alone?"
Karna sighed.
"I'm tired, Vrushali. Tired of being used. Tired of being caught in between."
She stepped closer, her voice softer now.
"Then stop standing in between. Pick a side — your heart's, not your pride's."
He looked at her, finally — really looked.
And for a moment, the warrior disappeared.
He was just Karna.
Her Karna.
He reached for her hand, calloused fingers trembling just slightly.
"You're the only place that ever felt like home."
She smiled — that gentle smile that only he knew.
"Then stay home, even when the world pulls you away."
They stood together in silence, as the storm outside the palace began to build again.
---
Hastinapur – That Evening
The skies over Hastinapur had darkened. Storm clouds gathered in silence, as if the heavens too were listening to the unrest brewing within the palace walls.
Draupadi stood by the window of her chamber. She had heard the whispers from the court.
The questioning of her character… the murmurs about the marriage… the silence of Karna.
She closed her eyes, remembering the Ganga's breeze that had carried Bhishma's blessings back to her. His words still echoed — "Wisdom shines brighter than tradition. You are worthy."
Behind her, the door opened quietly. Kunti entered.
The two women stood in silence for a while.
Finally, Kunti spoke.
"I'm sorry you had to bear the weight of my choice."
Draupadi didn't turn.
"It's not your choice that burdens me, Mata. It's the world's eyes."
Kunti stepped forward, her voice gentle.
"Let them see. Let them speak. You are the flame that no wind can dim."
Draupadi turned, eyes brimming but fierce.
"I did not choose this fate, but I will not run from it."
Kunti smiled.
"That is why you are a queen."