A Journey To Mahabharata

Chapter 11

I went towards him with all my strength to land a blow straight at him.

He just stood there and when I attacked him, he just hit my wooden sword hard with his sword and it fell down. "Pick up the sword and start again." Was all that he said.

I again attacked him, this time trying harder than before. He hit my sword again and this time I tried with my whole strength to push back his sword, but he did not even move from his place. A little bit of pressure on his side had me falling back on my butt.

"Again," was the only thing he said.

By the fifth time my hand started paining by the weight of the sword. I told him, "I need a break."

He said, "No break until your attack is at least acceptable."

I was frustrated. "At least teach me what to do first."

"Think about yourattacks. What do you think is the problem in them?" he asked seriously.

"I don't know what I am doing half of the time and you are asking me what is the problem?"

"That's exactly the problem. You don't know what you are doing and I can predict each and every one of your moves. If you even call that a move. You have to be a lot unpredictable. Play with the person's mind."

"Isn't that wrong, to show something different and be something different." I asked.

He came near me looked down in my eyes and said, "Darling, if you think that you should go back."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I will not go back. So, quit wasting your time and mine." I said looking back with the same intensity.

"As you wish, princess." He said going back. Why does he have to call me princess? Uggh.

'Calm down, concentrate.' I muttered to myself. I started to think of a way to trick him. Without giving him a warning, I went towards him. But my steps were loud so he noticed me before my sword went towards his neck and he deflected it which I had expected so I turned my wrist and sword went towards his abdomen, which he deflected as well much to my dismay and the sword fell from my hand again.

I expected him to shout at me again, but he said with a raised eyebrow, "Much better."

I smiled like a Cheshire cat. I was happy. I learned something. When I looked up at him, he was smiling too, but it vanished in a second. Probably I was hallucinating it because the next thing he told me was, "Not that good either."

That dropped my smile.

"So, what are you waiting for? Try again."

So, after that he I attacked him 10 more times, none of which touched him of course, but I could feel myself getting better. When I told him that he called my bluff saying that my sword did not even touch him, which was rude.

Then he told me to do various exercises while he did his own training. I wouldn't say it was a bad day. I had fun, the only disadvantage was that I had to miss dinner.

So now I was walking through the corridors looking for kitchen, blasting music through my ear pods. Surprisingly, there were very few guards inside the palace, at least near my wing or maybe it was because of the time. It was nearly midnight.

On the end of the corridor there was the kitchen. I kept the Maggie packets on the counter and searched for the burner and then realized that I would have to make it. At least everything was present there.

I took a stick of wood, at that same time 'Blank Space' started. As it was one of my favorite songs. I started humming it.

"Nice to meet you, where you been?

I could show you incredible things"

I took the wood and burnt it near the nearest torch.

"Magic, madness, heaven, sin

Saw you there and I thought"

I was imagining Duryodhan standing near the entrance of kitchen. Did I have a crush on him? Why was I seeing him everywhere?

"Oh, my God look at that face

You look like my next mistake

Love's a game, wanna play? ay" 

Why did these lyrics felt so relatable and now he started shouting on me, why does Duryodhan made by my imagination also has to shout on me?

Something burned in my hand. "Ahh" I shouted and dropped the piece of wood. Duryodhan took my hand in his and took me near a container of water. One hand holding my burnt hand he started pouring cold water on my hand.

I broke out of my trance as the cold water hit my hand. It hurt like hell. I tried to get my hand out of his grip. But it was impossible he held my hand firmly. After some time, the cold water felt soothing.

I removed ear phones from my ears and let them slide near my neck and looked at him.

He was still pouring cold water on my hand and looking at it with concern. I smiled at him and said, "Its fine, doesn't even hurt now."

At that moment he looked up and I saw concern in his eyes. It felt good to see that someone cared about me here.

But then his expression turned angry and his said, "Don't you have any common sense? Who stands and stairs as their hand burns?"

Trying to defend myself I said, "I wasn't staring."

"Don't lie. You were totally doing that and why are you here? Do you even know how to cook?"

"Yes, I do know that." I told him. Even though I knew how to make Maggie only.

The expression he gave me told me that he did not believe one word I said either.

I was hungry so I took another piece of wood and took it near the torch. I picked it up with the hand which was not burnt, I think burnt is too heavy word for that. It just got red. When I was going near the torch, Duryodhan came and snatched that wood from my hand.

"Hey, what are youdoing?" I asked him and went near him to take the wood back. But he held it upand even though I don't consider myself small he was a lot taller than me, so evenwhen I was jumping, I couldn't reach him.

He lit it up and went near the chulha and started making the fire. (a place where fire is made to cook food, bricks support 3 sides and wood can be thrown in from one side, the vessel is usually kept on the bricks.)

"How do you know how to make the fire? And why are you not calling the servants to make it? Why are you not letting me do it?"

"Can you just shut up? Can't you see I am trying to do something? If I let you make the fire you will burn yourself and then Dwarka will come here fighting for their foolish princess."

"I am not that clumsy."

"Yeah, I know." He replied sarcastically.

"Wait I will call someone to help." Saying that I started going towards the entrance when he pulled my hand. When did he get up was the question which never came to my mind, because as soon as he pulled my hand I turned and he was so near me that I couldn't breathe. I looked in his eyes and their darkness swallowed me.  

"Why are you calling someone? Are you scared to be alone with me?" he asked as he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

Breathe. I had to remind myself, "No, why would I be scared of you?"

"You should be. Think of how scandalous it would be if someone caught us right now. What is the prince of Hastinapur doing with princess of Dwarka in the middle of the night?" he said putting his hand on my waist. 

I placed my hand near his shoulders for pushing him away or pulling him in, even I was not sure of that. "He is doing nothing." I whispered.

Pulling me closer to him, he asked, "Are you sure?" We were so close to each other right now that I wasn't sure what was happening. 

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Word count: 1472