Jyesht's strife for kinship (A Karna-Arjun what-if story)

The Pandavas' disapproval

Arjun's pov

Arjun had just experienced one of the most horrifying moments of his life.

He had been down to one of the training schools of Hastinapur which he often visited. Yudhishthir said the royal family must always take a genuine interest in their subjects' lives. This made visits to the common people part of their lifestyle. Most of them were carried out out of duty, but the training schools was one place Arjun actually liked visiting. 

He had even got to know a few of the students--mostly the ones who had shown a knack at archery--and followed their progress quite eagerly.

That was what he had been doing from morning that day. A few new kids had been enrolled recently. It was amusing to see their first attempts at stringing a bow; it was also nostalgic, though Arjun himself had never not known how to string a bow. Surely he had been born with the knowledge?

The King of Anga must also have been born with the knowledge, for why else would he even feel the urge for archery, having been born into a family where no one had probably ever touched a bow?

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he spotted the King of Anga himself, passing by on horseback. He intruded upon the Hastinapur palace all the time, thought Arjun in resentment; no one else would be allowed in so frequently if not for Duryodhan's way of getting everything he wanted.

They were well suited to each other, if you asked Arjun.

Seeing the kids practising, the King of Anga alighted to watch from a distance. Arjun ground his teeth; he always felt this particular gurukul to be his own, he visited so often.

"Good morning, Arjun," said Karna.

Arjun replied the greeting in the dullest monotone he could come up with.

"How come you are here?"

"There is no discernable reason, and even if there was, I would not have divulged it," said Arjun haughtily.

A small smile played on Karna's lips, which made Arjun feel his words had not quite accomplished the job of insulting him.

"Which one do you think," Karna continued conversationally, "is going to grow up as the best archer?"

"Not everyone is as obsessed with being the best as you, King of Anga," said Arjun. "Normal people are happy by just being good."

"Are you not obsessed with being the best as well?"

"No."

"All right," said Karna in a blatantly skeptical tone.

Arjun indicated at one of the students at the far end. "Him."

Karna nodded. "Exactly, I thought the same."

One of the newer kids had succeeded in shooting his first target. He was so overwhelmed at his own achievement that he missed the next shot by a mile.

 Arjun and Karna laughed and automatically glanced at each other.

The next moment, Arjun was horrified.

I did not just exchange a laugh with the King of Anga. I cannot have stooped that low.

Arjun was so thrown off that he abstained from smiling the whole day. He should probably stop smiling all his life. 

********************

"Okay, what black magic have you worked on Karna, now? Duryodhan is blowing his lid." Aswatthama said jokingly a couple of days later.

"We have not done anything to make him act civilly with us," said Bheem in a dignified voice. "We do not even want him to behave civilly with us." 

"We don't," echoed Arjun and the twins.

"I do not mind a cordial equation," said Yudhishthir. "But I would not say I would ever want to be his friend, either. What has come over him all of a sudden?"

"Duryodhan would kill to know what it is," said Aswatthama. "Honestly, so would I."

"Maybe he is a genuinely nice person," said Yudhishthir, albeit dubiously.

Bheem laughed loudly.

"Please jyesht," scoffed Sahadev. "He is Duryodhan's foot slave."

"He isn't his slave," said Arjun. "He seems a friend. But that is even worse. Anyone who can be friends with Duryodhan is a--" He looked at Aswatthama, who had one of his grins on his face. "--including you, Aswa--a brainless idiot. And anyone who goes along with Duryodhan's plots, excluding you, cannot be a genuinely nice person, jyesht."

"Did you call me a genuinely nice person?" asked Aswatthama.

"No," said Arjun. "I only did not rule that out directly."

Amidst the laughter, Sahadev swiftly became serious.

"Aswatthama, are you sure Brother Duryodhan is actually bothered about the change in the King of Anga's attitude?"

Aswatthama raised his eyebrows.

"He accuses Karna ten times a day for being on your side and a vein pops on his forehead, that's all I know. Why do you ask?"

"Because they might be in this together; the King of Anga could be putting on an act to trap us into--some plot of theirs." Sahadev turned to Yudhishthir. "Do you think that is likely, jyesht?"

"It could be," said Yudhishthir, frowning.

"So stop returning his greetings and smiles, jyesht," said Nakul. "Falling into a known trap is--"

"Stupid." Bheem nodded.

"There is no way we may fall in this trap," Arjun tried to say assuringly, though he still felt ashamed about what had happened in the gurukul. "We all hate him."

"You have made it clear," said Aswatthama.

"Aswa," wheedled Bheem. "Could you do a bit of spying for us?"

"Hey--no," said Aswatthama, standing up. "No. I don't spy for either side. I do not take any side. I only wish to remain friends with you guys and those guys as well without being dragged in the middle. That is the rule of my existence."

****************

They discussed the matter of the King of Anga for hours without coming up with any possible explanation apart from that he was trying to trick them into trusting him, and then betray than trust at Duryodhan's feet.

"You are particularly susceptible to this, jyesht," said Arjun. "No wonder he acts the nicest with you."

"And he never bothers with me," said Bheem, puffing up his chest.

"He does not bother with us, either," said the twins.

"That is because you never look at him," said Bheem. "I, on the other hand, make it clear with my look that I would not be tricked."

"Me too," said Arjun, which even he felt to be a lie.

Sometimes, he had felt that he and the King of Anga could actually be friends if the latter was not Duryodhan's friend.

The brothers told each other to be on their guard. They even asked for their mother's advice, but hers was totally the opposite of what they had resolved upon.

"He is a very good person," said Kunti. "His generosity is well-known in their community, and since he became king, his charity has grown beyond limit. If he is being nice to you, be nice to him in return. Do not assume he and Duryodhan are always plotting something against you."

"Brother Duryodhan is always plotting something against us," said Arjun. "Since Pitamah announced about crowning jyesht next year, do you think he is sitting idle, Maa?"

"But Karna and Duryodhan are not the same person. They hardly share the same ideals. They may be friends," said Kunti, "but they are polar opposites in morals."

Bheem whispered in a dramatic tone after they had returned to their room, "He has already succeeded in tricking Maa. Beware."