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

The mothers

Karna's pov 

The first phase of their plan--trying to convince their respective 'sides' into tolerating their cousins--failed spectacularly.

"Do you not feel ashamed, proposing me to make peace with the Pandavas, my friend?" Duryodhan asked Karna in disbelief.

"But Duryodhan, they are not as bad as you think. And if you keep up the rift, they might strike out someday and we have no idea how that might end," said Karna. "What if Pitamah and Gurudev side with them?"

"That is exactly why we are going to send them off to Varanavat, is it not?"

"You are still set on that?" asked Karna.

"You--you--" stuttered Duryodhan. "When did I ever back out on--?"

"My children, my children," Shakuni intervened. "Calm down. The King of Anga has been hoodwinked by Kunti's sons. They are good at that; after all, the entire legion of elders are on their side. But my nephew--" He placed a hand on Duryodhan's shoulder. "--should not be deprived because he is not as persuasive or charming. There are more important things than sucking up to elders."

"They don't suck up--"

"You have been hoodwinked," said Duryodhan with conviction. "You need to stop spending time with them now. I am serious."

Karna was forced to back off. When he sought out Draupadi to inform her of his failure, she launched into her own account before he could.

"Jyesht Yudhishthir was the only one who supported me. I didn't expect much from Bhrata Bheem, since he has got his knife into Duryodhan, and the twins mostly go along with him, but I expected Arjun to understand," she said in disgust. "Do you know what he said?"

"Er, what?"

"You are new to the palace, Panchali," imitated Draupadi, "is what he said."

"Well, technically speaking, he was not wrong," ventured Karna.

"Do not support him. I thought you wanted to drill sense into their heads? Why don't you try with Arjun once? He adores you..."

"He does not adore me," said Karna wryly.

"That's all you know, jyesht," said Draupadi darkly. "They all absolutely adore you. They think the world of you. They seethe when they see you with Duryodhan and Dussashan."

"And hence, me trying to reason with any of the brothers is out of the question. They will think it is some elaborate ploy Duryodhan set me up to."

"Would they?" Panchali lapsed into thoughtful silence. "Yes, they would. And I cannot try with Yuvraj Duryodhan. He looks at me with such contempt I might beat the mace out of his hands one day."

"Please do refrain from actions like those."

Panchali laughed.

Arjun was right when he had pointed out she was new to the palace, thought Karna, and hence did not know all about it. All that stuff about his younger brothers adoring him. All right, they might be on fairly good terms, and he certainly did love them to bits by now, but adoration from their side had a long, long way to come.

But he hoped with all his heart that someday, it came.

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

"I think we should bring in the mothers, jyesht," said Draupadi when they had gone berry-hunting one afternoon. "This is out of our capability."

"Queen Gandhari and Queen Kunti, you mean?" asked Karna.

"Yes. There is no hostility on their sides; I have seen the way Queen Gandhari treats the Pandavas, and Queen Kunti is, of course, kind to everyone. You would know," she added significantly. 

Karna refrained from commenting on that. He had no idea how his sister-in-law was so sharp; no one could have possibly guessed such a well-kept and extraordinary and huge secret. Like Adhirath had said when he first found out, if Karna's birth was known, the entire dynamics of the Kuru dynasty would be thrown into turmoil, if the eldest was supposed to be heir to the throne.

Which he was not, Karna remembered, because he supported Duryodhan for the throne, not Yudhishthir, the eldest.

Or at least, he used to.

Now he was not sure.

"--are you listening, jyesht?" complained Draupadi.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" said Karna sheepishly.

"We go to the mothers and tell them to talk sense into their sons," said Draupadi, nose in the air in a gesture reminiscent of Arjun which made Karna smile. "And you will go to Queen Mother Kunti."

"Oh--no--" said Karna, getting alarmed. "Why--why can't you go to her, you're her daughter-in-law..."

"You are her son."

Karna heaved a deep sigh.

"You claim you are not her son?" asked Draupadi. "Then you should have no problem approaching her." She smirked.

Karna wondered where the idea of polite, submissive women came from.

Drishtadyumna's sister appeared even more of a handful than him.

He wished for a magical solution to deal with this; to tell Arjun's wife of his birth would be nothing short of playing with fire. He could not have his brothers know.

His distress must have shown on his face, because Draupadi stopped smirking.

"I am sorry, jyesht, I should not make fun of this," she said remorsefully. "And you can tell me the truth already, you know. I can keep secrets as well as you. I will not say a word to Arjun or his brothers."

Karna figured he had no choice.

"All right," he said, accepting defeat. "I overheard the Queen Mother telling to one of her maidservants that I was born to her. I cannot verify it. I do not believe in it. I believe Radha Maa to be my mother just as I did before." He could not keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"As you should," said Draupadi. "But you do believe in her sons to be your brothers?"

"I guess so," admitted Karna. "I mean--of course I do. There is no one else for whom I would risk falling out with Duryodhan."

"You are the most amazing person I have ever had the fortune of meeting," said Draupadi brightly. "One day soon, we would have put all this right, and once the cousins are reconciled, you can declare yourself."

Karna shook his head.

"I will never declare myself. That is the Queen Mother's right and duty."

"You're right. Let us go to both Queens together? Maybe it will have more of an impact?"

"You can come with me to Queen Gandhari, Panchali," Karna said pleadingly, "but please don't ask me to talk of this to Queen Kunti."

Draupadi fell silent, which Karna took as concession.

"If you are determined to suffer alone, I cannot stop you," she said finally.

"I am not suffering. Yuvraj Duryodhan put an end to it all," said Karna staunchly.

"Yuvraj Duryodhan, Yuvraj Duryodhan, Yuvraj Duryodhan," chanted Draupadi in the exact way Arjun had done once long back. "And then you get upset when your brothers think you are firm on his side."

"I am not against their side, as they claim so often," said Karna fiercely.

"And then," said Draupadi smartly, "you say you don't suffer at all."

The woman, clearly, always liked to have the last word.