ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇꜱ | Republished ✓

66. The Blessings.

It had been a week, and preparations were in full swing. The six brothers stayed at Matsya Desh for the duration of the week. After that, all of them shifted to Kurukshetra, the location finalized with the advice of Krishna.

Karna had already sent a letter with all the details, including the time and date of the tournament's start, the number of people allowed to watch, and the number of people who could fight on behalf of each side. The letter read as follows:

To King Father Dhritarashtra,

Son of Ambika and Maharishi Vyas,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I believe Samragyi has already clarified most of the terms of the tournament. Still, if there are any points requiring repetition or further explanation, I would like to address them in full detail.

First, the tournament will consist of only 9 warriors, either male or female, from both sides. This is non-negotiable.

Second, the tournament will have a no-killing rule. It is intended as a showcase of strength. Once a warrior is defeated, the match will be considered over. This rule is also non-negotiable.

Third, we have chosen Kurukshetra as the venue for the tournament, considering it is a blessed land. Arrangements will be handled by us. The tournament is planned to start from sunrise and continue until sunset. Depending on the duration of each match, a second day may be required. The Kauravas are welcome to stay at the border of Kurukshetra, and permission is granted for them to camp in tents, as we will also be camping near the border.

The date for the tournament has been set two days from now, as recommended by Rajkumar Sahadeva. You are welcome to check with your own advisors to ensure its suitability.

With this information, I conclude this official summons for you and your family to attend the tournament alongside your warriors.

Panduputra Dharmaraj Yuddhisthir,

The Yuvraja of Indraprastha.

_____________________________

The day before the tournament arrived very soon. The six brothers, along with Advika and Krishna, were discussing something that Krishna had suggested.

"Madhav, wouldn't that be cheating?" asked Arjun, a questioning look in his eyes.

"How can it be cheating, Parth? All I said is that the girls can go and take blessings from Devi Gandhari!" said Krishna with a smile.

"But why would she bless them? We are fighting against her sons!" pointed out Nakul, with Bheem nodding along.

"She is virtuous," said Yuddhisthir, with a small twinkle.

"Yes, as well as a very righteous person. Badi maa will bless anyone who comes to her," said Karna softly.

"In the end, it depends upon the females, not us," said Sahadev, shrugging.

Everyone turned towards Advika, who had a distant look.

"It's not a bad idea. We can go, as we have time until the event. All of us can't go together, but the girls can go, not me," said Advika, musing and not making sense to anyone other than Kanha.

"Who said you can't go, Mayuri? Earth may not be fire, but remember it can withstand the heat of fire," said Krishna.

Advika's POV:

 What was that supposed to mean? Kanha, please be clear, I thought, before something made sense in my brain.

"Earth may not be fire, but it can contain fire. Isn't that what Kanha said?" I am sure my eyes were sparkling. "Kanha, you are a genius!"

Kanha simply smiled while my dearest husband and brothers-in-law looked seriously confused.

"Bhabhishree, did you understand what Madhav said?" asked Arjun, very confused.

My poor, confused, and adorable brother-in-law. As much as I wanted to explain, I really did not have the time.

"Yes, I did, dear. Now Kanha, be a sweetheart, as you are, and explain while I gather my sisters and explain to them," I said, giving him a stern look as I walked away.

I heard Kanha sigh, as if I dumped all the troubles of the universe on him. Wait! He already does that. Incarnation of the Preserver and all that!

Anyway, my brother is a bit dramatic, so let's ignore him while I go and do my work.

Wait, I forgot to mention something. I poked my head back into the tent, "Arya, please stay here when I return, alright?" Without giving my husband any chance to speak, I left, ignoring Kanha's pout.

Kanha can handle the questions. I don't have time for that.

____________________________________

Advika's POV:

I returned swiftly after explaining to my sisters-in-law, and they agreed with the plan. So, Devanshi, Vandita, Draupadi, Kalyani, and Vritika followed me back. I believe I should explain properly, no?

Let me tell you then. The sisters, the five daughters of Agni, are the soul of one person divided into five. Therefore, as Agni Dev said after their birth from the sacrificial fire, they can transform into one woman, but only once in their lifetime. They will mold into a new body where the entire soul will be intact, allowing them to be one for a short period only once.

In short, they will morph into one person before going to take the blessings from Badi Maa.

I am also supposed to go too, but as the daughter of Prithvi, I have no fire powers. I have powers over the earth and anything related to earth, not fire or wind or even water. How am I supposed to go then? Well, that's where Kanha's words come in! Earth can contain fire.

Who else has something that is similar to fire, other than the Agnija? Simple, my dearest husband Karna, who as the child of the Sun, has enough radiance that it produces heat. Heat similar to that of fire.

I have never been affected by his radiance much because his radiance is less than Surya Dev himself, and the earth can handle a specific amount of radiance or heat.

Meaning, I am going to contain the heat from Karna and then send my soul to merge with the new and temporary body of the Agnija, allowing all of us to get the blessings. It needs spiritual power, which apparently I was born with, at least that was what Kanha said ages back.

It would have been suspicious if all six of us went, but we had enough spiritual presence among us to do something impossible temporarily. It happened exactly as Kanha said and I guessed.

Badi Maa Gandhari blessed us with, "Sada suhagan raho!" Exactly the blessings we have wanted.

Mission accomplished, I sighed as I slumped. I felt my muscles give out, and I blacked out. I am very glad I can rest. Kanha is an amazing fortune teller; those were my last thoughts. A distant snicker was heard.