𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒌𝒉𝒂, a young cheerful girl from Kaliyug, is reborn as the sister of the Pandavas after she dies. She was the apple of their eyes, their soul, their peace.
She was Yudishthir's mind.
She was Bheem's strength.
She was Arjun's eyes.
She...
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Day 6
Night
Kurukshetra
"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction," Indulekha hated that law. Not because she was tired of cramming up its examples, but because she was experiencing it.
Indulekha, with a satin cloth tied over her eyes and her hands tied back, shuffled on the chair she was in. Her mouth, muffled with the end of her own yellow sari, screamed again and again. But to no avail, not one soul came to her aid.
A whole day had passed with her tied to the chair, abandoned, because of one mistake of hers. She broke a rule; she slept. When exhaustion had finally got to her and she had dozed off while meditating, someone abducted her. Only if Satyadev wasn't deep in sleep beside Smika and the soldiers hadn't gone to Yudishthir's aid.
With no water and food for many days and continuous screaming for hours, her mouth was left dry and her throat ached. Her hands desperately tried to untie the knot, but the rope left no room for movement.
"Stop screaming, Panduputri, no one's coming." A tired voice mumbled, Indu's head jerking towards the sound of his footsteps. He grabbed the cloth out of her mouth, a disgusted look on his face as she coughed. She took in a breath, trying to calm herself.
"Duryodhan, untie me now." She threatened, recognizing the voice. Her fists tightened behind the chair, hearing him walk closer. She could hear his loud panting, deducing that he had just returned from the war.
"No, no. Let's wait for your brothers to come searching. They'll beg for you, your safety. And you, Kaliyugi, will realise how big of a mistake you've made by crossing me." He told her, eyes glaring at her menacingly. She could feel the glare on her. Though, she could also sense the ragged breath of someone else at a distance.
"Where am I?" Indu asked, gripping the rope in anger.
"I'll be asking the questions." He warned, making her roll her blindfolded eyes. "Where did you send me that day?"
"I didn't send you anywhere."
"Indu, do not test me."
"And do not take my name out your filthy mouth."
She gulped, unsure where she was getting her courage from. Her fingers picked on the rope desperately, not wanting to be in the same tent as him. She was worried sick, of course. If the man had dared to touch her clothes in front of a whole sabha, what was he to do in closed chambers?
"It was an illusion." Indu breathed out, feeling his mace on her stomach. It was inches away, her bare stomach afraid to take the wrath of the man. He took it away after getting his answer.
"How'd you do it?"
"Survival instincts."
"Can you do it again?"
Indu took a breath in, and a breath out.
"I don't know."
Duryodhan grunted, knowing that she wasn't lying. She heard him walk away, talking in whispers and when he came back, she knew he no longer had his mace. The best she assumed was that he handed the mace to the other person.
"Poor little Indulekha has no one to protect her. Not her husband, not her brothers. What are you going to do now, witch?"
The word sunk her down. All the belief she had dissolved. Her brothers weren't there for her after a whole day. Neither was Krishna, despite how many times she had screamed for him, nor was Satyadev. The tiny hope that they'd be there which she had been clinging to was gone. A whimper left her mouth, which soon turned into a cry. Duryodhan looked at her in disgust as tears seeped down the blindfold, the cloth moist at the eyes. He took the end of her sari and muffled her mouth again, leaving the woman to cry. She knew he left, but the other man stayed.
"I can't help you, ant. Please escape. They don't know."
"Hey! Come here, right now." Duryodhan screamed and the man shuffled outside.
Indulekha kept her eyes wide open underneath the cloth, not daring to close her eyes for another moment.
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"Indu, great job today. But your coordination was awful. Finally, your brains gone haywire, right?" Nakul chuckled, sitting in the main tent. All the brothers surrounded the area with laughter. Krishna gave a slight smile to the antics of Arjun and Sahadev, who were messing with the woman's long hair.
Satyadev wasn't here but in his own tent, talking to Smika.
"Bhrata Arjun, Bhrata Sahadev, don't touch my hair," Indulekha said in a monotone voice, swatting his hands away. The exhaustion was gone from the woman's face and she seemed happy.
"Who else will braid your hair, if not us? Your husband?" Sahadev jested, raising his eyebrow. Nakul chuckled along.
"Finding something funny, Bhrata Nakul?" She jested back.
Nakul stopped laughing, his eyes meeting hers as he frowned. The brothers abruptly paused in their laughter as well, frowning at her. They exchanged glances, wary of her.
"Indu, behena, Satyadev must be looking for you. Smika also needs you, go now. Rest for tomorrow." Yudishthir gave her a tight-lipped smile as she nodded. She stood up in a moment, walking with grace out of the tent.
"We all noticed it?" Nakul asked, his eyes holding a serious look.
"She called out Bhrata, in the most unnatural way possible, instead of 'Bro'. And that was the first time she referred to you today. Indu's might not be fine." Bheem deduced.
"No, Bhrata. Whoever that woman is, she's not our Indu."
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