Karna's P.O.V,
Hello, friends. I'm Karna.
It's been a while, hasn't it?
Honestly, it feels like I've grown up in the blink of an eye. Time really flies...
When I turned eighteen, I thought I'd be training in archery or studying the Vedas.
"Coo..." (I'm finished...)
"Coo! Coo..." (Mother ignored me! She doesn't love me anymore!)
"There-there, It's alright, brother."
"Maa Ganga was busy. She didn't mean to ignore you."
And yet, here I am, comforting my brother, Aarav, who's feeling down about something.
You're probably aware of the incident by the riverside of Maa Ganga, right? Since then, Aarav has been sulking while perched on my shoulder.
He was upset when Maa Ganga didn't call out to him or stroke his silvery fur like she usually does.
Sigh...
Despite being older than me, he acts like a spoiled brat. When will he grow up...
Anyway, as his brother, I have to take responsibility and cheer him up. So, I said something strange to him!
"Come on, stop crying like a sissy! Be strong like a real dove!"
"Coo???" (What???)
*Swish!*
*Flap!*
*Flap!*
"COO!" (Who's crying! See! I'm a real dove!)
And, miraculously, my nonsense worked surprisingly well!
Aarav finally moved away from my right shoulder and gracefully hovered in the air below the ceiling of the Empress's private chamber, trying to act dignified.
You know what? I didn't expect this reaction from him. To think something like a real dove exists, hats off to my brother.
His performance earned nothing but endless laughter from me, something I had to control to maintain his dignity.
After all, I don't want to pacify him again!
{KV #1: A Man/Boy can do anything except pacifying anyone.}
...
Fun aside, you may be curious why I'm in this room, right?
Well, after Maa Ganga left, Devi Gandhari literally dragged me here and...
She asked me to introduce myself, which I did with appropriate respect, treating her like an elder rather than an Empress.
"Tai-ji (Aunt), I am Karna, the son of Shree Adiratha and Devi Radha, a Suta by birth."
[Note: Special thanks to Snehank~]
And...
My simple reply left her and Sughada-Tai incredulous as they exclaimed simultaneously!
"You are Karna!" x2
Although I couldn't decipher the meaning of their exclamations, if I had, I might not have ended up in this palace.
Why?
"So you are Sister Radha's divine child. Hmm, true. Your majesty, he does look divine."
"Really! Karna, can I touch your face?"
"Umm, it's fine..."
"Sughada, you are right! His smooth hair, soft skin, and sharp chin feel good to touch."
"Karna, can I touch them too?"
...
After learning my origins, both of them treated me like a child. I mean, I'm only eighteen years old, but...
It's embarrassing to be treated like a child, right?
Even so, my embarrassment didn't stop me from enjoying their care. Until...
Growl~x2
"Sughada, how thoughtless of us! Let's bring food for Karna and Aarav."
It was rather embarrassing, but our stomachs betrayed us...
Amidst my enjoyment, two growls emanated from our empty stomachs, prompting both of my Aunts to feel bad for not feeding us.
But, it wasn't that big of an issue. After all, many people are still starving in this world.
Yet, this issue is the greatest concern for a mother!
It doesn't matter who you are, where you are, or what you're doing. Even if the world were to end in an hour, mothers would first feed their child with utmost love and care before thinking about anything else.
Similarly, my Aunts' motherly hearts couldn't bear to see that we hadn't eaten anything since morning, filling them with urgency.
Therefore, both of them left us in this chamber to fetch food for me and Aarav...
Since then, I've been waiting for the food while enjoying my not-so-elder brother's antics!
***
To be continued...
One down!
Next one in an hour!
Sorry for the delay! There was a light out in our Area, stopping me from posting the chaps!