"Don't get me wrong, but, you do realise –" she hesitated. "I mean… how do I say this…. Mmmm… I mean, you are a Princess, and he is just an army commander!!! There is no way anyone would agree to such a union!!... And you know it."
"Ohh, dear friend, you are thinking of too far a future!" Gandhari replied, with an embarrassed sort of laugh. "All I meant to say was that I felt a kind of attraction to him that I haven't felt before. That's all! I mean, he is good looking and everything, but I really don't know much about him to go that far even in my imagination!"
But, in her heart, she knew she was lying. The fact was that Veerbhadra was every bit how she had always dreamt and imagined her husband would be like, right down to the dimples on both his cheeks! Saumya knew this. They had, after all, discussed with each other so many times as to what they thought their ideal husbands would be like. This was why she was worried for Gandhari. She didn't want her friend to suffer any heartache, and this had all the makings of one.
Saumya's expressions became grave, and she said, in a very serious tone, "Be careful my Princess. This road is not to be trodden lightly. Better you pull back your feet now, and avoid a heartbreak."
Gandhari hugged Saumya lightly and assured her, "Don't worry! I will be okay. Nothing is going to happen anyway. It's not like I am going to meet him again or anything!"
Saumya signed, then smiled and agreed to let go of the topic. Their talks drifted to other things….
On the other hand, after Gandhari left, Veerbhadra felt as if a part of his soul went along with her. His eyes followed her for as long as he could see her, and then, when she closed shut the doors to her chambers, he kept on gazing at it for a long time, as if willing it to open and show him a glimpse of her again….
Veerbhadra had seen a lot of beautiful women in his life, but he had never felt any desire for any woman till today. Gandhari was the only one who had made his heart race. "She has such a sweet voice!" he thought. "People could kill one another just to hear her again!.. And her fingers are so shapely! Such a beautiful smile she has! And ohh! How she walks! It's as if petals are falling on earth! So gentle! So graceful! And her eyes!!! Ohh, such beautiful eyes! So warm! So soft! So enchanting!"
"Stop yourself, you fool" he chided himself silently. "Stop lusting after her! She is a Princess! And you are just an Army Commander at her father's court! She is not for you." But a heart wants what it wants. And his heart wanted Gandhari.
He somehow managed to force himself to look away, and then went on his way to where he was going before – to his home – to his sweet little close knit family, consisting of his father, his mother, his sister, and himself. His father was retired from the King's army, and his mother ran a small sweet shop. After retirement, his father spent his days helping out his wife in running their shop. Income was decent and the family was reasonably well to do. The reason Saumya worked as attendant in the Palace was only because she had always been a close friend to the Princess, and the Princess had insisted upon employing her as her attendant, so that they could spend more time together. This was also the reason why she was not treated like a mere servant, but like a mini royalty herself! He himself had joined the army as it was their ancestral profession, and it also felt like a royal duty.
Upon reaching his home, he washed off his hands and feet with the water brought by the servant, and then went straight to the kitchen, where he knew his mother and father would be. This was a very unusual sight for most homes, where men also would enter the kitchen to help out their wives, but Veerbhadra had grown up seeing this kind of environment. His father had always been handy around the kitchen and the household chores, and his mother was well adept in handling customers, buying groceries and other stuff, and also book-keeping. Together, they were a beautiful team, and understood each other very well. He had rarely seen them fight amongst themselves, and even when they did, they would never insult each other or their families. Mostly, they discussed, and talked out everything, and on the rare occasion, when their opinions didn't match, and neither could convince the other to his or her point of view, they just shook hands to it, and agreed to accept each other's stance without changing their own stance. This kind of equal relationship was something of a rarity, and Veerbhadra often wondered how they had managed this at all. He had seen so many other families fighting all the time over such small silly things, but never at his own home. Veerbhadra felt very lucky to have been blessed with such a couple as his parents, and regarded their relationship as the ideal which he wanted in his life too.
As expected, both his parents were there in the kitchen, sitting on their aasaans, side by side, busily cutting vegetables by the candlelight, to prepare for the next day's business, and talking about some customers they had met in the shop that day.
"… and he said he wanted a whole dozen of them!" Veerbhadra heard his mother, Vaishnavi saying to his father, Narsimha.
Hearing Veerbhadra's footsteps, they both stopped talking, and turned to look.
"Veer!" Vaishnavi exclaimed happily. "How was your expedition? Are your tired? Do -"
"Oh, stop, Vaishnavi!" Narsimha laughed. "Take a break and let him speak too!"
Veerbhadra smiled. "I am well Maa. The expedition went well. And yes, I will love to eat a Laddo, or two!" He said, correctly predicting what his mother was about to ask him next. This put a smile on Vaishnavi's lips, and she beckoned the servant, Dharmaveer, to bring two Laddos in a small plate. Veerbhadra took the plate and ate happily. He finished both the Laddos in just two gulps, earning himself a small scolding from his mother who told him to eat like a human and not a pig, which made him laugh. "Hasn't Saumya returned yet?" he enquired.
"Here I am!" came a voice from the doorway. Saumya had just reached home. Noticing the empty plate in her brother's hand, she knit her eyes in mock displeasure and complained "That's not fair Maa! You gave him Laddos and I didn't get any?"
"Why should Maa give you Laddos?" Veerbhadra teased her. "In fact Maa, you should just not give her anything to eat for the next few days. Have you seen how fat she has grown? I bet she is heavier than an elephant!"
"Oh, Yeah! And what about you? If I weigh more than an elephant, and you weigh more than a blue whale!"
And the ribbing continued for a few minutes, in the usual manner, where neither of them lost or won, but just enjoyed a gentle teasing that often happens between siblings who are very close to each other. After a few moments, even the parents joined in, and it became like a teasing contest, with everyone enjoying the fun.
Soon it was dinner time. The whole family sat together, which was again a departure from the normal social trend, where the men ate first, and the women ate after them. Here, the whole family sat to eat together, while the servant served them all the food. They ate in silence as was the tradition, and after finishing their dinner, they all got up together. The servant poured water and they washed their hands and feet. Thereafter, they bid each other goodnight, and retired to their rooms for the night.
Upon lying on his bed, Veerbhadra's mind went back to Gandhari. He wondered what she thought of him, and whether she would like to meet him again, as much as he wanted to! Pretty girls were rarely so gentle in his experience. Gandhari was exactly like the image he had in his mind for his future wife. His logical mind knew that this was very silly to be thinking of marriage to a girl he had met only once, and that too, a Princess. For one, he hardly knew her. Secondly, she was his sister's friend. Thirdly, and most importantly she was a Princess. Who had ever heard of an army commander marrying a Princess? He had no chance. None at all! And yet…
The next morning, Veerbhadra went to drop Saumya to the Palace, even though their home was only four blocks from the palace, and that Saumya usually came and went on her own. Though he insisted he was doing this only to show brotherly affection to her, in his mind, he knew it was a lie. It was just a way for him to get a glimpse of Gandhari again. Saumya had understood, and inwardly gave a sigh. She understood that this was inevitable, and she could probably do nothing about it. The two people she loved the most, apart from her parents, were about to get their hearts broken, and she could not prevent it.
"Oh, well!" she thought. "Might as well let this run its course!"
She knocked on the Princess's door, and was surprised to see Gandhari herself opening them. Usually, it was one of the servants.
"I was waiting for you!" said Gandhari. Thought she addressed this to Saumya, in her heart, she knew that was not true. She had opened the door only in hopes that maybe Veerbhadra would have come to drop her or something. She was rewarded with this being the truths. She supposed if she had asked anything from God at that moment, her wish would have come true!
Saumya smiled knowingly, and teased, "I know. Now, may I come in? Or do you plan to keep staring at each other in the doorway all day?"
That brought them both back to their senses. Veerbhadra took his leave immediately, and Gandhari moved away from the doorway sheepishly, to let Saumya in. Then she closed the doors, and while closing, again looked into the hallway, to admire the retreating figure that was Veerbhadra.
"Maybe, if I let them meet, they will themselves realise that they are not meant for each other and end this silliness?" Saumya tried to convince herself. However, in her heart she knew that was not the case. They were every bit made for each other- except she was not a commoner, and he was not a royalty.
The hearts, however, know no boundaries. Love does not recognise the difference between rich and poor, royalty or common, fair and dark, pretty or ugly. If it's there, it's there and that's it. No one can change or stop the flow of love. It is like an untameable beast, free and wild, living by its own rules. And so it happened between the two of them too! The arrows of Kaamdev, the god of love, had hit them both dead centre, and they were unable to resist it.
Soon, both Veerbhadra as well as Gandhari started to find excuses to meet each other, no matter how silly the excuse might be. They had become almost oblivious to the fact that slowly, the people in the Palace had started talking, and that this matter was sure to reach the ears of the King as well. Love makes people blind, and they were no exception.
When the King came to know of this, he called all his sons to his chambers to discuss the matter. Some of them objected to the union, some were neutral. But the King wanted the opinion of his crown prince, Shakuni, the most. It was his opinion that mattered the most, because he knew that whatever he decided, his brothers will agree to that without any question. However, Shakuni was quiet.
"What do you think, Shakuni? What should we do?" The King asked him.
After a long silence, Shakuni finally spoke, "Has anyone asked Gandhari what she wants? It's her life after all. And has anyone asked around about Veerbhadra and family?"
Seeing that neither tasks had been done, he said, "My brothers, in a marriage, what is most important is that the groom and the bride are happy with the union. Rest everything is secondary. However it is true that, being a Princess, our sister has had a very comfortable life here. It is our duty to find out if the person she likes will be able to provide at least the basic life comforts to her or not."
He paused. Then continued, "I want all of you to make discreet enquiries about him and his family. If everything seems okay, then I shall speak to Gandhari personally to find out what she wants. Only then should we decide about anything in this matter."
The King and all his other sons agreed to this plan. Spies were sent for gathering information, and within two months, a lot of information about the family had been gathered. The King and all his sons then looked into the information they had gathered, and concluded that the family was very well to do, and had a progressive outlook towards life. They were favourably impressed with Veerbhadra and his family, and therefore decided that now Shakuni should speak to his sister about this matter.
One fine evening, Shakuni went over to meet his sister in her chambers. Gandhari brightened up upon seeing that her favourite brother had come to meet her. She immediately an up to him and hugged him in the sisterly way she always did whenever they met. Shakuni hugged her back. To him, his sister was the most important person in his life.
"I have come to ask you something, " he said, coming straight to the point.
"What is this Bhaiya? Will you only come to meet me if you have some work with me? Can't you come to meet me just for the sake of meeting me?" she asked, a little hurt. She had hardly seen her brother the last two months. Little did she know the reason for his being so buzy.
Shakuni smiled. " Dear sister, you know I love to spend time with you! But the matter I have come to discuss with you is of utmost importance, and I need your opinion."
"What is it?"
"I have found a match for you."
Gandhari was speechless with shock. She had not expected this. What should she do now? How should she tell Shakuni that she was in love with some one?
The look on Gandhari's face was the answer Shakuni needed. "So it's true!" he thought, "She really does love someone! But how do I get her to confess?"
Outwardly, he said, "What happened, Gandhari? Why so silent? Don't you want to know who I have chosen for you?"
Gandhari was silent. Her face was bent down, and Shakuni could make out that she was trying to keep in her emotions in check.
"In our army, there is an army commander, who is very brave and loyal. His family is very well to do and very close knit. They are very open minded and progressive people. I liked them a lot." He paused. He, gauzing intently at his sister's face he said, slowly, "His name is… Veerbhadra."
Gandhari looked up suddenly, her face showing a mixture of delight, and surprise - and her cheeks registered a deep pink tinge of shyness. It was enough of an answer for Shakuni. He knew immediately that he was making the right decision. He lifted his right hand and put it upon her sister's hand, blessing her silently. Then he left immediately, and went directly to the King's chambers, where the King, the Queen, and all his other brothers sitting together, waiting for his news.
"Well?" the King enquired as soon as Shakuni arrived.
"We should start the wedding preparations, I think," smiled Shakuni.