After reading the letter from Duryodhana, I finally understood what had happened.
Duryodhana had actually taken my advice seriously, but he just could not keep it up for long.
He did not attack the capital city at first.
Instead, he waited outside the walls to continue the war.
But King Drupada quickly used that patience to his own advantage.
Left with no choice, Duryodhana and his brothers had to change their plans and try to attack the capital city directly.
But instead of winning, the Kauravas lost.
They were forced to retreat from the battlefield.
Looking at his letter, I could clearly see his raw rage and frustration.
Yet, an even more painful thing was about to happen to him—the victory of the Pandavas.
The Pandavas did not take their full army with them.
They traveled with only a small, elite force and left the rest of the army back at the camp.
They targeted Drupada directly.
Unlike Duryodhana, who wasted his strength fighting the entire army head-on, the Pandavas went straight for the king.
Bhima distracted the soldiers, and Arjuna captured Drupada.
In this way, the Pandavas won the war.
I started to worry that Duryodhana would do something foolish, like plot to burn the Pandavas alive in the house of lac at Varanavata.
I turned my head and looked at Vidhyadhar.
“Has everyone returned to Hastinapur?”
”No, Your Majesty,” Vidhyadhar answered.
“Only the Kauravas have returned.
The Pandavas will come back just before the ceremony, and Drona is not coming back for now.
This is all our spies could collect.”
After thinking for a little bit, I said, “Tomorrow morning, the two of us are leaving early for Hastinapur.
No need for guards, just the two of us.”
”But, Your Majesty…”
”No buts.
Just do as I say.
We are leaving early in the morning.” I did not give him a chance to speak as I left the court hall.
The next morning, we left Anga on horseback just as the sun was rising.
We rode fast for days, taking secret paths so nobody would notice us.
By the time we reached the massive gates of Hastinapur, we were exhausted, arriving exactly two days before the ceremony.
The entire city was alive with joy, decorated with bright banners and filled with the smell of sweets.
Slipping through the happy crowds, I walked silently into the palace and went straight to Duryodhana’s private room.
Duryodhana was pacing furiously, kicking a pile of clothes out of his way when he saw me.
“They are cheering for him, Karna!” he shouted, his eyes red with rage.
“I took your advice!
I waited outside the capital and fought hard, but Drupada outsmarted us.
Then the Pandavas showed up, ignored the main army, and Arjuna just captured the king!
It makes me look like a total fool!”
I stepped closer, trying to calm him down.
“Control your anger, Duryodhana.
Rage will only make you make mistakes.”
”How can I be calm?” he hissed, slamming his fist against a wall.
“In two days, my father is giving him the crown.
The fair way is over.
If I cannot get that throne legally, I will find a way to destroy them completely!”
Hearing his dangerous words, I realized he was already planning something terrible.
I left his room to walk in the quiet palace forest, needing time to think about how to change that plot of burning the Pandavas alive.
It was against the dharma.
Even though they escaped death because of Vidura, what if a sudden change happened?
And more than that, these were my biological brothers—brothers who hated me to death.
And also my mother Kunti was on the trip, even though she was the one who abandoned me just to preserve her own dignity and the status of her other five children.
She was my mother after all.
As I walked among the trees, a tall, powerful figure stepped out of the shadows.
It was Bhishma.
”You look troubled, King of Anga,” Bhishma said, his deep voice calm.
“Everyone is celebrating the new prince, yet you are hiding in the dark.”
I stopped and looked at him.
“Greetings, Grandsire.
I was just wondering what the great Gangaputra could possibly be talking about with a Sutaputra in the middle of the woods.
If someone sees us, they will think it is hilarious.
They might even write a funny song about us and play it in the streets.”
“Perhaps I could tell them the details of our conversation, Karna.
It would make their song much better.”
The slight humor faded from my eyes as I looked at him more seriously.
“But tell me, why are you really here?”
”I came here to ask you to convince Duryodhana to stop,” he said, his voice turning grave.
“He is furious about Yudhishthira becoming Yuvaraja.
You need to speak with him before the royal hall opens, and guide him to accept Yudhishthira becoming yuvaraj without doing anything reckless.”
Bhishma looked at me closely.
“Aryavarta is facing dangerous times, and we need stability.
Right now, Magadha under King Jarasandha is growing too powerful in the east, and there are threats from the west.
If Hastinapura falls into internal fighting, the whole empire will crumble.
We cannot afford to fight among ourselves.”
He stepped closer and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.
“Yudhishthira is a good and righteous man.
When he becomes king, he will need the best warriors to protect the land.
I want you to leave Duryodhana’s anger behind and serve under Yudhishthira.
Do it for the good of the kingdom.”
I just smiled a quiet smile and walked away.
Leaving the palace, I walked out into the streets of Hastinapur.
I could feel the pure joy of the people.
Everyone was cheering and celebrating.
Suddenly, a massive shout went up from the crowd near the city gates.
I looked back and saw that the Pandavas had also returned.
As their chariots passed through the crowded street, they looked toward the side of the road and recognized me instantly, even in my simple clothes.
For a long moment, the five brothers just stared at me from their chariots, as they passed by me like winners of the battle.
But they do not know the real battle will only start when Yudhishthira becomes yuvaraj.
”Huge thanks to
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