Queens and Questionable Choices

Check the theme here: Pandava Mahaprasthana

***

Draupadi held the white jasmine garlands to her face and smiled. Some ladies from the village sent her flowers, insisting she was still a queen. She didn’t remember when it started, but for the last five years in the kingdom, she had woven such sweet-smelling flowers into her hair almost every day.

“Here, let me,” Sahadeva said as she struggled to wrap the garland around her braid. She dropped her arms into her lap when he sat behind her to take over the task. This would take a while. Sahadeva liked to be thorough in what he did. He would measure the lengths of each garland and cut them to equal sizes to make sure she looked like the empress she once was.

A long time ago, they chose Virata Raja’s Matsya kingdom for their thirteenth year of exile. He was once an ally of Indraprastha and was termed a soft-spoken king. Little did they know he was also a weak man under his brother-in-law’s thumb!

“What are you thinking about, Draupadi?” He asked when she was too silent.

“Malini.”

“You faced such suffering because of us.” He murmured. Draupadi didn’t like the sad note creeping into his voice.

She gave a light smack on his thigh and teased. “We had many lovely moments too! Life can’t always be smiles and laughs. Wouldn’t a wise man like you do not know this?”

“Draupadi, stop teasing me!” He protested. “If things were otherwise, we could have had more happy moments. But you are right. If you weren’t Malini, Keechaka would have continued to prey upon the young girls and women in Matsya.”

“My husbands did what was necessary to put an end to his lust.” She replied, turning to smile at him.

“Don’t move! I’ll have to start again.”

She laughed and thought about the year spent in disguise in the Matsya Kingdom.

***

It hurt Draupadi to see her warrior husbands dressed in rags, though she was used to it in the last twelve years. Yudhistira looked a little better than the rest of them, though his choice of role—that of a Brahmin advisor to the king—didn’t sit right with her. She knew how some kings treated their advisors, especially when their words did not suit the kings’ intentions.

Bhima declared he would be a cook and a part-time wrestler. Considering how easy it would be to spot him in a crowd, it was the best job. A cook would also have full access to food, something he needed to regain his lost muscle strength.

“Do you like my skirt, Draupadi?” Arjuna asked as he adjusted his hair to hide the battle scars around his ears. Fortunately, the apsara, Urvashi’s curse, became a boon for the year, no matter how much it hurt to see him dressed like a woman.

“It’s pretty.” She replied with a sad smile.

“Only a year, Rani. Then, we’ll reclaim Indraprastha.” He assured her with a hug.

Draupadi nodded. She turned to Nakula, who was dressed as a stable master. He wanted to be with his favorite animals, the horses. That would also help to keep his ears close to the ground. Sahadeva was to be with the cattle. His diverse knowledge would make him an asset, be it in choosing the best cows for breeding or healing the injured ones.

“Are you sure you want to be a hairdresser, Draupadi?” Yudhistira asked with concern.

“Yes. The queen’s chambers are safe places, since men don’t have access without permission.” She replied. Little did she know things would turn out differently in Matsya.

Draupadi knew how to get the queen’s attention. She announced her skills in the street where Rani Sudeshna was purchasing trinkets with her maids. Just as Draupadi hoped, the queen was interested when she mentioned working for the empress of Indraprastha and Krishna’s wife, Satyabhama, in Dwarka.

“What’s your name, lovely woman?”

Draupadi bowed and replied in a soft tone. “They call me Malini, Rani. My garlands and hairstyles were popular in Dwarka and Indraprastha.”

“You look too radiant to be a maid.” The queen said, narrowing her eyes.

“You are too kind, Rani! This glow is a gift from my gandharva husbands. They are away on Shakra’s work and left me here. If I find a job with you, I’ll have your protection until they return.” Draupadi shared the story they fabricated for her new disguise. After much debate, they decided it would be easier to stick close to the truth. Polyandry wasn’t uncommon in some regions. Moreover, gandharvas and yakshas had multiple partners of all genders.

The queen considered her answer. “Are your husbands possessive about you?”

Draupadi nodded. “Yes, Rani. They are. They will kill anyone who tries to touch me with bad intentions.”

“That should keep you safe. You can come to the palace as my new hairdresser.”

“You have my gratitude, Rani Sudeshna,” Draupadi replied, transforming into Malini, her character for the year.

Despite a few issues, it didn’t take long for the Pandavas to become a favorite in the palace. Though Draupadi hated seeing Bhima play parlor tricks to entertain the women, or Arjuna teased for his deliberate mishaps, she knew no one suspected they were anything other than what they claimed to be. They had Dharma Deva to thank for his boon. It kept them undetected during a couple of close calls.

However, their peaceful stay at Matsya ended when the news of Keechaka’s arrival reached them. While the king and queen looked delighted, the maids were terrified. Even the princess, the sixteen-year-old Uttarā, looked gloomy, though she tried to hide it.

“What’s it? Why is everyone afraid?” Draupadi asked the queen’s head maid, a young woman called Myna.

“Keechaka is rani’s half-brother, but he loved her like his kin. He is also the commander of our army and keeps everyone at bay,” Myna explained. She looked around to ensure they had privacy and whispered. “That man is a pervert and a rapist. He has a harem of women to please him, but often preys on others in the kingdom. The men can’t protest as Keechaka and his brothers get him killed. They can’t complain since the king and queen don’t bother about it.”

Draupadi saw red when Myna went into detail about how women who resisted were raped and left to die. She wondered how the king could be called a good man if he was spineless to safeguard those under his protection. She wasn’t sure if she should broach the topic with the princess.

However, Uttarā herself came to her that evening. “Malini, when will your husbands come for you? Can you leave tonight?”

“O Princess, they won’t come for another month! Have I done anything to upset you that you want me to leave?”

Uttarā shook her head. “I…” She gulped and continued. “I want you to be safe. You are so beautiful… and my uncle… he is a dangerous man. He… you go, please, Malini.”

“How does he treat you?”

“He is caring toward me and Maa. We are his family. But the rest of you aren’t.”

“What about the other maids, princess?”

“They know… they… You will see them with scrubby faces and shapeless clothes. They don’t even take a bath, hoping the stink will keep him away. No matter what you do, you will shine like a star.” Uttarā replied. Tears pooled in her almond-shaped eyes.

Draupadi wanted to hug the princess and assure her that nothing would happen. Oh, something would happen, but not to her. She planned to get rid of the threat forever. She wiped the young girl’s tears and smiled. “My husbands didn’t leave anyone who dared to touch me. If your uncle crosses the line, he will face the same fate. Don’t worry, Yuvarani.”

However, Draupadi hadn’t expected opposition or a lecture about patience from Yudhistira. Still, she stuck to her plan with Bhima and Arjuna’s support. Most work fell to Bhima, who relished the challenge and was excited. After calling out Virata in the sabha for his cowardliness, Draupadi emphasized her gandharva husbands would kill Keechaka.

Despite the risk, Draupadi found it too easy to lure Keechaka to the music hall at night. His lust-addled brain couldn’t think of anything else, after all!

That night, Bhima had killed Keechaka only for his brothers and friends to kidnap Draupadi to burn her with the dead man. Bhima rushed to save her again. The moonless sky was in their favor. Living in forests strengthened their night vision. The men had no chance to escape as Bhima trashed and pounded their bodies into a pulp.

The next morning, Draupadi bathed in the river and walked through the streets, her head held high. Though the citizens were wary of her powerful husbands and her hold on them, she noticed many women nod and smile at her with gratitude.

“Malini, please leave before we have more deaths.” Rani Sudeshna said to her the moment she stepped into the palace.

Draupadi suppressed a snort. If the queen had taken her responsibilities seriously, her brother might have lived. She inclined her head and replied. “I will leave in a week with my husbands, Rani.”

The queen nodded. “Stay in my chamber and don’t go anywhere.”

Of course, Yudhistira’s fears came true as attacks from the Trigarta king in a few days and the Kaurava army on the day after. That didn’t stop her husbands from supporting the king or saving the kingdom. They took care to show their true identities only after the thirteen years of exile were complete.

While Draupadi didn’t care for the chance in time when the king and queen knew their identities, she was gracious enough to be polite.

“O Pandava Raja Arjuna! It’s an honor that my daughter trained under you. Please accept her as your wife,” Virata said after praising each of them and offering his apologies.

The shocked expressions on all their faces should have been telling, but the king and queen looked expectant. Yudhistira recovered first and inclined his head to Arjuna.

Draupadi gave a slight nod too. They had discussed it already and wanted to ask for Uttarā’s hand in marriage to Prativindhya or Abhimanyu.

Arjuna smiled at the king. “Raja Virata, I accept Uttarā as my daughter-in-law. I believe she would make a perfect partner for my son, Abhimanyu, who is Krishna’s favorite nephew.”

“But why won’t you marry her?” Virata asked, clueless.

Draupadi rolled her eyes at the king. Nakula suppressed his gasp as a cough while Sahadeva looked everywhere except at Virata. While it wasn’t uncommon for kings to marry girls as young as their daughters or granddaughters, the Pandavas would never do that.

“I’ve spent a year as her acharya and a confidant, Raja. She has been like a child to me since the first time I saw her. To suggest I think of her as anything other than my daughter is a stain on my character. A daughter-in-law is a daughter. We would be delighted to welcome Uttarā into our family,” Arjuna explained, stressing each word with a forced smile.

“If you say so, Pandava Arjuna. My daughter is blessed!” Virata exclaimed in delight.

“No wonder Keechaka got away with his tyranny for so long,” Draupadi muttered to herself. At least something good came out of the situation.

***

“Beautiful!” Sahadeva declared, satisfied with his handiwork. He stood and offered a hand to Draupadi. “Will you do me the honor of strolling along the riverbank with me, Rani?”

Draupadi took his hand and grinned. “Of course, my husband.”

***

I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z.

***