"No, don't keep it there!" Nandha instructed as she watched her hand maids pack her clothes and accessories for her travel, "Keep it in the second box, the brown one."

Her female attendants moved around the room, shuffling through various clothes and accessories as they prepared the arrangements for Yuvrani Nandha's departure.

Shaking her head, she moved towards her vanity and took out a small coffret. It was a small box made of sandalwood, carved with beautiful illustrations of Shree Ram and Mata Seeta. Her fingers traced the carved wood, rough yet smooth, her eyes filling with unshed tears.

With a small jerk, she opened the coffret and a tear drop slid down her cheeks as her heart sank in despair. Inside the small chest was a broken Chudamani, her broken happiness. The pearls and gems, detached from the Chudamani spread around the velvet covering the insides of the box.

The Chudamani, her most precious regalia, has lost all its beauty and prominence due to just one mistake from her part. A mistake that caused her, her happiness. Her heart ached painfully at the mere sight of it, the old scared memories of the dreadful night resurfaced.

She didn't know why she still had this piece of jewellery with her, even after everything. How much ever her mind wanted her to dispose the broken piece, her heart was not letting her do so. Because once this piece of jewellery that showed that she belonged to him.

'Did he ever love her?' She couldn't help but ask to herself. 'It didn't even take him a minute to conclude that she was a whore, a characterless woman who sleeps around. Why? Just because she was seen together with his brother.'

She closed the small chest and kept it safely among her clothes that were being packed for her journey. She was carefully arranging it when a shrivelled voice broke her stance.

"Pardon me Yuvrani, if I'd utter something erroneous, but do you think a trip to your motherland is necessary in this situation?" Tuya's voice shook Nandha out of her thoughts.

Wiping the tears hastily, Nandha turned around and looked at the old woman, confusion, "What do you mean, Tuya?"

"Yuvrani, day after tomorrow Yuvraaj is leaving to Kalinga to attend the swayamvar of the Rajkumari, so isn't it your duty to fulfill the responsibilities of Yuvraj in his absence. And moreover, when he arrives to Hastinapur with his newly wedded wife, shouldn't you be present here to receive the couple?" Tuya paused and looked at Nandha, who seemed to be contemplating her words.

A nasty smirk crossed her face as she continued to torment the young girl with her words. "In our times, the young brides were forbidden to leave her husband's home, be it to her own home or another. We used to worship our husband's as god's but now the women have become contemptuous, no respect for their husband as well as their marriag-"

"That's enough, Tuya maa. The packing is already done and it would be really nice if we could let Yuvrani rest. She has a long journey awaiting her tomorrow. Moreover, you would be tired from the packing so, why don't you take some rest as well?" Madhu interrupted the old woman.

Tuya visibly sneered at the younger maid before forcing a smile on her pale lips and nodding. She turned to Nandha and bowed respectfully before walking out of the chamber mumbling to herself.

"It's quite late Yuvrani. Take good rest, don't forget the long journey that is awaiting you tomorrow. And Yuvrani, if I were you I wouldn't take Tuya maa's words seriously, not just me, no one in the palace takes her words seriously." Madhu said, having clearly heard the conversation between the two.

"Really?" Nandha looked at the younger girl, amused.

"Really Yuvrani, all she speak is gloom-ridden words, if we take them seriously, we would only end up killing our happiness and peace. You know the other day, Sheela Didi was telling me how Tuya maa almost broke her daughter's marriage. She called her a horrible woman. She warned me to stay away from the old woman otherwise she would destroy my life too." The younger girl animatedly narrated, unknowingly calming Nandha, and bringing a small smile on her lips.

"It's pretty late, Madhu. Did you forget, even you have to accompany me in tomorrow's journey? Leave Madhu and get a good night sleep because there won't be any rest till we reach Amernath." Nandha said making the girl nod her head understandingly.

"Shubrathri Yuvrani." Madhu bowed down once again, and left the chamber, smiling to herself, leaving the young royal woman to ponder upon her words.

"What do you mean by 'she is leaving tomorrow'? Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?" Duryodhana roared, making the guards standing outside the chamber to flinch in fear.

"Mitra, calm down. Your anger is not gonna help you." Karna warned his friend as he saw him throwing yet another vase to the wall.

Unfortunately, those words of Karna fell into deaf ears. The rage, the pain and sadness pierce Duryodhana to the core, pulling him away from the reality of the world.

Nandha was his wife, all decisions regarding her life should be taken by him and not some random strangers. They didn't even felt the need to inform him about her journey. That mere thought angered him.

Then came the pain and sadness, as he thought about her. It killed him that even she did not feel it necessary to inform him about her journey. It saddened him, that their relationship had deteriorated to such a level. And he knew no one other than himself to blame for the misfortune.

But the thought about her leaving him just angered him. He clenched his fist trying to control the bubbling anger inside him. His breathing became shallower.

His Mitra was right, his anger is not gonna help him now. He thought, painfully.

He put his head back and closed his eyes for a short time, but the pounding headache and the burning in his throat only intensified.

"Mitra, I don't know what happened between you and Nandha but the distress and anguish between you two are painfully obvious for the viewers. There are quite few rumors spreading thorough the walls of the palace. You and Nandha, are now no more the happy couple I knew." Karna stated the painfully obvious. Duryodhana look at him with bloodshot eyes, knowing the very well what his Mitra was implying, "I know I'm no one to speak between you both but Mitra, if this continues then I'm sorry to say you will lose her forever."

"I will love her forever? I have already lost her, Mitra. There is nothing that can be done to undo everything I had done the past few weeks. The mental and physical pain I put her through, there is no forgiveness for that, Mitra." Duryodhana mourned.

"Mitra, you have not lost her, well not yet. You can still mend the void that has fallen between you two." Karna tried his best to explain the situation to his Mitra.

"There is no way one could ment a broken mud pot without leaving the traced of crack in it, Mithra. Things can never be the same again." He whispered, dejected.

"What did you do, Mithra? Please tell me you didn't do anything barmy in your anger." Duryodhana looked away, hearing the plead in karna's voice.

"Oh I wish I didn't." He then proceeded to tell his friend about everything that had transpired behind the closed doors of the palace because he knew the only person who can help him is the man before him.

The looks, the doubts, the warning, the confrontation, the painful night, the ignorance, Bhanumati's confession, his and Nakula's showdown, till the previous night's incident.

Karna looked quite baffled by what he had heard. He knew his Mitra does foolish things in his anger but he never expected him to commit a sin like that to wife.

He knew, he shouldn't have left to Anga during the arrival of pandavas. He completely forgot that Gandharraj was aiming for a chance for his revenge on panduputras, but never in his wildest thought did he think that, the evil man would use his own nephew's marital life as a bait for it.

"Please say something, Mithra Karna." Duryodhana's voice trembled, noticing the expressionless face of Karna.

Karna looked at him and sighed, "Mitra what you did to Nandha is a sin and whatever the reason be, there is no justification for it."

"I know Mithra, and I'm not trying to justify my actions. I just want to apologize to her. I want to heal the wounds I have inflected on her. I want to bring back the old cheerful Nandha and I have no one other than you to help me now. Please help me Mithra. If not for me at least for Nandha."

Karna looked at the broken man before him for a moment. He couldn't blame him for everything that had transpired. If not for Gandharraj's involvement maybe things would have been different.

"Listen Mitra, I won't promise you that I will make everything fine but I can assure you one thing, when Nandha return from Amernath, she will be the old Nandha."

A promise was made. A promise that might change the whole course of Mahabharat.

Soon the night was replaced by the morning. The moon and the stars were replaced by the sun and the clouds. Sunlight filled the sky, pure scattered light; its hue ambitiously illuminating each crevice of the land.

Sparrows chirped an explicit background melody. The trees shone as if they were wearing golden crowns and the vast sea was not able to absorb the bright sparks of the sun.

It was time.

Time for Alaknandha to start her journey back to her homeland, the place where she spent the majority of her life. More than that, she was finally going to see her family after a long time. Her father, brother, sister sister-in-law, the baby, she couldn't help but smile happily at the thought.

Nandha took the blessings of the elders, and bid farewell to them, a smile playing on her lips.

But amidst all this, her eyes were searching for someone, more specifically saying for her husband, whom she had not seen from the day prior.

'He didn't even feel it necessary to come see her before she leaves. But then who is she to him now? No-one. She lost her right over him and moreover he have someone else to love, someone who is more beautiful and good than her.' She thought, her heart painfully clenching.

She got into the chariot and settled herself comfortably before telling the charioteer to move.

Farewell, Hastinapur. She wished sighed with a smile.

Her heart leaped out as soon as her gaze met the twinkling brown eyes of her husband, who was sitting in the charioteer's place, his hands tightly holding the ropes, ready to pull the chariot.

She felt her mouth dry seeing him smile at her like nothing has happened between them in the past two days. She liked her lips trying to moisture them as her heart beat painfully fast in her chest.

Something is not right.

'Wasn't he supposed to leave to Kalinga tomorrow?' She thought bitterly. 'Then why in the name of Amernath is he here?'

She wanted to ask him but unfortunately no sound came from her mouth, though a part of her was glad that he was with her and not preparing for tomorrow's journey, the other part of her warned her not to built in hope.

They looked at each other for a brief moment before he turned around and pulled the chariot to motion.

And soon enough, the chariot was out of the gates of Hastinapur, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and disappointed as well as happy hearts.

took you guys one whole month to complete the target (ಥ_ಥ ) why?•