Maharaj of Kampilya King Drupad along with his fireborn Son Dhrishtadyumna came. They politely greeted the crowd. The objective of Swayamvar was told to everyone present there and then the bride for whom the swayamvar was arranged came. Everyone present there looked at her to see if what was described to them was true or not. Panchal kumari was truly like a celestial nymph with moderate height and wheatish skin colour. She was an ethereal beauty gorgeously dressed and her beauty could rival apsaras. Everyone was busy admiring her beauty with appreciation, lust or some other desire except few. Karna was not looking at but was busy in admiring the bow that was revealed.
In midst of everything there is a pair of eyes who was watching everything while hiding from the sight of everyone. Those pairs of eyes belong to a warrior no doubt because of the sharpness it holds but along with sharpness there is agony in them. The eyes belong to the eldest princess of Panchal who was now no better than disowned by her father. These eyes belong to Shikhandini, the previous commanders of Panchal army who lost only once under her supervision but that loss hit her too hard. She felt like the reason of birth collapsed after that defeat.
She clearly remembers how eager she was for that battle because she thought after that battle she would get her revenge from one who destroyed her or more accurately to say destroyed her previous birth life and all that left to her was to get her revenge but she failed the first ever opportunity she ever got. After that battle she was reduced to mere bodyguard for her fireborn sister. Her position was stripped away from her and given to her fireborn brother. Again she felt like she was abandoned by the entire universe. Worst of all, the reason behind it was Hastinapur once again.
She felt like she was cursed as she clearly remembered the day when her life was plunged into miseries. The swayamvar in front of her was like a mockery of the most traumatic event for her. She remembers her previous birth completely. She was Shikhandini in this life but she was Amba in her previous life. She was a pampered princess of Kashi where she was blessed with good parents and her two sisters. Seeing the Swayamvar she remembered how once a grand Swayamvar was arranged for her and her sisters. She wasn't foreign to these gazes and truly felt disgusted about a tradition which showcases women as prizes to be won. In her previous birth too She had a suitor beforehand who she loved, hence beforehand only she was clear who she would garland but everything was ruined because of one person. One person who barged into the Swayamvar uninvited. After that she lived life in penance and after getting the desired boom she self immolated.
Then she had her rebirth as prophesied, she was born to Drupad. Her childhood wasn't like any girl but as of a boy. There were two reasons behind it: first , King Drupad wanted a boy and second while burning in fire for revenge she didn't want to be like a pampered Princess. She remembered her helplessness because she didn't have strength, hence it would be better to be like a male and train to get strength so that she wouldn't be helpless as she was before. She engrossed herself in training and to become strong. After her training ended she was the most fierce warrior of Panchal. She couldn't be made Yuvraj as it would publicly reveal her existence and gender hence she became commander of Panchal. She did exemplary well as commander and broadened the boundaries of her kingdom by winning wars. Nobody knew who she was or how she looked but the power of the commander of Panchal became known throughout Aryavart.
Everything was going well but suddenly a war invitation came to Panchal by princes of Hastinapur in order for them to give their Guru Dakshina. She didn't let others know but snorted, Hastinapur was still the same mixing black and whilte, the hypocrites of Hastinapur always found a reason to cover their Adharma in the name of Dharma. She prepared for the war but her motive was not as simple as to defeat the princes but she wanted to capture them and force Bhishma to come and there she would have her revenge. But Niyati wasn't in her favor; they lost the war. All the princes were formidable but if she has to choose only three were exceptional then they would be Pandu Putra, second Kaunteya and blessings of vayu dev Rajkumar Bheem, Eldest Gandhari Nandan Suyodhana who fought with her and even defeated her and third was Panduputra kaunteya and blessings of indradev Arjun who defeated her father.
The catastrophic war resulted in the division of Panchal where the wicked and greedy Brahman Drona had asked for the most flourished region after her father was brought to him and asked her father to crown his son as king of that land. She knew this was to humiliate her father. After returning back to region they have left, her father berated her and scolded her for her incompetence. It doesn't matter to her as her father was a typical King and never they had any close bond. She was his subordinates, she knew power and status all he cared for along with his ego which was surely impacted by the loss. Her father then ordered to bring all the sages their army could to do yagna to get the desired son who could kill Drona and avenge her humiliation.
A year before her father succeeded and from Yagna he got a son and a daughter. Both were born as adults with necessary knowledge. Her brother was named Dhrishtadyumna who was born with a sword and boon to kill Drona and her sister was named Draupadi. Her father has given her his name indicating how much he has hope of her. She was introduced as bodyguard to Draupadi to her new fireborn siblings and her post was snatched from her and was given to Dhrishtadyumna. She was shocked and didn't think one loss would take for her father to practically disown her. For the second time it happened to her and her belief was tampered, she already has doubts that how could she kill Bhishma when she couldn't defeat her grandsons who just finished their Gurukul. Maybe it was because of military secrets she wasn't thrown out of the palace and Kampilya because clearly Maharaj had told her to never interfere with his fireborn children.
Her life afterwards was as such but she didn't say anything because she somewhere in her heart lost faith in herself and accepted her fate. Abandoned twice could do severe damage to self esteem and confidence of a person. She knew she was a shell of what she was before. Gone, the stubborn and bold Amba, not only that the fierce warrior Shikhandini was lost as well. Her ambitions, aspirations, and quest became meaningless as her existence. She decided that she would spend the time left for her to serve the kingdom and Maharaj because she was in their debt as they raised and nurtured her. She didn't know how many nights she spent crying in solitude. Her new siblings weren't one she ever connected to but one thing worries her that her sister was too similar to her father and that scared her.
Her series of thoughts ended when she saw a familiar yet stranger among the candidates present there. She saw the man whom she talked for a little while today and got some relief and reaffirmation over the course of two years since her defeat. His optimistic talk and encouragement though she knew it would be impossible for him to even think she was the outcast they were talking about. He might know of Amba as her take is not hidden though was swept under rug but never could she imagine he knew she was her. She saw him sitting straight with heads high but unlike others his eyes were glued on the bow. Through small talk she knew he had enough respect for women after all, which Maharaj would apologize to a soldier much less a female one? Seeing him looking at bow she understood two things: first he was obsessed with archery and second, unlike others he didn't have much interest in the beauty of her sister. Two beside him also retracted their gazes but their gaze were of indifference aa if they just saw bride and that's it it didn't hold any other meaning. She of course knew these two one were Ashwathama son of Dronacharya and ruler of northern panchal while the other was Gandhari Nandan Suyodhana yuvraj of Hastinapur. She could guess the identity of the man she talked to not long before.
Infact she sincerely hopes her sister would marry him instead of others but didn't know a bad premonition she was feeling about everything going to happen.
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FanfictionIt's a reincarnation story where a 21st century man was reincarnated as Karna. join in to know How he intends to do things differently.
