A String Of Pearls

On the night of the thirteenth day, Arjun vowed to kill Jayadrath before the next Sunset or to jump into fire himself, upon failing.

In the Kaurava camp, it became the greatest goal of the fourteenth day to protect Jayadrath till Sunset.

Bhanumati couldn't really bring herself to care much. Her son was dead. So many of her nephews were dead. What were they even fighting for anymore if their future was gone?

Her brother remained by her side throughout the night, sharing her grief even as Duryodhan got swept up in the next day's planning.

She sobbed into Bhrata Shrutayudha's arms the way he had sobbed into hers when his son had been killed. They fell asleep like that.

When the sky started turning orange, she did not wish to leave the grounding warmth of her brother's arms.

"I have to go start preparing, my dear." He whispered into her ear as she dozed into his chest.

"Please don't go, Bhrata." She said, her voice shaking, as she blinked the sleep away from the eyes. "I can't lose you too. I can't ask Duryodhan not to go, but you are my brother. I can ask that of you, right?"

Bhrata Shrutayudha looked at her sadly.

"Bhanu--"

"You would never deny your sister, right?" Bhanumati asked, panic once again starting to build in her chest. Duryodhan would be protected by Guru Drona and Bhrata Karna but she could not lose Bhrata Shrutayudha too. She could not.

"Bhanu, you know I must go fight."

"You can just not." She argued. "I'll tell Duryodhan. I'll make him accept it. This is not your fight anyway. You're just supporting us. And your army is going to be fighting anyway."

Her brother frowned. "Bhanu, you honestly cannot just expect me to sit out of the battle like a coward."

She grabbed onto his shoulders. "I've just lost my son, I cannot lose you too!"

Bhrata Shrutayudha gently pulled off her claw-like grip on his shoulders and said, "I have my divine mace gifted to me by my father Varun Dev, Bhanu. As long as the person in front of me is armed, they cannot kill me, and they cannot stop the mace no matter how skilled they are. And given that I do not plan on attacking any unarmed men on the battlefield, I should be fine."

"Bhratashree, Arjun will be like the Destroyer today if his vow is anything to go by. I am not worried about Bhrata Karna and I know that he and Guru Drona will keep Duryodhan alive. But I am worried about you. And given that Vasudeva Krishna and the Gods are doing all sorts of things in Arjun's favour... I do not even trust your divine mace."

She gulped. "After all, Bhrata Karna was supposed to be immortal by his divine Kavach but the Gods took advantage of his generosity to trick him out of it. Pitamaha Bheeshma was supposed to be impossible to kill and they have left him in such a terrible state. Who is to say that Vasudev Krishna will not do something that will make your divine mace fail?"

Her brother sighed.

"There is nothing I can do either way. Whatever is meant to happen will happen. But I cannot simply sit out of the battle! I will not! What will happen if all warriors start sitting out of the battle out of fear for their life?! Talk sense, sister."

"And if you die?!" Bhanumati cried. "Will you leave me as well?"

"Have some faith in your brother, Bhanumati."

"I have lost all faith!" She exclaimed. "Despite all my misgivings, I tried to have faith yesterday that my son will survive. There was a grand plan yesterday. There was a Chakravyuh and Arjun was kept away from the main battlefield. And yet my son died. Today there is no grand plan except to keep Jayadrath alive till Sundown and today Arjun will be in top form and he will be desiring vengeance."