‘I do not understand. She said it was a tradition of the Union. That it was not proper for the younger brother to wed before the eldest, and that meant my marrying Prince Yudhistir. I am sure Arjun must have fought for me,’ she said, disbelieving her own words. ‘Krishna said as much. He said it must have been Arjun’s idea, for this arrangement was the only way for him to wed me without breaking custom and law.’

Satyabhama gave a weary shake of her head, as if cursing inwardly. ‘A war dawns on the horizon, child.’

‘The Yamuna Wars?’ Draupadi asked.

‘No. The War. A civil war in Hastinapur. Know this Draupadi…you think your life is terrible now, and the Gods have been unjust. Little bird, this is just the beginning of the slippery slope to the fire pits you will soon find yourself on. Hastinapur is complex. Aryavrat is a land of a hundred petty city states who fan their egos by calling themselves kingdoms, just so those Ksharjas can call themselves kings, even if it is king of nothing more than a rock. And brothers have fought for centuries over rocks. Nothing new in that. But there is something sinister brewing in Hastinapur. Ask any Acharya of Meru what the prediction about a civil war in Hastinapur is. He will say the War should have taken place fifty summers ago.’

Draupadi was shocked. ‘Fifty?’

Satyabhama nodded gravely. ‘It is a simmering pot…the pressure built by dark forces. I wish I knew more, child. The children of Kunti, Prince Duryodhan, and his Resht friend Karna...’

The name caught Draupadi off guard and she prayed Satyabhama had not noticed. When she closed her eyes, she could still see him gliding across the arena to save her.

Satyabhama continued, ‘And you…you are all to play a great part in the destiny of this godforsaken realm. And for that Kunti needs all her five sons as a solid force together. A woman can be a harbinger of chaos. You brought Panchal with you, but you also brought lust. It was all the brothers could do not to tear into each other to be first with you. If you had married just Arjun, jealousy, resentment and envy would have replaced loyalty and brotherhood. Have to hand it to the old coot. She plays dirty but she plays smart.’ Satyabhama dropped a wink, but Draupadi did not see, too aghast by the revelation.

‘Breathe, child,’ Satyabhama said. ‘Trust me, I know you think you have it bad now. Surely some may consider being wife to five husbands better than being third wife to one husband. Needs the right perspective. So, my advice –forget the husbands, focus on the bitch.’

‘What do I do then?’

‘Fight Kunti on her own turf. Don’t be a lamb. Be a…’ she smiled, ‘a wolf.’

Draupadi nodded, feeling cold. They sat for a while in silence, watching the shadows deepen. As the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon, a page arrived for Draupadi.