Storytelling Week 10- Draupadi's Thoughts

How can this be? Where are my husbands? They said that they would always protect me. If only we had lived out the final year in the woods this would have never happened. They were warned that if they didn’t keep a close eye on me there would be others that would lust after me.

How could Yudhishthira just ignore me when I came to speak with him. I told him what Kickaka was trying. They all ignored me, except for Bhisma. He told me that he would protect me no matter the cost. Bhisma confronted Kickaka. Once I heard that Kickaka had died, I knew that it was because of Bhima. I wish that Bhima hadn’t killed him. If he hadn’t killed him I wouldn’t be on my way to be burned alive.

Everyone seems to be gathered around the prye. They are lined down the street waiting for me to be burned alive. Why are all these people here to watch me die? What did I ever do to them to make them hate me so much that they want to see me burned alive? If only Yudhishthira hadn’t gambled away our freedom, I wouldn’t be in this mess. How could he just gamble us away like we were nothing. After all this time I had hoped that being in the wilderness would make him more helpful. After I found out that the people wanted to kill me, I approached Yudhishthira about helping me, and all he did was say he would try to help me. Again I approached my other husbands and they all said the same thing as Yudhishthira. Thankful the gods allowed me to marry a real man. Bhima was the only one of my husbands that said he would protect me.

Where could Bhima be? I am almost to the prye. If he doesn’t hurry I will be burned to death. All of the people want me to die. I can see it in their eyes. They believe me to be some demon. They are afraid that I will bring about the destruction of their kingdom. Wait what was that movement up ahead? I swore there was someone in hiding in the shadows. Why is there a cart across the road? There he is! It is Bhima! He has come to save me! He takes out my escort like they are nothing but twigs. Thank the gods that I have a true husband like Bhisma.

Author’s Note- I decided to write about Draupadi being dragged to Kickaka funeral prye. I thought this was a great topic to write about because the book doesn’t go into much detail about this situation. So this allowed me to expand the thoughts of Draupadi in whatever way I wanted.

Draupadi. Source