King Duryodhana and his army. Source: Wikipedia
The messenger quickly departed for the House of Joy. As he rode towards the House of Joy he thought about the situation. "How cowardly of King Duryodhana to slaughter the Pandavas in their sleep. Why would anyone want to do this to the Pandavas? They are friends of the people." The messenger decided that he would change the course of events this evening. He rode around the camp where the King's archer was waiting for the signal to fire, and rode straight to the House of Joy. Upon seeing the magnificent house for himself, he understood why the Pandavas could be lured here so easily. He presented himself at the door and said, "Pandavas, I am an agent of King Duryodhana, and I request your audience." The Pandavas gathered at the door and received the messenger. "Pandavas, you are in great danger. King Duryodhana built this place as a trap. This place is meant to be your grave, not your home. There is an archer waiting in the forest to loose a fire arrow on this house while you are sleeping. Flee this place and I will order him to fire, then you may plot your revenge against Duryodhana. I will tell nobody that you have survived."
The Pandavas were shocked by this news of treachery from King Duryodhana. They thanked the messenger for saving their lives and quickly gathered their possessions. They then fled into the forest outside of the House of Joy and waited to watch it go up in flames. Meanwhile, the messenger rode to the archer in waiting. He arrived and showed the King's seal to the archer. "The Pandavas are fast asleep inside the House of Joy, send them to their graves." The archer sent the fire arrow flying and after a brief moment the House of Joy exploded in flames. "Our work here is done. Let us return to King Duryodhana and tell him that the Pandavas have perished." They returned to the king and told him that the House of Joy was in flames. The king was relieved by this news and retired to his chamber.
Author's Note: This story was inspired by Narayan's The Mahabharata. I wanted to tell an alternate version of the story where King Duryodhana is betrayed by his own forces. The Pandavas are loved by the people and would not want to see them killed by Duryodhana.
Bibliography:
- Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.
I thought this was a great alternative story to the one in Mahabharata. I think this is a very plausible way for the Pandavas to be warned. Your story is a little more dramatic in that they were almost burned in the fire, which would have ended the story of Mahabharata rather quickly. I think you did a good job!!!
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