"It was just a dream — but it brought back the girl he fell in love with."
Radha's face lit up when she spoke about her dream. Adhiratha listened quietly, his eyes softening. He knew it was just a dream, but it had brought a spark back to her eyes — something he hadn't seen in days.
"I want to hear more," he said, leaning forward with a hint of excitement. "Tell me everything. But not here. It's a full moon tonight. The sky looks beautiful. Let's sit outside and talk — like old times."
He stood up and gently offered his hand.
Radha looked at him, surprised. "Now?"
"Yes," he said. "And… Sumati sent food for you. You haven't eaten all day. Let's sit in the backyard for a while."
Before she could say anything else, he helped her up and led her toward the small backyard. It was Radha's favourite corner — a quiet patch behind the house where she had planted herbs like tulsi, neem, turmeric, and others used for everyday illnesses. Their house was larger than most in the area. So, whenever someone needed a few leaves for a fever or a wound, Radha would happily share what she had grown.
They sat down on the mud floor in the backyard, under the soft moonlight. The sky was full of stars, and the soft smell of tulsi, neem, and turmeric floated in the breeze. The plants around them swayed gently, filling the air with a quiet kind of peace.
Adhiratha opened the tightly packed banana leaf bundle. The food was still a little warm. As the aroma of ghee and spices rose, he took a small portion with his hand and offered it to Radha.
She said nothing — just smiled and leaned forward, eating quietly from his hand.
It was nothing new between them. Even after all these years of marriage, this simple habit had never changed. Sometimes she fed him, sometimes he fed her. Just a small part of their daily life.
Tonight was no different. They sat in silence, under the stars, sharing food like they always had.
Halfway through the meal, Adhiratha looked at her.
"So," he said softly, with a playful smile, "are you going to tell me the rest of the dream or not? I can see you're dying to share it."
Radha's eyes lit up again. She quickly wiped her face with both hands and turned to him, excitedly.
"I saw our son," she began. "He was sleeping in a large, floating basket. There were soft cushions all around him, and flowers — medicinal ones. The kind that calms the mind. But the strange thing is… he was wearing a golden kavach and kundal. They didn't seem like something he had worn — they looked like they were part of his body. They had their own glow — like a soft light. He looked like… like a god, sleeping peacefully in that basket."
She paused, the memory of it still fresh in her mind.
"The river was flowing very slowly, as if… as if it was afraid to go too fast. Like it didn't want the basket to flip. Then suddenly, he started crying — I knew he was hungry. I tried to go to him, but something stopped me. I don't know what… but I just couldn't reach him."
Radha grew quiet. Her smile faded. There was a helpless look on her face.
Adhiratha didn't interrupt. He just sat there, listening.
Then, after a few moments, Radha's eyes brightened again.
"You won't believe what happened next," she said, almost whispering. "A warm ray of sunlight suddenly touched him — like it came out of nowhere. And just like that… he stopped crying. He gave the sweetest little burp, smiled, and fell asleep again."
Adhiratha didn't know what to say after hearing Radha's dream. He just sat there, silent. It was the kind of dream that left even a man like him speechless.
Then he noticed Radha suddenly sitting up, as if she was about to leave.
"Where are you going?" he asked, stopping her gently. "You haven't even finished eating."
Radha smiled, her eyes still shining. "Our son is coming," she said softly. "He looked so beautiful in the dream. I have to start making the best dress for him. I don't have time to sit and eat."
Adhiratha held her hand and stopped her.
"Finish your meal first, dear," he said with a small smile. "If you don't take care of yourself properly, how will you take care of our son? Don't worry — I'll help you. We'll make the best dress together."
Radha looked at him, unsure. She still wanted to start sewing right away. But in the end, she sighed and sat back down as Adhiratha began feeding her again.
She began eating quickly, too quickly. In her hurry, she bit Adhiratha's finger by mistake.
"Ahhh… Radha!" he yelped, pulling his hand back. "Eat slowly! You'll chew off my whole hand at this rate. Then how will I play with our son?"
He laughed, and Radha turned red with shyness. But she slowed down and finished the rest of her food quietly, a small smile still on her face.
After finishing her meal, Radha stood up quickly and ran to wash her hands and face, almost like an excited child.
Adhiratha watched her go, a quiet smile forming on his face. It had been a long time since he'd seen her like this — full of life, light on her feet, eyes shining. For a moment, it felt like time had turned back. For a moment, she looked just like the girl he had fallen in love with years ago.
Still smiling, he slowly stood up and cleaned the spot where they had eaten. Then he walked over to wash his hands too.
When Adhiratha entered the bedroom, he saw Radha already sitting on the floor with the trunk pulled out from under the bed. The lid was open, and she was going through her old clothes one by one, carefully touching each fabric. Her face was glowing with excitement, like a child searching for treasure.
Then she paused. She had found something.
Radha gently pulled out a yellow cloth—soft and still as bright and beautiful as new. It was the cloth Adhiratha had given her after their marriage. His first gift to her. It was her most favourite — the one she had kept safe all these years like a treasure. She had never worn it.
She looked up at Adhiratha and asked softly, her eyes full of hope,
"Do you think I can use this cloth to sew our son's first dress? It was your first gift to me… and my best cloth. I feel I should ask your permission, since your feelings are also attached to it."
Adhiratha gave a wide smile and walked closer.
"It's your cloth," he said gently. "Why would you need my permission? And my feelings… they aren't tied to the cloth — they're tied to you. If you feel this is the best cloth for our son, then it's perfect. Use it."
When Radha heard his words, she couldn't stop smiling. Without thinking, she threw her arms around him in a quick, happy hug. Then, like an excited child, she rushed to take out her sewing kit.
"I'll make it now," she said, already walking fast. "There's plenty moonlight outside."
Before Adhiratha could say anything, she had already run off to the backyard — the yellow cloth in her arms and her footsteps light with joy. She wanted to sew the first piece of her son's clothing under the soft full moon.
Adhiratha stayed in the bedroom, sitting quietly on the edge of the bed. He didn't follow her — just smiled and watched her go, his heart full. Tonight, he had seen the old Radha again — the girl he had fallen in love with long ago.
After Radha left the room and went out of his sight, Adhiratha's smile slowly faded. He sat still, thinking deeply.
"Is Radha's dream real? I don't know. I've seen a divine-human with my own eyes — I've even worked for years under him, the strongest pillar of Hastinapur. I've seen and heard many divine things in my life. If her dream is real… and a divine-human child truly is coming to us… then it's a blessing. Finally, we will become parents."
He paused. His chest felt tight with a strange ache.
"But still… something feels wrong. It's like I'm standing at the edge of losing something precious. This feeling started back when I was at Bhagiratha's house. I thought I was just missing Radha… but now I'm back, and Radha is happy with her dream. So why is this feeling still here? My instincts are always right. They've come from hard training — and long years on the battlefield. Is something truly about to go wrong?"
Author's Note:
Hi everyone,
I'm sorry for being late again in uploading the next chapter. I uploaded Chapter 3 on 28th July, and today is 31st July. My only excuse is… well, I'm shifting houses. I've lived in the same home for over 25 years, and now I'm moving to a new place — so things have been really busy. That's one reason.
The second reason? I'll admit it… I'm a little lazy. And honestly, writing a story is really hard. I didn't realize it before. When I was just a reader, I used to get frustrated when authors didn't upload new chapters on time. But now, when I'm trying to write one myself, I finally understand how pressured and exhausted those writers must have felt.
Also, I want to be honest — I've been feeling a bit disappointed lately. I've already uploaded 3 chapters. I got 2k+ views, but only 8 collections. It made me doubt myself a little. But my mom and elder sister told me I should continue this project even if I don't get much response right now. They reminded me to look at the positive side: I got 8 collections — and 2 lovely people actually commented on my story.
Thank you Nikhil_Tom_Biju and reader_7792 for your kind comments. I'm sorry I didn't reply to you personally, but I did read your words — and they really encouraged me. Your support helped me believe that maybe, just maybe, I'm on the right path.
Also… I have some exciting news to share!
My book has passed the new book vetting on Webnovel!... It will be recommended in the Fresh Stories section, and they told me it has a chance of getting contracted. That gave me a huge boost, especially since my story is so different from the usual ones on Webnovel. I was really nervous about that.
I know the story is moving at a slow pace — especially around Radha and Adhiratha — but I hope you'll understand why after reading this chapter. There's a reason I want to give them more time.
If you still haven't added this book to your library, please do it now! The next chapter will be published on 2nd August, and I'd love for you to be there when it's out.
Anyway, I'll stop now — this note is already getting too long. I don't know if anyone will actually read this (even I used to skip author's notes when I was a reader), but if you're here reading this, thank you. Truly.