Karna's voice remained calm, neither overly warm nor distant.
"I already have three Queens, Princess. I cannot promise you the affection or love that you expect from a husband. However..."
He then looked directly into Ratnaprabha's eyes.
"I, the mortal son of Suryadevm, swear upon my father..." he declared firmly, "that I will fulfill all the duties of a husband. You will never be treated as less than my wife. You will have my protection, my respect, and a place within my kingdom."
Ratnaprabha's eyes glistened instantly. Emotion welled inside them so suddenly that she had to lower her head deeply to hide it.
"Thank you…" she whispered softly.
Then Queen Urmila stepped forward once more. "Perhaps, it was indeed destiny that brought you to us, here."
"Hmm?" As Karna looked, Urmila raised her hand.
In her hands appeared a glowing blue jewel. The gem radiated strange energy, illuminating the surroundings with soft azure light.
"This jewel is the prized possession of our kingdom," Urmila said solemnly while placing it into Karna's palm, "This is the Syamantakamani. It originally belonged to your father, Suryanarayana, who gave it to his devotee. When he accidentally entered our territory, he was killed by us, and since then, the jewel has been in our possession. For us, it is nothing but a blessing from Suryanarayana, as we never get to see him as the human. But for a human like you, it is useful practically. It produces seventy-seven kilograms of pure gold every day. May it bring prosperity to your kingdom, Maharaj."
Karna's eyes narrowed slightly at the immense value of the divine gem. He did hear about Syamanthakamani before, when he was a child, and later in a brief discussion with Queen Sumedha
For a brief moment, thoughts of Dakshina Kalinga flashed through his mind. The treasury concerns. The future construction of Sarvadevalaya. The trade routes. The burden of maintaining prosperity without crushing the people beneath taxes.
Perhaps…
This, too, was destiny's arrangement. Karna thought. How is it that he finds his father's possession in this place at such a time when he was facing financial troubles?
The marriage ceremony happened shortly afterward within the underwater kingdom itself.
No grand music played.
No celebrations echoed through the halls.
No dancers, no royal decorations, no elaborate rituals.
Only sacred vows spoken quietly before the ancient Naga elders while blue flames burned inside crystal lamps around them.
The atmosphere felt strangely solemn.
Like the ocean itself had become witness to a duty-bound union forged not through romance… but through fate and necessity.
When the ceremony ended, Ratnaprabha quietly moved beside Karna.
Her head remained slightly lowered while one hand lightly held the edge of his golden armor, almost unconsciously, as if seeking silent reassurance amidst an unfamiliar future that had arrived too suddenly for her heart to fully grasp.
*
Later;
When Subhadra slowly regained consciousness, the first thing she felt was the cold ocean wind brushing against her cheeks and the steady rhythmic movement beneath her body.
Her eyelids fluttered weakly before finally opening, and for a brief moment, her mind remained hazy from exhaustion and fear.
The memory of falling from the cliff into the endless dark waters, the roar of the wind in her ears, and the terrifying sensation of drowning still lingered inside her chest like a nightmare refusing to fade away.
She slowly lifted her head.
The sky above had already shifted toward dawn colors, faint orange spreading across the horizon while the salty smell of the sea drifted through the air.
She realized she was lying sideways upon a horse, wrapped carefully with a cloak so she would not fall during the journey. Nearby, another pair of footsteps echoed softly against the rocky coastal path.
Karna was walking beside the horse.
His expression remained calm as always, as though the fierce battle from earlier had merely been another obstacle on a long road. Yet Subhadra quickly noticed he was not alone.
Beside him walked a beautiful young woman.
At first glance, she appeared human. Her long black hair carried a bluish shimmer beneath the morning light, and her face possessed delicate beauty unlike anything Subhadra had seen before. However, the moment the woman lifted her eyes slightly, Subhadra froze.
Vertical slits.
Snake-like eyes.
And resting upon her head was a crown decorated with the symbol of a hooded cobra.
Subhadra's breath caught instantly.
"A Naga?" she exclaimed in shock, instinctively pulling herself upright on the horse while fear flickered visibly across her face.
The young woman immediately stopped walking.
For a brief moment, nervousness appeared in her eyes, almost as if she expected rejection or hostility.
Then, Karna said, "You are awake, Princess."
Subhadra pointed at the young woman, "Who is she?"
Karna calmly answered, "Her name is Ratnaprabha, Princess. A Princess of the Samudra Naga Clan."
Taking a brief pause, he calmly added, "and my wife."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Subhadra stared at him so suddenly that even the horse beneath her shifted slightly from the abrupt movement. For several moments, she genuinely thought she had misheard him. Her mind struggled to connect the words together.
Wife?
This Naga princess?
Her eyes moved back and forth between the two of them.
Then slowly, very slowly, realization began creeping into her expression.
Karna noticed the confusion clearly, and without hiding anything, he calmly narrated everything that had happened after she fell into the ocean.
He explained about the underwater kingdom, about the battle against the Naga King Varunaksha, about the ancient customs of the Samudra Naga clan, and finally, the marriage that had taken place to stop that blood feud curse.
As Subhadra listened, her emotions became tangled.
On one side, relief flooded her heart because she was alive. Every time she remembered Narakasura's corrupted eyes and the cruel laughter echoing through the forest, cold fear still crawled down her spine. The thought that Karna had chased death itself to rescue her made her chest tighten with gratitude she could not even properly express.
But another feeling quietly rose alongside that gratitude.
Guilt.
A strange, uncomfortable guilt.
Because of her… Karna had been forced into a marriage.
And the fact that she is so beautiful and mesmerizing made her chest tighten, too.
Subhadra glanced toward Ratnaprabha again.
The Naga princess remained quiet the entire time, walking slightly behind Karna now, almost carefully matching his pace as though afraid to create inconvenience for him. There was no arrogance in her posture despite being a princess herself. Instead, she appeared nervous, unfamiliar with the human world around her.
Subhadra suddenly did not know what to say anymore.
The journey back to Dvarika continued mostly in silence.
However, the moment they approached the fortified city, the atmosphere changed entirely.
The city was already in chaos.
Conches echoed loudly through the air while soldiers rushed across the gates carrying weapons.
Torches still burned from the previous night's battle, and smoke lingered near parts of the harbor where enemy ships had attacked earlier.
Citizens stood gathered in worried clusters while servants and guards searched frantically across different parts of the palace grounds.
The moment someone spotted Subhadra atop the horse, loud cries immediately erupted.
"Rajkumari!"
"The princess has returned!"
Within moments, soldiers rushed forward while servants nearly broke into tears from relief.
Soon, Crown Prince Balarama himself arrived alongside King Vasudeva. Balarama's face, which had remained hardened with worry the entire night, visibly relaxed the instant he saw his younger sister unharmed.
"Subhadra!" he called out loudly before quickly reaching her.
Subhadra stepped down from the horse and immediately embraced her elder brother. The emotional tension she had been suppressing until now finally cracked slightly as exhaustion caught up with her. Even Vasudeva closed his eyes briefly in relief before placing his hand gently upon her head.
Then their attention shifted toward Karna.
Subhadra narrated everything.
Every detail of what happened to her and what Karna told her.
The attack. Narakasura. The chase. The underwater kingdom. The battle. The marriage.
As the story unfolded, both Balarama and Vasudeva became increasingly astonished.
Finally, after hearing everything, Vasudeva folded his hands respectfully toward Karna.
"Maharaj Karna," he said solemnly, "today, our family has fallen into your debt once again. A person's true character is tested not in comfort, but when fate places another's life in his hands. You protected my daughter while expecting nothing in return."
Balarama too stepped forward and firmly grabbed Karna's arm.
"You saved our Subhadra," he said with heartfelt sincerity. "Dvarika will never forget this."
Then his eyes moved toward Ratnaprabha.
For a moment, surprise flickered there due to her serpent features.
But Balarama simply nodded respectfully.
"And welcome to Dvarika, Maharani."