Only a short while ago, Karna had stood in their path and refused to let them leave. She had feared that her decision would drive a wedge between them, perhaps even make him withdraw the affection he had always shown her.
Instead, he was offering Arjuna advice that could help him become a stronger warrior.
"He truly intends to stand by his promise," she thought, looking at Karna with renewed warmth. "Even though he does not approve of our decision, he is still trying to help us."
She could not know whether Karna's advice came entirely from his concern for her or simply from his respect for a fellow warrior's potential. For the moment, however, she chose to accept it as a sign that the bond between them had not been broken.
By the time Yudhishthira and Bhima approached, Karna had finished explaining another point about adjusting one's stance when fighting an opponent who attacked from an unexpected angle. Arjuna was considering the advice when Bhima interrupted them.
"What are the two of you discussing so seriously?"
Arjuna glanced toward him. "Nothing important, Brother Bhima. We were discussing a few things about archery."
Bhima raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced that there was nothing important about receiving instruction from Karna, but he did not comment on it.
Arjuna looked toward the hut and then at the sun, which had begun its slow descent toward the trees. "I think Nakula and Sahadeva may take some time to return from the river," he said. "We should not keep the Princess standing out here in the sun for so long."
Bhima's expression immediately brightened with amusement.
"Look at that! You have not even asked Mother's permission to marry, and you are already worried about the comfort of our future sister-in-law."
Arjuna's face warmed. He glanced at Draupadi before turning back to his brother.
"It is not about showing concern, Brother Bhima. It is basic etiquette. She is a princess who has travelled a considerable distance, and there is no reason to make her stand outside when we have a place where she can rest."
"Of course," Bhima replied, his grin widening. "Basic etiquette."
Arjuna gave him a disapproving look, but Bhima merely chuckled. Even with the tension surrounding their arrival, his brother's embarrassment offered a welcome distraction.
Yudhishthira, however, had begun considering the situation more carefully.
Their mother was inside the hut, still occupied with her prayers, while Nakula and Sahadeva had not yet returned. Draupadi had arrived unexpectedly, and Karna's presence had added another complication. He wanted to tell Kunti about the princess himself, but he also knew that the moment would be far more meaningful if the family could receive the news together.
After a brief pause, he turned toward Bhima.
"Bhima, let us do something. You stay here and keep Maharaj Karna company. I will take Arjuna and Princess Draupadi inside and surprise Mother."
Bhima's amusement disappeared as he glanced at Karna. The thought of being left alone with the very man he had just accused of nearly killing Arjuna was hardly appealing. He hesitated, clearly considering whether he could find a reason to accompany Yudhishthira instead.
But his elder brother had already made the decision.
Yudhishthira turned toward Arjuna and Draupadi. "Come with me. Mother will be pleased to see you both."
As they began walking toward the hut, he passed Bhima and briefly rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Remember what I told you, Bhima. Maharaj Karna is our guest now. I expect you to show him the proper hospitality."
Bhima pressed his lips together before giving a reluctant nod. "As you wish, Elder Brother."
Yudhishthira gave him an approving smile and continued toward the hut with Arjuna and Draupadi. Their footsteps soon disappeared inside, leaving Karna and Bhima standing together in the clearing.
For a while, neither man spoke.
The sounds of the forest filled the silence, with birds calling from the branches above and the distant murmur of the river drifting through the trees.
Bhima stood with his arms folded, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond the clearing, while Karna waited without pressing him to speak.
The difference between them was plain.
Bhima had never been comfortable with Karna, and the confrontation at Kampilya had given him another reason to distrust the warrior.
Karna finally broke the silence.
"Given our history, I doubt you would willingly accept advice from me. But if you are willing to listen, I have a few observations about the battle we fought today."
Bhima let out a derisive snort and turned his face away.
"I know why I lost. You do not have to explain it to me."
Karna waited, allowing him to continue.
"I have superior strength. I know that much. But my techniques are not good enough to defeat someone like you. I have not fought enough opponents whose strength and skill are equal to or greater than mine. I need more experience against such warriors, and the only way to improve is to fight them. I cannot learn everything by listening to someone explain what I should have done."
Karna regarded him for a moment before shaking his head with a faint smile. "Even if you fought a hundred such battles, you would continue making the same mistakes unless you understood what was causing them."
Bhima's head snapped around. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Karna.
"Then what is it?"
"First, you do not properly control your immense strength when your emotions take over. The more frustrated you become, the less control you exercise over it. Your strength is a great advantage, Bhima, but strength without control can become a weakness. It may help you overwhelm an enemy, yet not everyone who opposes you deserves to die. You must learn to distinguish between an opponent who needs to be defeated and one who must be destroyed."
Bhima's expression darkened, but Karna continued before he could interrupt.
"Second, you are impatient. You want to finish a battle quickly, and when your opponent refuses to fall as you expect, you become frustrated. That frustration affects your judgment. Third, you do not take enough time to understand your opponent. You concentrate on overpowering the person before you, but you rarely consider why he is fighting in a particular way or what he intends to do next."
For a moment, Bhima stared at him in disbelief. Then his face tightened, and his hands curled into fists.
"So now you intend to insult me under the guise of offering advice?"
Karna sighed and shook his head.
"There you go again. I have barely finished speaking, and you are already angry."
"Who would not become angry when someone insults him to his face?" Bhima retorted. "What if I told you that you are no different? You claim to be a protector of dharma, yet you always find a way to justify your own actions and make yourself appear righteous. You speak as though you stand above everyone else, as though your understanding of dharma is the only one that matters."
The words struck closer to home than Bhima perhaps realized. Karna's expression tightened, and for a brief moment, the faint smile disappeared from his face. He looked at Bhima, weighing the accusation rather than responding in anger.
At last, he lowered his gaze slightly and answered in a quiet voice.
"If that is what you believe about me, Bhima, then you are free to think so."
Bhima opened his mouth, ready to continue, but before he could utter another word, a sudden scream rang out from inside the hut.
"No!"
Both men turned sharply toward the entrance.
The sound had come from Draupadi, and the anger in her voice was unmistakable. A moment later, she rushed out of the hut, her face flushed and her eyes blazing as she stepped into the clearing.
Karna and Bhima exchanged a startled glance before turning their attention toward her.
"Draupadi..."