Chapter 3: More Than a Headman

"He fulfilled his duty outside, but his heart stayed behind—with her."

The evening had already settled in. The sky outside was painted in soft shades of purple and gold, but Adhiratha barely noticed it. He sat quietly in a corner of the neighbor's courtyard, where the naming ceremony was underway. Lamps glowed all around, filling the room with a soft light. A singer sat inside, quietly singing hymns in praise of the gods. From nearby, there was laughter—men talking, women chatting in another room, and children running around with sweets in their hands.

Adhiratha nodded politely whenever someone passed by or greeted him. But inside, he felt like a guest in someone else's joy.

He shouldn't have come. But as the head of the Suta community, his absence would have raised questions. It was expected of him—to attend, to smile, to show support. Still, the songs and laughter only deepened the hollow inside him.

His wife, Radha, wasn't invited. No one said it out loud, but everyone knew why. A woman without a child had no place at a naming ceremony.

The thought made his chest feel heavy. He imagined her back home, sitting alone, maybe pretending to be busy, maybe just staring out the window. In the past few months, she had grown quieter. And no matter how much he tried to be strong for her, he could see her slipping away into her own silence.

Adhiratha's eyes fell on the young parents, glowing with joy as they held their newborn. The father proudly handed sweets to everyone; the mother beamed with happiness. People blessed the baby, called it a gift from the gods. Adhiratha tried to smile, but the tightness in his throat wouldn't go away.

He remembered a different time—years ago—when he was first made head of the Suta community, he had been proud and filled with hope—sure that life would turn out differently. That he and Radha would have children. That their home would be filled with laughter.

But that dream faded, little by little, and now, the title that once made him proud felt more like a weight he carried on his own.

Adhiratha stood up from his seat. He had stayed long enough. He had done what was expected—blessed the newborn, exchanged polite words with neighbours, and fulfilled his role. He couldn't stay any longer. A tightness grew in his chest—something was slipping away.

He walked over to Bhagiratha and said quietly, "Brother, I'll head home now. You know Radha is alone."

Bhagiratha gave him a quiet, regretful look. He hadn't meant to hurt Radha — who was like a sister to him — but with his newborn son just twelve days old, he couldn't take any chances. If something unfortunate happened, he would never forgive himself. That's why he had only invited Adhiratha and not his wife.

But he also knew how much Adhiratha loved Radha. All these years, he had never once considered taking another wife. He stood by her, always. Bhagiratha respected that deeply.

"You can go, brother," Bhagiratha said gently. "Sister-in-law needs you more than we do right now. I'm really happy you still came. Please tell her… I'm sorry. Truly."

Adhiratha gave a small nod and a faint smile, but didn't say anything. His mind was already elsewhere — on Radha. He needed to see her. He needed to know she was okay.

Just as he turned to leave, Bhagiratha's wife Sumati came forward and stopped him.

"Brother," she said softly, "I know sister Radha must have felt bad… I just didn't want anything unfortunate to happen. I've kept a portion of today's food for her. Please take it with you."

She handed him a bundle, tightly wrapped in fresh banana leaves, warm with the scent of ghee and spices.

Adhiratha took the food bundle with a small smile.

"Don't worry, sister," he said gently. "We understand. I'm just heading home early—you know Radha is alone."

Sumati gave a faint smile and nodded. She let him go, knowing he wouldn't want to waste time on long goodbyes.

Without waiting, Adhiratha turned and stepped out of the house. His pace quickened the moment his feet touched the street. The night air was cooler now, but sweat was already forming on his brow.

His heart was beating faster than usual. Something didn't feel right. He didn't stop to think—he just kept walking. His house was only a few steps away, but tonight, even that short walk felt long.

When he reached the front yard, he stopped.

Not a single lamp was lit. No glow at the doorway, no flicker from the windows—only darkness. It was the complete opposite of Bhagiratha's home, which was still filled with light, laughter, and music.

Adhiratha stood still for a moment. His heart clenched and before he could stop it a tear rolled down his cheek.

He quickly wiped it away and forced a small smile. He didn't want Radha to see him like this.

He stepped inside the house gently and closed the door behind him.

The room was completely dark. Only the soft silver light of the full moon slipped in through the window, falling across the floor.

He looked around—and stopped when he saw her.

Radha was asleep on the floor — something she never did unless she was unwell or deeply tired. Just the sight of it made his chest ache more.

For a moment, he stood there quietly, just watching her.

He tiptoed, careful not to make a sound. One by one, he lit the lamps around the room. The glow spread slowly, chasing away the darkness and making the room feel a little less heavy.

After that, he went over to where Radha lay and leaned down to look at her.

Radha was still asleep, her face turned slightly toward the window. Moonlight fell on her gently. And then he saw something that made him freeze.

She was smiling.

Not the small, forced smile she gave him during the day to hide her pain. This was a real smile, peaceful and soft.

Adhiratha stared at her for a long time, not saying a word.

It had been so long since he'd seen her smile like this.

He didn't know why she was smiling — but in that moment, it didn't matter.

He just smiled back and closed his eyes.

His mind drifted to one of his favourite memories—one that always brought him peace. It was from years ago, when he had returned from a long war. Every time he returned from battle, he would go straight to the river. The river felt like a mother to him. He had lost his real mother when he was just a boy, but the sound of flowing water and the breeze near the banks gave him the same comfort. Just like sleeping in a mother's lap—where all the tiredness and noise faded away.

That evening by the river, something made him stop.

There was a girl he hadn't seen before — laughing, running around with a bunch of kids, tossing flowers into the water. She wasn't like the others—neither reserved nor shy. Just full of life, with a warmth and freedom that stood out. Her laughter stayed in his ears long after he left the river.

He had never seen her before.

Curious, he asked around and found out her name — Radha. She had come just a few days ago with her father, a traveling singer. While Adhiratha had been away at war, they had arrived and were only staying in Hastinapur for a short while.

When he heard that she would leave soon, something inside him panicked. He didn't want to lose her before even knowing her. So he gathered all his courage and went straight to her father. He asked for her hand in marriage.

To his relief, her father agreed. Adhiratha was, after all, the head of the Suta class and charioteer to the King himself.

Later came the day of their wedding—his happiest memory. He remembered how proud and lucky he had felt, holding her hand, watching her smile through the rituals. That day, he truly believed he was the happiest man alive.

His eyes opened.

Radha was still asleep, peaceful and calm. He smiled softly and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Radha stirred a little as his kiss touched her forehead. Her eyes opened slowly, still heavy with sleep.

"Oh… you're home?" she murmured, rubbing her eyes. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

She gave a lazy smile and sat up, her eyes drifting around the room in confusion.

"Where did Father go?" she asked dreamily.

Her words made him pause. For a moment, he wasn't sure if she meant her real father… or someone else. "Father? Who are you talking about, dear?"

Radha smiled, still caught between sleep and memory. "An old man came while you were gone. He asked for some food. He reminded me of my father… even played music like him. I don't know when I fell asleep… I was listening to his music and remembering old days. But… why didn't he wake me before leaving?"

Her voice turned soft at the end. Her smile faded slowly, replaced by a quiet sadness.

Adhiratha didn't speak right away. He could see it—she was thinking of her father. No matter how much he cared for her, he knew there were some places in her heart he couldn't reach.

So he tried to lighten the moment.

"Maybe he didn't want to wake you up because your smile was too beautiful to disturb," he said with a smile. "You were smiling in your sleep. What were you dreaming about?"

Radha's face lit up when she heard his question.

"I saw our son," she said excitedly. "He was coming toward us on a river, lying in a basket filled with soft cushions and flowers. He looked so calm… sleeping soundly."

Author's Note:

I'm really sorry for the delay in uploading Chapter 3. I published Chapter 2 on 25th July, and today is 28th July—so I'm three days late. I'm trying my best to write emotional chapters, and as a new writer, it's not easy. Writing a story that explores the deep emotions of people and society is really challenging. I feel nervous sometimes, especially because I haven't seen any comments yet… I don't know if you're enjoying the story or just skipping it.

I know the title of the book is "Radheya: The Son of Radha," and we're already in Chapter 3, but Radheya still hasn't appeared. That's intentional. I want to first focus on Radha and Adhiratha—the people who will become his parents. The first few chapters are dedicated to their journey and emotions. But don't worry, Radheya will appear soon.

Once Radha adopts him, Volume 1 will come to an end. I've already decided the name for this volume: "The Mother of Radheya and the Leader of the Suta People". When you read the final chapter of this volume, I believe you'll understand why I chose this title.

If you like this story, please consider adding it to your library and leave a comment about what you think. It would mean a lot to me.