The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

Am I in love?

A/N-It's the chapter you all wanted since the beginning of time, or at least since you discovered that the Ramayana fandom was a thing. Here you go, let all of your dreams be fulfilled! Something tells me you all will very much like this one.

"Ram, do you miss your family at Ayodhya?" asked Rani Sunaina curiously as Ram stood before them in confusion at his sudden call in the afternoon. He was a bit grumpy about the disturbance of his time with Sita, but was also eager to show that he was worthy of their amazing daughter, and so he had wasted no time bounding to the receiving hall. Ram frowned, thinking about it for a second. Did he miss Bharat's constant paintings and literary recitals which made the twins fall asleep? Did he miss Shatrughan's antics, his pranks? Did he miss Maa Kaushalya's hugs, Maa Kaikeyi's pampering, Maa Sumitra's wise words and how he could confide in her without a second thought? The answer to that was, yes. And so, very reluctantly, Ram nodded.

The king and his queen exchanged a look. They had anticipated this, and they were very excited to host Ram's brothers as well, having heard of their valour, but also their good humor, kindness, and bravery through Urmila and Trivati's talking battles, where the two girls competed over who could speak more, and unconsciously revealed details about the princes.

"Now that you are going to get married soon, Ram," Ram looked up at Janak's words. "I think that you should invite your family too, perhaps, stay with us for a while! The wedding isn't going to be until a while later, so why don't you go ahead and invite them, son? We'll get to know them too, and perhaps you'll feel less alone." Ram smiled, and nodded obediently, walking out of the room to go ahead and contact his brothers.

"Who are you writing a letter to, bhaiyya?" asked Lakshman, pacing down the corridor and catching up to his brother. "Who is it?" With that, he peeked over Ram's shoulder, and quickly, like everything he did, read the message, his mirth obviously increasing as he neared the end of the letter. He looked up and met Ram's eyes.

"The princesses are now going to face Shatrughan's wrath! Flirting extraordinaire!" He winced at the thought of his twin brother wreaking havoc of what was now a peaceful, perfectly normal and happy visit. His grimace deepened further when he thought of the battle that was bound to happen between Shatrughan and Urmila, and ran to find his friend as Ram sent the letter by a passenger pigeon.

"Urmila, hey, Urmila!" Urmila turned around at her friend's clean voice as she paced under the banyan tree without an aim. The day was a windy one, and his hair was blown by the win, the strands of hair that hung over his forehead falling into his eyes attractively. Urmila shook her head. Attractively? What had gotten into her? He stumbled forward and collapsed under the tree, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You won't believe the day I had! Honestly, what my brothers say is correct. Laksh vs. World. Do you see anyone else facing wind? No!" he moaned, pouting. Urmila felt her heart warm a little bit at his mini-rant, and plopped down next to him, as they both stared at the wind-blown palm leaves holding on tightly to the trees.

"Anyways, I came to warn you, my brothers are arriving sometime soon." Urmila looked up, giggling at his serious tone, and he turned towards her, folding his arms like he was throwing a temper tantrum. Without thinking, he clapped a hand over her mouth, and Urmila bit her lip in surprise. He paid no notice.

"Laugh no more, my lady!" he declared dramatically, and Urmila blinked. "My brother Shatrughan, the male version of you, will quarrel with you." He told her, his eyes wide. "He's just as talkative, and just as mischievous as you! I don't want to be around when that particular argument happens, so please be warned!" Urmila shook her head.