"Ouch!" he winced.
"Shatru, does it still hurt that much?" asked Bharata, concerned.
"Obviously, a three hundred sit-ups? That's painful!" he said.
"You know, something might be more painful," said Lakshmana, as he entered the common room.
"And what's that? Your death glare, is it?" asked Shatrughna.
"My hug can be, can't it?" said Lakshmana, with an unimpressed, fake smile embellishing his face. "No, but seriously,"
"Shatru, come here!" Rama shouted from outside the room. "Right now!"
"Ji," he said. "Tell me later Laksh bhaiya," and he trotted off.
"What happened, Laksh?" asked Bharata. "You're fine, right? And so is everyone else?"
"I heard this, Bharat,"
(Flashback)
"What are you crying for, Keerti?" asked Urmila. "I'll go and tell Mandavi that you're crying if you don't tell me the reason right away!" she threatened. Mandavi-Keerti shared a bond, uncannily similar to that of Bharata-Shatrughna, which meant that Mandavi was far too fiercely protective of her, and should she use all her might to shoo the sorrows of her sister away, the intended person is bound to end up with broken bones and purple eyes.
"No, no," said Shrutakeerti, wiping her tears, sniffling continuously. "I'm fine,"
"What happened, Keerti?" asked Urmila again, cupping Shrutakeerti's little face in her hands.
"That Shatrughna!" she bursted. "He is s-so lame!"
"No, Keerti, don't say that," Urmila said, reassuring her.
"Why shouldn't I?" she shrieked. "Who does so much for just a bet? Who does? How immature! And now, I've got to marry him!"
(Present)
"So..." dragged Bharata, not knowing what to say.
"So, now what?" asked Lakshmana. "She didn't like that bet thing. His desperation for the win, to keep his image intact in front of the girls backfired terribly, didn't it?"
"It did, but we've to do something," said Bharata. "He does love Keerti, just that he never expressed it in front of any of us. Perhaps because he thinks that we both will tease him till eternity if he did," he said before they both burst out into some giggles.
★★★
"Hey, princess!" he greeted. "What's up? You seem a little upset, for some reason. Did anyone do something bad?"
"Good morning, prince! I believe it's high time you understood that you should mind your very own business!" replied Shrutakeerti bluntly.
"I'm sorry?" he said, shocked.
"Sorry, for what? Did you not hear me? I asked you to leave, in different words!" she scowled.
"But wh-"
"PLEASE LEAVE!"
★★★
"But why are you so upset?" asked Rama.
"I'm not, bhaiya," said Shatrughna with a smile, not the one that he always gave - happy, mischievous, fun-filled - but one filled with emotions of hurt, pain, sadness, worry, and what not!
YOU ARE READING
The Inseparable Princes
Historical FictionRamayana. An Indian epic that has lived through the centuries and has only grown even more in the process. An epic that shows ideal characters, many of whom we worship, and other characters from whom we learn what we shouldn't be at any cost. But...
