The Inseparable Princes

18. The Siblings

The day had arrived, finally! Wedding? They're getting married. Weren't they just kiddish teenagers until like three years back, and now, they were getting married.

The four girls sat in their room, a forlorn expression on all their beautiful faces. Sunayana and Chandrabhaga were braiding their daughters' hair, one by one, and embellishing it with some pearl studded pins.

Sita - poised, beautiful, understanding, compassionate. She had grown up to become a beautifully matured girl. The adopted daughter of Janaka, but nobody cared about her being adopted. Loved by her kingdom thoroughly, they didn't wish to let their Maithili, their Vaidehi leave them and go.

Not just one Maithili, as such, though. Four of them. The heart of the kingdom. Three girls whom they'd seen, right from their birth. Their growing years.

Although everything was in the mood of a festivity, the family itself was not in a mood to send their girls away.

"Are you all ready, girls?" asked Janaka, getting into the chamber. His eyes were filled with tears, the tears themselves not knowing whether they were of joy or of sadness.

The girls all looked up at him, heads turning together, and eyes looking at him hopefully.

"Pitashree, I don't want to marry," said Urmila childishly.

Janaka's face turned slightly angry, before tears began to flow from his eyes.

"No putri," he said, her face in his hands. "N-never say that, Urmi,"

"Why, Pitashree? I don't want to leave everybody and go there," she whined.

"And what if it is just so so so different there, compared to here?" asked Shrutakeerti, still having her doubts about Ayodhya.

"May we, Sunayana?" asked a sweet voice from outside the half shut door.

"Sumitra, is it?" asked Sunayana. "Please, please come!"

"Kaushalya Didi and Kaikeyi wanted to see their daughters," said Sumitra upon entering the room. "And I just wanted to talk to my girls for two minutes, if you don't mind,"

"Please,"

"Come here, Urmila, Keerti," said Sumitra. "Can I call you that, Shrutakeerti?"

"Ji, Maharani," she said meekly.

"You might as well call me Mata," said Sumitra. "It's alright for you to take a while to do that. I've heard that you really enjoy dressing up," she said to Shrutakeerti.

"Yes, she does, Maa," Urmila blurted out, before looking down in slight embarrassment.

"Such a sweet girl," said Sumitra, her hands on Urmila's cheek, and her eyes crinkling in love.

Shrutakeerti decided to turn her face away just a little, as she found herself having a hard time curbing the flow of tears from her fish-shaped eyes.

"I understand, Keerti," said Sumitra reassuringly. "I know it's hard to leave everything, everyone, and come to an unknown place. But your mothers-in-law and father-in-law will try, not to just be your in-laws, but to be your own parents, not the first ones, perhaps, but we'll try for sure. We'll be there for you, forever. You probably have your doubts about us, but I can assure you that we aren't monsters,"

A smile broke out on Shrutakeerti's face at the silly joke from her mother-in-law, or should she say - mother. The joke, although silly, assured her that she wouldn't feel like she was stuck somewhere. Not everybody would be fortunate enough to have someone like Sumitra, filled with wisdom, yet simple and loving, for their mother-in-law now, would they?