The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

Character Drabbles-Part 2

Character Drabbles-Part 2

A/N- No joke, perhaps only second to jealousy in Lakshmila, this chapter was one of my most requested chapters ever! You guys loved the first part, very, very much, and so here, I present, a second part! In case a Part 3 is wanted, send me a comment! Also, I'm revising the part 1 chapter, and I don't think I ever mentioned forgotten characters, but I guess Sita is now a forgotten character. Alrighty-do! Oh, also... I am not publishing tomorrow as I want to have a day of vacay-shun. Goodness knows, I need it!

Shatrughan "The Responsible"

Soumitri, Shatru, Ramanuja, Bharatanuja, Lakshmananuja, Prince of Kosala

Son of Raja Dasharath and Rani Sumitra

Husband of Rajkumari Shrutakirti of North Videha

When someone looked at Shatrughan, they never thought that he was responsible. Shatrughan understood that, being known as the prankster. The one who made jokes. The one who made people laugh at the worst times. The irresponsible. However, Shatrughan liked to think, and tell himself too, that sometimes, he did show a tiny spark of that maturity that Bharat and Ram bhaiyya had.

"No! No, please no!" Ram shrieked into the forest. "Not Lakshman. Not Bharat. Please, please no. You can't do this to me, universe! What did I do to deserve this?" Shatrughan bit his lip, his heart racing as well. The trees appeared to be leaning over. In fact, the trees appeared to have eyes. He blinked. Eyes?

The eyes on the trees also blinked, and he noticed, from his spot down below, that the eyes were bright red. Shatrughan might be known for his weird ears, which seemed to have an on and an off button for working, but he certainly was not known for having bad eyes. And red eyes meant that the trees were monsters in disguise. Indeed, he could already see the legs that they were sprouting from their trunks.

Shatrughan gulped. He had brought everything in his supply cabinet, courtesy to Lakshman's ominous, and often, correct thinking. They would be able to defeat this monster, just, how? Swords wouldn't work. He clutched his head as Ram continued to sob, on his knees, making a pitiable sight of himself. Ram bhaiyya would know!

Guru Vishwamitra always told Ram bhaiyya everything! Which meant, he would know how to defeat these tree-monsters. The tree-monsters, speaking of which, had begun to sprout arms as well, each ending in a thin finger with a single, pointed claw. Shatrughan didn't like the look of those pointed claws, and began to shake Ram's shoulders. Ram would not be awoken from his sobbing, and Shatrughan grumbled. Bharat would have been able to wake him up, and Lakshman, violent in nature and spirit, would have been able to tell him just how to mutilate those trees! Inconveniently, neither of those brothers was here. Finally, Shatrughan reluctantly began to tell jokes.

"Hey bhaiyya. Maybe they meet a tree nymph and run off to marry them? I never trusted Bharat anyways, that flirt." he shook his head, and Ram awoke from his trance, glaring at him. He still wouldn't get off his knees, so Shatrughan tried another. "Maybe Lakshman is speaking to serpents right now. Nice conversation. Would you like to come over for a cup of tea?" he tried in a British accent. Ram quickly stepped up.

"Now is not the time to make jokes, Shatru." he swallowed hard, looking around, his eyes landing on the trees, which had started to move from their places. Trees were not mobile things. "Ped-asur." he muttered. "The only way to vanquish them is a fire." Shatrughan grinned. Ram bhaiyya was back!

Now, Shatrughan paced in front of the throne of his father. That spark of responsibility was nothing compared to this one he was about to shoulder. He stared at his father's golden, magnificent, bundle of pride. He had never imagined that he would even have to think about being king. He was the fourth in line. The only way for a fourth in line to become king without the crown prince, third prince, and wife getting exiled of course, but that rarely happened, was for all of his brothers to...die.