The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

The Retaliation

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It was a calm Sunday morning when Lakshman suddenly looked up from his wife's painting. His ears perked up, and he thought he could hear a faint sound in the distance. He looked around at the rest of his family to see any reactions. Urmila was busy working on another painting along with Bharat. Shrutakirti was busy embroidering with Maa Sumitra. Shatrughan was busy trying to get her to mess up.

Maa Kaikeyi was eating mangoes leisurely on a long chair. Maa Kaushalya was talking with Sita, both of them having large smiles on their faces. Mandavi was quilting. Ram bhaiyya was busy tightening the string on his bow, and his father, Raja Dasharath, was busy stroking his beard, and brooding, occasionally glancing at Ram as if trying to reassure himself.

Nothing. No one had noticed anything. Lakshman cleared his throat and went back to his painting only to begin to twitch. Something felt ominous. Something felt terribly wrong. "Um, I hear something," he muttered, almost shyly. Ram looked immediately up from his bow as every else's smiles faded. "Like a rumbling sound. It-ahem-doesn't sound very nice." Dasharath, knowing his third son's affinity for being devastatingly right in terms of war, raced up to the viewing scope up on the balcony.

He stumbled as his eyes reached the lense. He paced back a few steps, then forward. "I-I." he paused for a second before Kaikeyi rushed up the stairs as well, and began to calm him down silently with her presence. Feeling reassured, the aged king continued. "That's the flag of Mahisthami,one of the kingdoms we're allied with." The king swallowed as Shatrughan immediately stood up, shoulders squaring. "They're marching on us with thousands of men."

"Why on Earth would they do such a thing?" wondered Bharat, the diplomat who had ensured the alliance. "They are allied with us, we have a pact! Are they so greedy that they would march upon their own allies for gold? Does Princess Phool Jani need a new tiara so she can prance about?" Mandavi looked surprised, but not displeased with her husband's new sarcasm. Lakshman started in fright at the princesses' name.

"Yeah, ahem, long story short, this may be my fault." he raised a hand sheepishly, teetering from foot to foot as he felt eyes upon him, accusing and confused. Sumitra turned towards him immediately. Did he lose his temper on the girl? Did he secretly manage to strangle their messenger? What did he do? Upon her quizzical glance, Soumitri cleared his throat. "I may or may not have declined an offer of marriage, the hand of...you know."

Bharat winced. "Yep, that would do it." he murmured, pacing around again as Sita's eyes darted from Lakshman to Urmila, who had jutted her chin out in the air, and she smiled. He truly was faithful to her closest sister. She was appeased. She had always worried that perhaps one of her sister's husbands would get themselves another wife. She was grateful, of course, when the three brothers of her righteous husband had married them instead of some aging old douchebag, but she could not dispel the worries that threatened to take over her brain and aching heart.

"Why didn't you consult us first, Lakshman?" Bharat asked angrily, his lips curling in displeasure. "You could have told us instead of keeping it a horrendous secret! We need to know this stuff, it affects the whole kingdom, not just you. How many other marriage proposals have you rejected without telling us, hanh? I wonder, can you count the number on one hand?" His harsh words rang in the courtyard. Everyone was stunned into silence, and Bharat immediately felt guilt run through him. Bharat had never shouted at anyone. But everyone understood why he had done so. Bharat knew the art of diplomacy and alliance. To reject a marriage proposal so clearly, as Lakshman no doubt had done, was to welcome war. Even Lakshman understood his sudden decision, but that didn't mean he wouldn't defend himself.