The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

Birthdays Galore!

A/N-I wanted to do just Urmila's birthday, but I decided...what's the fun in that? Besides, I really wanted to do this. It's like a character drabbles chapter, but instead, it's about birthdays! So not as emotional, just fun fluff for me to write and you to grumpily read because you just wanted the next chapter already, but I did not deliver.

Happy Birthday, Urmila!

It was a bright and sunny day, and Urmila knew it the moment she woke up. The light invaded her eyes and she blinked multiple times, her face scrunching up like she had just bit into a lemon as she tried in vain to close the drapes without getting up from the bed. Her hand was just inches from the cloth...just one inch...just a centimeter. Urmila strained, wiggled her fingers, begged, pleaded, but her hand would not reach the cloth, and with an exhausted sigh, she slumped back down on the bed. It was times like these that she wished she was tall.

Speaking of tall, her eyes darted towards the sleeping Lakshman beside her. By the Gods, he slept like a baby! She smacked his face, but he did not react. She tickled his nose, which twitched, but he did not react. Heck, at this point, Urmila had half a mind to throw him off of the bed, but thought that was unnecessarily cruel considering her probably still would not wake up. Urmila groaned, collapsing back into her bed.

But her momentary peace was quickly disturbed by a loud marching sound, and Urmila blinked again, waving her arms on her face. "Hello!" she heard the happy voice of Shatrughan, and tried to roll around in her covers. "Happy Birthday! Oh wait, they are still asleep. Lazy people, honestly, you people never get up." Urmila suddenly sat up. Whose birthday was it? Oh no, had she forgotten her husband's birthday?

"Oh no! Did I forget one of your birthdays?" asked Urmila in horror, her hand flying to her mouth in surprise. "Wow, my goodness, I am so sorry! I mean, if you are one of the brothers, then technically, you were supposed to tell me since I don't know, but whatever, I forgive you. Oh no, I'm so sorry." Sita shook her head, laughing.

"No, dear Urmila, it's your birthday. That is why we were so surprised!" When Urmila frowned in confusion, Sita continued. "You usually immediately get up on your birthday. It is very unusual for you to remain so sleepy at this time. Well, that is no matter! Come on, get up, get up, we'll forgive you." Sita continued, her voice gentle, sweet, but seemingly amused as Shatrughan, in the background, looked like he could not believe that someone could forget their very own birthday.

"Oh, it's not me that is lazy." grumbled Urmila getting off the bed and rubbing her temples in exasperation. "It's him. I've been trying to wake him up all morning, to no avail. He just is not getting up!" Her volume became louder as she finished, and she flicked his shoulder, only to have him grab more blankets and seemingly fall into more sleep.

"Who me?" asked Shatrughan, having woken up quite late in the morning, but wondering bemusedly how Urmila had known. When Urmila shook her head, Shatrughan realized whom she was talking about. "Oh, Laksh bhaiyya you mean. Don't worry about him, he always does this, even in childhood when we shared a room. Maa Sumitra only realized at age eight how to wake him up, and thankfully told the rest of us, and now we wake him up all the time, even early in the morning when he doesn't need to be woken up. I'm telling you, she knows him better than I, or maybe even Bharat!"

Shaking his head at Shatrughan, Ram opened the drapes that were covering the windows and stood back in anticipation. Immediately, almost like clockwork, Lakshman sat up, his eyes wide, before clenching tightly shut. "ARGH! I hate daylight! You know what, I hate the day! I hate the sun, shining so terribly bright in the sky, and I hate the moon, which brings light even in the nighttime." Shatrughan burst into laughter. "I hate the color yellow, and I hate shining gold. I wish these drapes were better, this light is blinding!" Lakshman rolled in around till he fell off the bed, but even then, he continued to complain. "Someday, I will be able to fall asleep at day. Yes, even the broad daylight won't be able to stop me!" Lakshman did not know the accuracy of this statement at the time.