The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

Preperations

        Ram took in a deep breath. He knew from the squeals and happy laughter he could hear from Lakshman's room, that he had told his wife. Now only to tell his own. Ram always admired the steady casualness with which Lakshman and Urmila interacted with each other. They seemed like best friends more than a couple, but tiny hints, such as how they both blushed when the other dressed up, and how close they were, as well as the intense glances they shared, those tiny moments clued him into something different.

Whereas, he and Sita were a completely different idea. They were both completely and unsolvably in love, and it was obvious to everyone that was within a mile's radius of the couple. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, held hands openly, and seemed completely stricken without their better half. Both of them blushed very openly and redly when the other even entered the room, and always seemed surprised at how charming the other looked.

And this was where Ram felt a bit queasy. He didn't quite know how to tell Sita. It wasn't like he could just walk up to her and impart the news. Somewhere, he felt a little bit jealous of Lakshman. It must be so easy to tell his wife since they were friends before lovers. And he wasn't even going to be king! Besides, Ram was good with feelings, and he knew that Sita was not self-confident enough quite yet to rule as queen. He would have to change that.

Ram took a deep breath to steady himself but the world still swirled around him. It was inconceivable that perhaps only hours ago, his biggest responsibility was simply the one of being a husband and brother. Now he was about to be the Raja of Kosala, a king. A ruler. A beacon of hope. A lighthouse for the ships travelling in the fog. And Sita was supposed to be beside him the entire time. That was a lot to ask for.

Ram clasped his hands together, and tried to look presentable. He stared at himself in the hallway mirror, adjusted his crown, making it look larger. Would she get the clue that his crown was about to be the one of the king? He straightened his angavastram, making the gold lining stand out. Would she understand that his clothes were about to become grander? He pulled on his necklaces to make them look even more aplenty. Would she realize that he was about to wear a lot more?

Finally, Ram tried his smile. Should he go for a large beam of light, or a tiny grin? Should he smile, or not smile? Should he give a wide smile like Shatrughan, a big, circular one like Bharat, or a small, curved one like Lakshman? How much emotion should he put into it? Should he look eager or earnest? Excited or apprehensive? Ram took in a deep breath, and clasped his hands together again. What he should do was speak the complete and utter truth.

Sita deserved no less. She deserved no pre-made lies. Whatever she should hear from his mouth should be the reality. Ram, her husband, would not be the one who told her hurtful lies, who conveyed wrong information to the purest soul on this Earth. Ram stared at the ceilings, steadying himself so he would not trip and land on his face while telling his wife possibly the most important words he would ever utter.

And then he pushed open the door and entered the room. Sita was sitting on her bed, working on a little embroidery, and her head bobbed up immediately when Ram entered. A large smile spread across her face at the sight of him, but her smile dimmed a little bit when she saw his pale face and trudging demeanour. "What happened, Ram? Are you alright? Are you sick?" she asked, stepping off the bed hurriedly and taking his temperature with the palm of her hand worriedly.

Ram simply smiled, and grasped her hands between his. His crystal blue eyes looked deep into her soft brown ones, so intensely that he could see his own reflection. He could see every single one of his worries, he could pick out from his face. He swallowed hard and blinked, before being faced again with the strong and believing eyes of Sita."Papa has decided to crown me king in a few days." He murmured.