The Inseparable Princes

45. Birthdays

"Lakshman, what if a random woman came to you, and said that she loved you and wanted to marry you and all, what would you say?" asked Rama playfully, as Sita watched amusedly and Lakshmana made a strange expression, that which was a mix of both bafflement and disgust.

"Well," started Lakshmana dramatically. "I would tell her 'Oh my darling! Why don't you please get out of here before I get annoyed by your nonsense?' How was that, Bhaiya? Absolutely ridiculous, wasn't it?"

"And what if that lady approached me with the same demand and didn't get lost even after I refused?" asked Rama as he looked towards Sita to get an interesting expression from her, but only got to see her pretence of offence.

"Haww! Raghav, this is the limit, okay? What kind of questions are you asking your innocent little brother?"

★★★

"Shatru?" said Shrutakeerti softly, as the couple returned to their room after a long, long day. "Shatrughna?"

"Yeah, Keerti?" he said softly as Shrutakeerti placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Everything will be fine," she said, as encouragingly as she could've.

"I've always wanted that, Keerti, I've always wished for that. Every single year for six years, I've wished for everything to be fine, but you know what always happened. Even if I try to carry around a plastic smile on these two days of the year, it would just falter at one point, before I burst out into tears," he said painfully. "You know, I can even manage through Ram Bhaiya's birthday, but the second day, it's the birthday of all the three of us, and I miss them all so much. Especially Laksh. There had never been a birthday when we wouldn't fight with each other because I thought that the gift he got was better and he'd think the opposite," he said, a reminiscent smile gracing his face, before it faltered, as he had mentioned, and he looked close to bursting out into sobs, but he controlled them by chewing on his lower lip. "This has been happening for a few years now, hasn't it? Half of the exile will be over in sometime. Isn't this just great?"

"Yeah, Shatru, it certainly is," said Shrutakeerti. "But..."

"But what?" he asked softly, tilting his head a little.

"But we still have seven years to go! And-and I know we'll do it!" she choked, smiling through those tears, only so that her husband wouldn't fall weak at her them.

"Sure! I-I'll leave now, I've to check some documents," said Shatrughna walking towards the room's exit.

"Shatru, hold on. I can see, you're exhausted, you started working this morning even before dawn. Please, please just take some rest. The documents, I'll check them for you," said Shrutakeerti, as Shatrughna paled slightly at the thought of troubling his wife for a mere document.

"No, no! I'm all well, okay? You don't-" Shatrughna felt his head spin slightly, as he stumbled backwards, before holding onto a pillar just in time.

"Shatru! Oh god! You haven't eaten anything today, have you?" she cried anxiously, running to Shatrughna in an instant. She quickly pulled him down on a seat, and he put his head in his hands, face completely pale. "Shatru, seriously, why can't you just take care of yourself? I also know that you didn't even sleep for three full hours last night. Come on, Shatrughna, you've to take care of your health!"

"It's okay, Keerti, I-I'm perfectly alright. It was just-I-"

"Just sit here quietly, Saumitra! I'm going to get you some food, which you are going to eat, whether you like it or not! And your documents, I shall do that for you! Lie down!" she ordered sternly.