The Inseparable Princes

48. A Frightened Lakshmana

"Ram, tell me a story! I'm not able to sleep!" whined Sita.

"Story? What story do you want me to tell you? Um... The story of Mahadev becoming Neelakanth? You already know that. Maybe about Varaha and Hiranyaksha? Or about Mahishasura-Mardini?" asked Rama. "Oh Sita, you know all these stories!"

"Tell me another of your childhood stories, I guess!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Yes, that's it! It will be lovely. And if you can tell me something really flabbergasting, oh I'll be so happy!"

"Flabbergasting, is it?" he said, with a grin on his face. "Well, what if I tell you that once Lakshman got scared," Sita burst out laughing.

"Ram?-God!-Stop joking, Ram. There's no chance for that," she said, still trying to suppress her laughter.

"I'll tell you, it is possible. Not anymore, obviously, but he was just so young that time, he got scared. You won't say a word about this to him, Sita, he'll get really angry if you do," said Rama.

(Flashback)

"Lakshman doesn't love me!" said Bharata dejectedly, as Ram widened his eyes in shock.

"Ha, what a joke!" snorted Rama. "Bharat, look for a better listener for these statements of nonsense that you make. I'm not going to believe them anyway!"

"Bhaiya, I'm being real, here. Stop just brushing it off. He doesn't love me, he doesn't care!" whined Bharata, as Rama raised an eyebrow.

"Prove it?" he said. Bharata provided two to three instances of his life when Lakshmana had either ignored him, or scowled at him,or had decided to beat him up. "Oh god, Bharat! This proves nothing. Siblings do fight. Brothers will! You both do too!" said Rama finally, annoyed by the rant.

"H-He thinks that I'm nothing more than a stepbrother!" cried Bharata helplessly. That was the end of it for Rama. No, Lakshmana never thought that. He loved his Bharat Bhaiya, loved him so much. This insecurity had to be cleaned away.

–––

"Ah, well, I think you should give this to Bharat, after all!" said Rama.

"Whatever!" Lakshmana rolled his eyes, as Shatrughna sprung his eyebrows up, questioning Rama. But before Rama could tell him that he'd narrate it all to him later, Lakshmana continued impatiently. "Where is he?"

"In his room, I suppose?" said Rama, uncertainty clear in his tone.

"Okay,"

–––

"Wow, Bhaiya, you're a genius, aren't you? He's going to be howling in rage in a while, you won't believe this! Bharat has got to learn," said Shatrughna, shaking his head exasperatedly.

"RAM BHAIYA!" howled Lakshmana, as Rama had just finished giggling at his youngest brother's remark, which had come true too. "Bharat isn't anywhere in this palace, alright?"

"Oh," said Rama dryly, before remembering to bring on some emotion. "I mean, where is he?"

"How am I supposed to know? Do I look to you like some Trikaldarshi saint?" scowled Lakshmana.