The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

Three Anniversaries, One Postponed

Mandavi woke up to the pleasant sound of temple bells ringing. She blinked multiple times, over and over again, and swallowed hard, for something seemed stuck in her throat. She put one arm in the air, and let it drop to the bed again, letting go of a breath and turning around to face the sleeping head of Bharat, and couldn't help but let out a chuckle. There he was, looking peaceful as ever. "Rise and shine!" she sang teasingly.

His eyes flew open, and pierced into hers, dark and dusky meeting light and airy. Then they moved away, around the room, surveying everything. After a long minute, they snapped back to her, and Bharat's face spread out in a grin. "It's our anniversary!" he cried, immediately sitting up excitedly. As always, he looked unruffled and perfect, and Mandavi was about to comment on that when his words registered in her mind.

Then she too smiled. "It's all of our anniversaries!" She too sat up, and they looked at each other. "Our tenth anniversary," she breathed, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. "Ten years!" She leapt off the bed, followed by a chuckling Bharat, and ran through the corridors laughing loudly in order to wake everyone else up. Other than Kaushalya, who woke up in the fresh dawn every morning to pray, it was Mandavi and Bharat who were the early-risers.

Mandavi ran five laps around the throne room, hands waving in the air, before she wiped her smile off of her face and spotted the empty throne and looked guiltily towards the entrance. Too late. Bharat too had followed her in, mirroring her loud celebrations, but his expression darkened quickly once the bare throne reached his eyes. Stripped of jewels and silks and luxurious cloths, and most importantly, a king. Ram.

Bharat started to tremble a little bit, his guilt resurfacing. He mumbled incomprehensible things to himself again. He had made a pact not to come into the room when it was empty, when the sandals were the only occupant of the stone cold throne, which had been left untouched for nine years. "Bharat..." Mandavi whispered, walking towards him and pulling him out of the throne room. "It's our anniversary. Our anniversary, Bharat, which has nothing to do with that." She shook her head.

"Ram and Sita are probably celebrating on their own!" she grinned at him. "Would you have us be the only couple wallowing in misery?" Bharat looked up at her, hugging her tightly. "I didn't marry you, Bharat, to see your guilt or your troubles, unjustified! I expect you've heard this a thousand times, but none of this is your fault, and it would never be your fault! And if it was, then you have made it up already! Now all you're succeeding in doing is making us all sad. Do you want that?" Bharat shook his head.

"I'm sorry," He whispered as they walked out, his head on her shoulder. "You didn't marry the person you thought you were. You thought I was some sort of kind, good, compassionate, artistic, romantic man, and all you got was this emotional hot mess, plagued with guilt." He swallowed hard. "Will you forgive me for ruining this lovely morning?"

Mandavi thought about it for a second, playfully. "No!" Bharat gasped. "Because there is nothing to forgive! This morning wasn't ruined in the least bit! Besides, I married you knowing you were all those things, and you still are! Well, maybe not the artistic part. You still haven't painted a wall-sized portrait of me, and it's been ten years, Bharat! Now you truly have no excuse for this heinous crime, I demand a portrait at once!"

Bharat straightened and gave her a salute. "Yes wifey! At your service!" Then he ran away to locate his paintbrushes as Mandavi laughed at his retreating back.

----O----

All Shrutakirti wanted to do was eat. Anything, really, she was just hungry. It was the middle of the afternoon, and she hadn't eaten anything since morning, but it was their anniversary, for goodness sakes! They had to do everything together, especially since they had been married for ten years. But no. Shatrughan had just gone missing. None of the guards knew where he was. The mothers didn't know where he was. She had even interrupted Bharat, but he too did not know where he was.