The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

Rainy Day Memories

Sugriv promised that once the monsoon season was out, he would send his monkeys out to search for Sita, and Ram had happily agreed. But after only a day of staying in the palace, Ram insisted upon leaving. "Why?" Sugriv asked as he and his brother stood in the doorway. "I mean, like, is that necessary? We have an entire set of chambers readied for you if you wish it. You don't have to stay out there, in the wilderness!"

Ram shook his head, a serene, albeit sad smile upon his face. "No, no. You must remember that we're still in exile. Mata Kaikeyi did not intend for us to stay in the comforts of a kingdom, no matter what the situation was. No, we'll stay outside. I'm sure we could find a cave somewhere nearby, or perhaps Lakshman could build another hut, and this time I could help too! It would not be right for us to live here. Thank you."

Sugriv shook his head. "No, thank you! You helped me regain my kingdom, come back to my birthplace! You helped me become accepted again! I am forever indebted to you! Right after the monsoon season ends, right after the rain stops falling, I shall dispatch my subjects immediately to go search for Maa Sita. You need not worry. We'll forever remember your great favor for us." And Ram had nodded.

Now they walked down the paths, down from the hills of Kishkindha, Lakshman trailing after Ram a little. "Bhaiyya?" he asked tentatively. When he received a hum in response, Lakshman continued. "I don't trust them. I don't trust that promise. I don't think that they will send monkeys out. I think that they will forget. They can't be trusted. No one can be trusted! You should have asked them to send their subjects out immediately."

Ram turned around, tilting his head thoughtfully as Lakshman ranted, his eyes squinting as the bright sunlight from the sunset hit him directly in the eyes, but he did not blink or turn away. "Trust, Lakshman, is one of the foundations of life. We must trust them, because we have to! Besides, if we asked them to send their subjects out in the rain, even if they complied, they would not do so happily. It would make a perfectly good relationship bitter, no?"

Lakshman hmmphed. "Well then, if trust is the foundation of life, no wonder I'm built so terribly, for I harbor none of it at all!" Then, he turned his head away, a large scowl on his face, as Ram laughed playfully, watching a temper tantrum like no other take over his brother.

-----O-----

The rains began to fall not much late after the brothers found a small cave. Ram looked outside, blinking as the rain continued to fall, before turning around to face Lakshman, who was busy starting a fire and warming his hands up, taking a long breath of the smoke. "Remember when we used to play in the rain, Lakshman?"

Flashback

"It's raiiining! It's pouuuring!" squealed an eight-year-old Shatrughan as he ran around the palace, waving his hands around excitedly. Bharat simply rolled his eyes and continued his canvas, brushing strokes delicately. Ram smiled softly just to humor the youngest one, but truly practicing his bow aim. Lakshman peeked outside, and groaned. "What happened, bhaiyya?" Shatrughan asked innocently.

Lakshman glanced back at him, then back outside. "Nothing. Just, today I was supposed to be working on the fountain outside, for you, remember that?" Shatrughan's eyes widened. "I guess we can't do it anymore. "Sorry, Shatru, guess the rains aren't that welcome after all." He ruffled Shatrughan's hair though Shatrughan was, at that point, a bit taller, before loping away calmly.

Shatrughan frowned, before chasing after him. "You are building me that fountain, no matter if you like it or not!" Lakshman cried out, trying to hold onto a pillar as Shatrughan pulled him out of the palace angrily, and into the courtyard, where the rains drenched him. Barely hanging on, Lakshman called out for *someone* to save him, but Ram and Bharat just laughed, the latter quickly making some guiding strokes so that he could paint the twins into his rainy day painting as well.