The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

Snake Bound-Part 1

A/N-Like the Lakshman Storming Kishkindha chapter, this one isn't a favorite of mine, so I might not be able to convey it like you hoped. I was actually thinking of skipping this chapter, but apparently it's all important so I guess I have to.

"Often, the day is not the one to witness the worst things."

Jambavan whispered inaudible things, and Angad's smile faded as he whirled around. Ram was still a bright red, and Lakshman was still shaking poor Hanuman's hand vigorously as a thank-you for complimenting his brother, and Neel was just laughing, and nobody noticed the approaching threat. While all the greats of the vanar sena still sat in the tents, helping the healing and burying, the majority of the actual vanar sena still fought with the majority of the mediocre rakshasas who remained in the late afternoon as the sun beat down.

Meghnad approached in his flying chariot, his cackling voice echoing throughout the area. The loud roars and the fierce chattering of the demon and the monkey armies respectively made his laughter almost inaudible, fading into the gruesome background of battle, but there was absolutely no sound except the sound of silence in the army base as he approached, his weapons still sparking with lighting and his voice booming like thunder. Indrajit was fierce as ever, and this time, he would not be driven away.

But to Angad's great disbelief, the demon prince did not immediately target him. No, Indrajit seemed to have found a great interest in the vanar population, who, still succumbed to the adrenaline rush of war, and focusing greatly on crushing monsters and demons, had not noticed the threat right below their nose. Or rather, right above their heads, looking down on them with a queer, disgusting sort of interest.

Lakshman stood up immediately, black eyes narrowing, grasping his bow tightly, but Ram pushed him back down. "Stop," he hissed urgently, the only one able to cool down his brother's sparked temper. "Stop!" Lakshman stopped. "He may just want to keep us on edge, give us a false fear. You never know with people who wield not the astras of the Gods, not dharma and righteousness, but illusions and lies. You can never trust someone who bends the truth and warps the vision. He is unpredictable like the rain clouds he is named after."

But Angad, much like Lakshman, had stood up as well. "So what?" he exclaimed. "So what? Prabhu, with all due respect, your brother is an unpredictable fighter as well! And what use is prediction if you are dead by the time you have insight into the future? What use is our sight if we don't use it to our advantage! If we allow him to do what he plans to do, then Prabhu, we shall be killed!"

Angad actually didn't say any of that, he just thought it. What, you thought he'd say something as terrible as that to Ram? Idiots, the lot of you. Meanwhile, Indrajit had finally pulled his lips into a malicious smile and picked up his newly made golden bow, drawing the string back and threading it with a sharp, steel arrow. Lakshman's stealthy eyes followed his every move mistrustingly, but unable as he was to not follow Ram's commands, he stayed as still as possible and did absolutely nothing.

But Indrajit was not nearly as unpredictable as imagined, for as the sun was slowly pulled into the direction of the west, he released a simple steel arrow into a mass of monkeys. What was it going to do?, Lakshman wondered, finally at ease. Embed itself into the Earth, perhaps. What could it do? Well, he was wrong, as the arrow increases in magnitude each second, that one arrow became 10, became 100, became a 1000 sharp, steel, poisoned arrows headed towards the mass of monkeys. And right as they were about to hit, another arrow flew and created a dome-shaped, purple shield. Indrajit looked up with a snarl, to where Ram stood, hand suspended in mid air, pinched together as if he had held something just moments before, eyebrows furrowed together as the other held a bow in front of him.