The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

Snake Bound-Part 2

TW-Cursing

It was around this time that Ram truly did wake. He was the strongest man in the land, and he was divine, so of course he'd wake up! His body was still weak, but the faint purple drifted from his face as he sat up with a groan. He took in a deep breath of the cold, night air, before he was crushed immediately by a hug. "Prabhu! You're awake!" Angad cried, letting go and dancing around as Neel and Nal rushed forward too.

"We were so worried, Prabhu, especially Angad." Hanuman murmured, teetering from foot to foot as he too got a hug. Angad scowled at him. "We tried with herbs, but those didn't work. Then we sprinkled some water on your face, but you did not even twitch. We thought that perhaps only the warm rays of the sun could cure you, but here you are, in the middle of the night, finally awake!" Hanuman danced along with Nal as well, grinning widely.

"Yes," Neel agreed. "But the snakes still aren't shaking off of your body, and I'm afraid that your limbs are still a light purple shade. So that might still have to be dealt with. Ah, worst comes worst, you'll walk around with snakes wrapped around your body. It's still quite frightening. Perhaps everyone will run away from you. The King of the Nagas, Prabhu Shri Ram!" Ram smiled weakly; still not fully healed. The poison still coursed through his bloodstream, but he recognized that term.

"Speaking of the King of the Nagas," he began. "Where's Lakshman? He hasn't given me a hug! Embarra-" Ram cut himself off as the entire army shuffled from foot to foot. "Why, what's happened to Laksh?" He looked around, still frail, and finally, his eyes ran over the still body of his brother. "Laksh?" he asked weakly, reaching a trembling hand out, before clenching it into a fist and pulling it back.

With great effort Ram reached over again, and pulled his brother's cold body over towards himself. He took in a deep shuddering breath, before gently smacking Lakshman's arm. "What's happened to you?" he asked. "Lakshman?" He looked up, knowing the answer before he even asked. "What's happened to him? He's always been able to talk to nagas. Why is this sudden faint?" When silence met his question, Ram's voice became shrill. "What's happened to him?!" Insistent were his questions, and insistent was the silence he got as an answer.

"Jambavan?" he asked. "Is my Lakshman alright?" The bear king looked away. "Neel you could always heal. What's wrong with my Lakshman?" Neel shuffled. "Hanuman? Did you see what happened to him? You with your towering height? If I could wake up, why isn't he?"
Ram suddenly straightened. "No. No, he'll wake up. I'm sure of it. He's just tired. He can't right now, but he'll get up."

There was silence once more. No one wanted to contradict him, and Sugriv's glare was enough for no one to. "He'll wake up. He always wakes up." Ram muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Whenever I asked him to, he would immediately leap out of the bed and salute me, remember that, Lakshman? Get up now, I'm telling you to." No one breathed, no one said anything. Maybe he would get up. And then, interrupting the silence, came the heavy, steady beating of wings. Ram glanced up again, and his eyes softened. Landing right next to him, stood an eagle larger than him. With its large golden wings and shining beak, it struck a magnificent figure of extravagance and otherworldly greatness.

With one beat of his wings, the snakes unwound from Ram and Lakshman's bodies and slithered back across the battlefield towards Lanka once more. Lakshman's eyes flicked open as if they couldn't wait, and he sat up impatiently. He stood up, then glanced around, his brows still making a frown, before Ram pulled him back down. "You're alive!" he exclaimed excitedly. "That's great news! We thought you were dead or something. Angad was freaking out."

"It's always me." Angad hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You always throw me under the carriage. Like, yaar, you find no one else in the entire monkey population of the world to blame and put the heaps of embarrassment on or what?" Well, he didn't say that either. He just rolled his eyes and pretended to faint like some damsel in distress as Hanuman smacked his arm playfully.