Incorrect Ramayan Quotes (and shorts and PoA extras)

(Short) Jhumkatastrophe

Genre: Romance, Fluff

"Mandavi, wear these earrings!" "Rajkumari, this shade of red would look stunning on you, trust me." "No, no, not that dupatta. Best to stick to simple embroidery." "What are you talking about with this simplicity? She's not a commoner! She's a princess, and she's getting married, you fool!" "FOOL-"

Mandavi snorted to herself, watching her dasis tackling each other and rolling around on her room floor. Their voices still rang in the background as she shifted her gaze to the palms she had placed in her lap. 

She supposed she should be a little more anxious. A little more nervous. She should be comparing earrings and worrying about the dupattas (and what they said about her social status) last minute, despite that everything had been set for weeks. She should be the one that was going mad and tackling everyone instead of her maidservants. 

She leaned forward and picked up a jhumka, shaking it slightly so the tiny beads hit each other and jingled. Did it really matter that much? Earrings? Jewelry? Clothes? 

Mandavi scratched her cheek and glanced at herself in the mirror. 

She had never really understood the craze. Sure, her stomach had been churning for a few days, weird intrusive thoughts popping up in her head (What if Bharat wanted to marry a paintbrush?)

But here. On the day, the day, she felt strangely serene. 

Maybe it was because neither of them cared about jhumkas. 

Flashback

"What jhumka should I wear? Green or red beads?" Mandavi wondered, folding her legs dignifiedly next to her on the bench. Bharat just stared at her, incredulous. "What, should I take them out? You can see which one looks better and I'll wear that one."

"Since when did you start caring about jhumkas?" Bharat cried. 

Mandavi blinked. "When? What are you talking about?"

"Well, I'd never think that you would care about earrings," Bharat muttered.

Mandavi inhaled deeply. "Maybe I've always cared about jhumkas. You don't know. You've known me only for a few months. Maybe jhumkas are an innate and secret passion of mine. Maybe I collect them. Maybe I research them. Maybe I'm a jhumkaologist. Maybe you shouldn't underestimate how girly I am. My girly capacity. "

Bharat blinked too, before looking away. "Well, if you're such a good jhumka researcher, you should decide."

Mandavi huffed, sitting up, her legs falling off the edge of the bench so she was in her usual hunched position, her shoulders lifted up. "You're about to be my husband! Act like it! Make some decisions for me! I thought that was the whole point."

Bharat remained calm even as her brows furrowed.  "If that's the point, let me be blunt." He paused to marvel at his own joke before continuing. 

"The point of marriage, to me, is companionship. We're supposed to be with each other, and support each other."

"Exactly! So tell me which jhumka to wear! Support my jhumka decisions!"

"I'm supposed to support you throughout thick and thin." Bharat's eyes softened, if possible, even more, and he gestured towards her. "I want to support you, no matter what jhumka you choose. No matter if you don't wear a jhumka at all. I don't care if you show up in what you're wearing right now to the wedding."

Mandavi stopped short. "I mean, Maa always told me that a wedding was about dressing up and moving to a new chapter." The she scoffed. "Of course, I always thought that was bogus."

Bharat laughed. "It is! Think about it. Whenever you read a book, from chapter to chapter, does a character's entire personality and foundation change? No! So why is one supposed to change their entire personality after a wedding? It's a significant event, but it's not a call for a whole personality change. "

"Exactly!" Mandavi shouted. "I'd marry you, whether or not you painted or weightlifted."

Bharat blushed. 

"I know that it's only been a few weeks since we've properly known each other. And love can't blossom in a few weeks." He bit the inside of his cheek. "I've always believed in the whole 'at first sight' thing, but in reality, two people grow to love each other."

Bharat folded his arms across his chest like Mandavi was. "I don't know about anyone else, but if I grew to love you, I'd want to love the real you. Not some fake character."

Mandavi sucked in her cheek. "Well, if Maa asks why I'm suddenly not wearing bright pink and acting like a lady, tell her I tried my best."

Bharat chuckled. "Okay ji." 

A breeze rattled the thin bars of the bench. 

"So, no jhumka?"

"Eh. I've always preferred pearls."

Present

Mandavi snickered once her maids finally ambled forward. 

"Eh? Rajkumari? You're wearing pearl dangling earrings?"

"You owned  pearl dangling earrings? Since when?"

"Okay, but what about the jhumkas?"

A/N: Over hither is a little Bharma ficlet I wrote for @-artemxs- as consolation for the first What-If chapter. Does anyone here like jhumkas? I love them, but then again, I love any earrings. Any jewelry. Especially black silver ones and dangling earrings. 

I have new appreciation for slow burn love instead of love at first sight these days. Kind of want to write that whole growing together, friends to suddenly family type prose. It's warm and wholesome and tantalizing at the same time! :D