Lakshman's Daughter

The Birth

"Urmila! Sit still, child!" seethed her mother Sunaina as Urmila moved in her seat for the tenth time. Braiding Urmila's hair neatly with her moving around has always been close to impossible.

"I told you I can do this by myself!" Urmila sighed heavily frustrated. "I am not a baby"

"Is it even wrong for me to braid my daughter's hair?" Queen Sunaina questioned. "Priyamwada, how have you been tolerating her for the past twenty years?"

"And finally you asks me abouts that Queens." Priyamwada said laughing as she arranged Urmila's bed. "Whats do I says about the Princess? You never knows when she will becomes angry. Last times she was angered, a few days before she gaves birth to Little Prince Angad and Little Prince Chandraketu, she threws an expensive vase at Prince Lakshman's heads. Luckily he dodgeds it else his heads would have cracked opens."

Urmila glared angrily at Priyamwada and Queen Sunaina frowned. "I can't imagine why you would do that to him. He's your husband for God's sake! And he's such a nice boy!"

"He is!" Urmila said dreamily, agreeing with her mother.

"Also a true hero!" Priyamwada added as she straightened a pillow. "Remembers that day Princess?"

"How can I forget?" Urmila asked "Six years ago, when I was expecting my first baby - babies, once on a day close to my due date, I locked myself in Ma Sumitra's chamber after lashing out at him. A few minutes later, my water broke and the pain started to increase. No one could come in because I locked myself inside, and I wasn't able to walk as well. It was he who broke the doors and came inside. He took me in his arms, despite my heavy weight, and carried me all the way till the Infirmary, and made me lie on the bed. And then he hold onto my hand, whispering words of courage and massaging my palm, until the Midwife came and sent him outside."

"Didn't I tell you that my son-in-law was a nice boy?" Queen Sunaina praised as she tied the end of Urmila's hair with a satin lace. "And we are done!"

"Help me up Ma!" Urmila said and Queen Sunaina helped Urmila get up. She got up keeping a careful hand on her baby bump and Queen Sunaina made sure she was alright. Urmila's delivery was due in a few more days, the Midwife had predicted that her child would be born close to the end of the Cold Season, or on the first few days of the Spring Season. The Mist had worsened since the past few days and it became awfully cold throughout Aryabhoomi, worse than ever before, forbidding any sort of human activity. Everyone prayed that the Mist would clear soon, and life would resume its usual pace.

Queen Sunaina made Urmila sit on the bed, she used to sleep in when she was a child. The big four poster queen sized bed, was shared by her and Sita, and sometimes on rare occasions when their cousins Mandavi and Kirthi would visit Mithila.

Priyamwada and Sunaina tucked Urmila in with her favorite blanket. Urmila smiled.

"Priyamwada!" Urmila addressed. "You don't have to stay here tonight."

"But Princess-" Priyamwada was about to start but Urmila interrupted.

"No! I want to stay in here alone!" Urmila added.

"But what if something happens to you in the night? Remember you are close to your due date. You can go into labour at any time. And I have been feeling a bit queer ever since your entered your ninth month!" Queen Sunaina argued, and noticed Urmila scowl. "Anyways I'll be there in the room next door, if you need anything then call out for me, alright?"

Urmila nodded and Queen Sunaina pressed a kiss to Urmila's forehead. Urmila smiled as she saw her mother and Priyamwada walk outside. As she saw the giant mahogany door close, she got off the bed and walked to the back of the bed. She extended a hand in between the narrow gap created by the wall and the head board. After a few seconds of groping she managed to pull out a huge portrait. She smiled as she wiped the dust from the face of the canvas.