The Ramayana - Lakshmila's POV

The Swayamvar Part - 1

Mithila had never been more busy than it was at the moment. The palace was decorated with lights and flowers. The guards were given specific instructions on the announcement and the maids were given instructions on how to welcome, what to offer them and how to lead them. Sunaina had woken up al the girls early in the morning. The girls groaned, the loudest being Mandavi's but her mother Chandrabhaga had given her a very stern look and Mandavi fell silent. Sita was taken to the bath chambers by her mother and aunt where she had her long mane of thick hair oiled and washed. She was given a bath with milk and rose petals and she was given another bath with the finest scents there ever were. Once Sita was brought out, she was made to sit down infront of the mirror as her mother and aunt dried her hair and braided it into a thick long braid. All the while, Sita sat quietly but only she knew that deep inside her heart, she was fighting a battle of emotions.. She dreaded her swayamvar now. After her realization of love for the oldest prince of Kosala, she could hardly contain her nervousness of the swayamvar and prayed to the Gods above that he would be the won that she would garland as her groom. Her sisters came out dressed in fineries.. Mandavi was dressed in yellow silks and she had a pleasant smile on her face. Urmila was dressed in orange silks and had braided her hair for the occasion Shrutikeerti was wearing robes of royal blue and her eyes twinkled with excitement at her sister's swayamvar. Urmila looked at Sita as she sat quietly infront of the mirror allowing her mother and aunt to braid her hair. Sita always had a smile on her face no matther what the situation, thought Urmila. But Urmila was no fool. She could sense her nervousness regarding the upcoming Swayamvar.. Her sister was in love.. Urmila murmered a silent prayer to the Gods that Sita would get the grrom of her choice. Her thoughts gave way to a pair of black eyes.. A pair of black intense eyes that looked at her in the garden yesterday. She shook her head. She should be thinking about her sister's choice, not of some prince who she just met yesterday. But a voice in her mind betrayed to her that even Sita met the oldest Prince just yesterday She was brought out of her thoughts by her mother who was calling out to her. Mandavi nudged her in the ribs. "I've been calling you since few moments.. What ever are you thinking about" mused Sunaina slowly to her younger daughter. Mandavi looked at her with hard eyes.Urmila shook her head. Sunaina left the responsibility of getting Sita ready to the sisters and left along with Chandrabhaga. Each sister had an ornament in hand. The ornaments gazrd Sita's smooth skin and made their way to the right places. Mandavi couldn't stop her excitement.

Mandavi : I am so excited.. So many princes on their way to attend the Swayamvar. I just got a glimpse of the King of Magadh.

Shrutikeerti : How did he look like ?

Mandavi : Fine.. But it all depends on who lifts the mighty dhanush, isn't it ?

Urmila stared hard at the thick bangle that she was gliding Sita's hand through. A person who would break the mighty Shiv Dhanush.. She couldn't understand what her father had been thinking when he had announced a contest that whoever ould be able to lift the mighty dhanyush and string it would be the groom for his oldest daughter. Agreed that Sita had lifted it when she was a mere child of ten years old but the contest made no sense to her. But now that she came to think of it, it made sense. It would be no ordinary man that would be able to lift the mighty bow. It had to be someone extraordinary. Sita was special so it had to be someone extraordinary to do that.. She found her thoughts flowing to the oldest prince of Ayodhya.. She knew that her sister and the oldest prince were made for each other. Before her thoughts could deviate to the younger prince, Shrutikeerti's voice brought her back to the moment and she thanked her in her mind for that.

Shrutikeerti : I heard The Mighty King of Lanka, Ravan is one of the contesting royals in the Swayamvara.

Urmila's head snapped towards her youngest sister. King Ravan !! She had heard about him, obviously.. She spent most of her free time in the Royal Library or with her father Rajrishi Janak while her sisters played ir in Mandavi's case, slept. She had gone through enough literature scriptures to know that Ravan was a great scholar and well-versed in the vedas and was very powerful. She also knew that he was the a great Shiva devotee. She felt uncomfortable.