"Sita, come on now!" Urmila cried, tugging on her sister's arm. Sita groaned, moaned, pouted, and shouted, but eventually gave in, getting pulled out of the room and dragging poor Shrutakirti and Mandavi along with her, getting an earful of insults along the way.

Urmila pulled her cousins and sister all the way to the gardens, where Ram was pacing around agitatedly and rather aimlessly as Lakshman paced behind him exasperatedly, out of breath at how fast his brother was walking. Urmila still marveled at what different images they made, now, many days later.

One was tall, dark, with dark hair and warm, yet icy blue eyes and smiled all the time. He laughed at Sita's words, rarely frowned, and seemed good-natured. The other was even taller, had a lean, muscular frame, with olive skin, and the coldest, darkest black eyes. He had short, brownish hair, and had a hard, stone cold face, which only smiled around his brother. "Listen!" squeaked Urmila, her ears perking up.

"Look, I'll embarrass myself! I can't attend any competition! What will they make me do anyways? Probably something stupid. No, Lakshman, I will not attend this stupid swayamvar." he muttered, just loud enough for the straining ear to catch. Sita winced.

"You've been switching between the two possibilities since dawn, bhaiyya, I'm sleepy. Listen, listen closely. You care for her, if she doesn't reciprocate, then, then-" Lakshman struggled to find something to say, and Ram looked up amusedly.

"Then my name is not Lakshman Raghuvansh, I am not Ram anuja and Bharatanuja, and Shatrughan is better at the sword than me, which is impossible, so as you can see, she reciprocates your feelings!" Ram laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder as the princesses giggled slightly at his last statement, but Lakshman's face still remained stony and serious as ever.

"Oh, Laksh. You never are bad at cheering me up. But I won't go. That is my final decision." Lakshman raised an eyebrow, folding his arms suspiciously over his chest and squaring his jaw disbelievingly, while snorting.

"Yeah, and at this rate of change, your answer will change in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one-" Ram, predictably, interrupted, whirling right back around again, hands waving wildly in the air.

"What sort of stupid statement is that, Ram! I will attend the swayamvar, I will win, and I will marry her! I don't care what you say Lakshman, if you object or not." Lakshman pretended to be offended and defensive, shaking his head and opening his mouth widely.

"Look, didi. He does care for you! Come onnnn!" squealed Shrutakirti, dragging Sita out by the hair and placing her in front of Ram, where he gaped at her as she blushed, straightening out her braid and discreetly sending a death glare at Shrutakirti.

"Erm, hi! Would you, ah, like to take a walk?" Sita gasped. Ram teetered from foot to foot, weighing his options. He did want to go, but what if he embarrassed himself? What if he accidentally confessed his emotions? What if he failed to be impressive? What if she didn't care for him at all, and was only doing this out of courtesy? What if-

"Yes, of course he would!" cried Lakshman cheerfully, nodding along for his brother. "He's just hesitating because-uh, because-" Lakshman frowned, contemplating his excuse. "Why is he hesitating? Ah! Because he wanted to take you to a specific flower, and he can't remember the directions!" Ram sighed in relief. Thank goodness Lakshman covered for him.

To his surprise, Lakshman began to walk away slowly, his frown even deeper as he seemed to think deeply about something. "Wait, Lakshman, aren't you going to walk with us-I mean show us to the flower, because you remember the directions?" Lakshman nodded, as if the question was stupid.

"Of course bhaiyya! It's there!" and he flung his arm randomly to somewhere in the flower gardens, which happened to be towards the pink and orange lotus that they had discovered earlier. Sita would have been touched if she wasn't spending all her energy in not bursting into wheezy laughter.

"And where are you going?" asked Ram. Lakshman's eyes widened in fright, and he twisted to the opposite direction, keeping a single hand over his dagger and bit his lip.

"There!" and he flung his arm to the exact opposite direction where Ram and Sita were going, and after a quick poke in the shoulder and encouraging nod later, began to slowly amble away, practicing arm movements with his dagger.

"Wait, we'll come with you!" squeaked the three princesses, and with nothing to do, and a very interesting person who said very interesting things to follow, they followed Lakshman who seemed perfectly normal and fine with everything going wrong.

Urmila, without hesitating, began to chitter chatter all over again as Lakshman continued aiming his dagger at random trees outside the palace and practicing his aim. "You know, that girl, she gave me this sweet present. A tiny, carefully planned, little house made of clay!" she would blabber on. Mandavi often cut in as well.

"Yes, and you broke it! Honestly, Urmila, how clumsy and irresponsible can you get? I have to remind Mother Sunaina every single day to get you ladies' training, but no!" And often, Shrutakirti would have to break up the fights, with...

"Guys, we have a guest with us!" or.... "You know, I think I am clumsier than her." or..... "What do you think, Lakshman bhaiyya?" And everyone would go silent, Urmila would blush at embarrassing herself in front of Lakshman, and Lakshman would suddenly widen his eyes, point to himself quizzically.

And often, the ever-philosophical Lakshman bhaiyya would pitch in with the regular "Mhmmm," and "Oh, is that right?" and "You're talking to me?" This would result in great laughter, and the conversation would continue whole-heartedly. Eventually, Urmila decided to test him, to make sure he was listening.

"Today, I painted, you got that?" she asked.

"Today, you painted, got it!" cried Lakshman, slicing his dagger through mid-air.

"I painted a mural, got that?" she asked again.

"A mural, got it!" cried Lakshman stabbing his dagger towards the ground.

"And Mandavi is a rakshasi, got that?" she finally ended craftily. Mandavi widened her eyes angrily, gasping, and Lakshman paused, sheathing his dagger and staring at her confusedly, thinking her statement through.

"Actually, no, I didn't get that part. Rajkumari Mandavi seems perfectly mortal, poised and kind. And why would a rakshasi be named Mandavi? Usually it's something like Tadaka!" he wondered and Urmila turned a bright red as Mandavi laughed mockingly and Shrutakirti giggled from the sidelines. His sudden words, where he stood up for her sister, made her like him even more, for some reason.

It was as if he had accepted them as a family of his own, defended Mandavi from her words like he defended Ram from her doubt. As Lakshman now smiled at the flowers Shrutakirti was showing, who was practically glowing under the attention of someone who appreciated the flowers, Urmila found herself thinking as she admired the scene.

If I should marry, she thought, I would marry someone who defended my family, loved it as my own. Someone like this Rajkumar Lakshman!" Urmila froze, slapping her forehead. Stupid, stupid, stupid, that practically made it seem as if she would marry Rajkumar Lakshman! Of course she wouldn't? *enter nervous laughter*

"Are you going to marry as well?" asked Shrutakirti innocently. "And all of your brothers?" Lakshman frowned, thinking it over, and placing his practice stuff away. Urmila looked up too, interestedly. It was good that Shrutakirti had asked, for though she was bold, she hadn't dared to ask the question herself.

"I might. I will marry a high-leveled princess, father will assure that." Urmila looked up, a burning, something, raging in her heart. For some reason, she couldn't even imagine him being married to anyone, really. She would have laughed, days earlier, imagining someone putting the wedding flower necklace over his head, but now, she thought about it in a much more serious manner. Why was the mere thought of this Rajkumar's marriage making her want to kick something?

"Oh, look!" cried Shrutakirti. "A robin." She held her hand out, and the robin landed on her finger. It stayed there for a few seconds, looked around as if displeased, and flew off again, landing onto Lakshman's shoulder. Lakshman jumped, but the robin dug its claws into his skin and stayed there.

"You know, most animals run away from me," Lakshman unconsciously grumbled as he focused on not wincing with the clawing of the fierce bird. "And usually, I try to get them to stay. Now, I find myself thinking that it would be nice if this bird went away." The robin showed no signs of leaving, and Lakshman let it stay on his shoulder reluctantly, swinging his dagger around some more.

It's weird. The first time an animal did not escape from the sight of me was a robin. Now, the second time is another robin. And yet, this one doesn't leave! Lakshman pouted, before Urmila spoke.

"I would like to hold that robin." she stated wistfully as she stared at the beautiful red-bellied bird. And automatically, as if listening to commands, the robin flew to Lakshman's hand instead. Swallowing hard, trying to seem unthreatening so the robin didn't pierce his flesh again, Lakshman handed the robin to Urmila. During the transfer, his hand brushed against hers, and Urmila quickly turned away before he could see her blush.

What is getting into you, Urmila? Blushing? She chided herself. As she turned back, it seemed as though the awkward moment had not ever occurred in Lakshman's mind, he seemed perfectly normal, as if he hadn't even noticed. Somewhere, in Urmila's heart, disappointment panged. He didn't feel flustered by her, nor even recognized the interaction. Urmila huffed, folding her arms across her chest. Well, that was fine! It was not like she liked him like that!

Lakshman had much practice with masking his feelings and emotions. However, it had been very hard to mask that blush! Why did he hand it to her, why not just let the bird fly?! It was practically an invitation to touch each other! He felt a small spark go through him, as if electrifying his back, when the little "exchange-that-must-not-be-named" as his military-mind had now dubbed it, had occurred.

Why? That had never happened before! Was she some sort of supernatural, this short girl, with longer black hair than anyone he had ever seen, milk white skin that rivaled Bharat's fairness, and large, brown, feminine eyes? Was she some sort of enchantress, this woman whose smile seemed to light her face up like the sun, who looked eager to hear his every word, whose laughter made him want to smile and act ridiculously like Shatrughan? He shook his head quickly, and went back to practicing with his daggers. They returned back to the clearing where they had promised they would meet.

Ram and Sita were a beautiful sight to spot and a lovely couple indeed once they returned from their walk. Ram looked intoxicated, and was stumbling, yet stammered legible responses at her every playful question, smiling so widely, it seemed as if his face would split apart, and constantly beckoning for her to go in front of him.

Sita glowed. Like a fireball, a fiery flame. Like the bright yellow sun in the sky, like a crown. Like a shining diamond, like a queen. She laughed, smiled, and looked very much in hopeless love, very much a poised, perfect princess, very much like she was married and walking with her husband.

Lakshman and the princesses were a completely different story. Poor Lakshman's head darted between the three girls as they all spoke rapidly on top of each other, and eventually, he resorted to his original tactic of practicing with his dagger until Urmila realized he wasn't paying attention and snatched his weapon away, which resulted in him getting a neck cramp as he respectfully looked at who was talking.

"Goodbye!" muttered Ram sadly, waving, grabbing Lakshman and walking away. Lakshman waved as well, having bonded with the princesses over their in-love relatives. He now considered himself friends with Urmila. Very great friends, actually! He felt disappointed, somewhat, for some reason. He couldn't place why, why exactly he wanted to turn back, why he felt agitated that his time spent with someone was cut off. And why, he couldn't quite understand why, was Urmila's face flashing in his mind, on and off, on and off, like a lamp, her pretty face smiling irritatingly at him the entire time. Groaning he rubbed his eyes. He needed some sleep. Hopefully she wouldn't show up in his dreams.

Bonus Scene

"I'm not! I'm not going to the swayamvar! Absolutely not!" cried Ram once he thought he was out of earshot. "Definitely not! Why would I? There's no reason to trouble them further, so we won't! Go to the competition, I mean. I wish Sita the best in finding a husband." While he yelled at his brother, his mind questioned his own judgment. Why did his entire body burn at the thought of her being married to anyone but him?

He thought he was out of earshot. Sita and her sisters listened to his voice, and Sita gasped, a tear falling from her eyes discreetly. Her heart felt as if it was being torn into a thousand pieces, broken devastatingly and painfully slowly. Mandavi slumped, rubbing her eyes disappointedly, and Shrutakirti wrapped her arms around her cousin comfortingly. Urmila just scowled in protectiveness. So much for love. So much for care. So much for a good prince.

"No, you will, bhaiyya. You care for her, your mind is just repelling that fact, because you can't believe that you might be in love! Is it that bad to care for someone so dearly as you do Devi Sita, and as she does you? We both know you will eventually have to marry! Might as well marry someone you like, care for, and who feels the same way! I think Devi Sita would be a wonderful Maharani as well, if that's all you care for!" came Lakshman's persistent voice, and the sisters all unconsciously smiled, Urmila beaming even more, a sense of pride blooming in her at her friend's voice. If this brother, good and kind as he was, persevered in his campaign to marry his brother to Sita, Sita would marry the man of her dreams after all.

A/N-We are on the brink. Not of extinction (although tigers and chimpanzees are, recycle and don't support deforestation, people), but of the swayamvar competition. One lady. 30 something royals who will eventually wound their pride. One bow. One winner. And a fight for justice! Wow, I sound like a movie producer!

Anyways, aaargh. I am excited. I probably won't post for the next few days due to major editing for my part 1 and 2 Swayamvar, which will be posted on the same day. This is our first (more or less) major event in our story, and I haven't even started drafting!!! Oh no. I'm doomed.

Are you excited about it? I am, very, very much. One quick question before I DO start drafting, though. Do you want the Lakshman vs. Parashuram verbal battle, or not? I kind of don't want to include it, because IDK actually. I mean, Lakshman has a pretty bad temper in this story, and though quiet, is very sarcastic and well-equipped in dry humor. But, I'm not sure! What do you guys think?

Also, the momentary, few paragraphs of jealousy that Urmila experienced is not the jealousy I promised you. There will be an entirely different bout of jealousy, do not worry, friends. This chapter was, again, long, but based on your reactions to the last chapter, you all DEFINITELY don't mind. So, whenever I can, I will make four or five page chapters for you all.

I HAVE PASSED 100 PAGES!!!! EEEEEK. So, I don't type my story directly in Wattpad, I type it in a Google Document and copy paste it. And, today, I noticed that I had passed 100 pages of type. And, drumroll please, I have written 50 thousand words in this book! 50 thousand words since December 29th, 2020. How on Earth?

So, this is obviously a fateful chapter, because, first meetings & milestones are awesome! And so, I dedicate this chapter to...

All my faithful commenters, readers, voters, you people are amazing, and are made of a substance of pure inspiration and kindness, stuffed into a human being. You all are awesome, and trust me, you are the gasoline that fuels the flame of my passion to write. Every single one of you touches my life through a screen, you make me laugh and smile, the greatest power one has. You all are just the best!

Words can make you feel happy, sad, angry, etc. It is amazing how something you say, or write can affect someone else so deeply, from motivating them, to uplifting them in difficult times, to making them sob for characters that they have never met, to making them angry about the actions of someone who is not real, to making them care, and have concern about people who do not exist, to making them laugh, one of life's greatest feelings-Yours Truly

BUT NO. I will not update a second chapter today for celebration. I am not that nice.

Shoutout to: @parampremika!! Your thoughts and notes are so kind! I did try to make Urmila a little bit different, very talkative, bold, and emotional. And thank you for making a cover for me! 🎀💕🎀