Ram took in a deep breath. He knew from the squeals and happy laughter he could hear from Lakshman's room, that he had told his wife. Now only to tell his own. Ram always admired the steady casualness with which Lakshman and Urmila interacted with each other. They seemed like best friends more than a couple, but tiny hints, such as how they both blushed when the other dressed up, and how close they were, as well as the intense glances they shared, those tiny moments clued him into something different.

Whereas, he and Sita were a completely different idea. They were both completely and unsolvably in love, and it was obvious to everyone that was within a mile's radius of the couple. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, held hands openly, and seemed completely stricken without their better half. Both of them blushed very openly and redly when the other even entered the room, and always seemed surprised at how charming the other looked.

And this was where Ram felt a bit queasy. He didn't quite know how to tell Sita. It wasn't like he could just walk up to her and impart the news. Somewhere, he felt a little bit jealous of Lakshman. It must be so easy to tell his wife since they were friends before lovers. And he wasn't even going to be king! Besides, Ram was good with feelings, and he knew that Sita was not self-confident enough quite yet to rule as queen. He would have to change that.

Ram took a deep breath to steady himself but the world still swirled around him. It was inconceivable that perhaps only hours ago, his biggest responsibility was simply the one of being a husband and brother. Now he was about to be the Raja of Kosala, a king. A ruler. A beacon of hope. A lighthouse for the ships travelling in the fog. And Sita was supposed to be beside him the entire time. That was a lot to ask for.

Ram clasped his hands together, and tried to look presentable. He stared at himself in the hallway mirror, adjusted his crown, making it look larger. Would she get the clue that his crown was about to be the one of the king? He straightened his angavastram, making the gold lining stand out. Would she understand that his clothes were about to become grander? He pulled on his necklaces to make them look even more aplenty. Would she realize that he was about to wear a lot more?

Finally, Ram tried his smile. Should he go for a large beam of light, or a tiny grin? Should he smile, or not smile? Should he give a wide smile like Shatrughan, a big, circular one like Bharat, or a small, curved one like Lakshman? How much emotion should he put into it? Should he look eager or earnest? Excited or apprehensive? Ram took in a deep breath, and clasped his hands together again. What he should do was speak the complete and utter truth.

Sita deserved no less. She deserved no pre-made lies. Whatever she should hear from his mouth should be the reality. Ram, her husband, would not be the one who told her hurtful lies, who conveyed wrong information to the purest soul on this Earth. Ram stared at the ceilings, steadying himself so he would not trip and land on his face while telling his wife possibly the most important words he would ever utter.

And then he pushed open the door and entered the room. Sita was sitting on her bed, working on a little embroidery, and her head bobbed up immediately when Ram entered. A large smile spread across her face at the sight of him, but her smile dimmed a little bit when she saw his pale face and trudging demeanour. "What happened, Ram? Are you alright? Are you sick?" she asked, stepping off the bed hurriedly and taking his temperature with the palm of her hand worriedly.

Ram simply smiled, and grasped her hands between his. His crystal blue eyes looked deep into her soft brown ones, so intensely that he could see his own reflection. He could see every single one of his worries, he could pick out from his face. He swallowed hard and blinked, before being faced again with the strong and believing eyes of Sita."Papa has decided to crown me king in a few days." He murmured.

It just slipped out. It was nothing like he had planned it, radiant, proud, bold, and loud. But Sita put her trembling hands to her mouth before rushing forward and hugging him tightly. "Oh Ram," she whispered. "That's wonderful news, it really truly is. My goodness, I am so excited!" She hugged him even tighter, and Ram felt a smile spread across his face as he nodded. She had reacted quite well.

Sita looked up at him, and patted his shoulder. She could not conceal her happiness, and any part of her that may be nervous to be the next queen was quickly diminished by how proud she was of Ram. Her eyes were filled with tears and emotions as she placed a sloppy kiss on his forehead and sniffled, wiping away the tear tracks.

"I-I thought that you would be anxious," Ram murmured, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you would not like it, but you would have to decide to bear it. I did not think that you would be this happy. I thought that you would be scared, that you would be doubting yourself. I thought that you would have to act just to make me happy. But here you are, crying happy tears. What has happened?" Sita gave him a large smile, sitting down on her chair and fixing her clothes.

"I am happy for your accomplishments. I am ecstatic when you are. That is what true love does, it allows you to share the emotions of your loved one. When you walked in, you looked anxious, you looked ready to collapse. You looked pale, and unsure. You appeared to be a little bit guilty, even. You should not feel any of those things, you should feel excited, accomplished, as if you have achieved something great, for you have."

She turned around and beamed at him. "There was a time when I was apprehensive about being Maharani, of such a large state as Kosala, no less. But I have come to know the people here. They are kind, they love you like their own son! When I fell into the pool, that lady took care of me like her own daughter. She loved me so much that I felt like I was in Maa Sunaina's arms again."

Ram stalled. "I did not know that," he whispered. Sita laughed, and nodded again.

"Yes, it's true. She and her husband pulled me out of the pool with their own hands, he forgot all thoughts of self-harm when he saw that I was shivering and close to death. They spent their time trying to get me warm and cosy in front of a small fireplace, and tried to feed me when they thought I looked skinny. They are some of the kindest people I have ever met, and it was my honor to make their acquaintance."

She looked up, brushing herself off. "If I get to help people of such kindness and moral value, I am honored to rule beside you, Ram. I want to be your source of strength. I care not if there is pressure, for I would feel none. It would be my life's honor to be your Rani, Queen, confidant, and wife." she hugged him tightly again. "You should not have worried. Wherever you go, I shall. No matter if it is the most lovely kingdom, or the most dangerous jungle. No matter if it is a golden throne or a tree stump in the middle of nowhere. No matter if it is the heavens themselves, or the underworld."

Ram stared as she continued. "No matter if anyone tries to divide us. Do not worry, I would never back down." Ram just stared at her back as she went to lie down. Never would he find someone so understanding, so amazingly kind and gracious. Nowhere would there be someone even close to being equivalent to Sita. Ram sniffled and walked out of the room as Sita fell asleep. And he would never try to look either.

-----O-----

"No! No! No!" shrieked Kaikeyi, clutching her temples. "NO!" Her loud voice rang in the halls of the palace, and Ram, Kaushalya, Sumitra, Urmila, and Sita rushed over. Kaikeyi stomped her feet, and clasped her hands together so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and her head darted around angrily, eyes flashing in displeasure.

"What has happened, dear?" asked Kaushalya, putting an arm on Kaikeyi's shoulder. "Has something happened? Has something gone wrong? Are you alright? Is it something serious?" Kaikeyi turned towards her, and her eyes filled with tears as she folded her arms across her chest and looked towards the ground.

"The banner isn't placed right! Can't you see, didi? It looks off-center. I've been telling him to replace the ladder for ages, and yet he still doesn't! Can't you see! Oh, I shouldn't be doing this! It should be Sita and Urmila who should be doing this. It's too stressful, and I can't do anything correctly anymore!" Urmila turned towards the banner, and frowned, her brows furrowed together. Being the family artist, she was also the family decorator.

"No, Maa, if you chose the banner, then the colors look perfect! Can't you see the gold and the blue, very good choices per say, Ram bhaiyya's favorite colors, can't you see how they mesh together perfectly! I think you are a very good decorator, just, the banner is very off-center. The ladder is a bit rusty, so I think it's bending." She turned her head a little bit as Kaikeyi looked towards Kaushalya like "See? She gets it!"

"I think that perhaps we could help too," Sita squeaked. "While Ram gets ready for the coronation tomorrow, Urmila and I could help decorating. Urmila can do all of the aesthetic works, and I can order all of the workers, and you can supervise, Maa, just to make sure what we are going to do is good, you are the expert." Sita began to thread a garland of flowers that was brought to her as Kaikeyi looked towards the banner again.

"That ladder, you know, the decorator said it was the last one in the kingdom. Apparently all the families are putting banners and flowers on their roofs! I never thought I'd see the day that the royal family was deprived of anything because though there was enough, the citizens bought it all out! Oh, now we'll have an off-center banner, and everything high up would be off-centered because our ladder is rusted and bent! Oh the horrors!" Kaikeyi lamented as Sumitra patted her back encouragingly and winked at Urmila.

"Oh yes, I know what we can do about that off-centered nuisance!" exclaimed Urmila excitedly, clapping her hands and winking back. "LAKSHMAN!" she yelled, and everybody dropped what they were doing to stare incredulously at the princess, some vibrating still from the loud sound. Sita and Ram looked at each other amusedly. What was this new ingenuity of Urmila's, and how would it help their predicament?

Loud thundering footsteps rang in people's ears before a blur stood in front of Urmila and saluted. "How can I be of help my dear wifey?" he asked, and Urmila pointed towards the banner. He squinted at it. "How dare you look off-center, you stupid banner? It is my brother's coronation tomorrow and I demand straightness!" Before anyone could even blink, the blur rushed forward and in two seconds, the banner was straight. He gave the entire family another salute and dashed off again.

"For you see, Kaikeyi didi, why would we need a ladder when both of my sons are a literal human ladder?" Sumitra asked as the entire family burst into laughter. Sita continued to work on threading multiple flowers together. It was good work, and her hands became colored with the hues of many crushed flowers. She took a deep breath and smiled at the sky. It must have been the gods themselves who were looking down upon her, for it was the perfect day.

The sun was shining like a beacon of good hope and good will. The sky was the bluest she had ever seen, like a pretty cornflower, and the only clouds she could see were large, white fluffy ones that looked like the cotton she had seen women make saris from. It was not too hot, but there was not a chill in the air either, just a passing breeze that made her feel refreshed and cool, and made the tree branches rustle as if they were having a conversation with one another.

There were people hustling and bustling around her, but excitedly. Workers were making sure the large garlands of flowers that she continued to weave were placed in a lovely arrangement on the done of the palace. She saw the minarets being covered with silks and more flowers, and beamed. Finally, her work was coming to be used in a lovely way. She looked beside her towards all the other women who also worked.

At first, they had been surprised, they had insisted that no princess should work. They had been adamant that it would stain their pride, that they were there so that the royal family could relax. But Sita had been more stubborn, and eventually, they relented, and regretfully offered her a seat. She had not taken it, and was sitting on the ground. Was it this, or something else perhaps, that had convinced them that she was indeed going to be their Rani, because for the first time, someone in the kingdom bowed at her.

She had gotten to know some of these women. Some of the eldery and middle aged ones had seen the princes growing up, and shared hilarious tales about how Ram fixed everything, and Bharat sold his paintings, and the twins always chased each other around the palace and city. They had talked about how excited they were for the coronation, how their tired and weak eyes had yearned to see it for their lives.

Ram stared at his hardworking wife from behind, and walked forward, immediately to receive gasps and people stood up, and bowed towards him, but Ram also sat down on the hot pavement and waved away any parasol or shading. Without blinking, he too picked up a needle and began to thread. "A person should always try to solve their own things themselves before the Gods help him. When the Gods have already helped me with this wonderful weather, who am I to not work?"

He turned towards Sita as everyone began to thread again, eying the couple from the corners of their eyes. The couple who was soon to be their Maharaja and Maharani. He whispered in her ear. "You shouldn't work here, Sita. It is going to burn your skin. You will get hurt, you may pierce yourself. You could get hurt! I don't want you to get hurt. Go on, go under the parasol. There is a lot of shade there."

Sita turned towards him like she was offended. "Never did I think that you would have such a terrible memory! I told you earlier today that I would follow you to the Underworld, and so what is a little bit of sun on this Earth? I worked here before because I wanted to, I should not be exempt from work just because I am the queen. However, now that you are here, I have no excuse to leave at all!"

Ram smiled to himself as he threaded a large, red flower onto the thread. "You will be the most compassionate queen the Ayodhya, or Kosala itself, has ever had. Never has a royal come down from the palace many commoners view as heaven, and worked amongst them. Never has she refused a parasol, a cushion, or any other comfort. Never has she so selflessly vowed to follow her husband wherever he goes. Any man would be blessed to have you as his wife, and it is only in my good fortune that I am the man who does."

The two settled down, and continued threading flowers, sneaking glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, blushes covering their faces when the other caught them. Kaushalya observed the shy but completely lovestruck couple from the background. So young, they were, but so righteous! They had more moral value than she, so aged and wise, had. They would be the perfect Maharaja and Maharani.

While those two worked on the outside under the beating sun and under the supervision of the chief queen, Urmila worked on the inside, painting rangoli over the footpaths and entrances everywhere and making sure the decorations were immaculate. She placed little idols of gods to look over the windowsills and painted designs all over the walls.

The candy-like smell of flowers drifted through the air, and she took in the deep aroma with a sigh. How the castle had transformed in a matter of hours. She strolled through the hallways, and giggled as Kaikeyi handed a shocked maid a golden coin the size of a hubcap as she danced with Dasharath, who was laughing heartily at the antics of his wife. With a shake of the head, Urmila walked away.

She kept a large, heavy brass pot on the crook of her arm and the curve of her hip, which was filled with flower petals, all pinks and reds. She scattered them on all the footpaths and windowsills and made sure no one walked in them before the coronation the next day. The sun shone through the windows, angel rays touching her tentatively, and she basked in their warmth, setting down the pot thankfully. It was very heavy, and her arms ached. Suddenly, she bumped into something, and craned her head up.

Looking down at her was the smiling face of Lakshman. "Here, let me take that," he said, and picked up the pot without any effort, scattering the petals wherever a relieved Urmila pointed her finger. Sumitra whirled around from her stroll around the palace where she was supervising, and seeing the passing couple, her already large smile seemed to increase tenfold.

They were perfect for each other, so much it was as if it wasn't even possible! She would have never thought stubborn would meet stubborn, temper would meet temper, to create a bond of devotion so beautiful! Both would sacrifice so much for each other and their elder siblings. And yet, a sad aura surrounded the happy couple, one that made her heart beat anxiously as she watched them from the corner wall. What was this feeling in her heart that told her that this happiness would not last, that this heavenly match would be separated?

Urmila sniffled as Lakshman placed the final petal carefully onto the windowsill. Then she sneezed. "Achoo!" she sniffled. Lakshman jumped in surprise, falling back into the petals. Urmila blinked, rubbing her nostrils. "Oops, it seems like I'm allergic-achoo!" She turned around, and burst into laughter. Her husband had stood up, and was now looking at her with a steady look that clearly said, 'Really? You found no other time to sneeze?'

"Aww, come here," she laughed, and began to brush all the petals off the back of his head and arms. "You know, you should be less clumsy. And you got so surprised by my sneeze too!" She hugged his arm and pulled him towards the windows where they could see the main minaret of the castle. They both settled on their places and watched as the sun drearily set, ready to go to sleep and let the moon take over.

"It seems so bright, that yellow orb in the sky," Urmila murmured. Lakshman turned to look at her. Right in her eyes, he could see the sunset, a brilliant blend of pinks and reds and oranges, all visible in her light eyes. "It seems like when it is setting, it commands attention like the slow departure of an army general. When I do pass, many many years later, I would like to pass like that. Grandly, loudly."

Lakshman blinked, not knowing what he was saying as he was too mesmerized by his wife's eyes to pay attention to his words. "When I pass, I should like to be by your side. When I was younger, I thought I would die on the battlefield, you know? I would die in the service of my brother, who would be the king, and I would be a soldier, or the army general perhaps. But now I have a different dream. I would like to die with you next to me. You could be like the sun setting, and I would follow you dutifully like the moon. You would be the yellow orb in the sky, and I would be the colors that accompany it." Urmila grasped his hand tightly and squeezed it, knowing he meant his words from the heart. Whatever he did, it came from the deepest depths of his soul.

Ram and Sita watched the scene from behind, and they simultaneously wiped a tear from their eyes. Such words were tear-inducing, yes, but such devotion? It was otherworldly.

A/N-Here is the thing: I did not want to post this chapter today, I was actually planning to post an OS, which I actually hated. However, due to a solemn plea by @lakshmila4ardi, you get your chapter. You do owe her now, yes.