Song of the Chapter: Jhuk na Paunga (Raid)

Out of all them, Hanuman was perhaps the most scary. He was not like Kumbhakaran, forever condemned to the status of giant, but could change sizes at free will, crush all of Lanka underfoot if he kept growing; just chose not to. Ram reasoned that this would kill many innocent rakshasas, and also, consequently, Sita. Hanuman's muscles rippled like ocean waves, and hair flew like a flag beckon.

But, Hanuman thought, there weren't many sights to see like Shri Ram and Lakshman, standing side by side, awaiting the war signal of Lanka. In front of them, sure, stood an entire army. However, it was as if the vanar sena was completely erased, showing only these two godly brothers, birds of prey patiently waiting to unleash death upon adharmic rakshasas. And then, upon reflecting on this paragraph, Hanuman figured that he should be an author.

Ravan, at this point, noticed the large army which had collected in front of the battlefield, before dawn even braced upon them. Ravan, who had rejoiced upon the so-called end of the war, gaped at the assortment of monkeys. At the back of the helm stood the generals, Mainda and Dwivida and Rishabha. Behind them were upper generals like Jambavan, Angad, and Hanuman. Nal and Neel braced with maces on their shoulders. Then Sugriv.

Ravan reached for his viewing scope laughingly, because his eyes were really starting to fail him. For a moment, he thought he saw two figures. "Ridiculous," he muttered, adjusting the little viewing glasses in the scope, humming a little Death Tune to himself. Then he peered into the end, and promptly had five heart attacks in rapid succession. However, since he couldn't die by the hands of anything but a mortal, Ravan lived through those cardiac arrests, and got back up, staring at the scene before him.

Because Ram seemed perfectly fine, face and emotions intact, ready to fight as ever. And beside him was his brother, face cut off and emotionless, but chest completely unblemished and very intimidating bow on his shoulder. His jaw was clenched slightly, eyes darting around as if assessing the battlefield, but not a sign of death visible in his cool exterior. Ravan stumbled back, clutching his chest. "INDRAJIT!"

-----O-----

"It's impossible," Indrajit muttered, rubbing his stubbled chin between his fingers. "It's completely impossible," He glanced up. "Father, are you quite sure? Are you sure that it is the same man as you saw earlier? Did you get Surpanakha-aunty to fact check? Did you look closely? Ram may have gotten a similar looking man to make us uneasy."

"SURE?" Ravan roared. "Yes, I am quite sure! I looked him in the eye. Him and his brother. That Ram! He always escapes our attacks! It's luck, sheer luck! But bad for him, the Gods will always be on my side! I shall win out in the end, for what will a mortal man be able to do to me, Ravan? Ridiculous!"

"No one can survive the Shakti Astra," Indrajit stressed. "It's impossible. You can't. I almost never use it. And what's this you say? Not even a scar? That's godly, Papa. It's not supposed to happen. That, and the fact that they were able to get so far in the first place; something is striking me as wrong. Papa, please. Tell me it isn't true." Then his eyes burnt angrily. "Stupid shakti astra. I'll find something better!'

Ravan leaned forward in his throne, thumping his fist eagerly. "Go to the cave of Nikumbila Devi! If you complete the entire ceremony in front of her, you shall be granted certain victory against all enemies! Complete that ceremony! And kill this Lakshman. Ram too, if possible. Best to get it done with quickly, so that we can sit back in peace. Just two hermits aided by pure luck. Beginner's Luck, to be sure!"

"Don't worry, Father." Meghnad assured. "He'll be dead today! There's not a chance of either of them escaping!" He clutched his dhoti as he bowed, and then with a flick of exquisite silk, Indrajit the great (and kinda doomed) warrior was off, seething with the hatred of a thousand elephants, but looked down on with the spite of a thousand dead enemies.

-----O-----

The war horn of Lanka blared loudly, ringing throughout the hollows of the Earth that spread throughout the battlefield. In a single instant, the entire vanar sena stood at attention, looking into the distance like soldiers crafted from hard stone; unyielding and unbreakable. Then again, they probably were so. The monkey army was numerous. Everywhere you looked, you saw monkey. They stood further than the ocean. They surrounded trees, climbed half onto mountains and kneeled, boosting others onto their shoulders.

Angad stood up from where he was oiling his arms, hoisting his mace upon the muscle of his shoulder, cropped hair flying into his face as he squinted his eyes in the warm morning sun. He glanced at his uncle, who, in turn, turned towards Ram and Lakshman. "Let's not wait," he advised. "If it is alright with you, prabhu, I believe it would be best to have our army charge while they aren't expecting it."

Ram shifted his gaze towards Lakshman, who squared his jaw and gave him a nod of encouragement. "Charge."

The collective sound that erupted from the army was like the practiced roar of a lion. It shook the rock of the mountains and toppled trees. It shifted boulders that had been stationary for centuries, buried deep within the dirt, and caused the very depths of the Earth itself to shake. But those soldiers in the vanar sena wouldn't have been any wiser, for as they ran, they didn't shake or quiver, just ran with one thing on their minds: the killing of demons. The Earth may have split into two underneath them and they would float on the air and grow wings.

Not soon after their marathon started, the golden gates of the demon city burst open with a loud crash. Ram stared at the beginnings of a fateful day in battle from his post at the front of the tents. Nal and Neel still were there, and the former chewed on his chapped lips till they bled as he watched. Just another day on the battlefield.

The author doesn't know what to write to describe the war. Hanuman killed rakshasas. Sugriv killed rakshasas. Angad mostly teased rakshasas, but was told by Sugriv to finish them off, and thus had to say goodbye. The sun flared. The conchs blared. Teeth were bared. Shoulders were squared. Emotional people despaired. From his tower in his palace, Ravan glared. A lot of anger was shared. In the trap of death, demons were snared. No one was able to kill any of the generals, but no one even dared.

And Ram just stared. He had no fear. Not for his soldiers, his generals, or for his brother. Nothing was visible on his cool face.

Flashback

The party had ended. The monkeys, exhausted with the toll of emotion that the ordeal had brought them, as well as the sudden mood swings from inconsolable grief to the burning triumph of a recovered warrior, had long since gone to sleep. Ram had sat down on a large palm leaf, leaving Lakshman to press his feet as the moon watched over the pair diligently.

"Lakshman," Ram said weakly, knowing that his argument was going on deaf ears. "You really shouldn't do this. Your body and mind are exhausted. You need to rest. Don't worry about my feet. I'd been sitting all day when you were hurt." He didn't say anything else however, when Lakshman continued his actions, and instead swallowed, clasping his hands together in his lap.

He had come up with many ways to start this conversation, but none seemed quite appropriate. He had planned to begin with "I'm Sorry", but knowing Lakshman, the moment he heard those words, he would immediately start a long speech on why perfect people had nothing to be sorry about and how everything in the world was solely his fault. 

Ram knew. One time, he had apologized to Bharat for accidentally putting one of his plants out on a 38 degree day. Upon apology from the elder, Lakshman said it was his own fault because he had probably done something to make Surya angry, which in turn made it burn brighter, which in turn made it a hotter day, which in turn killed Bharat's plant.

So how exactly would Ram get Lakshman not to interrupt him? "Lakshman," he began. "I command you not to speak while I am speaking right now. And stop pressing my feet, you need to pay attention to this." Lakshman blinked, before sitting back on his heels, staring at Ram with expectant eyes.

"When I said those terrible words to you, when I called you untrustworthy and unreliable and I ignored you for all that time, I was in the wrong. What I did wasn't right in any way, shape, or form. When Sita disappeared, when I saw her disturbed plate of fruit and the front of the cottage in disarray, I couldn't think straight anymore. All I could think of was her dead body, staring back at me, broken and marred. In my own grief and spiraling imagination, I couldn't blame myself. I blamed the only other person I saw. I blamed you."

Lakshman looked about to speak, but Ram silenced him with a look. "Whatever your stupid, dutiful brother brain is telling you, I am commanding it to shut up. Because despite my scathing remarks and burning scolding, this wasn't your fault. At all. After all, wasn't I tricked, and didn't you try to stop me? After all, didn't you, over my own wife, believe in my capabilities and refuse to leave her side? And didn't you, by leaving her eventually, follow my own orders of listening to her as you would me?"

Ram swallowed. "Whatever Sita told you was wrong. It was wrong, false, incorrect, insert Bharat's endless list of synonyms," he chuckled. "Because you followed us into the exile, we were able to live so comfortably, so well. Because you were there to shoulder our struggles, did I feel as if I was still as rich and fortunate as I was in Ayodhya. You took up the role of my sister, my father, my mother, my advisor, my hunter, my servants, my soldiers, and still remembered to be my brother. You embodied everything I ever needed in anybody, forgot your station as a prince to serve me."

"Even after Sita said those things to you, you wished to protect her. You, still remaining her loyal son, drew that rekha. After that, how could it be your fault? Things out of your control happened. Sita made her decision, and it cost her terribly."

"Lakshman, in my grief at losing a wife, I forgot the only thing I had to be. A brother. But in your grief and overwhelming guilt of losing a mother, you remembered all those tasks, all those stations and responsibilities and became the better person, despite my put-downs and blame game. For condemning you to the things you had to do to keep me sane, when you could have just shouted at me back, I will never lose my guilt."

"I am sorry, Laksh. Bhaiyya is very very sorry.

Lakshman stared at him, and Ram stared back. "I am done speaking. Say whatever bad words you wish to say to me, and I will accept them with a warm embrace."

Lakshman looked down at his own hands, which fidgeted restlessly, before looking up into Ram's eyes. "Bhaiyya. You were not only my bhaiyya, but my papa, my bhagwaan. All those things I did were so that you could stay with me. My bhaiyya cannot live without my bhabhi, and I cannot live without my bhaiyya. So, there was some selfishness in my own actions too."

"When you became angry at me, when Sita bhabhi became angry at me, it felt as if you were slowly stepping on my open heart. But bhaiyya, I would allow you to do that any day of the week, any hour of the day. You, although better than anybody else, are also mortal, right? If that was what you needed to do to become sane again, I would gladly accept any beating or terrible words sent my way."

"What Sita bhabhi said left me withered inside, but it also made me more confident. Those accusations on her son made me feel as if she cared for you that much more. That's when I realized I had to do whatever I could to make sure you won her back from that wretched Ravan. She loved you so much, she would do anything for you. Who finds a person like that in their lives so easily? You deserved her, and I finally fully conceded that she deserved you."

Lakshman awkwardly ambled forward, before wrapping his arms around Ram's broad shoulders. "Let's, neither of us feel guilty please. We only have one focus now, right? Get Sita bhabhi back and end this dumb exile."

Ram exhaled, and as he did, he felt all of the burdens escaping his lungs.

Present

Ram quickly shook his head to rid himself of those memories. He was in a position of war, leading his army. He couldn't afford to think of these things when his soldiers were out there, fighting a war in his name. He turned towards Vibhishan again, tilting his head slightly. "Vibhishan," he began calmly. "You have something to say. Your mouth is twitching and your ears are turning red. Tell me what it is."

"Prabhu, I fear that Indrajit already knows that Lakshman is alive. See that shining pink jewel on the balcony of the suite?" Vibhishan pointed, and Ram squinted so he could see the coral colored shining gem. "That is a viewing scope slider. And it's pointed in this direction. He must have been looking to see why we were so energized when one of our main generals was dead, and he saw Lakshman."

"Wait, but isn't that a good thing?" Neel asked. "That means that Indrajit will come on the battlefield soon, because he's been surely informed by now, and the sooner Meghnad arrives, and if he arrives faster, it also means he leaves the world faster. Right, captain?" He saluted Lakshman, and Lakshman blinked back. "Alright, we'll work on that."

Vibhishan cleared his throat wearily (literally whenever I say Vibhishan does anything, it's wearily). "Not exactly. If I know my nephew well, which I do, because he always made a point to detail his evil exploits to me, he's probably not aiming for a fair attack this time either. Before he had the shakti astra, he used to pray to Nikumbila Devi. The goddess of Lanka, higher even than Lanka Devi." (there's a devi hierarchy in Lanka).

"So?" Nal chuckled. "He can pray all he wants for God to save him, but we all know that the true Gods are behind us and we'll kill him off in the end!"

But Ram was more wary. "What happens once the prayer is finished?" he asked, cautious of Indrajit's tactics.

Vibhishan swallowed, scrunching up his moustache. "He is invincible. No one can beat him. To kill him then, you would have to use the Brahmastra. There is no other way." He glanced around, eyes darting as he watched the men (and monkeys) take the new information in. "I suggest we intercept the prayer as soon as possible."

Lakshman sat up immediately (he was already standing, but for the flow pls, ignore that). "Bhaiyya," he said. "I'm ready whenever we can leave." He stretched his arms, eying the battlefield with his dark, assessing eyes. "I don't know where this cave is, however, so I will need a guide. But I can take the rest. Let me kill this idiot, once and for all, in the dharma way you wish me to."

Vibhishan licked his chapped lips, but exhaled. This time, more than ever, was his time to prove himself. When he was young, he had asked Brahma of one thing: that he never stray from the path of dharma, no matter what. Indrajit may as well kill him, rather than purposefully not help for fear of his life. He had already abandoned Lankesh. He had already conquered his fear of death. Gulping, he stood up as well. "I know where it is. I can guide him."

Ram looked at them both. "Take some willing vanars with you as well. Knowing Meghnad, either he is so arrogant that he didn't take an army at all, or he took such a large army that only vanars would be able to overpower them in time for Lakshman to be able to kill him before he finishes his prayers."

Hanuman, at this point, had finished off his assigned legion of rakshasas, and had flown back to Ram for further command. He overheard the conversation, and approached the team of two confidently. "Let me too, please, be part of this team. Indrajit has targeted us and our hearts, and want to be part of the team that vanquishes him forever. I can take many demons at once, and I can take the form of a chariot as well, in case he chooses to fight in one. That way, it can truly be fair."

Ram smiled graciously, and nodded. He took one step back and surveyed the team of three. One vanar loyal to the very end, a demon determined to follow dharma and prove the stereotypes wrong, and a brother aching with the need for revenge. Loyalty, dharma, and motive. Wasn't that all they ever needed to destroy evil?

A/N-A very long flashback, compared to my normal ones. @enamot and @Ramayana_lover both wanted something like that. I had originally planned to leave the two brothers at melancholy, silence that best described the situation, but looking at the writing now, I think that their suggestions helped improve this chapter (and its wordcount) a lot, so thank you so much!

I also finally started a playlist for the story itself! It has a grand total of (0) songs, but I'll work on that. I've been thinking of going back into the story and putting in a song for each chapter, so I can create a proper playlist from that. So if you get updates, that's probably me doing that. 

Anyways, according to the lil announcement poll, this came first overall, so here's the update for PoA! Next, from what I see, was #4, being idle and reading, so Imma do that for a while~