Plotless

Ram and his brothers had adapted to the ashram quite fast, much to the surprise of the pupils, but not Sage Vishwamitra. Bharat loved to stare at the scenery all day, daydreaming, until Shatrughan pulled him away for classes. Shatrughan pranked everyone except the sage, even managing to target Lakshman successfully, but never again. He had gotten quite a chewing out for that. And Lakshman himself had found a new person to fight with, even if it was with lethal glares and snide remarks. And Ram himself had found a place in the sage's and everyone else's hearts as the perfect prince, pupil, and person.

Except Daura. Daura and his friends might have been jealous, or were just downright mean, often attempting to bait the brothers. Ram always greeted them with a smile, even if deep down, he was not very happy with their insults.

They called Bharat stupid, dreamy, and girl-like, because of his love for art, something which had even managed to provoke cheery Shatrughan. They called Lakshman a coward and arrogant, which he didn't really care about as most everyone knew that he was the exact opposite. And they called Shatrughan, dear Shatrughan, whom they all doted upon, a baby, a stupid child, and unworthy of being there. That had made everyone angry, and Ram thanked his lucky stars that he was able to maintain composure and stop his brothers from plowing the group down.

"Bhaiyya!" Lakshman called, catching up to him. "There's a race today, in a minute!" He smiled warmly, clapping his brother on the back.

"Coming," Sensing he wanted to be alone, his brother ran off towards the race path. He and Lakshman were the closest of the four, although Bharat and Shatrughan had a bond as well. Ram wondered in the back of his mind, what would happen in this race that they had been preparing for. It was a simple run, and he felt confident that one of the four princes of Ayodhya would win. Bharat always had technique, slowing down at the start, and then becoming faster. Lakshman and Shatrughan were naturally energetic, and had plenty of practice running away from their parents, Shatrughan more so on both counts.

"Finally, we were wondering where you were, bhaiyya!" cried Shatrughan, pacing up and down at the starting line. Bharat smiled in relief, and Lakshman was too busy trying not to glare at Daura and his gang, something which, Ram thought, would take plenty of self-control for his younger brother.

"Go!" cried Vishwamitra, clapping his hands, and immediately, Daura and his friend, Riku took the lead. Shatrughan just ran, laughing, followed by Lakshman, who barely broke a sweat. As expected, Bharat was last, but Ram got the feeling that he was just doing that for strategy. Ram himself was right smack in the middle, and he didn't mind. This way, he could keep an eye on everyone. Lakshman was speeding up, gaining on Shatrughan, and Bharat too was getting close.

The twins outpaced Daura and Riku, and at this point, Ram just got the feeling that Lakshman was chasing Shatrughan like they used to do in the palace. Bharat ran in front him, and Ram sighed in relief as Riku began to slow down, looking out of breath. But Daura was getting faster, and Ram found himself speeding up, observing the troublemakers closely. For, he didn't get a good feeling about the determined look on the bully's face. His suspicions were proven valid.

Just as he passed Shatrughan, Daura held a leg out, and Ram stumbled, but didn't fall. He did stop though, and turned around to warn Shatrughan, eyes wide.

"Shatrughan, Lakshman, be carefu-" He was cut off by the youngest brother falling right over the foot and falling on his knees. But it wasn't a simple scratch, blood flowed out from the wound, and all the others could do was gape. Laughing triumphantly, Daura crossed the finish line as everyone else had stopped, trying to help the bawling eleven-year-old.

"Serves you right, the amount of times you've pulled practical jokes on us," Daura sneered, hands on his hips as he ran to celebrate with his friends. Ram wanted to run after them, to make them confess, but not now. Now wasn't the time for that.

"Shatru, oh god, no no no." Lakshman's eyes widened as he sank down. "If I'm seeing this correct, he's got a broken knee." Ram believed his brother, as he had gone to the hospital enough times to identify what was happening (product of his annoying habit of destroying walls by kicking them; resulting often with sprained feet).

"It's okay," Ram whispered encouragingly in Shatrughan's ear, as he lifted him up slowly with Bharat's help. "You'll be fine, ignore the pain, Shatrughan." He carried the boy to the hospital wing, ignoring Riku's taunting laugh. Lakshman stayed back, arms crossed across his chest.

Vishwamitra quickly arrived in the hospital hut, and confirmed Lakshman's diagnosis. "Broken knee cap, Ram. He won't be able to walk with a walking stick for six weeks. I'm sorry." Ram swallowed hard, turning towards Bharat, who was cradling Shatrughan slowly.

Bharat was always comforting in hard times, and here too, he was making Shatru laugh with his jokes, but his eyes were burning angrily. The cheat had even managed to provoke Bharat. Ram wondered what Lakshman would do in this situation-Lakshman!

"Bharat, where is Lakshman?" Bharat stopped his comforting, and stood up. Ram gulped. If he had stayed back, that could only mean...

The boys' laughter still echoed in the distance, continuing, and then, suddenly, without explanation, they abruptly stopped, followed by shouts, followed by silence. The missing brother walked into the cabin, looking unperturbed. Ram noticed his fists were slightly bruised, and shook his head.

"Laksh, you can't do that!" he cried, following Bharat by stepping out of the hut. A gory sight greeted him. Lakshman had managed to punch Daura and Riku so much that they sported black eyes, swollen jaws, and white chunks (were those teeth, Ram wondered disgustedly) surrounded by blood were lying on the ground. Bharat just stared, as if he were trying to decide between scolding his bahiyya or congratulating him on a job well done.

"Lakshman, what is this?" Ram shouted, rushing back into the hut. Lakshman had made Shatrughan laugh raucously, and looked up quickly.

"What is what, bhaiyya?" he asked innocently, standing up. Ram ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly. He shouldn't have done that, he really shouldn't have. Perhaps a verbal battle, a glare, that was okay. Not this!

"Oh, Shatru, I have something to show you." Laksh picked him up and brought him out, where Shatrughan just goggled at the scene. "It's very sad, and whomever did it should be punished." Lakshman added.

"Yes, I do think Bharat might have. You know his temper, he looks very innocent from the outside, but he's a right punch in the face when he gets angry." Shatrughan said, looking like he was trying to suppress a laugh. Bharat gasped dramatically.

"Traitor! Mark my words, it was actually Ram bhaiyya! Did you see him with the bow and arrow?" Ram shook his head, playing along, pointing towards the group, who were slowly getting up.

"You know, I think they felt guilty, so they punched themselves. I wouldn't blame them." he said. Vishamitra stalked up to the fallen group, eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what had happened, how Daura was responsible, but was determined to get them to confess.

"Who did this?" he barked, and Daura's lip began to quiver in a horrendous bout of acting. He pointed towards the twins, where Lakshman was still helping Shatrughan stand up.

"Him," he muttered. Lakshman gasped, pretending to almost drop Shatrughan, who was laughing.

"Shatrughan has a broken knee cap! He couldn't possibly!" he protested, and Bharat nodded accordingly.

"Ah, can you describe what he looks like? I can't tell if it's Lakshman or Shatrughan." Vishwamitra continued, and Ram bit his lip. If Lakshman was caught, Ram didn't know what punishment the sage would give.

"H-he had brown hair, a-and was tall, and-" Suddenly, Ram understood. Daura didn't know Lakshman's name, and was trying to describe him. The problem was, to the initial eye, the twins were identical.

"I confess, guru!" Shatrughan yelled. "It was me! I'm superhuman, so I can actually walk without a crutch. I got my revenge!" Vishwamitra shook his head despairingly, and walked away without punishment, and the brothers triumphantly walked back into the medicine hut.

"Laksh, you shouldn't have done that. As a punishment, you will have to make Bharat a new set of paintbrushes!" Ram sentenced. Bharat grinned, and turned towards a horrified Lakshman, who fainted.

"I wish Shatru was here," Bharat began dejectedly, kicking the dirt. Ram nodded along. Their youngest brother was still in the hospital wing, and it didn't feel the same without his hyperactive energy winning the race. Still, Ram promised himself, this time he would win. For Shatrughan.

"Go!" cried Vishwamitra, seeming sad himself, but Ram began to run. As he neared the finish line, he spotted a weird sight in his peripheral view. Was that...Lakshman? Carrying Shatrughan, bridal-style? Running the race? And somehow winning?

"By bhaiyya!" cried Shatrughan as the duo passed him, clearly having the time of his life. Lakshman, his secret-talent apparently being multi-tasking, tripped Daura, tripped Riku, and crossed the finish line, before dropping Shatrughan gently on the ground, and collapsing.

"You're-huff-the heaviest-huff-prince ever!" he gasped out. Bharat walked up amusedly, and ruffled Lakshman's shoulders, and Ram shook his head. He might be violent, but at least Lakshman was sweet. The question was, how did he win while carrying Shatrughan if normally he didn't win at all?

Bonus scene

Lakshman walked up to Bharat, holding something behind his back. Bharat continued staring at the trees, missing his paints and canvas dearly. He had lost the brushes while flinging them at the monster who had chased their carriage.

"Here," Lakshman handed him a set of brushes, carved from wooden handles and threaded with horse hair. "Ram bhaiyya said I had to. And, also," He slipped him a stack of thin pieces of wood. "Scraps. You can paint on them." Bharat looked up happily, crushing him with a hug. Shatrughan flicked a fake tear away from his eye gently.

"I really bring families together, bhaiyyas." He sniffed, opening his arms for a hug, while Lakshman steadily turned purple in Bharat's grasp. Ram smiled. They would always remain like this. Close, happy. Devoted to each other.

A/N-I have made a new strategy! Everytime we cross 100 views, I will add a bonus scene to the chapter.

So, I did say in the first author's note that I would update every week or so, and because of my excitement, I have been updating every day. I'll be a little busy now onwards though, I I have been noticing that my quality of writing has maybe been decreasing. So, I am going to update every alternate day if a chapter is unfinished, and every day if I manage to write something good-quality for you guys.

Thank you to all the viewers and voters! We have crossed 200 views ☺☺☺☺☺☺