"Hmm, what is this," murmured Urmila as the maid delivered her a note. She unrolled it carefully, curiosity buzzing in her brain. As she unrolled the last part of paper, and her husband's name jumped right back at her in curly, loopy handwriting. She squinted, used to neat, prim calligraphy. She whirled around, ready to call her husband.

"Hey, Laksh, this is meant for you..." she trailed off as she spotted her husband's steady breathing as he lay down on the bed. He was asleep. "I guess I'll just put it here for you to read, then." She placed it on his table and crawled into bed as well. Lakshman turned around in his sleep, putting one hand on her arm as if never wanting to let go.

Smiling softly, Urmila brushed his hair away from his face, and his frown immediately disappeared. Even in his sleep, those stray bangs troubled him to no end. Urmila turned again to look at the wall in front of her, breathing in a familiar citrus scent that always seemed present in this room. Whenever she cried, it would calm her down if her own husband didn't.

Urmila turned again to look at the letter. It seemed so enticing, just sitting there, open for anyone to read. She glanced again at her peaceful arya, untroubled in his rest, a small smile taking over his face. Lakshman had always stressed for them to be open in their relationship, and he certainly would not hide anything from her. Again she turned toward the letter, recalling the loopy handwriting.

Who could it be that was writing a letter to him? Curiosity, innocent and gnawing at her bones, spread across her body, and clenching the blankets tightly, and biting her lip, Urmila grabbed the letter and put it on her lap, exhaling in gratefulness as Lakshman didn't even move. Of course, Soumitri was always deep in his sleep, not alert like he was when awake. Taking a deep breath, Urmila unrolled the letter and began to read.

'Dear Prince Lakshman,

I send this letter only to you and not your family for I think that it is an important one indeed, and perhaps not one you would wish to want to share with your family. I, Raja Vanshik, am narrating this, but my daughter is writing for me.

Urmila paused for a second. Raja Vanshik? Wasn't he the King of Mahisthami? That one king who had a daughter? A very pretty daughter, as she recalled. Shaking her head, Urmila continued reading, breathing in the words like air, her eyes growing wider.

When we arrived at Mithila first, my daughter was in great peril, and you volunteered to help her. There, you saved her life. Throughout the trip, we closely observed your bravery and reservedness with awe and excitement. And then, you saved my dear daughter, Phool Jani, flower of my life, from a fierce lion that threatened to end our pride and joy's very life!

Urmila blinked, before almost bursting into laughter, quickly stopping herself when she heard a light inhalation on Lakshman's part. Nope, he was asleep. Of course, they still must think he did all of those things voluntarily? Then, her smile disappeared. Where was this letter going? Her heart raced as she picked up the aging, silky parchment again. It couldn't be what she feared it was. Yes, it just had to be only a letter of deserved gratefulness and nothing more. It couldn't be anything more!

When we returned to Mahisthami, my daughter couldn't stop talking about and thinking about you. When we announced to our kingdom that you had saved her not once, but twice, you were received very well. You must know, you were a great bringer of joy to them before, having saved my daughter's life many times.

Urmila paused in her reading, and turned again, incredulously, towards her husband. Many times? Many times? Didn't he hate the princess? Her heart continued beating quickly, so loud that she thought he may have heard it were he awake, but her brain wouldn't stop reading the letter, aching with curiosity and slight anger? Jealousy? Urmila did not know, but she continued reading hungrily like a starved woman.

My Rani is also quite fond of you as a son. It is now that I propose something. My daughter, I do think, admires you. You are a worthy match for her, having saved her life many times. We propose a stronger alliance between our cities through marriage, between you and Rajkumari Phool Jani. Please send your response, hopefully in the affirmative, as soon as possible!

Urmila dropped the letter, sending it flying unsteadily through the air, which was suddenly thick with tension, and under the bed. She swallowed hard, the world suddenly blurring and coming back into focus sickeningly. Her eyes unconsciously blinked multiple times, and she tried taking deep breaths, only to find that her throat seemed suddenly clogged. Suspended in mid-air, her fingers twitched, before clenching together.

Her heart hammered against her chest, leaping into her throat that Urmila was afraid she would cough it up. Urmila spared another glance at Lakshman, whose sleep seemed to never end despite the world crashing around her. Urmila suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, and wanted to scream into a pillow never endingly, but pulling a cover over her husband, she stepped off the bed, finding no solace in the fact that Lakshman's frown returned, deepening as she went away.

Urmila trudged through the hallways like a dead woman, a ghost, her clothes floating like an angel behind her as she looked around the palace. He had promised, to her father, very angrily, in fact, that she would be his only wife. Would he be ready to break that promise? All of Urmila's senses screamed that "NO!", Lakshman, would never break such a promise. He kept his promises, and he respected her enough to never marry another.

But still, against her own self, another, wicked, hidden away corner of her brain began to speak evil words. That perhaps he would leave her. He was bound by the fact that he could not have another wife, maybe. But never, not even once did the words leave his mouth that he wouldn't have a mistress. Urmila hid her head in her hands, before looking up again at the ceiling. Yes, it was entirely possible that he could have an affair, or he could have concubines. He might even accept the marriage. That letter needed to be hidden. By hook or by crook, she would not leave this palace!

Urmila didn't sob into the pillows immediately as Shrutakirti, or perhaps even Mandavi would have. She had a fiery determination to do what she wanted. She marched off into the courtyard, a place which always seemed to calm her down. She sat on the benches and stared at the stars, smiling as a silvery one twinkled especially brightly at her.

-----O-----

"Ouch! What did I do!" cried Lakshman as Urmila threw a vase at his head. He ducked as she threw a piece of wood. Sita kept trying to intervene, but whenever she tried to dive in the middle, Urmila would push her out of the way, and throw another artifact. "Why are you so mad?" he roared again as a shard of glass actually managed to trip him up, and he stumbled into the wall.

He narrowed his eyes, and grabbed an expensive painting, using it as a shield as he dodged, before finally grabbing Urmila's wrist and pulling her into their room as SIta breathed a sigh of relief and Ram chuckled. Fire for fire, that marriage was. "Why would you throw a vase at me?" thundered Lakshman. Urmila crossed her arms and looked away.

"Well?" asked Lakshman. "Why would you?" Urmila shook her head again, and he clutched his forehead. "Look, that vase was a favorite of Maa Kaikeyi's. She will be back here any minute. You'd better stay here before you mess everything else up." Shaking his head, he stepped out as Urmila stared at his retreating back in sorrow, swallowing back a sob.

She had managed to lose her temper at him. The moment she had seen his calm face, she had just lost it. Had he seen the letter, when he was cleaning up? Was he excited to marry that princess and break his promise? And suddenly, that small, dark part of her mind overtook her brain, and she found herself grasping a vase and throwing it. She forgot how it was Maa Kaikeyi's favorite.

A tear trickled down Urmila's cheek. He probably hated her even more now! Now what could she do against anything? Urmila straightened up again, flicking a tear away. He lost his temper plenty of times too! Though he was sweet, and kind, and a great husband indeed, he did lose his temper once in a while. Urmila vowed to herself that day that if that demoness in the form of a human, or any other princess did arrive at Ayodhya, she would make her life a living hell. She would grab onto one of the golden pillars that held the palace steady, and she would never let go, not if a hundred thousand men and women tried to drag her away by force. No, she would stay as the first wife of the third prince of Ayodhya, bitter and unfavored, if only to spit upon the ground whenever she saw the second.

There was no way that that girl would steal her husband and live a happy life with him too. There was a reason that her temper could make people scared, there was a reason she was known as determined and ruthless. There was a reason that Ram bhaiyya called the two of them "fire for fire". That Phool Jani, flower of life, would wither, dry petals falling away. The flower of life would die.

-----O-----

"What has happened to Urmila?" Lakshman murmured to himself. He sat on his wooden bench, hidden away in the sunny forest surrounding the palace, and took a deep sigh as he stared up at the blue sky, barely visible through the thick leaves of the trees. His heart beat as his brain worked, confusion flooding his entire mind.

"Barely eats, she doesn't sleep much, she didn't even talk to me today!" Lakshman brooded, head in his hands. He missed his wife, her ramblings and laughter, her good nature, though quick tempered like him, she was bubbly and free and that was what he loved about her. After the vase-throwing incident, she suddenly appeared reserved and calm.

What had happened to her? "Did I miss her birthday? No, that was a few months ago. Maybe I overslept, that always upsets her doesn't it? No, no, that isn't possible. I remember, it was dawn." Lakshman put his head into his hands again as he breathed out through his nose. Images of Urmila flooded his mind, her smiles, the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed, her large, emotion filled eyes, her long, black hair. Groaning, Lakshman clenched his jaw.

Now what possibly could be the matter? He put one foot in front of the other as he walked back to the palace. He had seen how a single tear had escaped her eye when he had shouted, or at least spoken harshly to her. Was that the matter? Was that the problem? Had he lost his temper? Lakshman had been trying to curve it, at least on her. He had been trying all the techniques that Bharat had suggested, and some of them worked. Maybe she wanted to leave him? Yes, that had to be it! She was homesick for sure, and why wouldn't she be? Gods, he was being as dense as Bharat sometimes was!

"Hi Maa," he murmured forlornly as he passed Maa Kaushalya, who turned around and stared at his retreating back in flabbergasted ness. "Hi Maa," he waved towards Maa Kaikeyi, who waved confusedly back at his sad tone. "Hi Maa." Sumitra pulled him in for a hug, patted his head, before letting him go, and he walked into his room, hoping to catch Urmila.

She wasn't there! His heart raced as he looked around. Had she left? Had she left him, because she couldn't stand his temper? He whirled around in a circle, wanting to see if he could find her quickly enough to apologize, beg for forgiveness for whatever he had done, proclaim that he couldn't live without her. Had he not said "I love you" enough times? Yes, that was possible. Urmila was always saying it, but perhaps they didn't slip out of his mouth nearly as often as her.

Was the vase throwing this morning a hopeful call for attention? Yes, that was it! He spent too much time with his weapons to even glance at his wife? Preposteroushe was if he really did do that, he was really, truly horrible. Lakshman began to realize why Urmila could have run away as he paced around his room. Well, then, yes, he would have to fix that. Less weapons, more wife.

Perhaps it was just the simple fact that he didn't deserve her. She was kind, caring, always comforted him in bad times, sat through his temper tantrums coolly, constantly painted the landscapes, paintings which perhaps he didn't pay enough attention to. She always rubbed his back whenever he was tense, and laughed at his darkly muttered jokes. She tried her best to cook, make him laugh, and be a great wife.

What had he done in return? Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. Lakshman swallowed hard. A person who deserved Urmila was someone who had time, patience, and much more love for her. He was split between his brother and his wife, and in those times, he would choose his brother, wasn't it true? She had to make the heart-wrenching decision to be okay with that. Why, if he were her, he certainly would have snorted and shook his head, love or not. Lakshman stepped off his bed determinedly when the corner of a piece of parchment caught his eye from under the bed. He went to pick it up.

-----O-----

Urmila was sitting on her bed, playing with her dupatta, when Lakshman walked in. He caught her with his eyes, and stopped immediately, before walking over, and sighing. "I responded to that letter that Raja Vanshik sent me," Urmila looked up, her eyes widening as she leaned forward. He had found it? Oh no, please no. "I think that perhaps, you should marry someone else."

Urmila froze. Everything froze. The world froze. "Y-You're leaving me for her?" she whispered. Lakshman frowned. He was what now? She had heard wrong, perhaps. "You are leaving me for Rajkumari Phool Jani?" Lakshman's eyes immediately widened as he figured out her plight and as he went to shake his head, her voice grew angry. "You are leaving me for her after only a few months of marriage? Am I that terrible?"

"I won't ever marry another, I love you! I love you, and I thought that maybe you loved me! I know, I know, I don't deserve you. And she's so much prettier than I too. She has long brown hair, and fair skin, and large eyes with full eyelashes and red lips, and everything, and I'm just a stupid, shabby looking girl, am I not?" Lakshman hugged her quickly, but she turned away and sobbed into her hands furiously.

"I'm ugly, is that it? That's why you are leaving me, aren't you? I am ugly, and I'm not domestic, and I have a horrible temper indeed, and I'm a terrible wife, and you pledged not to have two wives, and you want to marry her because you love her now, and so you are leaving me! I can't marry another person, another man! I won't! I refuse to!" Lakshman immediately stopped her, clenching his jaw, and began to speak.

"No, no, you got me wrong. I don't deserve you! You, with your lovely face, and kind demeanour, and you pay so much attention and give your loyalty to me when I just am so careless, and I give you nothing. I feared you were unhappy, so I thought you would leave me. Before you could put your head down and leave this place, I gave you the option to leave with telling me. I didn't know..." he trailed off as Urmila began to speak again.

"Me? I could never be unhappy here! I love this place, this people, Ayodhya's citizens, the royal family, and you! I love you! I couldn't leave voluntarily." Lakshman wiped a tear away from her cheek, and pulled her closer as she began to cry again, truly fearing that he might still banish her and end the marriage.

"You are beautiful, don't ever think differently, okay? I don't perceive that greedy princess as beautiful at all, nothing compares to you. Don't ever say that again, or else I might actually have to banish you! Those words are like poison to my ears. They pain me, do not speak of them please. You are beautiful." When Urmila smiled, he added. "Also, I said no to the marriage. I don't want to practice polygamy. I see how my mother suffers when she is never favored. I would not want to bring that suffering to you. Never."

Hours passed, and soon, both of them were laughing again. That was when Lakshman stopped, and added something. "I wonder why she didn't send a messenger this time to declare this in front of the family. I mean, anything that could embarrass me, she does, so...?" Urmila burst into laughter at his innocent words. He could really be dense sometimes, could he not?

"I think her messenger got the point from you. Don't mess with any of us!"

A/N- Many of you were wondering "Where's Phool Jani at?". I didn't want to spoil the surprise, so I said nothing. Zip. Zelch. Nada. So I know, yes, less Lakshmila was my promise. However, we are nearing the end of this era, maybe or maybe not actually, I don't know at this point, and I really did want to write this chapter, so here you all go! I also wanted to base this off of a prompt @n-i-t-h-y-a gave to me, "Urmila is insecure about her looks and Lakshman comforts her". I was not able to include that before they got married, so I did it after they got married! How's that for a comeback, eh?

This chapter was a nice mix of some angst, some romance, some funny. It's got something for everyone except Lakshmila-haters. Yeah, that will be bad for you guys. You all probably should skedaddle. There is a reason this story is tagged "Lakshmila".