Bharat walked down the corridor, holding a long piece of parchment. Following him closely, but unbeknownst to him, was Mandavi, who had her narrow eyes fixed on that paper. Just as they entered the courtyard, she bound forward, jumped onto him, and grabbed the paper, pushing him to the ground and studying her newest acquisition with a large smirk.

"Ouch!" cried Bharat, holding his elbow and pouting. "Hey, give it back!" Mandavi shook her head, rolling her eyes and pulled the parchment out of his grasp, wondering what it was. What could it be? A paper filled with secrets, a diary perhaps? Maybe a sketch, ooh, maybe one of her? Was it an extension of a hand for an alliance? Mandavi scowled. If it was, they had better not target her husband! She would get very mad if a random beautiful princess from some small village showed up, grabbed her husband, and made off with him.

"You know, if you wanted that, you could have just asked me." he grumbled. Mandavi looked up, raising an eyebrow. WIth how desperate he was looking, did he really expect her to believe that he would have just handed the paper over if she asked for it? Sometimes, men really did take women to be fools. "Just, please don't read it out loud?" he tried. Mandavi frowned. Well, that was exactly what she was going to do. Revenge time.

Flashback

"Mandavi, what's this? Green sambar? When did the chef get so creative?" wondered Bharat quietly as he sipped the sambar from the plate after dipping a piece of dosa into it suspiciously. "It tastes a little bit too salty. And-" he choked. "A lot of spice!" Mandavi's eyes widened as he gulped down kegs of water, and she sat next to him tentatively as his eyes followed her movements.

"Um, well, Bharat, I actually tried my hand at cooking today. I'm not very good at it, you know, but I wanted to impress you?" Bharat's eyes softened, before turning merry again, and Mandavi anticipated correctly the look he had in his eyes. "I know, I know that Sita didi and Shruta are much better cooks than me, or even Urmila, but I tried." she shrugged as he made to get up. "Oh, please don't tell anyone!"

Bharat chuckled hoarsely, and her heart began to beat erratically as he shook his head, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Maan. This is too hilarious!" he shook his head again, walking towards the doorway, clearly trying his best not to burst into loud, clear laughter. "You substituted golgappa water with sambar!" he finally burst out, clutching his stomach as he rolled on the ground Shatrughan-like.

Mandavi groaned as she put her head into her hands. No wonder the sambar was green, unlike Sita's lovely burnt oranges. Bharat grinned at her again before throwing his head into the hall and shouting down. "HEY SHATRUGHAN! MY WIFE SUBSTITUTED GOLGAPPA WATER WITH SAMBAR!" Silence, and Mandavi slumped in complete and utter relief, before loud mocking laughter could be heard.

She stood up angrily,and Bharat's smile disappeared. "Goodbye." she muttered angrily. She did not sleep in the same room as him for an entire week, seething with the rage that Shatrughan's quietly muttered jokes would bring. Waiting for a chance to get revenge.

Present

"AHEM!" she cleared her throat, and the entire family assembled in the courtyard, staring at her as she climbed up a stepstone. Bharat groaned, leaning back into Kaikeyi's arms as she smiled in amusement. Shatrughan's eyes danced with excitement and Shrutakirti could barely restrain him. Lakshman and his Mila eyed the parchment warily, and a flash of recognition seemed to echo in the prince's eyes before he looked away.

"Bharat would like me to read this parchment he found out loud, isn't that right, Bharat?" Before the poor, well-meaning prince had a chance to speak, she grinned feral at the audience. "He says right. This is my revenge!" cackling evilly as everyone laughed, she unrolled the parchment, cleared her throat again, and began to read in a hoarse voice.

"Dear sir or madam,

If you are reading this, and are not part of the royal family, or a citizen of Kosala, please set it down. This is my obituary, and I would not like an enemy demon or rakshas to read it. You must understand, it is quite a private matter, and I do not want someone who would have killed me in my lifetime had they had a chance to read this. It would be quite odd, if you know what I mean."

Mandavi looked up frowning. So far, none of them had uttered a peep, and her eyes raked the entire audience as Raja Dasharath looked up in horror. One of his family members was dying? Was death about to hit the royal family like an explosive volcano? He also looked over all of his family. None seemed particularly pale, sick, ill. Diseased. Was it a slow killer?

"Most people think it is unlikely I am ever to die. I do not know why that is, all mortals have to die at some point, don't they? I am dying when you read this. I am bleeding to death on a battlefield somewhere, or coughing up blood on a bed." Shrutakirti gagged at the description, and hid her head in Shatrughan's shoulders. "This is my will and my obituary, combined into one. A wise person once said that all matters involving death should be concise and small, as quickly over as one always wishes death will be." Guru Vashishta, who had also ambled out curiously, winced. It was one of these people, for he had always said that, albeit jokingly.

"I bequeath my wife all my gold and jewelry with the hopes that she never forgets me, but please don't dwell on me. I give my mother every single thing that I have created with my hands." Mandavi looked up in horror at Bharat, who squirmed. Was he about to die? Was the life being sucked out of him by a cyclone of death? Was he sitting here, a healthy man today, a dead man tomorrow? She almost collapsed right there. Was his life fated to be such a nightmare? Must the gentle man who barely even snored die before he even got to live? It was a horror movie indeed!

However, through all her thoughts, conflicting and horrible, she continued to read. "I give Ram bhaiyya all of my weapons with the hopes that he may use them as I could not, with the hopes that when he stares at my bow and arrow, sword and spear, that he uses them to vanquish the enemies the world needs to be rid of, and I wish him a great coronation if I'm dead before then." All faces except one turned towards Bharat.

"Signed, Lakshman, Raghuvanshi of Kashi-Kosala, descendant of Ikshvaku." Her face darted up to meet Lakshman's as Urmila practically collapsed. Ram froze for a single moment before running towards his brother and taking his temperature. All three mothers looked pale, suddenly, Shatrughan squeaked in alarm, and Bharat just squirmed some more.

"How did you get that, Bharat?" asked the newfound target of attention. "It was supposed to be top-secret!" When Bharat winced, Lakshman rolled his eyes, and grabbed the parchment back. "Nosy, aren't you? Calm down, you all, I'm not dying. Someday I will, and this is my obituary and will in case that someday happens any time soon. I'm not ill, do not fret, bhaiyya." Ram grabbed Lakshman's head, and pulled him closer, his breathing still labored and heavy.

--------O-------

"Hey, Ram bhaiyya?" asked Shatrughan. When Ram turned over towards him, he waved and continued. "I think the city has been transformed into a mourning ground, for some reason." Ram walked over as the family looked up, all except Lakshman, who had gone to take a bath. He climbed up the ladder onto the perch, and sat next to Shatrughan, frowning.

"What makes you say that, Shatru? I don't see anything..." Ram quickly trailed off as he saw all the lanterns were turned off in the city, the market place was completely empty, merchants sat, bawling, and whoever was on the streets wore white, the color of mourning. He gulped, and turned towards his mothers and father. "Yeah, Ayodhya thinks that someone important is dead." He looked down at the courtyard, where Urmila had turned to Mandavi.

"How loudly did you read that obituary, Mandavi? Loud enough, do you think that now Ayodhya thinks that my husband is dead now?" When Mandavi squirmed for a moment, she groaned. "Mandavi, rakkhosh, why would you do that? Now how will we convince them that Laksh isn't dead after all?"

"There is an easy solution, isn't there, why do you all look so glum? Well, then, Laksh can just make a statement can't he, showing that he isn't dead?" wondered Sita, plopping down on a chair and thinking over the situation. "That should be enough to appease them, of course, get our economy back going." Kaushalya turned towards her, shaking her head, as Kaikeyi thought about the entire situation and Sumitra brooded thoughtfully.

"No dear, they need to know that Laksh is alive, and well. We're not sure how to convey that. Besides, they'll think it's some sort of divine intervention, he was brought back to life." Kaushalya muttered. "Something like this happened to my first, or was it second, no wait, fifth cousin twice removed. His uncle's mother's sister's best friend, no wait, okay whatever, people thought they were dead! When he went into public, they all screamed like they saw a dead body come to life!" Sumitra turned towards her amusedly.

"Didi, all we have to do is make Lakshman angry. Problem solved! They'll know that he never died, and they'll stop mourning and wearing white! It's perfect!" she cried. Then, she frowned. "Though, I wonder how loudly Maan read that the entire Ayodhya was notified." Mandavi squirmed some more as Urmila giggled and Shrutakirti smacked her back. "It shouldn't be too hard to make Laksh angry."

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU'RE STILL ALIVE?!" they heard a loud shout. A man with a large, black beard, black eye, and black ragged clothing was kicked outside. With a start, Ram noticed that he held no weapon, and he made to grab his bow and arrow, before he stopped himself. Best to just watch the situation instead of barging in unceremoniously. Besides, he didn't want to be in the path of a raging inferno.

And out stormed a furious prince, who picked the man up by the cuff of his shirt and flung him into the willow tree. "He's still alive!" he cried, turning towards Bharat. "Bharat, you know medicine better than I, how is he still alive?" Lakshman grasped his hair. "I mean, technically, he should be dead." Bharat shrugged his shoulders as a loud cheer came up from outside the gates, and they all relaxed.

"Well that was no problem at all!" muttered Kaikeyi amusedly. "We didn't even have to do anything!" Meanwhile, all four brothers were staring at the willow tree, jaws dropped, as it did absolutely nothing but stay still.

"Argh, damn that willow tree and its stupid branches. Why do they never break when I want them to?" cried the exasperated Shatrughan, shaking his fist as Ram shook his head and Bharat rolled his eyes. "Well, at least now Ayodhya isn't in mourning anymore." Shatrughan shrugged, brushing himself off as if he had done something amazing.

"Mourning?" wondered Lakshman dazedly, obviously still angry, but he was quickly interrupted by a delighted Urmila. "I don't have to wear white just for show! And thank goodness too, that color goes horribly with my complexion, such a terrible contrast, honestly. I mean, I don't even think that I can pair any jewelry with that. White, oh goodness gracious!" she gagged as Kaikeyi patted her back. This girl knew her style.

A/N-We adopted a lesser-Lakshman style last chapter, and I tried to bring a little bit of Bharma in here. So as you all can hopefully (fingers crossed), can see, I did try to make this a funny chapter. I have ideas for the next one, so get excited for some nice not so funny for the next chapter. Also, I'm checking the polls again, and yeah. AyodhyaKand might not be your favorite era because it isn't as funny as the last few...ACTUALLY NO! It is going to be funny, just let me write one last non-funny chapter, and then I'll start writing funny ones again.