The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

The Reaction-Part 1

A courtier rushed out of the palace where people went to and fro, awaiting the good news of their Yuvraj having been crowned. Some looked up, expecting a large smile, but being met with a devastated expression. "Prince Bharat is being crowned and Prince Ram is being sent into exile for fourteen years!" yelled the courtier courageously. The crowds stopped moving, and they inched closer towards his platform.

"No, you must be lying." One noble laughed. "Ram is Dasharath's favorite son, and that is not even a secret anymore. It is no mystery. He would not banish Ram, of all of the four of his sons. And why would Bharat be crowned? He is the second eldest prince, you must realize, there is no reason that he would be crowned as king instead of the eldest. He is not even the favorite so the king does not even have reason to."

Several crowds agreed, but then a second courtier rushed out as well, followed by a third and a fourth and a fifth. Each uttered the same, devastating fact. "Bharat will be crowned once he returns from Kekeya...Ram is to be exiled for fourteen years." The disbelieving faces of the commoners and subjects turned to ashen, pale ones. Tears trailed down the elders' faces, and even the young ones stopped laughing.

"Kaikeyi! Kaikeyi!" growled one noble, straightening his large turban and curling his well-oiled mustache around his finger. "She is a demoness indeed. I should have known from the start, do you all not remember all the partying with which she was brought? She definitely must have bewitched the good Dasharath into exiling his own favorite son, I think that is most certainly a possibility. "

Another continued where the first had left off, fists clenched at his side. "A witch indeed, she is most certainly a witch. She has deprived us of our happiness! Ram cannot be exiled! He is so good, and so kind, and he would have made a perfect king! All our good work and efforts to finally have something to celebrate have been diminished. Curses upon Kaikeyi! Curses upon her servants and maids and co-conspirators! Curses upon the royal family!"

But another woman spoke, and her statement was the most impactful. "Curses upon the royal family? Are you mad? We are so devastated when we hear of our prince being exiled, but think of them! A brother, a son, a husband! They have grown up with him, he has grown up with them! They must be feeling grief such that it has never been experienced at such levels! Think, think, imagine, if someone as good as Ram was in your family, only to be wrenched away from you." She looked around desperately.

"If he was manipulated, Dasharath must be lamenting," another piped up. "Kaushalya would be a sobbing heap, we all know of her fragile, good heart, and how she doted upon him. His young wife, so good, so precious! What shall she do, in the palace, without her husband, hanh? And his brothers, and their wives? He is close to his sisters-in-law like sisters! What about Sumitra? So wise, but she will have no answer to this! And speaking of Sumitra, what will her son, Saumitri do?! Rajkumar Lakshman will be devastated! I wonder what he is doing right now." Everyone looked at each other.

-----O----

Rajkumar Lakshman was busy storming the halls, sword drawn. Everyone made sure to keep clear of at least a meter of him. Lakshman wasn't on a rampage to kill everyone in sight, so they need not have been afraid. He was rash when he was angry, but not nearly so much so that he would kill his own loyal servants, maids, dasis, and everyone in between who had done him, nor his family, any harm.

No, Lakshman had a dedicated target, and that was Kaikeyi. His eyes narrowed as the queen's door came in sight, and he growled. Everything was so clear in his mind. In that luxurious room, Kaikeyi must be sipping juice and eating mangoes, and laughing at her good fortune. Everything was so simple. He could just draw his sword and be done with it. Everything was so easy. So very easy.