The Inseparable Princes

91. Devastation

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" squealed Sita, practically jumping up, before she paused, raising a brow. "Well, actually, I can! Obviously Lakshman has the ability to kill Meghanad! Yes! He truly does!" She sat back under the tree crossing her arms. "I wish I had got to see that duel! I'm sure Laksh must've been brilliant, but I want to watch it!"

"Oh don't worry about that! You can obviously ask him later. After Shri Ram kills Ravan too." said Trijata. Sita smiled at her softly. She would certainly ask for the match highlights (don't blame me! I'm missing cricket T_T) and all when they meet, and she knew how her son would react. He would hide his face or just turn around and try to walk away because he'd be far too flattered and would feel abashed to get praised by his Bhabhi, just like a little child would.

★★★

Ravana didn't remember the last time he had sobbed aloud, his shoulders shaking as he sat on a seat (nahi yaar, on his own head he sat, okay) in his private chambers that were the darkest they had ever been, firstly because of the absence of a source of light (duh) and secondly, because Ravana, after what was probably a millennium, was practically weeping.

Mandodari walked in, unaware of what had happened. She felt a sort of fear in her heart all the time for she didn't know when she'd have to hear the news of the death of her husband or another of her sons.

"Dashanan? Why are you sitting in a room where there aren't any lights?" (Mandodari be like - Machhar nahi kaat rahe tumhe? XD) she asked softly.

"Y-You want to know why?" he asked, his voice choked, and Mandodari instantly knew something was awfully wrong. "OUR SON HAS BEEN KILLED!"

Mandodari collapsed on the bed, devastated. It was her son, no matter how he was, who had died. And as a mother, she barely had the tears left to cry. She had seen enough of her sons, hers or Dhanyamalini's, die before her eyes, and had shed tears for them. Nobody had listened to her and her brother-in-law, Vibhishana, who were the only two people who truly had had the guts to tell Ravana, who knew nothing but servility, that Sita's sheer confidence and belief, that in herself and in her husband and brother, was going to cost them everything. He hadn't listened to her then and as a result of it now, he was sobbing at the death of his own son.

"I'LL KILL THAT SITA! SHE IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF-"

"RAVAN!" yelled Mandodari. "Have you not had enough of this?! When will you understand that they are going to kill you! They are here to kill you! And you go on thinking that they are just 'mere' hermits, huh? Are you out of your mind?! One of them has just killed our son, so now what do you wait for? For them to kill the rest of us that exist?" Ravana stopped where he was, and turned back, heaving a sigh. Mandodari walked towards him pointing at him a finger almost calmly, her voice soft and strong at the same time. "You will not go to Sita. If you do, it's you who is going to be killed. For now, you have stooped to the level of being alright with your son being killed, all for your ego. To go one step ahead to meet Sita and to kill her after all you ever wanted was her, although most undeservedly, would just be the end of you, Ravan."

★★★

The sun rose to see a bright, happy Vanara camp and a mourning, grief-stricken city of Lanka. It wasn't the way it used to be before, with all the pomp and grandeur for each and every soldier that would come out of the gates, trumpets blowing like they had just won the greatest battle of all time, even after they got thrashed the previous day. As people say, confidence is key. They came out with their chests puffed out even after all those deaths. But today, because it was their Prince who had been killed (the previous day), they walked out, looking like raisins, all wrinkly and dry (a better example would be choosa hua aam, but whatever), not caring about the battle that was to continue that day. No big name came to lead the army. It was just the more senior soldiers who were leading the battalions of the army, and it actually shocked the Vanara camp a lot.