The night of Swayamvar...
Whole mithila was celebrating the union of Ram and Sita, including the royal family. There was a ceremony going on and both Ram, Lakshman were welcomed.
Janak had written a letter to Dashrath by explaining the situation and Ram winning the swayamvar. Everything was looking fine, no problem was there. But still Janak was a bit anxious about the reply letter. Will Dashrath support this victory of Ram?.... will he give permission for the marriage?.... Will Ayodhya's royal family accept Sita as her daughter in law... ?
Sita was sitting beside Ram, because they were the centre of the celebration. Mandvi and Shrutkirti were becoming friendly with Ram and Lakshman and narrating the childhood stories of Sita. The celebration hall was not too crowded but there were many people, except Urmila. Once again she had vanished from everyone's sight.
Lakshman was getting bored, since he was not that good at making friends like Ram. So he left the hall inorder to spend some time outside.
Lakshman was slowly walking in the campus of the palace. The scenes of the swayamvar were dancing in his mind. How miraculously destiny turned and his brother got his desired woman. A small unnoticeable smile bloomed on his face. He was about to go back but stopped by seeing a similar figure from far, in the Mithileshwar Mahadev temple.
It was Urmil, silently sitting on the stairs of the temple. Lakshman had no idea when his feet took him there and Urmila saw Lakshman coming towards her.
Urmila's asked in a shakey voice - " Raj... rajkumar Lakshman, are you looking for something? "
" No.. nothing. I was getting bored in the celebration so I came out to get some fresh air. By the way why ain't you in the celebration. You are supposed to be dancing happily right now. But...... (Lakshman took a step closer to Urmila and looked into her eyes) I can't see the happiness anywhere... " - lakshman replied confidently.
" No no... it's not like that. I am happy. I am very much happy that I can't even describe... but the thing is.... " - Urmila couldn't complete her sentence.
Lakshman asked- " the thing is....?? "
Urmila- " umm.. nothing.... it's just..... that actually...... i mean..... I'm saying that..... actually...... "
Lakshman- " Relax... Relax rajkumari. Take a deep breath and then tell me the exact reason. "
Urmila did as Lakshman suggested by taking a deep breath.
" honestly... i don't know how to say it"- Urmila replied while looking down.
Lakshman sat on the stairs as well. - " if you are not okay with telling me, then it's fine. It's totally your choice. But.... if you trust me, then you can tell, what is bothering you even after seeing your sister with her desired man. "
'if you trust me' this line of Lakshman just unleashed somthing inside Urmila and she bursted out in tears. Lakshman was surprised by seeing suddenly crying like a child.
" what... what happened rajkumari Urmila? Why are you crying? Is anything still wrong. "- He asked in a concerned tone.
Urmila answered in her sobbing voice - " This day was totally devastating. By the grace of Lord Shiva everything is fine now. But anything could have happened today. I'm not as strong as my Sita didi. I can't handle these much extreme emotions in oneday.
In one moment i was broken, on next moment I was anxious, then became extremely happy, then extremely terrified, then joyful and now I'm just blank.... My heart is still scared Prince Lakshman. "
(Then Urmila's voice became a little louder)
"And what if something would have happened to you Rajkumar Lakshman? If Lord Parshuram's axe had chopped you right at the moment when you fearlessly stood infront of him... Had you thought... what could be going inside the hearts of those people who love you. You know about his anger issues, so everybody was talking to him peacefully but you just jumped on him like a storm. It was really your great luck, that you came out safe from Lord Parshuram and his raised parshu. I can clearly understand your love for Rajkumar Ram. But had you even think of him while jumping into this well of lava ? What could have happen to Rajkumar Ram after seeing you....... "
Urmila couldn't utter the next word and cried loudly.
Lakshman was just speechlessly looking at her with widened eyes.
Urmila finally became silent when she realised that how she just scolded Lakshman and now she was mentally ready for him to pull his sword out and rip her down from the middle. But to her surprise she found Lakshman trying to control his laugh. He was looking cute, but still unexpected for Urmila.
Urmila- "Rajkumar Lakshman... are you laughing?"
Lakshman replied while controlling his laugh- "Me.... laughing at you.... no no rajkumari.... you were saying something, please continue. "
She just started at him silently and he burst out into laughter which made her raise brow. Then she suddenly turned to another side to not face Lakshman and said- " I am not saying anything... my feelings look funny to you... "
Lakshman kept laughing and requesting Urmila to continue, but she wasn't doing that. Instead her gaze were fixed on the opposite direction from Lakshman. So he had to continue- "So the problem is me?... my behaviours made you sit here without attending the celebration..? I made you cry, right Urmila ?"
She blushed with her pounding heart. Lakshman just called him 'Urmila'... without adding 'rajkumari' before it. She felt millions of butterflies in stomach because nobody except her family members had called her just 'urmila'. But just on the next moment Lakshman ruined it... - "oh I'm sorry.... I mean, Rajkumari Urmila. "
"It's okay"- She replied without looking at him.
"You don't have to worry rajkumari, don't overthink as well. I have already asked for forgiveness from him. And he had forgiven as well... "- Lakshman clarified.
Urmila immediately turned towards him and said curiously- " are you sure ? "
Lakshman- "ofcourse.. he even gave the best blessing of my life... "
Urmila- "really.... what is it rajkumar Lakshman?"
Lakshman replied super proudly- " he said, i have a boon that I'll serve my Ram bhaiya for eternity. And this word just satisfied my soul. I was never happy like this by a blessing before. "
Umila smiled pleasingly and said calmly - " You love your elder brother so much... right. ?"
Lakshman's smiled and said with super excitement. - " you are right rajkumari Urmila. I love him the most in the world.... just like how you love your Sita didi.."
Urmila also smiled at him.
Then Lakshman looked at the sky and added- " Do you know... My maa says, when I was born, i just kept crying and crying loudly. Nobody could stop me. Not even the royal physicians of Ayodhya. Everybody became shocked because there was no disease in my body but still i was crying like that. Then Maharshi Vashisht lifted me and placed near Ram bhaiya. To everyone's surprise I became silent. Since that day everybody understood my devotion towards my elder brother. So they call me 'the shadow of Ram'. I follow him everywhere. "
Urmila waa listening to him happily by balancing her face on her palm, which was resting on her knees. She had forgotten every ups and downs, she had faced and just lost herself in the gorgeous golden brown eyes of the man she love.
Lakshman continued- " And I am kind of surprised and grateful by seeing your concern towards me. You were silently tearing up here because I could have died today........."
Urmila was blushing again and Lakshman completed his sentence in a slow gentle voice- "thank you so much rajkumari Urmila. "
Her throat dried while replying- " aahh.. it's okay rajkumar Lakshman. Afterall you are going to be the brother in law of my sister. So... umm... you are like a.... kind of a...... family to me as well."
Lakshman didn't say anything and just smiled or may be..... blushed silently. Both of them remained silent for a a while. Lot's of thoughts were dancing in Urmila's mind....
The way he just noticed her caring for him,
the way he called her just 'urmila',
the way he was laughing,
The way he was sharing his childhood stories...
Urmila was too touched by all this and trying to hide her red cheeks. But then to avoid this silence she said- " by the way i have a question for you. That day, at Gouri mata's temple, how did you know that i am Urmila?"
" It was simple... your look was clearly describing your identity."- Lakshman replied
Urmila- "huh... ? What do you mean? "
Lakshman- " The amount of jewelleries on your body Rajkumari.... since the day we have came to Mithila, we have been hearing about you four princesses every where. Especially in your gurukul. Samichi had already known and recognised Rajkumari Sita, so it was easy to recognise you as well. Because you are the famous shringar loving princess who is known as the reflection of Princesses Sita. "
Suddenly a maid came and bowed down to Lakshman and said- "Rajkumar Lakshman, your elder brother rajkumar Ram is looking for you to leave with."
Lakshman- " okay, I'm coming "
Both Lakshman and Urmila stood up. Then he joined his palms and said- " See you soon... Rajkumari Urmila"
Urmila also smiled widely- " go safely, rajkumar Lakshman"
Lakshman left and Urmila just kept looking at him without taking eyes off. Again her anxiety, fear, trauma everything had just vanished by his presence and she was touched. Today she saw a whole new side of him. The gentleness in his fierce gaze..... It's been just three days but she was feeling as if she knows him since eternity.
Urmila took a deep breath and smiled with her blushy cheeks because she was going to keep thinking about this whole conversation for whole night, since she hates to sleep. Her soul was going to preserve this precious moment of heart to heart conversation with the man she loves.