Lakshman's journey seemed monotonous. The path was unconquerable as he hadn't reached Urmila.
Mithila was lush green unlike Ayodhya. Even the forward seemed friendly here. He would bump into the branches of trees that would make a ruffling sound of the leaves.
"Urmila", he shouted progressing towards the hill.
To his dismay he only heard his voice back. The echo was eerie in the silence of his surroundings.
It wasn't night but he felt the woods being visited upon. The greenery which seemed to be enchanting the time he arrived mithila, now was nothing less of a spooky territory.
" Urmila", he shouted as he crossed the hill stopping by the other side.
But he was stunned by the beauty he stood up to.
A clear, white and a transparent river danced along the way. Some birds were chirping over the tree. The reflection of the tree in the water was so divine.
Lakshman stepped further and stood at the banks of river. He looked down at his reflection in the clear water. But the winds caused the ripples disrupting the beautiful reflections.
The disturbance in the water was a clear indication of his agitated mind.
It took some time for the water to settle down. Once calm, the reflections were again very clear.
Lakshman glued his eyes to the impression of the tree. Something caught his eyes. He saw a pink colored cloth like thing on the branch. The object was clear even in the water.
His gaze traveled up to the particular branch but the leaves hindered his vision. Before he could cross check the same in the water, there was the sound of a stone being thrown in the water, making it turbulent once again.
His doubt was shaping up as a reality. It had to be HER.
The next challenge was to cross the river. The width didn't seem to be much, but he was unsure of the depth. There was no boat seen around. Lakshman wondered about how she might have reached the other end.
Without a prior thought he entered the water walking his way. The boulders below were slippery. He had figured it out before as the stones at the banks of river gave an impression of a marshy land.
To save himself from falling down, lakshman broadened his walk by increasing the distance between his feet. His limbs somewhat bent at his knees as he took one step at a time. With every step he sunk deeper in the water.
"What happened? A valiant warrior admitted his defeat?", he heard a voice from the top of the tree.
He was right. She was there on the branch enjoying him toiling hard to reach the other end.
" Your knees are wobbly ", she laughed.
Lakshman did not respond to her. His only aim was to reach her and take her to the puja safely.
" What happened 'my knight in shining armor'? Don't want to fight? ", she mocked his tone.
Lakshman quietly walked in the flowing stream. His footwear were now filled with water and mud. That was the last thing, he could ever want.