Fleeting Moments-Ramayan Oneshots

Festivities

A/N-This chapter was written to celebrate Mahashivratri, which I'm sure was a holiday even in the ancient times. Yay! I'm very excited! This is my very first holiday special! I plan to do one sometime later as well, perhaps Durga Puja or Saraswati Puja or something.

Lakshman blinked. The sun shone in his eyes like nothing he had ever seen and he almost stumbled back. Why did everything have to be so bright? Why did everything have to be so...colorful? It was killing him! He groaned and rolled over as he felt a finger poke his back. "Stop it, Shatru." he moaned, swatting away Shatrughan's finger. "I'm trying to sleep here, and you're not helping!"
Shatrughan rolled his eyes, jumping up and down over and over. He could never understand how Lakshman could sleep so soundly when there were exciting things happening! He had already raced around the palace, waking up everyone from bharat to a sleeping guard, but he could never manage to wake up his twin brother. "Lakshman....bhaiyya..." When Lakshman just swatted another arm, Shatrughan crossed his across his chest. "BHAIYYA! I'll tell Maa that you are not waking up on Mahashivratri..."

Lakshman immediately sat up, eyes wide, as Shatrughan lost it, bursting into chuckles and clutching his stomach. "Haha-bhaiyya! Maa is in the courtyard! Haha-I really got you there, didn't I? You're just a little scaredy cat aren't you?" Shatrughan danced around the room as Lakshman's eyes followed him maliciously.

"Scaredy cat?" he hissed. "Just wait until I get you-" He jumped off the bed and reached his arms out, but Shatrughan just gave a mocking laugh as he stepped out of his brother's reach and out the door. "Oh you're getting it this time!" Lakshman growled and chased him right down the hallways, the loud sounds of his slippers clapping against the marble ringing in everyone's ears as Bharat stepped out of his room.

Bharat took in a deep breath, and grinned in his seventeen year old smile. He could smell the frying fritters, and the pleasant, sweet aroma of candied flowers and fruits. It was Mahashivratri again, and he would paint many things this day. Maa Kaikeyi always wanted to make sure that her decorations were on point, and Bharat was all for it! He painted what he saw, and if what he saw was perfect, all the better!

He paced down the hallway pleasantly, nodding towards all the guards before he reached the place where Sumitra had caught each twin by the ear. "Argh! MAA!" cried Shatrughan. "I didn't even do anything! I was trying to wake him up, and you know how grumpy he gets when anyone tries to wake him up, so he tried to kill me and-"

"And would that explain the laughter?" Sumitra snarled. "We could all hear your taunting laughter from miles away. Were you happy at being almost killed by your brother?" Shatrughan shook his head, and she only tightened her grip. "Tell the truth! Both of you!"

Lakshman blinked. "I wonder how you reach up so high, Maa. You're so short! And we're so tall! Especially me." He nudged Shatrughan victoriously, and Shatrughan grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Alright, alright, Shatrughan was telling the truth. I did try to kill him, and the laughter you were hearing was probably me laughing." Sumitra raised an eyebrow. "I like killing people, you see?" When her glower became even worse, Lakshman quickly relented. "Oh ALRIGHT! Shatrughan wants to kill himself! Why else would he always trouble me? It makes sense!"

Ram walked over, shaking his head, and pulling both out of their furious mother's grasp. "Come on, Maa. Don't be angry at them. They always do this, and besides, it's Mahashivratri today! Today's definitely not a day to be angry, today is the day to be excited and celebratory! We should be laughing, not shouting at each other! Oh, come on Maa! Don't be angry! I'll punish them myself." Sumitra sniffled haughtily and walked away.

Ram turned towards the twins with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "I got you out of it this time, Lakshman, Shatrughan! Why were you making trouble in the first place?" When neither responded, Ram sighed nasally. "Alright, come on. Maa Kaikeyi has overdone herself this time." He pulled the twins and Bharat, who was watching the entire scene amusedly, out and into the courtyard balcony, where they could see the entirety of Ayodhya.