The Inseparable Princes

54. The Trap

Disclaimer: Didn't proofread it, guys, sorry.

★★★★★

Sita walked into the fenced area of the cottage, tiptoeing, her face expressing loads of excitement. Rama, who had been stringing a bow, looked up to his wife and smiled with a little uncertainty and had a 'What happened?' kind of look.

"Raghav!" she squeaked. "A golden deer. I just saw it. A golden deer, Raghuveer! Ram, please, please get me that deer. Please?" she continued, setting the basket of flowers she had held in her hands aside and clenching her then together in hope she prayer, almost. Rama chuckled a little in disbelief.

"Golden deer?" he asked, eyebrows raised, like he was taking to a young girl of five, suppose.

"Yeah! Ram, really. Don't you believe me? I'll show-"

"I believe you, darling, of course I do." he stopped for a moment, his eyes narrowing in simple fascination. He continued in a lower volume. "Okay, show me the deer, I do want to see it."

"Laksh, we'll be back in a minute!" cried Sita cheerfully, dragging Rama by the hand, as Lakshmana nodded confusedly, before letting it go.

"Is it that deer?" whispered Rama as they viewed the creature from a distance. Sita nodded in the affirmative, before Rama tiptoed backwards, toward their cottage again. Sita looked a little crestfallen, thinking that she couldn't have the deer, but what she didn't know was the fact that he was himself fairly enthralled and fascinated by the animal.

"Ram? Will you get it for me, please?" she repeated herself.

"Lakshman," said Rama rather sternly. Sternly for his standards, especially in the way he otherwise spoke to his closest brother. His eyes otherwise crinkled when he would dote upon and fuss over him like an actual mother. He rarely, hardly, almost never, ever scolded Lakshmana. This sternness gave Lakshmana the feeling of something...wrong.

"Yes, Bhaiya?" he replied, getting up and brushing off his dhoti.

"I'm going to get that golden deer for Sita." he said with a scary amount of certainty. The deer had, by now, walked up until their cottage, pretending to be very busy, hunting for fresh grass every two seconds.

"That deer?" asked Lakshmana with familiarity and disgust at the same time.

"Yes, that one. Isn't it gorgeous?" said Sita joyously. Lakshmana gave a very fake, sheepish smile before putting his practical point forward.

"There is no chance that that deer is a real 'deer', you know." he said politely, still smiling a little falsely.

"What! Why?" snapped Rama.

"Bhaiya, thirteen years in this jungle and never have we seen such a brightly shining, golden hued deer. Never, Bhaiya." he reasoned very practically. "You defeated the demons at Janasthana not too many days ago, Bhaiya. How are you so sure that this is not just another form-changing demon here, in the form of an enchanting creature, in order to cause us more trouble? Sorry Bhaiya, but I am certain that this is that demon Mareech. He's known for his abilities of changing his form. You cannot be serious about this. I don't have any evidence, but I do know that this cannot be a real forest creature."
His voice dripped with loads of certainty and confidence, but Rama had decided that he'd go after that deer.

"Stay here, Lakshman, and keep Sita safe." said Rama with enough confidence to overshadow what Lakshmana's had said just before.

"But Bhaiya-"

"I need to know what this deer is, Lakshman." he said boldly. "Don't leave Sita alone, not at any cost. Don't." he said in a very commanding and ordering tone, which he never had to use to make Lakshmana do what was asked. Today, however, he just spoke like that without a clue of why he did.