A/N-It's the chapter you all wanted since the beginning of time, or at least since you discovered that the Ramayana fandom was a thing. Here you go, let all of your dreams be fulfilled! Something tells me you all will very much like this one.

"Ram, do you miss your family at Ayodhya?" asked Rani Sunaina curiously as Ram stood before them in confusion at his sudden call in the afternoon. He was a bit grumpy about the disturbance of his time with Sita, but was also eager to show that he was worthy of their amazing daughter, and so he had wasted no time bounding to the receiving hall. Ram frowned, thinking about it for a second. Did he miss Bharat's constant paintings and literary recitals which made the twins fall asleep? Did he miss Shatrughan's antics, his pranks? Did he miss Maa Kaushalya's hugs, Maa Kaikeyi's pampering, Maa Sumitra's wise words and how he could confide in her without a second thought? The answer to that was, yes. And so, very reluctantly, Ram nodded.

The king and his queen exchanged a look. They had anticipated this, and they were very excited to host Ram's brothers as well, having heard of their valour, but also their good humor, kindness, and bravery through Urmila and Trivati's talking battles, where the two girls competed over who could speak more, and unconsciously revealed details about the princes.

"Now that you are going to get married soon, Ram," Ram looked up at Janak's words. "I think that you should invite your family too, perhaps, stay with us for a while! The wedding isn't going to be until a while later, so why don't you go ahead and invite them, son? We'll get to know them too, and perhaps you'll feel less alone." Ram smiled, and nodded obediently, walking out of the room to go ahead and contact his brothers.

"Who are you writing a letter to, bhaiyya?" asked Lakshman, pacing down the corridor and catching up to his brother. "Who is it?" With that, he peeked over Ram's shoulder, and quickly, like everything he did, read the message, his mirth obviously increasing as he neared the end of the letter. He looked up and met Ram's eyes.

"The princesses are now going to face Shatrughan's wrath! Flirting extraordinaire!" He winced at the thought of his twin brother wreaking havoc of what was now a peaceful, perfectly normal and happy visit. His grimace deepened further when he thought of the battle that was bound to happen between Shatrughan and Urmila, and ran to find his friend as Ram sent the letter by a passenger pigeon.

"Urmila, hey, Urmila!" Urmila turned around at her friend's clean voice as she paced under the banyan tree without an aim. The day was a windy one, and his hair was blown by the win, the strands of hair that hung over his forehead falling into his eyes attractively. Urmila shook her head. Attractively? What had gotten into her? He stumbled forward and collapsed under the tree, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You won't believe the day I had! Honestly, what my brothers say is correct. Laksh vs. World. Do you see anyone else facing wind? No!" he moaned, pouting. Urmila felt her heart warm a little bit at his mini-rant, and plopped down next to him, as they both stared at the wind-blown palm leaves holding on tightly to the trees.

"Anyways, I came to warn you, my brothers are arriving sometime soon." Urmila looked up, giggling at his serious tone, and he turned towards her, folding his arms like he was throwing a temper tantrum. Without thinking, he clapped a hand over her mouth, and Urmila bit her lip in surprise. He paid no notice.

"Laugh no more, my lady!" he declared dramatically, and Urmila blinked. "My brother Shatrughan, the male version of you, will quarrel with you." He told her, his eyes wide. "He's just as talkative, and just as mischievous as you! I don't want to be around when that particular argument happens, so please be warned!" Urmila shook her head.

"All right, don't worry about fighting." Lakshman breathed a sigh of relief, going back to fiddling with his clothes. "I'll win, I'll shoot him down in seconds! There won't be enough of an argument for even you to be annoyed." Lakshman opened his mouth widely to contest her claim, but she placed a finger over his lips, and grumbling, he stopped talking, slumping further into the ground.

"I am not annoyed all the time, I'm not!" he cried, stomping his foot into the ground and catching her with a harsh glare. Urmila raised an eyebrow in sarcasm, and rolled her eyes, seemingly frustrating her friend even more.

"I never thought you'd be one to throw a temper tantrum, Rajkumar!" Lakshman's jaw dropped, and he narrowed his eyes comically as Urmila giggled, pointing at him, as he folded his arms angrily across his chest and huffed, his lips thinning into a line.

"I am not throwing a temper tantrum! You take that back, lady!" he cried, hurt. When it became obvious that Urmila was not going to take it back, he turned back to observing the walls of the palace interestedly, pointedly turning away from her. Urmila eventually stopped laughing, and realized that poor Lakshman was actually upset.

"Oh don't be so blue, you know it's true." When Lakshman showed no signs of accepting her somewhat-apology, she rubbed her eyes exhaustedly. "Oh, Laksh." She patted the top of his head, turning his face towards her, and she brushed the strands of hair fallen into his eyes off of his forehead, not paying attention to the growing blush on his face, not noticing his suppressed smile.

Lakshman's heart began to beat heavily.His surroundings became hazy, and his eyes only focused on her. He felt as if he were floating in a cloud, and he constantly tried to swallow the boulder-sized lump that was stuck in his throat, lest he choked. What on Earth was happening to him? This wasn't supposed to happen! Did she know what was happening to him? Was she aware of the mystical, witchcraft-like effect that her slightest touch, the slightest brush of her fingers against his had on him? Did she not notice the blush that even he could not hide? His eyes darted, and his toes began to twitch as they usually did when he got nervous. Why was he nervous? Why did her pretty face so close to his-wait, pretty face? What. On. Earth.

His heart was skipping like it did when he ran a race back in Gurukul. His alertness was up like it was when he fought in a sword duel, but instead of his eyes focusing only on his opponent, it was his best friend. Was it just his best friend, or something more perhaps? Lakshman blinked, and his throat suddenly felt parched. Unusual, very unusual.

Urmila finished, and they both sat next to each other, hearts still beating hard for both of them. Lakshman blinked, not knowing that Urmila felt a bit flustered too, and found it the time to cut through the silence.

"Come on, I think I sense a rainstorm. It can't be this windy without reason, unless the world aims to get me killed by the wind." he snorted, offering her a hand without thinking as he got up. Urmila took it, and they both suddenly found themselves holding hands, and in a single blink, they had let go, and looked in different directions, Lakshman whistling unsuspiciously.

"Come on slowpoke! You won't stand a chance against Shatrughan if you can't even run!" he cried, and began to run towards the gates of the palace, and laughing, Urmila ran behind him, not caring about the wind. She eventually managed to catch onto him, and flicked his shoulder that he pouted in pain.

"So much for a slowpoke, I could outrun you!" she cried, putting her hands on her hips, and when he snorted disbelievingly, she huffed in outrage, stomping her foot into the ground and flicking his shoulder again, this time causing a little red welt.

"I so could! Look!" And with that, she began to run, not paying attention to her heavy ghagra. Lakshman followed her this time, but something in his senses told him that something was wrong. Urmila, with her heavy garments, went to step another, but her foot got caught in her skirt. WIth a sense of doom, that always seems to precede a particularly painful trip, she began to fall upon the hard concrete.

Suddenly, a hand caught her hip, and drew her back up, and she found herself staring into a pair of deep, dark eyes, darker than the night sky, darker than her pitch black hair, and darker than the murky depths of a canyon, that made eye contact with her, peering into her soul like an endless ravine of death, time, passion. She knew these eyes very well, and tried to rid her hazel eyes from his contact. When the awkward moment did not finish, she cleared her throat.

"I don't need your help, I could have caught myself very easily!" she huffed, waving her arms that Lakshman may let her go. Lakshman sighed in exasperation, and let go of her, and down she went again, almost hitting the ground once again, before Lakshman caught her flailing arm, and pulled her back up, this time steadying her, and brushing her off.

"For goodness sakes, Mila, you could have gotten hurt, your head could have broken into two pieces, you could have died, and I would be plagued with guilt and sorrow for my entire life that I was not able to save my best friend, and you talk about being able to save yourself? I worry for you sometimes, girl, that you may drift off and never come back someday, and that I may be alone for these next few days in Mithila." Urmila was shaken with surprise,and she waved at him, before walking back to her room and shutting the door.

Not at his newfound nickname for her, Mila, as he used that often in his haste. She was shaken, to her very core, by the care he felt for her that he now fully had revealed to her. That she mattered to him. That he would have felt alone, guilty, and laced with sorrow had she fell, had she actually been hurt, or as he mentioned, killed, by that fall. Was this a trick of the ears? Had she imagined his words, having craved to hear them since they first became companions?

It would not be the first time. Often, in her dreams, during days, or during nights, when she was not in his presence, or sometimes when he was even talking to her, Urmila's imaginative mind would weave his words into a completely different yarn, change the colors of them, and sometimes even use a different wool, a wool that her mind wove to match everything she wanted in life.

If he was talking about life, she imagined he was talking about how his life had changed once he had met her. Understandable, she had always wanted a little dramatization in one's appreciation for her. If he was talking about his favorite food, she imagined that he was complimenting her culinary skills. Understandable again, she had always wanted someone to compliment her chef's hand, even though she knew it wasn't very good. If he was talking about war, she imagined that he was talking about returning from war just for her. Understandable, for she always wanted to pen a story like that. And if he was talking about the love that Ram and Sita shared, she imagined him confessing his love for her.

Not understandable. Not understandable at all. She didn't like him that way! Of course not! She didn't spend the time with him because she loved him! Of course not! She didn't want a confession of love! Her mind was unable to deny this. And slowly, the bright, bold colored wool that her mind wove in the loom of love was one of truth.

She loved the Rajkumar. It was impossible, over four weeks, that her complete and utter devotion to Sita should split into two to also include Lakshman, but it had. She loved him, with all of her heart, every fibre of her being and unless she was imagining things, she really wanted him to reciprocate.

Every single moment spent with him was precious to her like a diamond or a ruby. Her heart beat a little bit faster whenever she saw him truly smile. When he spoke, his words calmed down her most frightening furies, consoled her deepest sorrows, and alleviated her lasting fears without even meaning to. All the insightful, thoughtful, deep words, carefully chosen and numbered, sometimes tummy-splittingly funny, and sometimes not. His happiness, true and pure, was hers. The confidence that he brimmed was hers. The way he listened to her every word, all her rambles like even Sita didn't. His loyalty and his devotion was practically all he was made of, and those very qualities directed his every step and action, everything he did was for his devotion. The burning hot passion he felt for everything he cared for, from his horse to his brother, Urmila admired all of him.

From the way his reddish-brown hair just brushed his shoulders, and curled around his neck. The way some of it would lay on his forehead like spiky bangs, how they would fly into his eyes when the wind became fearsome, something that annoyed him to no end, and how he would blow it away. And his eyes, so dark and deep, filled with emotion so jarring it was enough for ten beings, and too much for one, how they stood out from his olive skin and went so well with his dark hair. The way his jawline turned sharply, matching his fierce, unmatched stubbornness, to the way he towered over her protectively, but not in a way that made her feel disrespected and looked down upon. Whenever he was nervous, scared even, he would bite his lip and teeter from foot to foot. How his eyebrows furrowed a little bit when he frowned, or was upset, and how his entire face would light up like a lantern when he smiled, oh so rarely. She loved him. There was never another. There would never be another.

Urmila took a quick, sharp breath, and exhaled it slowly, in little bouts, trying to calm herself down. And then, she burst into laughter, which hurt her chest with a dull, throbbing pain. Laughter which soon melted into tears, and then her entire room was filled with loud sobs as she pulled at her hair. What would she do now? Who could she tell? Certainly not her father, nor Mandavi, nor Shrutakirti. Suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps approaching at a pace only Lakshman could make. Then, with a quick knock on her door, he peeped in.

"I heard you sobbing, Mila. Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. Urmila sniffled, wiping the last of her tears away, and turning around. And the way he said Mila without care in his haste, how could she forget that? Yes she loved that part of him too.

"Yes." she whispered, getting up. "I'm fine." Lakshman hesitated, then nodding, walked away to wherever he was going.

Lakshman's head was busy, certainly not empty, as he walked away. He might not reveal his feelings to anyone, but he definitely could apprehend everyone else's, though this didn't diminish his ability or willingness to act out callously. He often did not use this power and would step on their emotions without care.

Something was weighing heavily on his friend, something that she would not tell him. What could it be? Suddenly Lakshman stopped, halted like a soldier, and slapped his forehead. He was being as dense as Ram bhaiyya was to Sita! 

Of course, Urmila didn't want to be separated from her sister!

Lakshman understood. Urmila was extremely devoted to Sita, one of the things he admired about her. There were many things that drew him to her, from her laughter, infectious and innocent, to the words that rapidly escaped her mouth. The way she looked eagerly at him, as if expecting him to make her laugh, and he found himself living up to her expectations, opening up in a way he had not even to his brother Ram. And whenever she cried, as she had just now, his heart felt as if it was being torn from his body by a long-nailed hand, clawed from his very being like a woodpecker pulled insects out of a tree. He bumped into someone, someone with warm, brown eyes, which he noticed as he was about to make an outburst. His eyes immediately traveled to her feet, and he swallowed his angry words without thought.

"Sorry, Sita bhabhi," he murmured, and Sita shook her head, laughing, saying it was no trouble at all. "Well actually, before you go," Sita turned around curiously. "Urmila is crying. Really hard for some reason, in her room. I don't know why, but something is weighing heavily on her. Ram bhaiyya always knows what to do when I'm sad, and seeing how close she is to you-" Sita smiled and nodded.

"I'll go and check on her." Lakshman sighed in relief, and with a quick wave, began his interrupted journey to the kitchens again. All this counselling needed food to fuel him. People laughed that it was food that was the similarity in him and Shatrughan, but it was here that he thought his twin sensible. Food was necessary for a happy life, and who didn't want to be happy? No one disturbed him further as he ate a laddoo. All this peace would be disturbed when Bharat and Shatrughan arrived. This was just the calm tide before the raging tsunami.

A/N- 3478 words?!??!?!?! Usually, I write about half this much! Honestly, you all are lucky I'm feeling happy, or else I would have cut this chapter into two chapters. This is an example of a chapter dedicated solely to Lakshmila. This author's note is also an example of a very long author's note that could be its own chapter. I did want Urmila knowing that she was in love with Lakshman before the entire jelly thing happened. Did you like the chapter? Was it everything you expected and soooo much more? Fishing for compliments here, don't mind me. Eventually someone will take the bait.

Did you like the silent, in-brain proclamation? Don't worry, eventually every-shy Laksh will confess. That time isn't now. It also isn't for another three something chapters. So, you all will have to wait. For a long time. A very long time. I feel like I'm keeping all of my readers on the edge of their seats for days on end! It took so long for Urmila to realize that she was in love, six chapters, and you all are like, how much longer for the jealousy? How much longer till the love confession? How much longer till the marriage, you wretched writer, you nuisance of a novelist, you shameful scribe, you absolutely abominable author? I'm tired, and I'm exhausted, and I desperately need some jealousy in this romance! Well, all you baleful bookworms, you're going to have to be tired and exhausted for a little while longer.

I feel so evil. I have so many ideas, none of which you all are privy to, and this story is dragging on for most of you poor souls, because there is only 1 in a million who enjoys a slow going story instead of a fast-paced one, and this story is definitely NOT fast-paced. I'm just trying to enjoy it, because with my daily updates, the entire Ramayana katha will be finished in no time, and I need to drag it out! Besides, the "21st Century Ramayana" story that's here is 110 chapters long, and it's ongoing. Whew, I don't know how many of you stuck with that one since day one, but I applaud you. It must have been fiercely annoying.

Also, I have a tiny question, a proposal maybe. If you want to be featured in the story as a minor character mention or protagonist/antagonist for 1 or 2 chapters please send me a private message including the gender, name, and personality of the character you want as well as if you want them to be good or bad. I want to give Urmila some friends (not for jealousy, no), a few funny mini-heroes, maybe one, or all of the princes had a childhood companion whom they lost. Maybe Mandavi or Shrutakirti confides in someone through letters. This is only if you want to though. I thought it would be cute to see yourself in a story, preserved in there forever! Or not. Maybe that's creepy. Anyways, please PM me, and I will talk to you there!