Sita stood in Janak's throne room, hands folded calmly as Janak looked about ready to cry, and Sunaina looked sorrowfully determined. The rest of the courtiers seemed somber as well, sad to be parted with their cheery princess, though Sita did not know why at that time. She turned towards her father curiously.

"Sita, we will be organizing your swayamvar soon. Be prepared, putri." Sita nodded forlornly, bowing her head before stepping out of the throne room, not allowing anyone to be privy to her emotions.Once she was out of everyone's eyesight, she ran to her room desperately, needing a good cry alone. But even there, she was ambushed by her sisters.

"Didi! What was it?" asked ever-curious Mandavi. Sita looked up sharply. There, sitting on her bed, were her cousins and sister. Rubbing her temples, she sat next to them.

"I am going to get married in three weeks, my swayamvar will happen when a man can lift the Shiv Dhanush I lifted when I was a baby." she said. Mandavi stuck her tongue out at the word "marriage" and the mere thought of boys, and Shrutakirti giggled.

Urmila, however, plopped down next to her, and comforted her, although sad herself. It wasn't long before they would be separated, and she would regret that day ever occurred.

"Do not worry, Sita. Maybe your husband will be kind and let all of us come along as your companions." She said calmly, ready to sacrifice her "dream man" thoughts to prevent her sister's loneliness.

"Yes, please! We're never getting married that way, and we'll stay together forever!" cried Mandavi, really liking Urmila's idea. Shrutakirti, however, realistic and innocent, frowned.

"Father won't like that. He wants to be allied with as many kingdoms as possible, and that means marrying us off." Urmila turned around sharply, smacking her on the shoulder playfully.

"Don't ruin my plans, Shruta-" Sita cut in at this point, upset. "Your plan depends on me wanting to get married! I don't, the problem isn't that I don't want to be separated from you all, the problem is that I don't want to get married! There's no possible person that I could love like that! There isn't, and I've accepted that!" she cried sharply, surprising her sisters into silence.

Sudden Setting Change

"I'm here, aren't I?" asked Ram, but Bharat shook his head. "No, there still isn't anyone who could convince him otherwise. Lakshman is adamant that he will not take the post of army general, nor any big government office." They continued pacing down the halls sadly, looking very much like a king and his advisers.

"He'll follow your commands gladly, bhaiyya, everyone knows that." Shatrughan tried to explain. "But he won't be happy in that post, although god knows why. He loves fighting with a passion." Ram shrugged as Bharat laughed.

"Bhaiyya, come look at this!" came a shout from down at the garden. Ram looked up at his brother's voice quickly, and ran down the steps, Bharat and Shatrughan following. There Lakshman stood, in the fountain.

"Look," he whispered softly, holding out a small red robin that rested on his hand. "-an animal that didn't escape from me the minute it spotted me." Ram smiled warmly, and Bharat did the same. The third prince didn't have a heart of stone after all. Shatrughan found it a great time to interrupt loudly.

"But bhaiyya! Robins are not animals, they are birds!" Startled by the loud voice, the robin flew away. Bharat frowned as Lakshman stood up sadly, not even finding it in him to shout at Shatrughan. That was rare.

"There is no one that can make me as exasperated as you, Shatrughan." Bharat sighed, clapping a hand on his back and walking away.

Sudden Setting Change

"Not even me?" whimpered Mandavi. Sita shook her head. "No, Mandavi, not even you can convince father not to marry me off. I am a good asset, though he doesn't want to think of me like that, the fact is true that I will be an allyer."

Urmila frowned, trying to come up with a plan, but nothing came up. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around her sister. "Well, it's no use being sad, behen. Might as well spend your days here making good fun." Shrutakirti tried.

Urmila nodded. "Like planting trees, taking care of animals, cooking, dancing, singing to the birds. Making everyone happy, I think you will like that, Sita didi." Sita smiled, thankful for such great sisters. Why did she even feel annoyed by them in the first place?

"Oh. I was thinking more along the lines of eating as many sweets as you can, dressing up, making good mischief, and pranking everyone." Mandavi muttered. Urmila burst into peals of laughter.

"Oh, Devi Mandavi. Sita would not wish to do all of those things. You can do them with your little husband that you dream about." she cried, and Mandavi suddenly looked mortified.

"I wish you could keep your mouth shut, Urmila. You should not speak so much, dear." Shrutakirti suggested. Urmila giggled.

"There is no one on this Earth who will make me stop talking!" she spoke proudly.

Sudden Setting Change

"I am an exception to that." Lakshman stated. Shatrughan rolled his eyes. "No, bhaiyya, the basic rule of all things is that twins are more alike than all other brothers and sisters. You must believe it!" Lakshman shook his head furiously as Ram and Bharat observed the pre-quarrel from the background nervously.

"Ram bhaiyya and Bharat bhaiyya are the most similar of all of us, calm, collected, princely. But not us!" he countered. Ram laughed, cutting in.

"Yes, you very much are similar. You both are hilarious, you are good strategizing, love food, can be mischievous, although Shatrughan is much more, you both tend to act unpredictable, and you surprise all of us." he chuckled as Shatrughan smirked triumphantly.

"You are similar, but there is one thing about Shatrughan. He is never quiet. Ram bhaiyya and I know when to quiet down, Lakshman barely speaks to anyone except us, but you, Shatru, you will never shut up." Bharat laughed as Shatrughan stomped angrily.

"Yes, and that is a gift my friends, my dear brothers, my good twin. No possible person exists on this Earth who can make me quiet down or blush." Ram nodded ahead, Bharat bit his lip disbelievingly, and Lakshman wasn't so quick to agree.

Sudden Setting Change

"I think I can." squeaked Shrutakirti. Sita laughed, squeezing her in before letting go, shaking her head.

"Shrutakirti, you aren't as tall as Mandavi, how will you get that box of sweets from the cupboard when she can't?" she asked, as Mandavi snickered and Urmila raised her eyebrows disbelievingly, but Shrutakirti scowled, placing her hands on her hips.

"Watch and learn." she said haughtily, kicking a flimsy chair forward, which they had considered, but thought it would easily break, upon which she balanced gracefully, snatched the box of sweets, and jumped down.

"I'm not as useless as you all think I am, you know?" she whispered, and they all went in for a tight group hug, giggling merrily.

"We'll never be separated." Sita said.

"Ever." finished Urmila.

"Sisters," Shrutakirti began.

"Forever!" squeaked Mandavi.

Sudden Setting change

"Well, I know one thing." Bharat said firmly, pulling them all in.

"We'll never be separated." Ram stated, smiling.

"Never in our lives." Shatrughan laughed.

"Nor in our deaths." Lakshman added solemnly.

The brothers, nor the sisters knew how false that statement was, how fate played ever so cruelly with their lives, snatching them away from each other in dreadful moments and plays.

A/N-I finally managed to come up with a decent chapter to finish this era off, and thank goodness for large miracles! I thought that it was going to end with daggers and messengers, and that made me very upset, because who wants to end a fun era like this with that? Besides, I don't think you guys would have liked that ending either.

This chapter was structured differently, with many setting changes. DId you see how the statements of the couples fit together? Ram is the only one Sita can love. Mandavi is the only one who can make Bharat more exasperated than Shatrughan. Lakshman is the only one who can make Urmila stop talking. Shrutakirti is the only one who can make Shatrughan blush.

Any way, with this line, we have marked the end of the Post Gurukul Palace Era. Two more chapters (about) and romance is a comin'. God, I'm giddy and excited and super ready to write some romance! What is your couple dynamic for Shatru-Kirti? Fighting, or mortification, or something else? I classify them as the "humorous" couple that are very much in love, and could not possibly be friends.

A quick sketch I made of the four princes to mark the end of an era!!!!!!! Thank you so much, all of you commenters, voters, followers, readers, everyone! In three chapters, there will be a first meeting, but first....TADAKA 😨

I am scared because Im not that great at writing action...