But as soon as Hanuman's good news and words ended, something else began. Anxiousness. Ram grabbed Lakshman's shoulder and pulled him into a cave, where he sat him down and stared him in the eye. Lakshman looked back without a hint of confusion remaining in his face. In Ram's eyes, all he could see was happiness, pure happiness bouncing back at him like a sun beam, though Ram felt something different. Ram felt the terrible, unimaginable and most unwanted burden-of hesitance.

"Lakshman, GOD! What do I do? I know where Sita is, and I know that she's safe and sound, but Lakshman, I'm scared! What if Lankesh does do something to her? He does have her in his capture, and we are just going there to reclaim her! What if he kills her in exchange for us arriving there? What if she's already gone? What if Lankesh discovers our secrets?" Ram gasped, biting his nails and trying to steady himself. "What do I do?"
Lakshman stood up, shaking his head with a grumble and walking over to Ram, pulling him out of the cave, and showing him the legions and legions of monkeys, all Sugriv's. "The matter is of a what-if, bhaiyya. It is not something we are certain of. Besides, Ravan er um -he-wants to marry Sita bhabhi. He wouldn't kill her, that would be a sign of weakness. One of Ravan's greatest weaknesses, bhaiyya, is arrogance, and that will be his downfall, is that not right?" Ram hummed, before straightening up.

"And there is no question of our victory, Laksh! Dharma always wins over adharma, doesn't it? And our men are very powerful, and very devoted to what is good and right in the world." Ram exhaled. "Nowhere will we find someone as loyal to an alliance as Sugriv. Nowhere will we find someone as aware of righteousness as Angad. Nowhere will we find someone as dedicated and powerful as Hanuman. Nal, Neel, Jambavan, all of them, they're fighting not only for Sita and I, but for dharma itself, isn't that right?"

Lakshman nodded, but as Ram turned his back on him and started to walk down the cliff again, he rubbed his eyes cautiously, swallowing hard. "What did I do to deserve someone so understanding in my life? If only I had done something to deserve their kindness, their generosity towards my brother, and their devotion towards him. I'm glad Ram bhaiyya has allies like them, perhaps, when I am gone and dead, they will support him."

-----O-----

Angad had never seen so many monkeys in his lifetime! They were coming from this way and that, adjusting their small crowns and helmets, chattering busily to each other, looking as eager to fight as Ravan's newly planted trees were to get their fruit picked. They came rushing down the hills, and he could only drop his jaw a little bit before standing straighter up and walking towards Sugriv thoughtfully, wondering what he'd have to say.

Sugriv beamed at the procession, throwing his arms out joyfully. "When Hanuman informed me how strong the army of Lanka was, I'd figured we'd have had to match it, to better our chances, right? So I called monkey populations, anyone who wanted to volunteer, anyone who wanted to help you, Shri Ram! And it turns out that there were more than I could have ever imagined! The entire kingdom of Kishkindha!"

Lakshman snorted and Angad turned towards him. "The entire Kingdom of Kishkindha?" he asked disbelievingly. "Raja Sugriv, you've invited the entire monkey population of the world!" Sugriv blushed abashedly as Lakshman gave him a knowing look. Then, he scratched the back of his neck. "Not that I'm complaining and all-but that's the most beings I ever seen congregated in one place. It's astounding really."
Hanuman crossed his arms proudly. "It is astounding how many monkeys there are in the world, but it certainly isn't why they'd all want to support dharma and thus Prabhu Shri Ram! Angad helped me get the word out!" Angad ran a hand across his throat and tried to move away from Hanuman, but Hanuman just hugged him and beamed as Ram quietly chuckled and Lakshman hid his face in his hands to try and hide his smile.

-----O-----

Now the entire monkey population of the world, a couple bears, and two mortal princes walked towards the shore of the Indian mainland. They saw the deserts, the tumbling tumbleweed, they climbed the cliffs (some of the monkeys got vertigo), they watched snow capped peaks which they didn't even know were there, and Angad just grumbled, folding his arms and turning away whenever Hanuman cheerfully cried that it was only a couple hundred miles more! "Yeah, just a couple hundred miles, Hanuman." he mumbled. "Why don't you carry us if it's that less?"

Ram paused, and cleared his throat. Sugriv turned towards him. "The army seems to be losing their spirit, Raja Sugriv," he stated gently, folding his hands together thoughtfully. Sugriv grimaced and was about to defend them (or rather make up jumbling excuses which probably would be useless, like 'Oh yeah! They don't like nature'!) but Ram just waved him off. "Oh, it's no problem. I grew up with Lakshman. He convinces others to lose their spirit by just standing there." They both turned around to look at Lakshman, who looked quite relaxed and easy, and very confused at how exhausted everyone else was as he walked along, and got many confused, bewildered, and very very dejected looks from the monkeys, who were busy sweating and panting.

"Yeah..." Ram trailed off. "Remind me to never allow him to make a motivational speech." Then he turned around. "I know they aren't children or anything, but one thing that always put my spirit up was telling stories. Maybe they'll know what they're really fighting for-better times." Raja Sugriv nodded without hesitance, and Ram cleared his throat once more, folding his arms together.

"You know," he began. Immediately, he caught the majority of attention, and everyone's ears perked up to listen to his words. "When I first met Sita, we were both lovestruck at first sight." Some chuckled. "No, it's completely true! I remember, we were both so clumsy around each other, it was hilarious! Sita used to break all the plates she was carrying if I so much as glanced at her, and one time, I dislocated Lakshman's shoulder because she walked into the room." Everyone turned towards Lakshman, who hid his face again.

Flashback

"It's true, bhaiyya!" Lakshman cried, walking circles around him as they stood in their room, getting ready for dinner with the family. "You're so much in love that you can barely take it if she so much as looks at you! It's hilarious to watch, but I don't think you want to come across as that yourself! But still, I've never seen you so lovestruck!" Ram shook his head, smacking Lakshman's neck as they made their way into the dining hall. "No amount of smacks will convince me otherwise, bhaiyya, just see-she's walking into the room!" Lakshman pointed, and Ram looked up, his eyes wide as Sita walked into the dining room.

CRUNCH-Ram looked at the goblet in his hands and tilted his head as he opened his fist, biting his lip when he saw the bent and molded gold. "I-er-sorry. I have quite a vice-like grip." Urmila raucously chuckled into her food-

Present

"Wait-" Hanuman began. "Who is this Urmila you speak of? I have never heard her name before? Do you have another wife, Prabhu Shri Ram? Or a sister perhaps, whom you speak of so fondly?" Some of the army murmured their assent.

Ram, with wide eyes, quickly glanced at Lakshman, whose smile faded, before turning back to Hanuman, shaking his head. "Um-who's Urmila? It-it doesn't matter! She's an extra in this scene! Let's continue with the story!

Flashback

"Yes, that's what I have." Ram continued lamely. "A very vice-like grip." Lakshman raised his eyebrow disbelievingly, but just took a long sip from his goblet in order to hide his smile. "I'll pay for the damages of course. Sorry." He removed the gold and let it shower onto the table, and his gaze did not move to a light pink Sita the entire time, because he reminded himself that he could not break the plate.

-----O-----

Sita gasped and turned around to her maid. "Ram's coming!" she hissed quietly. "I can hear his signature footsteps! Very carefully placed, you can hear the heel come on the floor first and then the tie and the steps are taken with lengthy time in betwee-you don't need to know this. Do I look nice?" When the maid merely nodded, Sita continued serving the food, only to squeak when Ram entered and dropped all of the china plates onto the floor.

Lakshman coughed into his fist, but when Ram smacked his back, a tiny laugh escaped from his mouth, only to be covered with a sneeze. "Bhabhi, do you have a vice-like grip too?" he asked innocently, and Sita could only nod, sitting down and turning a pale white. "Well then you and bhaiyya are perfect matches for each other, aren't you?" She nodded again, and Ram discreetly smacked his head again.

-----O-----

"Do I look sharp, Shatru?" Ram muttered, and Shatrughan gave a thumbs up and a wiggle of his eyebrows, which led to Bharat trying to smack his head, but Shatrughan, much too used to punishment, darted away. Instead of his usual angavastram, Ram had gone for a full sleeved thing (think Bahubali), for the annual Mithila grand dance and celebration ceremony. "Well that's good," he murmured.

Present

"Now who is this Shatrughan, the enemy Prabhu Shri Ram?" Angad complained. "You have to give some background information, or else how should we understand the story you're telling? For all we know, Shatru may be an enemy, it may be a friend, it may be your father, you may have a son, it may even be a demon in disguise that you decided was a good fashion adviser, but how should we know?"

Lakshman rolled his eyes as Ram shook his head. "None of those are correct, sadly. Shatrughan, Shatru for short, is the youngest of us four brothers, and the identical twin brother of Lakshman-" The entire army gaped with a look of ''There's two of him?!' "And the most notorious prankster and flirt I ever knew." Ram waved them off. "The exact opposite of Lakshman."

Lakshman scowled. "Now stop interrupting!" Ram glanced at him with worry.

Flashback

"That's very good!" Shatrughan cried. "Trust me, I'm the best fashion adviser there ever was, and to get my seal of approval-well it takes some hard work! And the only reason that any of you dumbos would get my seal of approval is because I helped you dress!" He leaned into Ram's ear. "Especially Lakshman, but don't tell him I said that." Someone tapped Shatrughan's back and Shatrughan whirled around to face a not-very-happy looking Lakshman. "Don't tell him I said how wonderful he truly is bhaiyya!" Shatrughan squealed and ran off, and just as he was about to give chase, Ram caught onto Lakshman's arm and pulled him back.

"Lakshman!" he hissed. "Now's not the time to chase after brothers! Look! Sita!" Lakshman did not look. Rather, he only looked at her feet. Ram practically fainted. She was the most beautiful being on this earth, he only clutched Lakshman's arm harder. Sita wore a long, red lehenga with heavy embroidery, and her lips were painted, her eyes made larger with kohl, and her hair adorned with flowers and pearls.

Ram's dream moment was cut off with an "AAAAAAH!" And Ram turned around right next to him to see Lakshman grimacing. "Bhaiyya, you dislocated my shoulder! Again!" Then he turned towards Sita. "You and bhaiyya are definitely made for each other. He has such a vice like grip he managed to move the very foundation of my arm!"

Present

Lakshman crossed his arms across his chest. "And I've never forgiven you for that bhaiyya." Ram laughed and the monkeys continued to walk, occasionally asking Ram for more stories, which he continued to deny. It took Angad giving him his best puppy eyes, Neel promising that he wouldn't twist the story around, and Lakshman vowing to forget the entire dislocation incident, before finally, Ram gave in.

"Alright, alright, hear another one." he grumbled, shaking his head.

Flashback

"What do I give Sita for Valentine's Day, what do I do?" Ram paced back and forth, stroking his chin, his eyebrows curved up. "Flowers, anyone could do. Sweets-well she could just get those from the kitchen! Oh God, oh god, oh god!" Ram fell back on his bed, muttering to himself before finally sitting back up and grinning. "Bharat would know! He's really creative isn't he? Besides, I've taken help from Shatru too many times! Maybe I should switch it up a little but, eh?" And with that, Ram walked right into Bharat's room.

"Bharat!" he boomed, and Bharat turned around, raising an eyebrow. "What do I give Sita for Valentine's Day?"

Bharat frowned. He had never heard of the word Valentine's Day before, but he supposed it was just a new trick devised by Ram to gift something brand new to Sita, and so he shrugged and went along with it. "Well, bhaiyya, she always loved birds and nature-so maybe you could give her a bird-"

"TREE!" Ram cried, and Bharat paused. He was about to say bird feeder, a nicely crafted one made by one of the merchants or by one of the twins. But sure. Tree would work too. "Thank you Bharat! I'm giving Sita a brand new tree!"

-----O-----

"It's a really pretty tree, Ram." Sita agreed as they sat on a bench, admiring the old dogwood. "But what is this Valentine's Day, and why didn't you inform me of it before?"

Present

"And that's how Ram bhaiyya invented his own holiday." Lakshman snorted, shaking his head, leading Ram to scowl at him and the rest of the monkeys to boo.

Angad pouted. "That was way too short! Another one! Another one! Another one!" More chants, before finally, Ram shook his head, laughing.

"More stories when we reach the cave, alright?" Finally, after a lot of grumbling and jumbling, the monkeys agreed, and the army continued their journey towards the soaked shores of the tip of mainland India.

A/N-I finally got over my little bid of writer's block! Finally, after many days, we've got a filler chapter! This era is probably going to be full of filler chapters, because that's exactly what we would be lacking in the Yudh-Era. My goodness, I just realized that this might be one of the last eras in this book. Oh no. Oh no. OH NO!

I am not looking forward to the Yudh Era, by the way, because as many of you have deduced, I am really bad at writing battle scenes. I'd probably just be like "Ram released the arrow. It flew through the air. It hit a monster. They died." for five whole chapters. And I want to write good quality stuff, guys! As well as longer stuff. 2500 words at least per chapter. Another thing I'm scared of is that the Yudh Era might be the smallest. It might only be three chapters! I WANT IT TO BE MORE!!!! I want action-but sadly, I am terrible at writing action, even though I love action Hindi Movies.

Does someone know any good resources to write action? If so, could you please put them in the comments box, please? I want to write good stuff for you guys! HALP

Today I was looking through some Indian stories. I page through some interesting things. THEIR CHAPTERS ARE LIKE LITERALLY 200 words. You all wouldn't kill me if I wrote 200 word chapters for Yudhkand, right? RIGHT?!

One last thing-do I strike any of you as innocent? I AM. Innocent, that is. I hate pranks. It was just this one time, couldn't resist. Which of the four brothers do you all think I'm most similar to?