CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Time Passed Quickly at the site of the makeshift Camp in the deep forest , wherein Ram and Lakshman had been undergoing training under the tutelage of Vishvamitra ,and It was almost Dusk Time. All four brothers , who had got along a few hours back for a meal together , had went to a nearby pond for a bath

The first and The Third Prince of Ayodhya had Successfully grasped all the Knowledge of Bala and Atibala , Along with some of the toughest mantra invokations of Other Powerful Weapons from their Guru Vishwamitra .

Ram's Physical Body and mind had fully adapted to Bala And Atibala , While Lakshman's was a still a few months away till he turned eighteen years old , and it was in these upcoming months that he would undergo a major transformation mentally to absorb the imparted powers so as to use them to their full potential , but at the cost of experiencing various backlashes and torments of painful power surges , like like Ram had experienced in his final months of turning Eighteen. As expected of the Princes of Kosal , they turned out to be Exceptional students , rendering even Vishwamitra speechless , who had keenly noticed their relentless speed of grasping the vidya imparted ,hence he had let them go home along with Bharat and Shatrughan , for the next crucial step in their journey could only be placed in motion after few months of time , when Lakshman would gain full control over the Mantras like Ram.

Vishwamitra had given Ram and Lakshman a Pleasant surprise when he had brought Along Bharat And Shatrughan , for them to get along together after almost four months of secluded training, before they left for Ayodhya Together ......... Ayodhya , .....their Home , Where a grand welcome Awaited them .

Everyone, right from the Emperor and the Queen Mothers, to the soldiers and common praja , had waited for several years to see their princes coming back permanently home finally. All of them sensed an even more prosperous era in future , wherein Maharaj Dashrath eventually would step down and next Generation would Finally ascend the throne.

It was also a common rumour among the Praja , that Dashrath, wanting to be an absolutely fair father , would organize a grand competition in a bid to come to terms as to who will be the most eligible King Among the four Brothers , rather than following the conventional system of appointing the eldest as crown Prince.

The rumours did reach the ears of the three Queens via their Maids , who in turn were quite surprised themselves , but no one had the courage to Question Emperor Dashrath about it . They Loved their Sons equally , but in their Eyes the Future King was Always Ram , there was no doubt about that. Same was with the entire kingdom of Kosal.

However , the Queen mothers did Enquire about it from Guru Vashisht , who would merely just smile on their questions , but would never give them a definitive answer .The only thing he would say is " Some matters must best be left to the Emperor to Decide. ".

However , far away , all the four Brothers were completely oblivious to these rumours. All they wanted was them to be together all the time , as to who would become the king , it was a question that never came to anyone's mind since their Birth , incuding Rama.

After having their meal prepared by Guru Vishwamitra and a long chat session thereafter , The Four Princes had just taken a bath in the nearby pond , and they were getting dressed Up to leave for Ayodhya

Sensing the ardous training standard set by Vishwamitra which would have left Ram and Lakshman virtually with no time to reflect on their physical self's , Shatrughan had brought along some grooming tools along with Him , so while Bharath helped groom Ram , Shatrughan did the same with his twin.

(A/N : IN VALMIKI RAMAYAN , ITS SAID THAT AFTER THE RETURN FROM VANVAS , SHATRUGHAN HAD APPOINTED BARBERS TO GROOM HIS BORTHER'S FACIAL HAIR )

" See Bhayia , you look so elegant now after getting your beard and hair trimmed , Our Shatrughan was pretty sure that Guru Vishwamitra would have paid almost no attention to both of you during this period, he would have just made you toil hard for his training" , Bharat Said in a dissatisfying tone.

" You mean to Say that Ram Bhayia did not look elegant Before , isn't it Bharat Bhayia " , Said Shatrughan in a mockery , while his hands went smoothly with the Blade over the now last remaining Lakshman's facial Hair.

" Yeh Phirse shuru Ho Gaya " , Lakshman shook his head and broke into a gentle smile.

" You Idiot , I didn't mean that , why are you hell bent on making me a villain in front of Bhayia " ,Bharat Slapped his Forehead.

" Arey Bhayia , I was just kidding , With that childlike face of yours , no one can ever imagine you doing anything wrong , and even if did something wrong in real by mistake , still no one is gonna doubt your intentions , at least not in our Kingdom , I can guarantee that " , Shatrughan Said Gleefully while showing a small pocket mirror to Lakshman after finishing his final touches.

" AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH" , Lakshman Shreiked Loudly and holded shatrughan's neck with both his Hands and shook it vigourously in a comical fashion........

" Shatru ke Bache ...............what have you done , who told you to get rid of my beard completely. And what the hell did you rub on my cheeks , My facial skin is literally glowing white and shiny with a strong burning sensation"....Shouted Lakshman while Ram and Bharath Roared into Laughter.

"So what's the problem with that glowing skin, you know it's a special medicinal paste gifted to me by the Ayodhya's Royal Medic's ever so charming daughter. Now you are at least worthy of being called my Twin , earlier you looked like a Rakshasa " , Shatrughan heaved up his chest proudly.

"Exactly How many virtuous Maidens are in contact with you ,My dear Brother ", Ram asked curiously , placing his fist under his chin.

" Well ......then let me count ............... one hundered ninety seven .........no no that one I forgot..........bhayia its about two hundered twenty five ........plus minus five " , Shatrughan said very casually , after having recounted several times.

" I don't think I should say this , but recently you have lost all sense of Shame Shatrughan , what is this plus minus five ,are you bargaining for vegetables " , Bharat Joked

"Well , if it gives you some peace of mind , you do remember Bhayia , there was that princess , who made me somewhat displeased with her actions, the one we met when gurudev took us to Kishkindha in disguise to witness the grand scale event hosted by King Vali....", Spoke Shatrughan

" Oh...... how can I forget that ......... Well I haven't come across a more innocent looking princess in my life ......and seeing how Laksh handled the situation then , it must have been your fault Shatru. It should be her to be displeased with you rather than the other way round " , Bharat Reminded Shatrughan in a firm tone.

" Oh..... you don't know the entire story Bharat Bhayia , you came a bit Late......I accept my method was a bit unorthodox , but my intentions were very pure , and this twin of mine , for the first time , took sides with her rather than his own brother , and to top that off, she practically made me look like a villain , even though she very well knew it was a misunderstanding" shatrughan showed an unknown sign of obsession over of his twin's priorities concerning him and the unknown princess.

" And don't you remember what had followed later because of that mess , I haven't seen Bhayia Ram so angry......Glad Hanuman was there , otherwise....." ,Bharat Recalled the past as the three looked towards Ram , who had clenched his fists tightly , looking lost in his thoughts

Hearing the name of Kishkindha , Ram's smile had already disappeared a few moments back , as if someone had opened a deep old wound , and his face was constantly looking towards Lakshman ,a face displaying nothing else but that of a father's overprotective nature toward's his son .

(A/N : THERE WILL BE A COMPLETE BACKSTORY ON THIS KISHKINDHA EVENT WHICH WILL BE COMPLETELY FICTION, HERE I HAVE LEFT IT WITH BITS OF BROKEN INFORMATION ONLY TO KEEP IT SUSPENSFUL )

Lakshman Gave Bharat a questioning look , signalling him to stop dwelling events of the past , and to divert the attention of the serious convo that it had become , he suddenly shouted

" Shatrughan , Gadhe , you come back to the main topic first , see I am resembling more like a princess than a prince.....argggh......" , Lakshman Grinned Loudly as he couldn't help but frown more and more looking at the mirror

" Hey , you should be the last person to lecture me on grooming and dressing . I , Prince Shatrughan , am a pioneer in this field , and the fact that you are my twin , its your moral duty that you must look extremely handsome , if not , unfortunately I would have to take the pains to make you charming myself . God knows which girl would fall for this haggard brother of mine. " Spoke Shatrughan non chantingly and looked away in disobedience.

" Surely a blind One " , Bharat Chiped in sarcastically

" I thought you were on my side Bharat Bhaiya " , Lakshman looked at Bharat With Pleading eyes

"Not Everytime dear, is it easy to deal with tantrums of our youngest one after all " , Bharat Smiled Again

Ram  Jerked his head , his thought process being broken, as looked again at his younger siblings with a slight smile , who had started to argue again

" So being your twin , Is it m y duty to  look good , would you care to explain ? " ,asked Lakshman

"You see , I have a reputation to protect. All the beautiful maidens around the world know me as the most charming prince , I don't want to loose that Rep when they see my Ugly Twin brother "Shatrughan Poked Lakshman.

" Shatrughan , you do realize that Lakshman is not exactly your identical twin , while you have black eyes like pitashree , he has the same blue coloured eyes of Mata Sumitra's " , Ram made Shatrughan Remember his physique.

" And that is how all three matas used to differentiate between you two when we were kids , and this is how they made sure that real prankster was taken to task ", Bharat Smiled as he vividly recalled the events of the past.

" I could tell them apart even if they had their eyes closed , that too with my eyelids closed , " Ram shook his head

" Absolutely correct Ram bhayia and Bharat Bhayia , and now that you have called me Ugly you Shatrughan , let me give you a taste of of my Ugly fists first " , saying this Lakshman launched into Shatrughan and they both fell into the pond again , drenched completely , while shatrughan took a heavy but playful beating from Lakshman.

"OK ,Enough of charade I have seen from you three , I am not sad anymore , come out of the pond and dress up , we are getting late. I know you were trying to cheer me up by diverting attention , but remember I am your big brother , there is nothing my heart cant see regarding the three of you ", Ram spoke a tad dominatingly

Lakshman and Shatrughan both Popped their heads out of the water like little children whose act was caught , While Bharat tried to hide his face as the twins came on shore.

" I just want you to know , although its imperative to move on ahead ,but there are some old wounds , which are very hard to heal " , Ram put his hand on Bharat's Shoulder

" I understand it Bhayia , in fact , no one can understand it better than me " , and this time it was for the smile to vanish off Kekayi's Son.

Not very far away from the Pond , Guru vishwamitra had been meditating and offering prayers to Lord Shiva under a tree. Soon he was finished and opened his eyes slowly.

" Its no use hiding behind the bushes , why have you come here after so many years , just come out right in front of me " , Vishwamitra spoke in a resolute voice.

"I am sorry , I was just trying not to disturb you in the middle of your prayers , " in came the reply with a very gentle and seductive voice.

" What a Joke , you not trying to disturb my prayers , years after you seduced me and destroyed my lifeworth of penance." , Vishwamitra shook his head in disbelief.

" My Lord , Don't be angry , I was under Orders From Indradev, you know I didn't have the power and courage to refuse him , else he would have burned me to ashes ", Meneka Argued.

" And what makes you think I couldn't burn you and that Indra after knowing of your deceitful intentions , only for the sake of our daughter Shakuntala , I let u live , I didn't want an innocent child to be deprived of her mother's love" , Vishwamitra Argued Back.

" my Lord , I deeply apologize once more , and if it gives you any joy to hear , Lord Indra was taken to task very recently and suffered a humiliating defeat by someone very powerful " Apsara Meneka Replied back to Vishwamitra

.

" I don't hold him in any regard Meneka, his life and death don't matter to me ,if it was not for my own incompetence as a BrahamaRishi , I would have turned Swarglok upside down myself , anyway what brings you here , just say and leave ,I have to go back to my disciples " , Vishwamitra tried to hurry and avoid Meneka.

" I have seen you teach the Princes of Kosal ,they are even more outstanding than you " , Remarked Meneka

" I guess I can call myself a good teacher then ? You know what makes someone a good teacher , its to let his disciples know the their guru failed , and to ensure that his students never repeat the same mistake of that he did .Dont Waste my Time , just get it over with " , Roared Vishwamitra

" My Lord , it's the same matter which brings me here. The Anhilator of swarga is a very powerful Man , he is the core disciple of Guru Shukracharya . Rumour has it that Guru Shukracharya also gave him the deadly Vasavi Shakti as his most fearsome weapon , which he used to Destroy the Vajra of Lord Indra" , Meneka told everything in detail

" I told you , Matters of that Wretched Indradev Don't concern me at all. If that is all you have to say , you can leave " , Vishwamitra sounded angry and hasty

" Let me bring to your notice the main thing then. As far as I know , Shukracharya only had one disciple in this last decade , who is none other than the eldest son of Lankapati Raavan. And I fear he is even more powerful gruesome than his father , for he not only destroyed Swargalok , he even forcefully took away Vasuki's Daughter from there. I am afraid he will be the biggest threat to not only the whole aryavrat , but to the entire mankind . You have to stop this My Lord" , Meneka Pleaded on her knees .

" Hmmmph....... Its still so hard to believe that Apsara Meneka of Swargalok would care so much about us Prithvilok Beings......Neverthless I , saint Vishwamitra, although have vowed never to lift weapons again , would not let the good perish in front of the Evil, I guess I don't have a few more months ,some things will need to be preponed" , Vishwamitra reassured back to Meneka albeit in a mocking manner , and turned his head to leave from there

Meneka took a deep and loving glance towards the departing figure of Vishwamitra and spoke " My Lord , I know you would not believe me, But in the act of deceiving and Seducing you to fulfil the evil intentions of my Master , I really Fell in love with you " , A lone Tear rolled down her eyes.

"So Did I , meneka , So did I love you with all my heart , I know you speak the truth now , but I cannot forget that our story started as a sham, and that the original intent was always deceit ", Vishwamitra replied back in a heavy voice , his eyes Red but not a single Drop of tear fell on the ground.

A/N : The Back Story Mentioned above of Vishwamitra and Meneka is real One , I have just some how tried to incorporate this story into my Ramayana Plot

IN AN UNKNOWN LOCATION , SOMEWHERE DEEP IN THE FORESTS OF DANDAKARYA

Emperor janak , Along with empress Sunaina and Chandrabhaga , and daughters Sita and Urmila had set their abode towards Ayodhya ,the residence of their closest Ally . The Elitest Infantry of Mithila also had tagged along after repeated pressure from Kushdwaj. It was time of Dusk , and so the procession had stopped in the middle of the forest when they saw a slight stream of River Sarayu Flowing. Soldiers had started preparing camps for overnight stay , as it would be dangerous to proceed in the middle of the night , when carnivorous animals would hunt their prey

The Soldiers kept the Palkis of Queen Mothers and The Princesses down on the floor

" Urmilla , Get up you sleepyhead , you have been asleep in the Palki since morning , right after we departed from Mithila " , Said Sita in a displeased Tone.

" Let me Sleep some more Didi , the kind of blissful sleep I get in your Lap is simply unmatched " , Urmila spoke in half sleepy state , as a trickle of Saliva poured out of her mouth into Sita's Lap.

" Oh ho......Yeh Ladki Bhi Naa ...... Wahan Mithila mein Hamare sainikon ko sukh chain ki neend naseeb hone nahi deti , aur khud yahan aaram se padke so rahi hai " Sita Smiled as she wiped the saliva of Urmila's mouth with her dupatta.

" Sita , Urmi , tum dono uth gayi kya....." in came a shouting voice from Sunaina , which prompted Urmila to wake up with a jerk.

" Main to subah se Uthi to hui hoon Maa .... Woh to Sita didi ki aankh lag gayi thi, behcari itna kaam karti hain to thak jaati hain naa " , Urmila Lied with a poker Face as Sita Looked at her sister with a blank expression , full of disbelief.

Just then , Chandrabhaga lifted the curtain of the Palki and peeped inside " Speak this nonsense to your Father and Chacha , who may believe you , but not to your chachi and your mother . chandrabhaga sort of ridiculed her neice.

"Now both of you come out , you may have a wash in the river before it gets doo dark , the maids will prepare dinner in the meanwhile , we will be resting here tonight , so that we can leave early in the morning" , Said Sunaina.

" I will send some gaurds and dasis along for your safety , they can stand some distance away " , retorted Janak

" No need Pitaji , I alone am enough to safeguard myself and didi ", Urmila said Bravely

" Urmila is right Pitaji , we can take care of ourselves " ,Sita Reassured.

" Alright ,as long as u both are sure " , Janak tried to sound relieved.

BACK AT VISHWAMITRA'S CAMP

The princes had almost finished dressing up and were loading their things on their horses ,when they oversaw Vishwamitra was coming along their way , albeit in a slightly worried state.

"Boys , there is a change of Plan , Bharat and Shatrughan , you will leave for Ayodhya Now with me , while your brothers will join you a few days Later . Meanwhile , Ram and Lakshman , you both Proceed towards Mahendra Parvat , go via the Dandakarya Forest to reach Faster , there you will meet your old Aquaintance , who will guide you further onwards your Journey , Hurry , don't waste any time " , said Vishwamitra

"What Happened all of a sudden Gurudev, you sound extremely tensed ? " , enquired a worried Bharat .

" All you need to know is , that a terrifying Asur has been set loose , and his reign of terror is just beginning to form , and this needs to be contained at all costs "....

"Who is it Gurudev " , Lakshman Asked with curiousity

" Someone you all should be very carefull of , Specially You Putra  " Vishwamitra put his hand on lakshman's head in a very protective manner  before he went off to collect his things to be ready to depart.

( A/N : PHEW.......FINALLY UPDATED AFTER 4 MONTHS , DO VOTE AND COMMENT PLEASE )