The city of Khosal and Mithila have had been the closest of Allies since many many Years . King Dashrath and King Janaka shared many traits and Qualities , due to which there was a mutual Respect and Admiration between the two.
While the kingdom Of Ayodhya Boasted of Wealth , Riches and the most powerful Forces , The land of Mithila , though not as strong militarily , itself was a land rich in its scenic beauty and massive farmlands .
The two Kingdoms shared an amicable bond and Healthy trade relations , even though Both Families never quite met in person , as the daily running affairs of the Kingdom dindt allow them any time , inspite of their best efforts to try and meet.
And to top that off , both the kings have had an responsibilty of late , the king of Khosala had his four little princes to look after , who had been born after painstaking tapasya done by Dashrath and his three Wives- Kausalya , sumita and Kekayi . Such was the bond between father and Son , that dashrath wanted all his shining stars to be in front of his eyes , the more he gazed towards them , the more his heart wanted .
Same was the case with King Janaka and King Kushdhwaja , they had been blessed with four daughters , and they could not help but spoil their daughters with love . The once deserted Palace of Mithila , filled with gloom due to no children , had now turned into a loud mess , with chatter-patter of the girls filled all around the corridors . The arrival of the daughters to this world brought along with them huge prosperity , with the barren Lands of mithila turning lush green once again , and filling the mood of the praja with joy.
Prince Ram was born to Queen Kaushalya , the eldest of the four , he was the ideal for the other three brothers .
All of them looked towards him for his gudance and love. As soft spoken as Ram was , he was extremely protective of his siblings , and took upon him to face any wrath of his mothers when his siblings did mischief . All of just 10 years of age , he had the knack of standing up against the old school shackles and rituals .
Bharat was the second eldest , born to queen kekai , he was an introvert and liked spending his time in craftsmanship , mainly paintings and pottery , at the age of just 9 , he had developed super crafts skills and liked to spoil his other 3 brothers from the gifts he made personally . He was respected equally as Rama.
And then there were the naughty ones , the twins Lakshman and Shatrughan , born to queen sumitra , though blood brothers by birth , Lakshman was inseparable from Ram and shatrughan from bharat. The reasons well , was known to the entire Ayodhyan Praja , Queen Sumitra feeding on the halves of prasad of the other two queens , her sons were destined to be inclined towards their elder brothers.
But however attached may be to their elder brothers , there was one thing they were together in always , MISCHIEF . They too were at 9 yrs of age , just a few months younger than Bharat.
The daughters of Mithila too had contrasting personalities.
Sita , at 9 yrs of age , had developed deep intesrest in being with nature and feeling it , often was found sitting with her sisters near the ponds and on outskirts of the mithila forests , whenever she was around , birds from all around flew at stood on the tree branches near her , sometimes making a humming sound , as if talking to her , and why not , she was after all the daughter of mother nature , found in the soil when the king himself was ploughing the fields. Her arrival brought along a fortune for mithila , not only in temrs of wealth , but also in the form of good news for queen sunaina and chandrabhaga .
Months later , Mandavi and Urmila were born , their birth being just days apart, and an year later the youngest princess , Shrutkirti.
Shrutkirti was a sedate girl , often being pampered by her sisters , especially Sita . She loved to sing and dance. She liked to hear folktales of Princes from her mother and her Sita Didi , often living in her dream world
Mandavi was more of a Chirpy and centered Type , she liked to stand in front of the mirror and dress up for hours , with her sisters joining in helping her . She absolutely hated cooking , which her mother had tried to invoke some culnirary interest in her , but she was least interested , and often ran to king janaka , even in between in palace proceedings , to avoid her mother .
Urmila was a total different type of fellow , She hated herself called a princess , in her view , she was her father's prince . Not into any activities that is expected of a typical princess , she had made it a habit to sneak out to training grounds , along with her Uncle Kushdwaja who oversaw the military affairs , and watched from the stands the fighters train and fight it out . often being scolded for this , she didt care.
Just like the Kosala Princes , the Mithila Beauties shared an in separable sister bond , different in likings , but similar deep inside their heart .
what had destiny planned for the next generation of these two Kingdoms ????
TO BE CONTINUED
( next part - A SIMILAR TALE BEYOND THE SHORES )
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