Outside the fort of Kingdom of Prayag..
Inside a majestic camp, the atmosphere was heavy, the prince was just attacked by someone inside his own camp even when it was protected by Kashyapa soldiers and what was worse that, they couldn't even catch the attacker. It was shameful for every soldier and commander there that they were unable to protect their prince even in their own camp. That was going to be a life long shame for them.
"Your Highness, we found the one who attacked you." A soldier entered in the camp and informed.
These words were like a lightning bolt to everyone who heard that. They jolted from their seats while someone said, "Bring him here."
"Your Highness …" a hesitation can be seen in his voice, "Your Highness, someone killed that person when we tried to catch him."
"What?!"
"How can this be?!"
"Who dared to kill him even before interrogation?"
"We have traitors among our soldiers?!"
"How ridiculous, this must be a work of a spy from Prayag Kingdom."
"What are you saying? You are saying that a spy has infiltrated in our camp."
"Yes, it must be that. That coward king tried to use underhanded methods when he saw he couldn't defeat us in battle."
"He had forget the dignity of a king. To use underhanded methods. Cheh… that king no longer deserves to be a king."
"Yes, we have to kill him. He tried to assassinate your highness by sending assassins and when he failed he ordered killed his own man."
"Heh… he must be thinking we can't identify who send the assassin if he killed him before being capture. How naïve.."
The prince's camp filled with noises. The news of killing of the assassin who came for assassination of prince, worked as adding oil in the fire.
Everyone in the camp was boiling and finding some conclusion which they think fit but all of them reached to a similar conclusion that this was the work of Prayag King. He was using underhanded method.The soldier who brought the news was bombarded with questions.
The atmosphere in the camp became more ugly. Everyone sitting in that camp was much more furious and infuriated after getting that news. They were furious cause they couldn't interrogate that attacker but what was infuriating for them was they couldn't torture the person who had brought a tint of shame to their proud and prideful being.
"Huh? Then had you found out who was the one who killed that assassin?" rebuked one of the commanding officers.
"Your Highness, we couldn't singled out the one who killed him. We just found a poisoned needle on his neck." answered the soldier to the prince.
He could sense a tense atmosphere in the camp, the faces of everyone sitting in the camp were getting more ugly.
"Do you find anything else on his body? Or who sent him to assassinate the prince?"
Lastly someone asked in a very calm manner. This person was one of the vice commanding officers of the Kashyapa Army. But he also had one other identity, he was once part of Prince Shantanu's boy-band. Even if he was much more older than Prince Shantanu, he was still one of the youngest commanding officers in the whole Kashyapa Clan. He was a very calm and collected person. Many people in the Kashyapa Clan has theorized that he was brought in the main Kashyapa Army from the Prince's boy band despite his no experience in the main Kashyapa Army was due to the prince's influence. He wanted him to establish him in the main army as a pillar.
"No Your Highness, we haven't found anything from him except that knife which was covered in blood, we think it was the knife he used on his highness," replied the soldier while still hesitating.
"Take us there, I want to see him," the prince ordered and stood up ready to go. But just as he stoop someone said.
"Your Highness, please reconsider this. There is an assassin out there, maybe you will be his next target. He had already killed the one who came to assassinate you in our own camp."
"What are you saying Commander Urjavat? We are going with the prince this time. Are you saying we couldn't protect the prince? I don't know about you but I'm totally capable of protecting Your Highness even by myself."
"Commander Urjavat, you should talk about yourself if you are unable to protect the king, you shouldn't include us. Even I'm alone myself is enough to protect the Highness. "
"Commander Susmin, Commander Samartha, I was just expressing my concerns, that had nothing to do with our capability….."
"Silence, that's enough. I said I'm going to see then I am that's final." All the three commanders were rebuked by Prince Shantanu as he stepped outside his camp.
........
In a camp surrounded with soldiers in metal armors a man was lying on a bamboo stretcher that was covered in a white piece of cloth. His whole body was enshrouded in another white piece of cloth from toe to shoulder. Peaceful face, eyes closed and the whole body in rest, he was lying there like if someone see him from a little far away, he will mistake him for being in a sound sleep without worry of anything.
But if he were to look closely he would be surprised seeing the previous brownish face had turned into purplish-black in color, the lips were as dark as charcoal and the slightly open mouth was covered with some white substance that had come out of his mouth. This all was clearly showing the sign of being poisoned as him being dead already.
The soldiers had removed the black clothes he was previously wearing from his body and in a very respectful manner they had put his body on that white bamboo stretcher. Even if all the soldiers surrounding the man was filled with anger and burning with fury desiring to torn that body into millions of pieces for his crime and the shame he had brought to them but they couldn't dare to do it. If they were to do it, they will be punished and even labeled as sinners.
The man laying there was the man who tried to assassinate the prince and if prince would not have woken up on time, he would be already dead but even then even after all this, he had to be respectful and if not respectful then at least show a big heart and not do or order to do something or tolerate something that is inhuman to that dead body.
He was bound by some tradition that he couldn't dare to break. It was the tradition of the ancient clans to properly pay respect to dead bodies even if the dead bodies were of enemy's. That's why even after the war or battle, both sides mourn for the loss of human souls of both sides and give back the bodies of other's side soldiers to that side so that they can do the proper afterlife prayer for them.
"Your Highness according to the soldiers who tried to capture him, he was wearing the dress of Ashvarohi while he was trying to escape," reported Commander Susmin while taking a glance at Commander Urjavat.
Hearing what commander Susmin said some eyebrows raised with suspicion and askance, the suspicion was either someone had helped the assassin or someone was killed in Ashvarohi without them knowing.
Commander Urjavat was one of the vice- commander of the Ashvarohi Regiment just like Commander Susmin who was one of the vice-commander of the Gajarohi Regiment and Commander Samartha who was also one the vice-commander of the Padasainyam Regiment in the main Kashyapa Army.
Even if the army who had come with Prince Shantanu is just a faction of the main Kashyapa Army but it was still made up of faction of all of the four powerful regiments that were Ashvarohi Regiment, Gajarohi Regiment, Padasainyam Regiment and Ratharohi Regiment.
Since these vice commanders had to follow Prince Shantanu on his conquest for some months or years so they were bestowed temporary position of Commander by the Commanders of their respective regiment of main Kashyapa Army except by the commander of the Ratharohi Regiment.
"Call every soldier of the Ashvarohi camp and ask them to report me." An order was immediately issued by the Commander Urjavat.
..….
It's been just one day since the night of assassination attempt on the Prince Shantanu but the news spread like a wild fire in a forest. While some who received the news started worrying about the safety of the prince, some started praising the guts of Prayag King after concluding that the assassination plan was must be Prayag King's idea.
The news that someone had tried to assassinate Prince Shantanu while he was taking rest in his camp spread like a wild fire in a forest. But the first one who got this news was Prayag Kingdom. After getting this news the already gloomy looking Prayag Kingdom look was thrown into chaos. They are many people in the kingdom who was doubting their king's decision as well as even some ministers started doubting their king's ability and questioning their king's decision.
Afterall Prayag was a small kingdom, it would be one thing if they were to fight with Prince Shantanu's Army in a battlefield, even if they were to be defeated, it would have been still a glorious defeat but sending an assassin to kill the Crown Prince of Kashyapa Clan was not only underhanded and shameful but also a self harming task to do. There were still rumors going about how the princes of Shakya Clan were slaughtered by the Kashyapa Forefather when they tried to overpower him with numbers and kill him.
"Your Majesty, people in the kingdom are already scared for some month from ever since we were surrounded by the Kashyapa Prince Army but if this assassination attempt news were to spread to the whole kingdom, it will definitely create chaos in the whole kingdom."
"Yes Your Majesty, since the news is still limited to the capital it is just causing some panic but if this reaches to the whole kingdom it will definitely turn into chaos."
"Your Majesty, we have to suppress and bury this news while it is still in the kingdom or the consequences will definitely be unfavorable if it were to spread. "
"Yes Your Majesty, we can't afford a chaos inside the kingdom when the enemy is at our door trying to starve us to death."
After hearing the news of assassination attempt on the Prince Shantanu, Prayag king immediately felt something amiss so he immediately ordered an emergency meeting with all of his ministers and advisers. In less than a day everyone even the Prayag Army Commander-in-Chief presented themselves in the throne room and the Prayag King left that highest tower of the his Palace for the Thorne Room.
But before he could sound his concerns he asked some of the ministers to report on the situation in the capital. He had already guessed when he heard that news himself that the situation is going to be much more dire within few weeks.
What the ministers were saying was true but that was not the whole truth, they were not saying that even they were doubting and cursing him and what they were really worried was their own safety, they were even angry at the king, thinking that he should have consulted with them before making such a decision.
"There are even some rumors that some of the areas will then try to surrender voluntarily without even fighting."
"Cheh... cowards" someone remarked a mocking disgust.
He was the commander in chief of the Prayag Kingdom but immediately someone said, "Your Majesty there are many soldiers who're expressing their concerns of Kashyapa Forefather coming to aid the Prince. Your Majesty some had even said that if that were to happen, they will involuntarily surrender in the middle of the battlefield."
Hearing that remark with the eyes filled with fury the commander in chief looked toward that minister. But even before he could voice anything the Prayag King waived his hand and silenced everyone before saying,
"But I had never sent any assassin or even thought of sending any assassin for the assassination of the Prince Shantanu."