"Wait!!"
"Stop right there!!"
The solider stationed there shouted but the acted like a deaf person and didn't stop. He kept on walking towards the empty field outside the army camping area going far away without even looking back.
"At least tell me who had send you?!!"
"If you don't stop, I'll shoot an arrow at you."
"Stop damn it."
The soldier was deciding between what to do, should he leave his post and chase after that man but then what if it would be a trap by the Prayag Kingdom to capture a soldier and try to find out information regarding their battle preparation. So he just keep shouting towards the man to stop him and when the man didn't stop he then chased him for a little but didn't go too far from the camp chasing the man.
"Brother what happened?"
"Why are you shouting?"
"Hey, did you just left your post without informing?!"
"What were you doing?"
Soon hearing his shouts many other soldiers posted nearby his area came on running thinking what happened for their colleague to shout and leave his post. When they came, the soldier told everything to the others who had just come. And then the question of what to do with that letter thrown by that black robed man arose.
The black robed man was waving a white flag so he wasn't there to fight or anything and seeing his courage, it could be said that he was a messenger of some kingdom. Cause generally no ordinary person can dare to go near a army camp who was in the enemy's territory and cause of that on full alert and who was preparing to battle soon.
But the messengers of the kingdoms and clans were trained for the situations like that. They could even travel in midst a battlefield without any fear on their face as well as face an enemy king and his might even without showing himself shaking from that might and weakness even if he were to terrified inside.
Being a messenger of a kingdom or a clan was said to be the most courageous job for anyone to do. Anyone can become a soldier but for being a messenger, the person needed to pass many hurdles and were trained in many things including etiquettes and many fighting skills with swords and spears. After all they had not just to deliver many important and political messages and letters of their king or clan, they even had to protect those messages and letters till they were delivered as they were the ones mostly ambushed. Often many wars had occurred as well as peaceful settlements had happened due to these messengers.
It was even rule made by the ancient clans that a messenger can never be killed in any circumstances even if they were to come in front of their king's gravest enemy with the letter of their king. The underlying understanding was that the messenger was just a representative of their king and its his job to deliver those messages and letter, so they were not doing anything wrong or harmful to the enemy's kingdom.
But also cause of the same reason the messengers were often misused. Many a times kingdoms sent their spies in other kingdom as messengers so that they can stay in the enemy's kingdom and steal informations. And many times the letter or gift which was given by their king to deliver to the other king contain poison inside so killing the other king if he were to open the letter. In these cases the messengers became scapegoat and killed instantly if not imprisoned for life. And the king or kingdom using that vicious trick was punished by the ancient clans.
That's why the soldier who saw that black robed messenger was suspicious and wanted to catch him for questioning but alas he didn't stop for that and the soldier due to his suspicion that it was a trap didn't chase him far away. But the question was what to do with the letter he had left for their prince.
"Let's pick up that letter first." A relatively young energetic soldier said.
"Wait." But he was immediately stopped by the middle aged soldier standing beside him.
"Are you out of your mind? What if that letter contain poison?" Another soldier reprimanded him.
There were doubts on the soldiers minds who were gathered there, the letter was for their prince and it was surely from any king or clan seeing the attitude and fearlessness of the messenger so they cannot open that letter without the Prince Shantanu's permission so they have to take that letter to the prince but then what if the letter contains some poison then they would be putting everyone including their prince's life on risk.
"Oho… I forgot. I remember my mother did told me when I was child to not touch the unknown objects lying on ground as they can be cursed objects." The young energetic soldier once again raced his brain and spoke to wash his previous silliness and show his knowledge.
"...."
"!!!Haha"
But soon the soldiers around him started laughing hearing them. The previous grave atmosphere dispersed as one of the soldier said,
"Stupid young man, that is Karpasika Pata not an metallic object on which curses can be put."
"Are you sure curses can not be put on letter?"
The young soldier asked with confusion on his face, how can his mother be wrong.
"Hmm. I have never heard of anything like that. What about you all?" The wise looking soldier look around himself.
"I also haven't."
"Ok... It is decided then, Navaj will pick up this letter and bring this letter to the prince and Vasant will accompany him." The middle aged man said while looking at the young energetic soldier and the soldier who was posted at that area but left his post and chased after that messenger.
"Why me? I don't want to pick up that letter." The young energetic soldier named Navaj rebelled against the middle aged soldier.
"Navaj don't think about that letter, think of the chance of meeting to the prince. What do you think, can you meet him on your own without chances like this in your whole lifetime?" The soldiers around him found a perfect scapegoat and tried to convince him.
"I...."
That was true there was nothing special about him neither was he a big officer in the Kashyapa Army nor his family was big shot or influential in the Kashyapa Clan. He was just a normal soldier of the lowest rank. So there was nothing in him to warrant him to meet to the prince. He needed chances like that to make his name and come in the sight of the prince. So he fall into thought of if he should take the risk or not.
"Ok if you don't want then I guess we have to ask Devesh for the job. I'm sure he will be happy on meeting and talking to prince. Maybe the prince even give him some important task seeing his courage."
The middle aged man said in a playful and seemingly sad tone while looking around trying to find someone.
"No no no…. I'll pick up the letter and took it to the prince." The young energetic soldier immediately replied. Devesh was also a lowest rank soldier like him as well as highly ambitious, so instead of giving the chance of benefit to him, he was going to take the risk himself for that benefit.
The middle aged man lips turned into curve as he looked toward the other soldier named Vasant.
"Vasant, you have to tell everything happened here to the Prince. Like how that black robed man looked and how he acted everything. Understood?"
"Ofcourse."
"Pick up the letter and let's go." The soldier called Vasant looked towards Navaj and said.
The young soldier brought his whole courage he was gathering since camping there for the fight against the Prayag Kingdom and moved forward towards the letter. He was hesitant and there was even regret in his heart for taking that decision without even thinking the consequences properly. So what if he couldn't meet the prince his whole life, he would be happy if he could marry a girl and have few children. But now he was unsure if he was going to even have a whole life or was it going to end today.
But it was too late already, he had already accepted the task and he couldn't back out or he would be shaming himself if he refused. He came before the letter and stood before it. He turned his head looked towards the camp and then the middle aged soldier, murmured something inaudible, maybe he was thanking him for giving him the wonderful once in a lifetime chance or maybe he was cursing him for making him a scapegoat and cursing to haunt him as a ghost and make his whole life like hell if he were to die.