A group of big wild violent birds were flying in the skies above that wasteland. They were staring at soldiers standing below them with their vicious eyes full of hunger, the hunger of flesh and blood of the sacrifices that was going to take place soon. Last night they were singing together, maybe praying their gods for the feast they had send them. It was said that it was their natural predator and flesh eater's ability that they can sense the blood from the miles away.
...
On the other side of the wasteland, there were thousands of mounted soldiers sitting on their mounts or chariots and foot soldiers standing peacefully. The soldiers who were standing at the frontlines were holding a spear in their hand whose poles had a flag attached to it which fluttering brilliantly in the air. The flags were made of finest red silk which was shining like thin sheet of a mirror polished metal and in the middle of the flag was embroidered with golden threads the insignia of the Kashyapa Clan, A Sun.
Just before the start of the fight when the Shankhnaad of the battle will be blown to indicate the start of the battle, they had to hoist that spear holding the flag in the ground where they were standing. That had two purposes, first was that it shows the boundary of their territory in the battlefield. Second, they had to not let even a single soul pass through that boundary inside their territory.
The battle can start at any moment in day after the Shankhnaad of the battle was blown but it had a time limit everyday before which they had to stop fighting and return to their camp. After which till the morning they can't pick any weapon against the enemy. In every war or battle the armies had to stop fighting just as the Sun sets, just before the dusk.
As the Sun set, a loud Shankhnaad vibrates the whole battlefield signaling them to stop putting weapons against each other. If someone try to disobey this long tradition and kill or even harm the enemy soldier then he was killed by his own commander or by the one leading them as a grave sinner. And if this was done by the commander himself then the punishment was provided by his king but if the violation was by king himself, then the punishment was provided by the ancient clans.
The hoisting of flag by them, was called marking of territory in the battlefield. This was done with almost every Ancient Clans just before the start of the battle in the beginning. But it was soon adopted by the Great Clans too, and so even Great Clans use this method. It had become some kind of important ceremony for the battles or wars.
Soon a golden chariots was seen in the sky, it was coming from the direction of the Prince's Army Camp. The chariot while flying in the sky gave it viewers a magnificent view that look like another sun had appeared in the sky, but contrary to the big one it was not staying at a place but moving fast, coming towards them. Whoever saw the scene before their eyes felt like a divine being was descending from heaven itself. And soon it landed on the ground just in the middle of the frontline, in front of the soldiers of the frontline.
The chariot was driven by seven flying horses called Uchchaihshravas. The chariot driven by Uchchaihshravas was the sign of the person's status riding inside it was not a simple Ratharohi Regiment soldier but at least someone who was vice commander or commander of the Regiment. The chariot also had Kashyapa Clan flag fluttering on the top of the chariot and a person sitting inside the chariot on the throne seat made above the platform. And the person driving that chariot was sitting at the front of the chariot on the driver seat that made on the platform below the throne seat.
Just as the chariot landed, the soldiers in the frontlines bowed their heads. And a few mounted soldiers from between them come forward and stood besides the chariot on the both sides. Although these soldiers were carrying out ceremonial duties, they were doing it in such a smooth manner that anyone would be surprised seeing the coordination among them.
The man sitting inside that was dressed in the same manner as the officers from the Ratharohi Regiment, but even then he look completely different from them cause of his bearing. He had handsome features of a handsome man who had not even reached his forties and a serene looking face. The wind was lightly tossing his black hair, and his eyes were also black but look like as deep as an ocean. His mouth, which suggested an iron will, was tightly shut. He look like a perfect of how a commander should be. He was the vice commander of the Ratharohi Regiment, who was going to command the whole Kashyapa Army on that battlefield.
In his golden armor he look nothing less than a War-god, who had descended just from heavenly plane. The armor he was wearing, even if it looked same as the armor worn by the Ratharohi soldiers, but it was different. All of the armors worn by the commanders and the vice commanders of the Kashyapa Clan Army were blessed by the divine beings. If compared to the armors worn by normal soldiers, it become ten times more hard and impenetrable after the blessing.
A voice came from inside the chariot. In a strident voice that came from inside of the chariot, Vice commander Medhavat addressed one of his subordinates,
"Everyone gathered?"
"Yes sir, almost all of our forces had gathered here already."
"I see. Then… did they made any unusual move till now?" The vice commander said while looking towards the army standing in miles away in front on him. When he saw that the Prayag king himself was leading the army, there was no surprise on his face. But rather he was looking at the other person standing in same line as the Prayag King.
"No sir! They are just standing there for a while now. Our initial assumption is that they are waiting for their forces to gather."
"Understood. Listen, we have some change in our strategy..."
The Vice-Commander called his direct subordinates and told them about the new strategy. After he done telling them there was a surprise look on the subordinates face but they still suppressed their surprise and went to tell their subordinates about the new strategy.
...…
The two armies standing at two opposite edges of the wasteland and waiting for their respective commanders order, were staring at each other down even when they were miles apart. They were weighing the soldiers in front of them. They were choosing their best possible pair to fight with as it can be their last fight. They didn't have enmity in their eyes while looking in front towards the enemy.
They were looking at each other with admiration, inwardly they were praising their courage their loyalty and their unlucky fate. If they were asked that who understand them very well, there were high possibility that they will say that the enemy in front of them with whom they'll soon fight to death understand them most, after all they were in same situation for the moment. Fighting for their king without even care for their life, both of them knew even if they die for their king, their family will still have to suffer and both of them was there cause of some of their selfish desire.
There was no bravery in their eyes, no hatred in them and not even the passion they previously had for their kingdom. There had just one wish, the wish that soon everything will be ended, a desire that when it all ended they could see their children, their wife or their parents and all other loved ones.
The soldiers who were fighting for the first time had always heard that 'only the ones who had fought in wars or battles could understand a true value of peace' but they never understood the meaning of those words, they thought it was nonsense. But at the moment when they were slowly moving closer to the battle, they were understanding what those words means.
They had heard 'most soldiers left army after their first battle', so they always called those soldiers cowards or spineless but when they themselves were going for their first battlefield, they were slowing understanding why.
The awe-inspiring army of the Kingdom was made of 200,000 men strong. But they were divided into two groups, the army under the control of the nobles of the Prayag Kingdom were standing behind the first grand noble. And the army under the control of king was standing behind their king, Prayag King.
When the Prayag king, few days back suggested that the soldiers should be divided like that, nobles were surprised to hear that. They had never thought that the Prayag King would let their personal army to be commanded by them.
Initially when it was decided that even their personal family guards will be fighting alongside the royal army and the Prayag king will be the one commanding them then, they were sure that they were going to loose their personal army, they were sure that the king will use them ad canon fodder. So when they heard that, first noble will be commanding the noble faction's army they were overjoyed and instantly agreed.
The reason for that the Prayag king gave was, first, if they were to do that then they could effectively control every movement of the army on the huge battlefield and that was necessary in every battle to have a good grip on the movement of the soldiers. Second was, Prayag king directly told them that he was unsure if the noble faction army will trust him rather than their own noble faction and in the battle it was also necessary to have a good grip on the soldiers. So the noble faction army was given under first grand noble to command.
........
The Army lead by vice commander Medhavat was divided into a four wing of fifty thousand foot soldiers of Padasainyam Regiment, forty thousand soldiers from Ashvarohi Regiment mounted on horses, twenty thousand soldiers of Gajarohi Regiment mounted on elephants and the remaining ten thousand soldiers of the Ratharohi Regiment riding the chariots.
At the front standing in a slightly curved line were the soldiers from the Ratharohi Regiment in five sections with their section commander standing at front of their section, just behind them were the soldiers from Gajarohi Regiment divided in eight section with their section commander standing at front of their section, following the Ratharohi Regiment. Just behind as well as in between the sections of the Gajarohi Regiment were standing the soldiers of the Ashvarohi Regiment.
And behind the Ashvarohi Regiment were foot soldiers of the Padasainyam Regiment. In the front was two large rows of soldiers carrying spears and huge body size shields in their hand, just behind them were the soldiers carrying swords and shield. Behind them were once again the soldiers carrying spears and huge body size shields and at the end, behind them were the soldiers carrying silver bows.
The soldiers carrying spears and standing in front of the soldiers carrying swords had a main job to limit the number of enemy soldiers that can reach behind them to face soldiers with swords by making a wall by their shields and their spears as spikes of that wall. As for the soldiers standing in front of the soldiers carrying bows had the job to not let any enemy soldiers reach past them. Lastly the job of the soldiers at the end line was to endlessly shower arrows with their blessed silver bows on the enemies who crossed the territory line.
Although this formation was quite solid and presented many problems for any attackers, it had its weaknesses as well. Since the formation was dense and the shields carried were very big as well as heavy, it was all they could do just to stay in place and prevent enemy from reaching behind them.
They were like the last line of defense. As such, they lacked the ability to react quickly to enemy maneuvers, so if the Prayag soldiers were to reach at the bowmen, their losses would be heavy.
On the other side, the kingdom had two hundred thousand men. The numbers of soldiers in the Prince's Army were vastly less then those of the Kingdom.
But then again, the Prince's army was fighting non-stop for few months that had made their reflexes fast and agile in comparison to the soldiers of Prayag Kingdom, they hadn't fought in years. Many of the soldiers in the royal army were new bloods replacing the retired old ones. So there was not much expectation from them as they lack experience of the battlefield. In front of the seasoned soldiers of the prince they were like kids.
That was the reason why, the soldiers behind vice commander Medhavat were relaxed, without so much as a hint of fear. They did not feel they would lose at all. This confidence came from knowing their own personal strength. The only possibility they had for their loose was by strength of number of soldiers or by some great otherworldly strategy of enemy.
Even so, it was a simple fact that there was a vast disparity in the military power of both sides. Although it would not be a problem if they could fight forever without fatigue, they were only human. Once they got tired, even the difference in their individual abilities would eventually be caught up to.
...
The dawn ended, the Sun just come at the horizon, starting the day. The whole wasteland dyed in a crimson orange layer of the light, the faces of everyone standing in the wasteland was shining like they had just taken bath in the crimson orange sea made up of flame of the Sun.
But no one moved a inch from they were standing. They had remained still there ever since they had deployed and arrayed themselves before each others forces. It was as though they were waiting for each other to make the first move, or for something else.
The new soldiers could sense every second passing as their heart racing even more faster with each passing second. The old and veteran soldiers even if they look calm and cool on outside, the grip of their hands that was getting tighter on their weapons with every passing moment were describing their eagerness.
...…
"They're not moving. What's going on?"
A little far from the battlefield the first prince of the Pragya Kingdom, the most beloved child of the Prayag King was staring using all of his consciousness at the battlefield. He had never taken part in any battle, he along with other princes had only learn or did a mock battle while studying.
He was always made commander so he thought the battle in front of him was the same as he had taken part in so he kept on was staring at them with his mind full of questions. For him the battle was simple, they just had to strategize a brilliant plan and attack the enemy first and they will win.
So seeing his royal father not making any move and waiting, he thought they were waiting for the Prince Shantanu's army for first to move. In mock battles he always came up with plans and according to him, the ones who moves first had more chances of winning.
He with his brother and sister were surveying the motionless soldiers from the safest place they had in the fort, an observation tower highest in the fort in where he had seen his royal father spends his last few weeks.
If the Prince Shantanu's did not move, then neither could the soldier of Prayag kingdom move. He thought to himself.
"All right, then. looks like they're waiting for our soldiers to move…." He said while looking at his younger brother sister as if asking them for confirmation.
"I have no idea. Do you know anything about this?" The princess said while looking at her other brother.
"As if. I had not fought or heard any fight against the ancient clans in recent times."
"Somehow, the idea that you would know nothing about this sounds like a lie." The princess joked.
"A lie…" the young prince stared at princess with stern eyes.
"Did I offended you? I apologize if I did."
The princess immediately said with a non apologetic smile on her face.
The prince brow furrowed, as he see the non apologetic smile on her face.
"Hahaha. Take it or not is on upto you, I had apologized already."
The princess still had the same smile on her face.
Just when both, the younger brother and sister were staring each other the elder brother asked the soldier standing a little away.
"Why they are not attacking? Don't you think they should start attacking the enemy first to have high chances of the battle."
"Ooohhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmm….."
Just as he said that, a loud conch sound reached his ears. And he jerked his head to look towards the sound.
"It started."
A low voice was heard.