Right in the middle of the battleground, two armies, one numbered in thousands and other numbered in hundreds were standing facing each other. Separating them was an almost empty ground half a mile wide in which few chariots were standing facing each other.
At one side was the Prayag King along with his advisors and commander as well as some of his ministers and on the other side was the royal entourage of the Kashyapa Clan including, the Crown Prince Shantanu, Forefather Devarat, as well as four main Kashyapa Army commanders and three commanders as well as one vice commander of the Prince Shantanu's Army.
"Heavens! So the rumors were true. Seems like, the Kashyapa Forefather has really broken his oath." The oldest advisor standing on one side of the Prayag king murmured to his colleague next to him.
Right now the two advisors were standing side by side to the Prayag King who was sitting in his chariot.
"But to think that some of the regiment commanders of the main army will also come and join the battle!" The youngest advisor looked in front of him with wide disbelieving eyes and murmured slowly.
"What are they even thinking?! Do they want to annihilate or flatten the whole Kingdom if his Majesty doesn't agree to their demand?" The young one continued.
"If?! Hehe…. Do you think I have another choice? Tell me Arthya, what other options you think we have?" With helplessness written in his eyes, he gave a sad chuckle and asked his youngest advisor while looking at the insurmountable man in front of him.
'I should thank heavens that yesterday I was able to stop and dispose of those traitors before them coming outside the fort and attacking the Prince's Camp.'
'If not then even I would have been today...….'.
Gulp...
He stopped his train of ominous thoughts as he gulped a mouthful of water.
"Greetings Forefather Deverat…" The Prayag King said with his sweating forehead.
'Hypocrite…. To think I used to respect him so much before.'
'But to think he will break his oath!'
'Hypocrite'
'Maybe that old man was right… all of the men from ancient clans are really hypocrites… Heh…'
Right now the Prayag King was going through a turmoil of emotions in his head. Cause of the battle yesterday his friend died. They were caged inside their kingdom for months and today they were there to surrender. Yesterday he lost hundreds of his soldiers but nothing happened, still they were there to surrender. What can they even do? Right now in front of them was a monster they could never defeat but if this white-bearded monster wanted then he would slay every single man present on the battlefield.
The more the Prayag King was thinking the more helpless he was feeling and the more frustrated he was getting. All the suffering he had suffered till today because of the Prince Shantanu and his army was piling up in his mind but he was unable to speak a single one of them.
"After breaking your oath, how do you feel, Devarat?" Finally, some of his frustration leaked out and a mocking disrespectful voice came out of his mouth.
Buzz...
Just when the voice came out of his mouth, all the eyes from both sides turned and glued at the Prayag King for a long time, before a dam of whispers broke out.
"Prayag King, it seems like the battle frenzy has gotten inside your head and have made you senile." One of the commanders from the Prince's side rebuked the Prayag King.
No one had ever dared to call the forefather in such a disrespectful manner before. Not even the kings of the ancient clans. But today a king of a puny kingdom dared to address the forefather in such a manner. This was not just a disrespect to the forefather but also to the whole Kashyapa Clan.
After hearing what the Kashyapa Army commander had said, few of the ministers wanted to speak something in return but even they were apprehensive that they will also disrespect the forefather so they swallowed their words. But even they were thinking that something had happened to their king.
They were not alone even the advisors of the Prayag King didn't get angry or said anything hearing the Prayag Army commander, instead, they were staring at their king worried about his mental health.
"Prayag King, why do you think I have broken my oath?" The serene eyes of the forefather looked towards the King in front of him as he asked. In those eyes, there was not even a tinge of aggressiveness or fury. Even the fury he had against the Prayag King a few days ago was nowhere to be seen.
"Why?! Haha… haven't you come here to fight against my kingdom?"
"Was it not you who attacked the Shakya Army and killed all the Shakya Princes except one in that battle? Huh?"
With a trembling voice the Prayag king almost shouted at the forefather while controlling his urge to go near him and detonate himself with a self-sacrificing technique.
"And you're asking why I think that. Tell me, everything I just said is just an overblown rumor and you were just meditating inside a forest? Haha….Now I had seen your true colors, you're just a hypocrite Devarat."
Finally, the dam broke out and all the frustration piling up inside his mind came out as those words from his mouth. Right now the Prayag king looked nothing like his previous impressive mighty self instead he looked like a low-class citizen of a kingdom complaining about his suffering and unfairness of the world to his king.
If not for the images of his children popping out inside his mind, he would have very well gotten near the forefather or the prince for detonating himself for killing them along with himself for all of his sleepless nights and sufferings he was having for months now.
"..." Seeing their king right now, many mouths were wide open with their mind thinking that their king had really gone senile. But still, no one dared to stop him or calm him down. After thinking for a few moments even they thought what their king had said was absolutely right.
"Of course not."
"Not till the date Prince Shantanu sits on that highest throne inside the Throne hall of Kashyapa Palace, till that date this old man has to manage everything on his behalf so this old man is unable to go in seclusion." The forefather replied to the Prayag King while looking at him.
"And as for killing the Shakya Princes, this old man had to do that to save his student, to save the future of Kashyapa Clan. This old man didn't want to kill them but when I warned them to stop they didn't listen and filled with malice they tried to kill this one's student."
The forefather continued, "As for coming here, my old bones had gone rusty to participate in a battle, this old man is just here to protect his student. Will not even mind if you can somehow kill everyone from the Kashyapa Clan present here."
""Huh?!""
Not just the Prayag King but almost everyone at his side made that noise in unison.
"You have not broken your oath?! Forefather, you are not here to participate in the battle?!" The Prayag King instantly asked with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Prayag King this old man is just here to protect his student." The forefather replied and took a glance at his student while thinking about something.
"This….." Suddenly the Prayag King didn't know what to do. The whole surrender plan was based on the fear that the forefather was going to participate in the battle.
"Should we fight?" Finally the worn-out king looked both of his advisors for a plan or solution.
"Arthya, what do you think? Can we defeat this army and save our kingdom somehow?" The old advisor looked at the young advisor.
"Your Majesty, even if the forefather is not going to take weapon against us, we cannot defeat the army in front of us."
"Senior, look closely at that Army behind forefather, not only some of the regiment commanders of the main Kashyapa Army is present. Even the number of soldiers has increased significantly even after the casualties yesterday."
"What do you think it means senior?" The expressionless face of the young advisor looked towards the old advisors.
"They have brought more soldiers with them! They are not going to stop until they take over?!" With an ugly face, the advisor asked.
"Precisely. They increased the number of soldiers once, it means they can increase it again." Arthya told his hypothesis.
"Your Majesty, the situation has changed. Now we are not just fighting a fraction of Kashyapa Army. If we start the battle today then we will be fighting the whole Kashyapa Army and that time even if one of our soldier kills ten Kashyapa soldiers that would still be not enough for defeating that humongous army. Forget about the army, even the four commanders can kill half of our army if they went in a frenzy." Arthya stopped there to look and read the face of his king before continuing,
"We would be fighting a never winning war with them and once they will crush us, we will be in no condition of putting some favorable terms even if we surrender that time. At that time we will be just accepting whatever they'll say, putting aside all our dignity."
"...….."
One would have to say that Arthya was a good observer but a harsh man, he said everything he could foresee and calculate without hiding or sugarcoating anything.
And like a harsh reality, every word he said pierced the Prayag King like needles.
'Haha… we cannot defeat them even with our one soldier killing ten of theirs.'
'Just four commanders can kill half of my army….haha'
'Haha… heavens… why? Tell me why?'
In the mind of Prayag King, his sad laugh was reverberating as he was thinking about his past sins to get such a misfortune.
"I'll not accept this." He murmured while lost in his thoughts.
"Huh? Your Majesty?!"
Without paying any heed to his confused advisors he looked directly towards the forefather while saying,
"Forefather, this king here in front of his subjects announces that he is willing to surrender before the forefather."
"...….." Some gazes from behind the Prayag king stared at the King with disbelief.
"But this King cannot bow his head and lower his sword before a crown prince who just has a powerful teacher. My pride as a king will never allow this." The Prayag King stopped after saying that. He was just looking at the forefather, without even taking a glance at the Prince Shantanu as if right now Prince Shantanu was not present there or he was nothing to him.
"What?! Prayag King, have you gone senile?"
"You dared to compare our crown prince with a lowly yourself?"
"You are just like an overgrown ant in front of our crown prince."
"Even hundreds of likes you are not comparable to a single hair of our crown prince."
Angry rebukes like sharp arrows flown from behind the Forefather and Prince Shantanu towards the direction of the Prayag King.
As if not listening to any of those voices, the expression on the Prayag King remained the same and his eyes fixed on the Forefather. Not just him everyone at his side or behind him was saying nothing. They were just looking at the forefather and trying to read his mind through his eyes and face, what he will say will decide their future from today onwards.
"You will have to surrender in front of Prince Shantanu, he is leading the Army and the conquest. This old man right now is just his bodyguard whose only job is to protect him." Finally the forefather opened his mouth and asked the intention of the Prayag King.
"Then Prince Shantanu has to prove that he is worthy of lowering my head in front of him. This king is challenging Prince Shantanu in Thang-Ta. If Prince Shantanu could defeat this king then this king will not mind surrendering before a rising sun such as the Prince. But if he cannot defeat me then, the pride of this king will never allow lowering the head and surrender to a brat hiding behind a huge wall even if this king dies."
"...…."