1538, Fort Kondapalli. Dharanikota Kingdom.
As Rudra and Bashir approached the hill the fort was on, they began to see more and more soldiers of Dharanikota. Some were patrolling the area, some were leaving camp to visit the town, etc.
Fort Kondapalli itself was built at least 200 years ago, by the Reddi dynasty. It was then captured by the Gajapathi dynasty, then changed hands to the Bahmani Dynasty, then back to the Gajapathis.
This fort along with several others, came under the purview of Dharanikota, after the peace treaty between the Gajapathi and Vijayanagara empires.
It was built on a hill range covering several small hills adjacent to the aptly named Kondapalli forest and Kondapalli town.
The fort is now used as a military camp, for stationing troops on the north side of Krishna River, preventing any assault on the capital from the riverfront. The fort regularly usually garrisoned anywhere between 2000 and 5000 soldiers, of which a third would be cavalry.
The cavalry forces were stationed in the small town of Kondapalli, which was located on the other side of the fort, from where the duo was approaching. The settlement itself has grown into a town in the last twenty years, with the support of the constant presence of soldiers stationed at the fort.
When Rudra and Bashir finally approached the base of the hill where the fortification was located, they were stopped by soldiers guarding the lower gate. Locating the enemy before they enter the hills is important because the main gate of the fort will be open during peacetime.
"Halt citizen." a soldier shouted from the top of the gate. A platform was present there to allow the archers to have some high ground. Three soldiers were present on the platform and the one who gave the order, had an armband on his uniform indicating that he was a captain.
The other three were on the ground, on the other side of the open gate. There was a Portcullis, but it was pulled up and the gate was left open.
"Civilians are not authorized to visit this area. If there is anyone inside you wish to contact, visit during the morning hours." the captain recited the standard lines, as the other two carefully observed the pair.
Rudra knows that of course. If he was still in the Royal palace, he would have simply arranged the meeting there. But that palace is not safe for Rudra right now. Maybe if he could convince his father to act on his uncle, he would have been safe, but it is very dangerous for Rudra to go there without a hammer to break that Hornet's nest.
"I am here to meet General Pemmasani. Tell them the prince is here." Rudra answered back, using the authoritative voice, reserved for such occasions. Sometimes, being too friendly will make the task more difficult.
"Do you want to get that thick head of yours under the chopping block kid? Impersonation of royalty is punishable by death. Besides you are very late to the party. Both the King and the prince are dead." The captain replied, but some apprehension had crept into his voice.
"What?!" Rudra replied, shocked that even his father passed away. His uncle had already arranged for him to die. Why kill the king too, when he was the only heir? Did Rudra severely underestimate his uncle's lust for power?
As for the king's death itself, the prince felt very complicated. He did not have any love for the man, but it still stung that his only surviving parent had died, leaving Rudra orphaned in this world. But having a dead king means he will have one less problem to deal with.
"When did the king die? How did this happen?" he asked the lead soldier, eager to get more information. Without the king in the way, his uncle may seize power in the capital city, making the whole thing more complex.
"You really haven't heard? They are saying that the king died from grief, after hearing the news that the crown prince had died. It was on the day of the Holi." the guard answered solemnly. Hearing this, Rudra fell into a deep thought, thinking of what happened and the facticity of the news.
Rudra had severely doubted the fact that his father cared for him that much. Ever since losing the last war, and the death of Rudra's mother, the king had fallen into depression. It was a downward spiral that had reached its bottom last year when the king even stopped attending court and left the issues to fester with his corrupt court.
Now hearing that his father was so emotionally affected by his supposed death, that he died of a heart attack, Rudra was rightfully suspicious. While thinking about this, he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at it.
'"Me. am. sorry. for. you. Loss.'" Bashir conveyed using the little sign language he had learned the past few days of the journey. Rudra just nodded and replied with a thank you. He didn't think it was the right occasion to correct the offered sympathies. The big man has learned sign language more quickly than anyone can reasonably expect.
"Where is General Pemmisani? I need to meet him urgently!" there was urgency apparent in what Rudra said to the soldiers. If the King is dead and his uncle has successfully convinced everyone that he is dead, a new ruler must be selected and the only choice left is his uncle.
"Why do you need to meet the general anyway? High Ranking officials won't meet everyone from the street who asks for them, and even if they do, the General is not in the camp." the squad captain said, sounding dismissive about the whole thing.
The lead soldier started getting down the platform to better talk to the young men, who had arrived at their gates. To accommodate him, Rudra, who had already gotten off the horse, moved forward. Bashir followed him.
"Who is the one with the highest degree of seniority in the fort now?" Rudra replied, a bit of anger creeping into his voice. The soldiers were not taking him seriously, and Rudra hated not being taken seriously.
"Kid, is this about recruitment? Do you want to join the army? For that, you don't need those officials. Go to any of our recruitment camps during working hours, there is one in the town down the hills. We are always short of people." the soldier continued as he finally stood in front of Rudra.
Rudra's anger continued to rise. He was not being taken seriously again. It seems that Rudra was having a bad streak with captains. The last one tried to kill him and this one saw him as a kid.
'This is not the captain's fault Rudra. To them, the Prince is dead. They don't know what you look like. You are not even dressed according to your status.' he told himself hoping to calm his mind down.
There was also the fact that Rudra needed a favor from the captain. There was nothing he could do alone, against the thousands of soldiers in and around the fortress. He needed the captain's capability to contact the officers who were in the fortress.
"Look, I know this sounds absurd to you, but I really am the prince. Before you ask, no, the royal seal ring was stolen from me. Please do me a favor and send someone to tell the officers. I'm sure there is someone up there in the fort who recognizes me." the prince patiently asked the captain. There was a chance that he would still be denied, but it never hurt to ask.
The captain appeared conflicted. He looked directly into the eyes of the prince as if looking for proof that could be hidden there. "I have a tough time believing that kid. But I will send someone up anyway. If this affects my job, I will come and find you. I have a wife and kids to feed."
Rudra just nodded to the soldier. At least the man finally relented. But was it a good thing or bad thing that a supposedly common man could get a chance to meet the fort commander? Whatever it may be, Rudra will be sure to remember this experience and will change it for the better when the inevitable reforms come to the army.
Rudra had to wait an hour for the soldier who had left to deliver the message to come back from the hill. The horse the soldier was using seemed unsuitable for climbing the steep roads of the hills, but the soldier pushed it along anyway.
The soldier dismounted and informed something to the captain, and both of them were out of earshot. After hearing the message, the captain turned and walked towards Rudra.
"You seem to be having a lucky day. Although General Pemmisani is not in the fort, his son Colonel Pemmisani is here. He agreed to meet you, as he is the one in command of the fort for now." the captain said and continued with " Colonel Pemmisani wanted to you know that, if you will waste his time, things will get ugly."
"Thank you" Rudra greeted the Captain, and soon both the prince and Bashir climbed on their horses and rode up the hill.