The royal knights were in hot pursuit of the retreating Saracen soldiers, shouting battle cries as they went. It wasn't until they crested a hill that they came to an abrupt halt. There, arrayed before them, was Saladin's army, with nearly 2,000 cavalry ready and waiting.
With a flick of Saladin's hand, a thousand arrows flew towards the royal knights. While the arrows might not have been lethal to the heavily-armored knights, their horses, clad only in thick caparisons, couldn't withstand the onslaught. After taking four or five arrows, the horses collapsed, leaving many knights without their mounts. Helpless, they watched as they were enveloped by Saladin's forces.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Grand Master Odo shouted as he realized the situation was hopeless. But as the Templar Knights turned back through the rain of arrows, a group of Mamluk cavalry that had been lying in ambush charged at their flank.
The royal knights' horses, already exhausted from the long chase, could barely keep going. Now they had no choice but to huddle together and hold on for dear life.
Count Raymond, who had been following behind, found himself surrounded as well. But he quickly made the decision to break through to the south, rather than towards their own infantry. Two hundred royal knights charged southward without a second thought.
Seeing that the royal knights weren't joining up with their infantry, the Mamluks didn't pursue them too aggressively. Instead, they focused on wiping out the Templar Knights. The Mamluks surrounded the Templars, loosing arrows that felled the horses, which in turn brought down the knights behind them, turning them into pincushions.
By the time Saladin arrived, the battle was already over. The ground was littered with the bodies of Templar Knights. Over 200 Templar and royal knights were taken prisoner, with countless others killed in the fight.
"Let me go, Saladin! I demand a duel with you!" Grand Master Odo, bounded and bellowed at Saladin.
Saladin, however, just smiled at the defeated man's rage. "Grand Master Odo, your reputation precedes you. I didn't expect to meet you here today."
"Phew!" Odo spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground to show his contempt.
"Normally, following your treatment of infidels, I would kill you on the spot," Saladin continued with a smile. "But I am Saladin, and I do not treat you in such a manner."
"After this battle, you may ransom yourselves for freedom. But for now, Grand Master, please endure a few days of captivity."
"Phew! I'd rather rot in prison than pay ransom to an infidel," Odo roared.
Ignoring Odo's shouting, Saladin waved his hand, and his attendants took Odo away.
"Next is you, Baldwin," Saladin looked towards Baldwin's banner in the distance, his smile growing wider.
Baldwin was desperately urging his infantry forward, trying to support the royal knights. But the infantry, exhausted from days of marching, could only watch helplessly as Saladin's army overwhelmed the knights.
Now, countless Saracen cavalry had latched onto the kingdom's infantry. They circled the infantry, loosing arrows to create chaos. Although the kingdom's crossbowmen began to return fire, the disadvantage of infantry against cavalry was painfully clear. The wounded cavalry could easily retreat to the rear, while the infantry had to struggle to hold the line.
"Hold your ground!" Baldwin weakly shouted, his herald repeating the command loudly, but the battlefield situation wouldn't improve just because of orders.
Baldwin was frantic. If he still had a group of knights, he could have sent them to drive away the Saracen light cavalry. But now, with most of his knights defeated, only the infantry were left to hold on.
Finally, one group of infantry couldn't take the pressure and dropped their weapons to flee. A gap appeared in what had been a relatively tight formation. Before Baldwin could send reinforcements, the Mamluks spotted the opportunity.
The Mamluks, who had been waiting nearby, formed a wedge and charged at the gap. A sharp arrowhead pierced the kingdom's line, and the soldiers near the arrow were easily cut down. The entire battle line was in danger of collapsing.
Baldwin looked around; all the battle lines were under heavy pressure, with no spare forces to send. The only mobile force he had was his own guard.
Baldwin took a deep breath, ignoring his weak body, drew his longsword, and shouted, "All the kingdom's knights, charge with me."
The remaining royal guard, the king's personal knights, followed Baldwin and gradually picked up speed to meet the Mamluks.
The king's guard, all chosen from the finest knights of the kingdom, were in excellent physical condition and highly skilled in combat. For a while, they fought fiercely with the Mamluks, stabilizing the battle line.
Baldwin's presence on the front line boosted the morale of his soldiers, who fought bravely. But everyone knew about his weak condition.
A small group of Mamluk cavalry charged straight at Baldwin. Several royal knights tried to block them but were knocked off their horses by the overwhelming number of Mamluks. Outnumbered, Baldwin could only watch as the Mamluks' lances unseated him from his horse.
Baldwin's weak body couldn't get up. He could only watch as the soldiers around him began to break.
"Your Highness!" A loyal knight finally fought his way through. He helped Baldwin onto his horse, preparing to retreat.
"No, I must stay here! To fight Saladin to the death!" Baldwin weakly said, knowing it wouldn't change anything, but the king's dignity wouldn't let him abandon his soldiers.
"Your Highness! We've lost this battle, but not the war!" the knight shouted, trying to reason with him. "This is just part of the kingdom's army. We still have nearly half the forces left to mobilize. As long as the castle at the mouth of the Yabok River can hold on for 10 days, we can rally our troops again."
"Now, please, Your Highness, take care of yourself and go back to reorganize our forces," the knight said, and without another word, he spurred his horse towards the nearest castle.
"The king is fleeing!" Seeing this, the kingdom's army could no longer hold on. Almost in an instant, the entire battle line collapsed. All the kingdom's soldiers dropped their weapons, discarded their armor, and ran as fast as they could, hoping to escape the blade or slavery.
The kingdom's soldiers, like dogs without a home, became the best prey for the Saracen cavalry. Riding their fine warhorses and wielding scimitars and maces, they cut down the scattered, fleeing soldiers one by one from behind.
They even sang Saracen battle songs loudly, praying for this rare and great victory.