Dark clouds lood over the town of Patan. The trees stood still. The once bustling small town lay desolate, silently mourning. The soldiers hung their heads in sha and the commander silently watched the scene.
The silence was broken by the occasionally crackling fire of the funeral pyre.
Aadarsh stood close to the funeral pyre. His eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep. He perford the last rites of his father.
He stared at the fla in a daze. His mind was elsewhere.
Millions of thoughts raced through his mind.
'Why did I hesitate?'
'Why didn't I reach earlier?'
'Why am I weak?'
He wanted to cry but tears didn't co out anymore. It was like half his heart was forcibly torn apart.
The battle ended yesterday. He already perford the last rites. He had to protect the motherland but his legs wouldn't move.
He couldn't muster any strength in his arms. He was numb all over.
'I have to prot…ect..'
'Do I really…..have….to…'
'Ca…n…..I…even..pro..tect?'
'I should end all this..'
He put a step forward towards the funeral pyre.
His father wouldn't want him to do this but Aadarsh didn't have the confidence.
Can he really protect his mother? Will he reach late to see his mother's corpse?
His mind wasn't working right.
The thoughts were broken by the small voice of a commander.
"Your Highness, we have a ssage."
Aadarsh stopped and didn't glance back.
"Who is it?"
"Commander Baldev."
"What happened now?"
"The letter is asking you to rush to Karnavati. He has sent a unit to protect the capital."
He gritted his teeth and punched himself.
Blood dripped from the side of his mouth. The pain broke the depressing thoughts and gave him so clarity of thought.
'Father wouldn't want in this situation.'
'He died for .'
He closed his eyes and rembered the past for the final ti in silence.
The tis of hardship and struggles his father had to go through to preserve his holand. He couldn't let all his hard work go to waste over his emotional state.
Moreover, he couldn't let down the citizens of the kingdom that desperately needed their help against the invaders. The blood and tears they gave readily to protect their land.
He was a royal.
It was his responsibility.
Fresh blood from the corners of his mouth dripped on the cold, hard ground.
He silently took a vow to the crackling fla of his father's pyre.
'I will protect Karnavati at the cost of my life, Father.'
'Please watch from above.'
He finally turned his head away.
The commander, who was surprised by the punch, looked nervous as he watched him bleed.
"Your Highness, blood..." he muttered.
"Don't worry about it. Hand over the letter from Baldev."
Aadarsh ran his fingers over his wet hair and began to read the letter from Baldev.
It was addressed to his father rather than him.
He skimd through the contents of the letter.
The information detailed in the letter was already known. They had fallen to the tactics of the Mughals and Askar would be heading towards the capital.
Baldev, in his letter vowed to stall him.
'He must be dead by now.' Aadarsh thought.
He knew of Baldev's loyalty.
But there was no way he could beat Askar. He would have gladly sacrificed his life for the motherland to stall for ti.
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Baldev also ntioned that he had sent the most talented commander by his side to the capital.
It was Shivaji Bhonsle, a young commander from the Bhonsle clan.
Aadarsh vaguely rembered the young man from the oath ceremony. He was the one that took a blood oath to the land.
It was an incredible sight to see such a young man to have that much confidence.
"Your Majesty," the letter read. "I trust Shivaji as much as I trust you. He is a talented child. You may or may not believe in his ability but I do. I swear on my life that he will defend Karnavati till you arrive. I wish you luck for the very last ti."
For a high-ranking commander to praise Shivaji that much.
Aadarsh smiled.
He let go of his past.
Aadarsh focused on the present.
He had to protect the future.
He scanned his surroundings. All the commanders and soldiers stood in silence, watching the fire burn. Their morale was low.
A pillar of the kingdom has collapsed.
Aadarsh needed to beco the new pillar and take on the weight.
He took a deep breath.
"Soldiers," he began.
All the soldiers looked up at him. Even so citizens that ca to mourn attention turned to him.
"Today, we stand in the shadow of sorrow. We lost the iron wall that protected us from dangers for decades. His body may have perished and returned to the sacred earth."
But.. his spirit remains unyielding. It lives on—in every blade, in every banner, and in every heart that beats for our land!
Soldiers, tell , will this weaken us? No!!
This shall be our fire to defeat the scum that dares to invade our land. Rember the sacrifices of not only the King. Rember everyone that gave their blood and tears to protect us.
Today, I do not speak as a prince but as a soldier beside you, honoring our fallen king and raising our weapons in his na. Stand firm, stand fierce, and let the world know that the Marathas do not falter. We do not fall.
Let our souls burn.
Let our screams echo through our land.
For our land, for our people,
We shall rise.
Jai Bhavani
The speech left everyone speechless. Every one present in the area saw the king's visage in Aadarsh.
They felt the soul of their fallen king guiding the young prince in his wake.
The soldiers roared.
"JAI BHAVANI"
"JAI BHAVANI"
"JAI BHAVANI"
"JAI BHAVANI"
"Prepare to March to the Capital." Aadarsh roared.
'Shivaji, I hope you can hold out till I reach.'
The March to protect the capital had begun.
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