Chapter 75: Prince Pratap from Mewar Part - 2

Chapter 75: Prince Pratap from Mewar Part - 2

After Balwindar and Veerendra took their groups to the other sides to flank right and left respectively, Pratap went to address his group of 50 knights , laced with spear and shield, for one last time before the final charge by pointing his hands toward the target.

Even though he himself made the plan without anyone's consent, he felt a little guilt to force his followers for this hard confrontation and decided to give them one chance to back down.

"SOLDIERS OF MEWAR, BEHOLD! Look there, what do you see? Look how merciless they are on the common people who has nothing to do with war, look the brutality they are causing on those civilians, including young, elderly and children, look at the cruelty they inflict upon the womenfolk. Look at how mercilessly they are whipping them with lashes.

Aren't your blood boiling in rage? Are we to just sit idle ? what is our code of Rajputana?

In Mewar, we do not merely honor women; we respect them, we worship them, as embodiments of the divine mother. Yet, these wretched mongrels dare to crack their lashes on their backs, treating them as MERE OBJECTS. Such injustice cannot be tolerated. Those civilians might not be our people but this can happen to our people, if those bandits are spared today.

Our task is daunting. We have to charge in front as distraction so that out brothers can successfully flank their sides. Their numbers dwarf ours, yet we are called upon to confront them. They outnumber us , but we should NOT FALTER . For every drop of milk we have received from our mothers, we are indebted to protect their kin. To turn away from this duty is to abandon our very essence as RAJPUTS.

I will not compel you to join me out of personal desire. I honour in my name that no one will be held accountable and can turn back if they desire now But I implore you to remember your sacred obligation. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us that those who flee from duty are branded as COWARDS! As long as I draw breath, I will not allow such shame to stain the name of MEWAR!

So I ask you now, who among you is a real son of Mewar? WHO STANDS WITH ME?"

A soldier unsheathed his spear and raised it high, he responded with loud and clear," For the Prince, For Mewar!"

Another soldier applauded , as he joined in, " For Mewar!"

The sense of loyalty and martyrdom for the code of Rajputana thrilled all the riders. They were already loyal to the prince, but the special gesture of the prince and the reputation of Mewar at stake riled them up for the impending charge.

In unison, the all soldiers resounded by holding up their spears high, "For Mewar! For Mewar! For Mewar!"

With a resolute nod, Pratap sheathed his spear, his voice thundering across the ranks, "JAI MAA BHAWANI!" (Glory to divine mother)

Turning to the target, the young prince's heart burned with anger and hate as he charged towards the unprepared Mughal forces, his determination unyielding in the face of adversity.

"For Mewar! "

"For the Prince !"

"Jai Maa Bhawani!"

As the followers of Pratap thundered towards the Mughal forces with their spears and shield upfront, their war cry echoing through the air, the enemy was taken aback by the sudden onslaught.

"Hazur, enemies have charged."

The lone archer's warning came too late, his arrow deflected by the shield-bearing prince at the forefront of the charge.

"Commence! Shield wall."

Still they somehow able to make the frontier shield wall under Taqdeer shah to halt the advance of cavalry.

As the Mughal column drew nearer, the tension in the air reached a high pitch. Pratap's knights gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes blazing with a fierce resolve.

Pratap braced himself for impact, his spear poised to strike with lethal precision. With a swift motion, he leveled his spear and drove it forward, aiming for the weakest point in the Mughal defences but it wasn't enough yet to breakthrough as they were being reinforced from behind to hold the line.

The force of the charge was like a tidal wave crashing against the shore, the thunder of hooves and the clash of weapons filling the air as Pratap and his knights collided with the shield wall. Still it was absorbed by the cluster of Mughals in tight formation.

"Hold the line, Don't let the knights pass."

The rookie archer, desperate to stem the tide of Pratap's advance, raised his bow to take aim, but it passed through near Pratap's ear with a narrow edge and hit his own ally behind his back.

"What a bad luck, damn it!.. Oh shit!"

He cursed his luck, but he didn't get a second chance. His last arrow didn't go unnoticed by Pratap. Sensing the threat, He threw his own spear and silenced the archer, sending him to the very god he had been asking for help.

Pratap, undeterred by the loss of spear took out his sword from his sheath and pressed forward among the ranks of Mughals," FOR MEWAR!"

His sword flashing in the afternoon sun as he cut through the Mughal ranks like a scythe through wheat.

"Monster, Monster, We cannot stop him!"

"Make way! Make way! Let me move back. I don't want to die."

'Slash!'

'Stab!'

With each sweeping motions of his sword , he left behind a trail of devastation, akin to a shark slicing through a school of fish with its jaws wide open. The frontline soldiers, sensing the imminent danger, attempted to retreat, only to find themselves trapped by the soldiers behind them.

They were mercilessly cut down left and right by his blade, their attempts to escape became futile against his relentless assault.

Still some brave souls dared to face this torrent.

"Take THIS!"

A Mughal soldier lunged at him with sword raised high aiming to stab his chest, Pratap swifty ducked beneath the blow, his own blade flashing out in a swift counterattack that stabbed the soldier's chest.

"You are mine kid!"

As he withdrew his sword, Pratap dispatched another approaching swordsman with a well-placed block and a powerful counterattack kick that sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Follow the prince, he is too deep."

Pratap went too deep; even his followers couldn't keep up with the prince's pace. But that didn't stop their morale as they kept whacking the herded goats to make way and reach their liege.

Sensing the tension , Taqdeer shah, the acting commander, watched with growing frustration as Pratap continued to carve a swath through his forces. With a frustrated gesture, he pointed a finger at Pratap and ordered "Some one stop him", his voice echoing over the din of battle.

Responding to Taqdeer's command, a 7 fit tall and imposing Mughal warrior named Shahid Armani rushed forward with reckless wide arms, his eyes blazing with determination as he bore down upon Pratap's steed with deadly intent with his rallying cry," Allaaah-u-akbarrr."

With a thunderous crash, Shahid's hand collided with Pratap's horse, sending both rider and steed crashing to the ground in a mess of mixed up, dirt and dust.

"YeaY! he is down"

"Allah is with us. We are saved!"

"Don't let him catch his breath"

"Finish him!"

As Pratap touched the earth, there was a momentary respite among the Mughal ranks, their most formidable butcher opponent, was in ground and prone to get defeated anytime soon. But was that enough to stop the crouching tiger?