Even though the prince was thinking of blaming the chief advisor. It isn't an easy thing.
Mir Zayn has huge influence,more than the prince himself. Plus,a war is about to come, a blame game could be devastating right now.
I had to convince Adrian to drop his plans, for now. Surprisingly, he agreed.
Our opponents were some tribes in the Northwest. They may be small in number but they were natives knowing the area's every slope, ditch and lane.
According to my knowledge, the Mughals lost this war in the original timeline. But in that timeline, Dannyal wasn't a general.
So, this war ...this was our chance to rewrite history.
I took my sword that I got from the temple. My horse,with the same elephant symbol as my sword, snorted proudly beside me.
I named him neigh-neigh because I am mature and good with names. (I know I am lying).
The Mughal army glittered under the sun as it was moving through the Karakar pass. Elephants and horses with sheilds. They had weaponries as big as their ego.
The mountains felt quiet. Dusts flying around like warning whispers. Even though I suck at instincts, I still could feel it was bad.
A cold wind whispered over the mountains. Not real, yet it felt… judging.
Birbal who was supposed to die in this battle, was joking about the King's pigeons. I forced a smile, standing beside him, wondering whether I could really save him.
Dannyal's "sixth sense" suddenly kicked in.
He shouted,"SHEILD FORMATION! NOW!"
But this wasn't the usual Mughal vocabulary. The war chief, Man Singh looked at him as if he was speaking alien language.
I understood what Dannyal meant, but too late.
By then a shower of arrowssliced through the silence.
I grabbed Birbal and yanked him at the side.
If I hadn't, he might've been gone right there.
The shock was so intense that fear rippled across every face.The arrows tore through the air, shattering both the bodies and spirits of the soldiers.
Birbal's humour drained. He whispered trembling,"We are surrounded!"
But Dannyal said something no Mughal general would ever think. He shouted with shining charisma,
"BREAK COLUMNS! GO INTO THE SHADOW LANES! NOW!"
The shadow lanes were narrow gaps running through the mountains. The width was enough to fit one soldier but the length was enough for an entire column to hide inside.
As we squeezed in, I saw wounded soldiers being dragged back. Seeing these wounds, hearing those screams and loud voices of the weapons,
for a moment, my mind froze. I couldn't think.
He snapped me out of it and said,"Don't let your knowledge of history scare you, use it!"
He added pointing at the mountain,"Look up. Those tribal archers. They are shooting from three sides."
I asked,"Oh yeah, you have a plan? "
He smirked,"Yeah, but your small brain might explode,so I'll say it in simple words"
Dude still has the audacity of roasting in a battle field. Dannyal core. Trying to avoid tense situations with humour.
He continued,"The enemies are stationed at the top, the right and the left. So, We make them taste their own medicines."
"We also form three groups?"
"Yeah, finally she uses her brain." He tapped my forehead dramatically and added,"One group shoots from the ground,keeps them distracted. One with me will slowly climb to the left–"
"And one with me will slowly climb to the right?" I interrupted.
Dannyal gasped with sarcasm,"Seems like your small brain did understand it!"
"Dude,shut up,"I muttered.
We informed the chief general about the strategy. He blinked in disbelief, then nodded.
While going up the mountains, Dannyal grabbed my wrist and said, "The right side is easy to climb but has more soldiers. Be careful, okay?"
"Let's see if my 'small' mind can help me,"I grinned and added,"Same to you! Survive this and I'm sure about your promotion."
The plan worked!
The distraction helped us climb unnoticed.
The tribes stared at us with disbelief after we climbed the ridge.
But here was the main hard part for ME. The magic with the sword worked again.
This time not for protection but for lust of winning.
Even though I didn't have to kill for saving my people or to win the battle, I still did just for my own winning.
I swung my sword. Not for survival. Not for duty. But for the thrill. For victory.
The bodies fell. The screams hit my ears. And still… my heart raced for more.
Dannyal came to the right side after finishing his task. He saw me sitting between the bloods, wasted for desire. His eyes widened looking at the massacre I had done not only to them but also to myself.
I was filled with scars. Almost to a point that a bit more might've killed me.
Blood drenched my clothes. The bright glow of my sword and heart had disappeared at the same time.
They were now soaked not only in blood but also darkness. The devil inside of me had risen. But this time, people cheered for it.
I was sure that everyone would admire and praise for what I had done.....except Dannyal.
His voice shook with anger and horror,"Wh..what have you done?"
My tone turned cold,"I merely abided by the law."
He shouted,"WHICH LAW?"He added with a soft voice now filled with disappointment and sorrow,"You abided by the law of the system which you SWORE to destroy?"
I said knowing damn well what I did was wrong,"These are mere sacrifices for a greater good."
Then I walked away, realizing, it wasn't magic but only wish to either save or destroy. It wasn't a gift but rather a curse, I got from the temple. No wonder there was a warning notice at the door.
Dannyal's eyes followed me, full of horror and heartbreak but not hatred. He felt his world crumble as he always expected me to be just.
Even the soldiers and generals were frightened when they first saw me–but that didn't stop them from clapping.
They admired me.
Respected me.
They honored the monster I had become.
Birbal approached with the opposite reaction of Dannyal,"You saved ten thousand lives...and also mine. The king will surely acknowledge your bravery! "
Dannyal still couldn't believe what I did. He avoided me the whole time.
When I went to solve the problem,he responded with,"When you spoke to me at the mountain, was is it you or the devil?"That question silenced me.
We soon reached Agra with the news of winning. The promotion programme would soon take place.
The main thing is...did I lose my partner,Dannyal?