As soon as the boat banked the humans cheered louder.
“Hail the king! Hail the Raptors! Hail war!”
Kautilya saw her brothers bask in the adulation of the crowds. Boys and men cheered and girls swooned.
Some noblemen brought garlands and put them around the princes’ necks. Kautilya was unsurprised when she did not receive one.
“My apologies.” A nobleman tried to explain. “I did not expect you to be here.”
“It’s all right.” Kautilya shrugged off the incident. She did not care much for ceremony anyway.
A chariot had arrived to escort them, trundling along with horsemen trotting beside it. Kautilya hated chariots. They were wobbly and made her sick. She preferred being on a horse.
As she travelled, Kautilya surveyed the beautiful buildings of Kishkinda. Some were made of ordinary stone, but most were marble. These were recent additions to the cityscape, built in traditional human style, with onion domes and arched windows. They were lustrous. All the government buildings and temples were marble.
But the stone buildings of Kishkinda were the ones that fascinated Kautilya most. They were ancient moss-covered structures that had been built by apes when they still ruled the city.
Kautilya had always been taught that the apes and bears had had no civilisation before the coming of the humans. Yet none of the books she had read explained how an uncivilised race had put up these magnificent buildings.
The escort soon arrived at the magnificent Governor’s Court. It was the biggest building in the city of Kishkinda and Kautilya was awed by its grandeur.
The royal chariot rolled right to the entrance. Ape servants put down a pedestal to help them step off the high chariot.
“Thank you,” Kautilya said to one ape as she got off.
It was taken aback. She remembered no one was used to politeness from royals. Kautilya sighed and walked on.
The court was already in full swing. An announcer bellowed out, “Prince Dhanush Shveta, first son of King Chandragupta Shveta, heir to the Bharat Empire.”
Immediately everyone was silent.
The governor’s throne was empty. It had been once occupied by the general.
“Bring five more thrones. Line them up facing the same direction,” Dhanush ordered.
Immediately apes were signalled to bring the thrones. Within moments, six thrones stood at the head of the court.
“Take a seat, all of you,” Dhanush said to his brothers. Dhanush sat on the governor’s throne, and the others sat on the lower level. They left the throne to Dhanush’s right empty. He gestured to Kautilya to take the seat.
The noblemen were impressed as Kautilya walked to her seat and sat down.
“Dear elders,” Dhanush said, “a great tragedy has befallen our nation. It is not merely embarrassing to lose a battle to rebel scum, it is the first defeat that we have faced since the Great War. We also lost our general in this battle. There are very few as devoted to the service of the king as the general. It is also a personal loss to my dear friend.”
He paused and looked at Jay who nodded back in acknowledgement.
“His death must and will be avenged. I need your support to do this. We should hand those rebels a defeat they will never recover from.
“We will show them the fate that befalls the enemies of the humans. Our steeds will crush them. Our swords will cut them to pieces. And our righteousness will prevail over their evil designs.”
Dhanush raised his fist. “Hail the king! Hail Bharat! Hail war!”
The court raised their fists. “Hail war!”
Soon they were in the war room. Kautilya and Dhanush stood around the map of Dandaka. The interim general of the Dandaka command stood beside Dhanush trying to keep up with the discussion.
Varun, as usual, was trying to learn. Sameer and Bali were lying on velvet sofas relaxing. Hayan was staying aloof, also as usual.
“The terrain isn’t very good for cavalry, is it?” Dhanush asked Kautilya.
“Not if we stray too much into the forests,” Kautilya said. “I think that’s the mistake Jay’s father made. He was lured into the forests where his horses had little room to manoeuvre.”
“So, infantry-based warfare?” Dhanush asked Kautilya. “We will go in on foot.”
Kautilya was not so sure. “The jungle is inherently advantageous to the apes. We will have to bring them out onto the plains.”
Kautilya pointed to an agricultural clearing beside the main Dandaka forests. “This area is perfect. The meadows allow us to use our cavalry. From the Kishkinda side, we have the advantage of higher ground. Our horses will be sweeping down on them.”
Dhanush smiled and patted Kautilya’s shoulder. “Of course. Excellent.”
“My only concern is,” Kautilya said, “how do we get the rebel forces here? They will never assemble at such a disadvantageous position.”
“I have a solution to that,” Dhanush said, then turned to Hayan without explaining. “Hayan, I have a special mission for you and Bali.”
Then Dhanush turned back to Kautilya. “Sleep well, Kautilya. I will need you by my side in the battle.”
Kautilya nodded apprehensively. She could not work out how Dhanush planned to lure the apes out to the meadows of the Dandaka farmland. However, she trusted her brother’s ability to wage war. Dhanush was a born general.
Dhanush asked his attendants to bring out four chests.
“Today we head into our first battle,” Dhanush said. “It is not a game any more. The consequences of victory and defeat are real. However, we were not born of flesh and blood. We were born of fire and sacrifice. We are destined to be the rulers of not just Bharat but all of Triloka. Together we will do it.”
Dhanush opened the chests one after the other. “I had these helmets specially built to represent the origins and values we embody,” Dhanush said. He pulled out the helmet from the chest in front of him. It was in the shape of an eagle’s head. Sticking out of the top was a long tuft of black horsehair. Dhanush put it on. It covered his head and the top half of his face, revealing only his eyes.
Hayan’s helmet was in the shape of an owl and Sameer’s slick and falcon-shaped.
Kautilya looked into the chest that was placed in front of her. Inside was a silver helmet in the shape of a parrot’s head.
“Today is the day that the Raptors will reinforce their legacy in history,” Dhanush said. “Epics will be written about us. Children will be named after us. We will be the saviours of Dandaka and the vanquishers of the rebels. Today we will become the legends we are fated to be.”
He put out his hand. The brothers put their own hands on top of it, as did Kautilya.
“Hail war,” Dhanush said.
“Hail war,” they all replied.
“Now let’s go and get these rebel rats,” Dhanush said.
Kautilya felt her heart pounding. She was a part of this. She was going to be a part of history too.
CHAPTER 16
The Battle
The battlefield was only half a day’s march from the city of Kishkinda. The army soon reached the edge of the meadows.
Kautilya looked around. With the exception of Hayan and Bali, all the other Raptor brothers were assembled right behind the main forces.
Kautilya pulled out a rock crystal lens and scanned the opposite side of the battlefield. There was no sign of any armies assembling.
“The forces have not arrived,” Kautilya said to Dhanush.
“Don’t worry, Kautilya,” Dhanush said. “They will come.”
Kautilya looked around nervously, still wondering what scheme her brothers had come up with.
Suddenly drums announced the arrival of the enemy forces. Kautilya looked through her lens again and sure enough on the other side of the battlefield, the ape rebels had started emerging fro
m the jungle.
“They have come,” she said.
Dhanush smiled. He pulled out a tiny conch that Kautilya recognised as having been specially commissioned by Hayan and gifted to all the brothers. Only Hayan could hear the sound it made. Dhanush blew it.
“Now what do we do?” Sameer asked.
“We need to draw them uphill so that they are out of the cover of the jungle,” Kautilya said. “If they’re too close then they can immediately retreat when we attack. In that case, we will be at a deadlock.”
“We won’t have to charge,” Dhanush said. “Hayan and Bali are here.”
Kautilya turned to see and sure enough, Hayan and Bali had returned.
“Hayan, are we ready?” Dhanush asked.
Hayan nodded.
Dhanush pulled out an arrow from his quiver. “Agnyastra,” he chanted, and shot the arrow into the forest.
There was a huge explosion and suddenly the whole forest caught fire. The flames spread rapidly and several apes caught alight. Kautilya recognised the smell: Hayan had doused the forest with black fuel. Its fire was inextinguishable.
The apes began to charge.
“Hold,” Dhanush said.
The apes began running uphill.
“Charge!” Dhanush screamed and immediately his order was relayed across the army. The cavalry thundered into battle. They galloped into the incoming apes. The creatures had no chance. They would be crushed.
Soon the humans and the apes collided. As Kautilya had expected, it was a quick slaughter. The apes were at a disadvantage. For a short time, the massacre continued as ape after ape fell. They managed to inflict some casualties on the humans but the balance was horribly skewed.
The five Raptor brothers charged into the melee too. With the exception of Dhanush, all leapt off their horses and jumped to fight on foot. They were amazingly graceful as they unleashed their dance of death on the hapless apes. Sameer hacked and slashed in rapid succession and felled at least a dozen apes in the span of a minute. Bali used his mace and crushed one ape after the other. Varun and Hayan paired up and fought together.
Dhanush took out two whipping swords and charged through the attack hacking and slicing apes.
The brothers enjoyed killing, Kautilya realised. Their natural predatory instinct had come to the fore and they relished the opportunity to finally fight.
She reached to take an arrow from her quiver then decided against it. There were too many of their soldiers in the mix.
She was wondering why the apes did not retreat despite being so hopelessly outmatched when a column of them penetrated the cavalry line and charged at the troops around Kautilya.
“Princess!” a soldier yelled. “What do we do?”
But the brutality of the battle had Kautilya confused. “Princess,” another soldier said, “what are your orders?”
“I...” she started, but her mind was blank. She even began losing control of her horse.
“Princess...” A soldier tried to say something but was immediately cut down by a screaming ape.
The infantry around Kautilya was being overrun by apes. She had to take charge. She breathed deeply and began to scream, “Shiel—”
“Shield wall,” Dhanush commanded as he returned to the soldiers. With his swords, he ripped through the apes. He leapt off his horse and into the midst of the shield-bearing soldiers.
“Get the princess out of here,” Dhanush ordered the two horsemen who guarded her.
Kautilya wanted to stay but there was no way she could disobey Dhanush.
She let the two horsemen escort her away from the front line. She turned to see that Dhanush had managed to quell the final ape resistance.
Soon the battlefield was strewn with hundreds of dead apes. Dhanush blew his conch to signal the end of the battle. He then galloped out into the battlefield and planted the Shveta lion banner right in the middle of it.
The banner fluttered in the wind as Dhanush raised his fist and screamed, “Hail Bharat! Hail the Raptors! Hail war!”
The whole army screamed back, “Hail war!”
Only Kautilya remained silent.
CHAPTER 17
Not a Warrior
That night Kishkinda celebrated.
Dhanush and the brothers danced in the city’s main square and the army joined them. Kautilya sat in a corner observing the frivolities, unable to forget the horrors she had witnessed that day.
Sameer tried to pull Kautilya into the celebrations but she refused. He shrugged and left with a mug of liquor in his hand.
Kautilya stared at Dhanush, who was dancing without a shred of remorse on his face. He stopped and stared back at her, and she immediately averted her gaze.
She did not want to talk but soon her brother’s voice said, “How are you keeping, Kautilya?”
“I am well,” she mumbled.
Dhanush sat next to her. “Listen, Sister. I know you were not happy with what happened today.”
“You burned the forest, Dhanush. There were so many innocent animals in there,” Kautilya said.
“You think I would have done it if I had any other choice?” Dhanush asked. “It was a choice between our soldiers and apes, Kautilya. Human lives are more important. It is our duty to protect our subjects.”
“It is our duty to protect all innocent lives,” Kautilya said. “We do not take up arms against those who do not have weapons. If you had given me the choice I would have found a better plan to beat the ape rebels.”
“Kautilya,” Dhanush said. “You have to realise that being king is about making tough choices. Sometimes I have to consider the bigger picture. Think about it this way. If the apes had the same choice what do you think they would have done?”
Kautilya was silent.
“I have to be ruthless to rule,” Dhanush said.
Kautilya shook her head. “You are not a very good leader, then.”
Dhanush’s eyes flared. “Do you think you are a better leader than me, Kautilya? Then why did you fail to rally the men when they needed you most?”
“I was about to,” Kautilya replied.
“There is no about to,” Dhanush said. “There is no almost when you are a leader, Kautilya. You cannot lead with ink and intellect. You have to lead with steel and strength. ”
Kautilya hung her head. Dhanush had never lost his cool with her before. She stood up and began to walk back to her quarters.
“Kautilya,” Dhanush called after her, “I am sorry. The pressure of being the next king is too much. You are great, sister. You are the best strategist among us.”
“Well, what’s the point of crafting strategies if I cannot follow them through?” Kautilya asked.
Dhanush ran to Kautilya and hugged her tight. “We each have our own role,” Dhanush said. “You only need to be my advisor. You do not need to take up the mantle of leadership if you do not wish it.”
Kautilya hugged him back.
“You are a good person, Kautilya,” Dhanush said. “With you by my side, I will make our nation greater than it has ever been. I will conquer the demigods.”
He raised his palm to Kautilya and she saw the scar he had made when they were eight and had started their nightly training. She raised her palm too.
“We make our own fate,” both of them said together and grabbed each other’s hands.
CHAPTER 18
Arranged Marriage
The Raptors and Kautilya returned to Aryavrat triumphant. However, Kautilya quickly fled the adulation and attention and retreated to the princess’s chambers.
One campaign was enough to show her that leading was not her strength. Instead, she would spend her time reading and writing. As Dhanush put it, pursuing tasks of ‘ink and intellect’. She would spend days sitting at the court watching men debate needlessly when the solution was very evi
dent. Very soon she realised that, in many cases, it was not the sanest but the loudest voice that was heard.
Days turned to weeks and she began to hate the monotony.
One day her father summoned her. When she arrived the court was in an uproar.
Jansa was on his feet, a vein in his neck looking ready to burst. He looked at Kautilya. “We need to break the deadlock regarding the Dandaka question.”
Kautilya sighed. How she hated this man!
“We are a great race,” Jansa said, “and we consider war the greatest form of worship. We rightfully won that land several years ago under Lohitha leadership. But the Shveta king has given it away, to a tribe of untouchables. If they so desire that land then let them fight for it, just as we did many years ago. It does not make sense to give it away.”
“Ambassador,” Chandra said, “you must understand we have the ports and the cities of Dandaka. Let the apes rule the hills.”
Jansa laughed. “They are not fit to be more than slaves.”
“It is not birth that determines the worth of a man, ambassador,” Chandra said. “His actions determine his worth.”
“If I may, Father,” Dhanush said. He stood up and immediately the whole court was silent.
Chandra was surprised but curious. “What is your proposal, son?”
“I say we invade the hills and finish off the apes,” Dhanush said, “just as our forefathers did before us. We take back our land.”
“If we begin a war with the apes,” Chandra said, “then we will need to reduce our forces to the east that are holding the line against the asura. We will not be honouring our agreement.”
“The demigod king was the one who came up with that arrangement,” Dhanush said. “Let them give a battalion of their army. Why should we have to lose our land?”
The court murmured in agreement.
“Like it or not, the demigods are the most powerful nation in the world,” Chandra said. “To have them by our side is critical. Especially when our south faces the rakshasas of Trikuta and our east faces the asura. If we have to give away a part of our nation to maintain the alliance it is a worthwhile price to pay.”
The Epic of Kautilya : Born To Be King Page 8