Meenakshi was one of the commanders of her army. She led the front end whereas the army commander Dharmesh Singh was at the center of the army. The soldiers of her army were wearing white dhotis while the soldiers of Krishnapura wore saffron colored dhotis. All of them had armors on their upper bodies while their hands held swords and spears. They were gathered in the battlefield facing each other. Both of the armies were ready to charge. As Meenakshi lifted her hand to signal her forces to move ahead, she saw another army behind the Krishnapura army. They were dressed in black dhotis and they carried a flag. She had realized that Aditya had joined hands with their ally, the army of Magadhika.
The realization of the overwhelming opposition struck fear into the hearts of Meenakshi's soldiers. Panic began engulfing them, but Meenakshi, stood resolute at the front lines, raised her voice above the clamor. "Har Har Mahadev!" The rallying cry echoed through the ranks, a spiritual anthem that reverberated through the battlefield. The soldiers, inspired by their commander's unwavering determination, joined in the chant, rekindling their spirits.
The armies clashed vigorously as the spirits of war and victory filled them. Meenakshi led the front on her horse Harsha and her army followed behind on horses, elephants and on foot. Aditya on the other side was in the center with his commander-in-chief Vikram Kumar leading the army. The forces of Magadhika were on the far end, acting as a back up for the soldiers of Krishnapura. Meenakshi rode ahead, clearing the soldiers in her path, throwing them off or off guard by her swift and agile moves. She did not want to kill people unnecessarily and headed towards Aditya. Aditya saw her coming closer to him and headed in her direction, his men clearing the way for him. Aditya's horse Badal, abruptly stopped on seeing Meenakshi which made her slow down. Realizing that his horse has ditched him, Aditya got down his horse and Meenakshi followed his lead.
Aditya was the first one to make a move as he ran towards her holding his sword, charging at her. Meenakshi swiftly dodged his blow by bending sideways, making their swords clank. Pushing Aditya with all her might, she landed a blow with her right foot on his waist making Aditya stumble. Taking this blow as a motivation, Aditya aimed for her head and as he expected Meenakshi defended it with a strike of her sword above her head. Their swords locked and Aditya put all of his might pushing the sword further. Meenakshi sank to her ground, holding herself on one bent knee at the ground. Taking advantage of Aditya's strength, she swiped her left leg across his foot making him lose his balance. As she tried to move back, she found her foot being caught by Aditya as he pulled her down, causing her to lose balance too. Realizing that their swords had slipped their hands, both of them quickly got to their feet and aimed for their respective swords.
Aditya was strong and muscular while Meenakshi was fit and flexible. Both of them were aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and knew how to use it to fight an opponent. Both of them were well trained warriors who not only had trained well, but also knew how to fight well. The scars on their body was a proud indication of their victories and their power.
Meenakshi was the first one to retaliate this time. She ran towards Aditya, channeling her strength. As she neared Aditya, she pulled out a small dagger from her cummerbund and hurled it towards Aditya. In an attempt to counter the blow, Aditya lowered his sword. The dagger missed Aditya was a mere hair length and passed between the gap between his torso and his left arm, cutting the air in between sharply and landed behind him.
Thud.
Aditya turned his head to see the Magadhika commander-in-chief dead behind him. The dagger had lodged in his neck killing him instantly. Ranvijay, the Krishnapura army head had also arrived at the same instant to the place and heaved a sigh of relief seeing his king safe. He quickly nodded at Aditya who understood his words and blinked his eyes in approval. The Magadhika soldiers had turned out to be traitors. Before they could speak anything, they heard another sound.
Thud.
Aditya and Ranvijay turned their heads to see what had happened.
Meenakshi had fallen.
Aditya's sword had lodged into her body a little below her heart. Aditya quickly rushed towards her to prevent her head from hitting the ground. But he was late. Meenakshi had collapsed on the ground, her left hand was above the wound, a futile attempt to stop the blood flow. Aditya quickly kneeled by her side and placed her head on his lap trying to keep her conscious. His efforts were of now use as Meenakshi was on the verge. Her breaths were becoming shallow, her eyes were droopy and she was mumbling something. Aditya panicked, seeing her in such a devastating state and patted her cheeks to keep her awake. He screamed for help and his soldiers along with Ranvijay quickly went to fetch a stretcher and water.
"AâAdi." He heard Meenakshi's feeble voice.
"Yeah, yeah, I am here. Nothing will happen to you. Hey, hey keep your eyes open." Aditya tried to keep his calm but all he could do was panic. He tried to understand what she was saying. Her words came out to be a mumble and he couldn't comprehend anything out of them.
He patted her cheeks and she gasped for air as her consciousness fluctuated in and out. Aditya cooed at her promising her that she would be fine and she smiled at him as tears rolled from her eyes. Before he knew, she was limp in his arms.
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Oh no. I am crying. ð
Please pray for Meenakshi. ð
Love you all. See you in the next chapter.