Sun Warriors 1: Taxila
The only thing a warrior cannot fight is his own fierce nature
The man shouted, “Daughter get on the ship, we have to vacate the town shortly.” The River was in its fierce condition, outflow was rising.
A girl came rushing out of the hut, she shouted out to her papa and said, “Yes I’m coming.”
She waded into knee-deep water and began moving in the direction of the gush. The river was frigid and sludgy.
The entire town was submerged. Everyone was proceeding in the northern direction to reach a secure location where people would be supplied with nourishment and protection by the monarch.
The girl was daydreaming about the prosperity of Taxila the capital of the empire Gandhara that was located at the confluence of two rivers, which she had never visited but simply heard about. As the ship proceeded out of the woodland, bright rays fell on her pink face. She squinted her eyes and saw a massive castle, she was stunned. Gigantic structures were constructed in a circular design around the castle, and the roadways were thriving with shops, peddlers, and the crowd.
Unexpectedly, their ship collided with a large fallen tree, brought down by the gush of water, and the vessel shattered into two portions. The girl had never learned to swim. She made an effort to take the broken part, but unfortunately, the strong flow of the river carried her away from her papa, and he began screaming, “Kinaaz, hold my hand, Kinaaz.”
Through the icy water, she saw that somebody was holding her.
A talisman shaped like the sun glinted on his chest. She lost consciousness in fear.
He was dressed in black with a white fur coat and a sun talisman around his neck.
Both of them arrived at the bank, and he held the shining sun talisman on her forehead and spoke up, “ Lord Sun look after her, save her.”
As the day began to set, he gave Kinaaz to her father and assured him everything would be fine.
She woke up with the sunrise and inquired “Father who helped me?”
Father said, “Maybe he lives here in this city, we can find him.” Currently, the monarch allowed them to dwell where all disaster-affected people were secure.
Kinaaz was standing on the elevated ground from where one could see the whole city. She strained to memorize the incident and pictured a stunning but expressionless face, a curly long beard, tied hair, and intense eyes loaded with rage. When he lifted her in his arms, she felt his strength.
Kinaaz desired to meet him at any cost. She was searching for him in a city thronging with townspeople. She saw a person who looked identical to the gentleman she encountered, and she stopped at the tea shop when he went down a deserted alley as she felt too cautious to follow him.
Out of nowhere, some guys moved towards him with daggers and spoke out.
“Now we encounter here, Altan.” They attacked him fiercely, Altan pulled out his sword and retaliated against every strike.
Kinaaz observed this vigorous combat from her safe position at a table in the tea shop.
After watching his energetic fight, Kinaaz attempted to escape, thinking it might not be such a good idea to meet him, but Altan called after her.
“As a girl, you shouldn’t be here, and it is useful for you not to follow me around.”
Kinaaz said, “I was curious to figure out how you rescued me so I can offer my gratitude towards my life saviour.”
Altan replied, “Listen, girl, I didn’t protect you for your gratitude or praise.”
Kinaaz said, “It’s not necessary to behave in such a rude way, I was not in any danger where I waited, and you can discard the idea that I observed you out of some kind of fascination."
Altan chuckled sarcastically, Kinaaz got furious and left saying, “Don’t flatter yourself, you cold-hearted barbarian.”
Kinaaz articulated the incident to her papa telling him, “He is a good warrior but extremely vicious, and doesn’t have manners, I think he is uncivilized.”
When Kinaaz saw a symbol of the shining sun talisman on a wall, she indicated towards it and questioned, “Papa, what is that sign? Is it something important ?”
Father replied, “This is a sun talisman rewarded by Lord Sun to the guardian of our empire. Originally This was awarded to the forefathers of the King, but now every ruler gives this talisman to a qualified person and he is assigned to safeguard the city and kingdom.”
Kinaaz knew the talisman was with Altan and asked curiously, “Does it contain some kind of supernatural energy?”
Father replied with a smile, “Maybe one who possesses it knows better.”
Altan was taking a bath in the river and praying to the sun, everyone could see his tall and built stature. He began training warriors in the morning, it was his everyday pattern. He sent troops towards the border and also towards flood-prone areas. The soldiers were trained according to the tasks.
At dawn, Altan caught in his thoughts that the sun talisman shone only rarely, in a crucial condition; earlier it happened during a battle with a neighbouring country’s kingdom.
How could it glow for a girl? What was it trying to indicate?
