Chapter 407 - 375: Little Prince Who Looks Up To His Father...

(A/N):

Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.

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As the news of the Ashvamedha horse being stopped spread throughout Vrishabhapura, the capital descended into a flurry of activity.

Royal messengers rode through the streets, carrying orders to the military commanders, while soldiers gathered in the barracks to prepare their weapons and armour.

Blacksmiths worked tirelessly at their furnaces, sharpening swords and repairing damaged equipment, and the royal stables bustled with attendants preparing horses for the journey ahead.

The kingdom had undertaken the Ashvamedha with the expectation that its authority would be acknowledged, but now its king had been challenged, and Vrishasena had no intention of allowing that challenge to go unanswered.

Within the royal palace, Vrishasena stood near the entrance to his private chambers, speaking with his attendants about the preparations for his departure.

His wife stood a short distance away, watching the servants hurry past with bundles of clothing and military equipment, while their ten-year-old son remained beside her, practically vibrating with excitement.

The young prince had been listening to the conversations taking place around him, and the moment he understood that his father would personally lead the expedition against Trivenivrata, his eyes had lit up with unrestrained enthusiasm.

To him, his father was the greatest warrior in the world, a king whose name commanded respect and whose strength no ordinary man could hope to match.

He had grown up listening to stories of Vrishasena’s victories, watching soldiers bow whenever his father passed, and hearing ministers praise his father’s wisdom and courage.

Naturally, the boy had come to regard him as the very embodiment of a great king.

Now, the prospect of his father going to war filled him with an excitement he could scarcely contain.

"Father!"

the prince called out, hurrying towards him.

"I heard that you are going to fight the king who stopped our horse. Is it true that you are going to lead the army yourself?"

Vrishasena turned towards his son, and the stern expression he had worn while issuing military orders softened almost immediately.

"Who told you that?"

he asked, though the amusement in his voice suggested that he already knew the answer.

"I heard the soldiers talking about it!" the boy replied eagerly.

"They said that our horse was stopped at the borders of Trivenivrata and that you are going to teach their king a lesson. Father, can I come with you? I want to see you fight! I promise I won’t get in the way, and I will listen to everything you say. I can even ride a horse by myself now!"

His mother immediately looked at him with surprise.

"You have only just learned to ride without someone holding the reins for you, and now you want to accompany your father into battle?"

"But Mother, Father will be there!"

the prince protested, as though that settled every possible objection.

"Nobody can defeat him!"

Vrishasena let out a quiet laugh at his son’s confidence.

He had expected the boy to be excited by the preparations, but he had not anticipated that he would immediately request permission to accompany the army.

Bending down, the king swept his son into his arms and lifted him effortlessly, earning a delighted laugh from the child.

"Listen to me, my brave prince,"

Vrishasena said, holding him comfortably against his chest.

"War is not a grand adventure where warriors simply ride into battle, defeat their enemies, and return home to celebrate their victories."

"It is a serious responsibility, one that demands discipline, patience, and the willingness to make difficult decisions. The battlefield is no place for a child, no matter how courageous he might believe himself to be."

The boy’s excitement dimmed slightly, and he looked at his father with an expression of disappointment.

"But I want to become a great warrior just like you. How can I learn if I never get to see you fight?"

Vrishasena smiled and gently ruffled his son’s hair.

"You will have plenty of opportunities to learn when you are older. For now, you have another important responsibility, one that I am entrusting to you personally."

He paused, allowing the boy’s curiosity to replace some of his disappointment.

"While I am away, you must remain here and take care of your mother. You are the prince of Vrishabhapura, and a prince must learn that protecting his kingdom does not always mean carrying a sword."

"Sometimes it means remaining where you are needed most, standing beside the people who depend upon you, and ensuring that those entrusted to your care remain safe."

The boy listened intently, his expression growing serious as he considered his father’s words.

"Does that mean I must protect Mother while you are gone?" he asked.

"Exactly." Vrishasena nodded approvingly.

"You must make certain that she is never left alone when she needs you, that you listen to her instructions, and that you behave in a manner worthy of the son of Vrishabhapura’s king. Your mother is the most precious person in this palace, and while I am away, I shall depend upon you to stand beside her."

His wife watched the exchange with a faint smile, though there was a trace of concern in her eyes as she looked at her husband.

She knew how much their son admired Vrishasena, and she understood that the boy’s desire to accompany his father came from that admiration rather than any genuine understanding of what war entailed.

The prince straightened in his father’s arms, apparently taking his new responsibility very seriously.

"I promise, Father! I will protect Mother and make sure nobody troubles her while you are away. And when you return, I will tell you everything I did!"

Vrishasena chuckled and pressed a kiss to the boy’s forehead.

"That is my son. By the time I return, I expect to hear that you have become a little more disciplined, a little wiser, and perhaps a little less eager to run towards every exciting thing you hear about."

"I can do that!"

the prince declared confidently.

"Then I shall hold you to your promise."

He lowered the boy gently to the ground, and the child immediately hurried towards his mother, apparently eager to begin fulfilling his new duties by remaining close to her.

Vrishasena watched him for a moment, a look of satisfaction crossing his face before he turned back towards the attendants waiting to assist him with his preparations.

His wife approached him once their son had become distracted by the servants arranging his father’s armour.

"You should be careful, my lord," she said quietly.

"I know how much this insult has angered you, but I hope you will not allow your pride to determine every decision you make on the battlefield. Whatever happened at Trivenivrata, I would rather see you return safely than hear that you won a victory at the cost of your life."

Vrishasena looked at her, and for a moment his expression softened.

"You need not worry. I have no intention of throwing my life away over a single incident. But a king cannot allow another ruler to openly challenge his authority without responding. If I ignore what Devara has done, others may conclude that Vrishabhapura’s power exists only in name."

He turned towards the open doors, beyond which the sounds of military preparations continued to fill the palace.

"Devara has chosen to challenge me. I shall meet that challenge, and when I return, our son will understand what it means to defend the honour of his kingdom."

His wife said nothing more, though her eyes followed him with quiet apprehension.

Behind them, their young son stood proudly beside his mother, already imagining the glorious stories his father would bring back from the battlefield.

He had no way of knowing that the man he regarded as the strongest warrior in the world was preparing to march against a king whose strength and abilities had yet to be fully understood, or that the conflict born from a severed banner might become far more complicated than either ruler expected.

For now, the prince believed only one thing with absolute certainty.

His father would go to war, defeat his enemy, and return home victorious.

Watching his son hurry towards his mother, Vrishasena felt an unexpected ache settle within his chest.

The sight of the boy’s innocent enthusiasm, the absolute faith with which he believed his father to be invincible, reminded him of a time when he himself had been little more than a child who looked upon his father as the strongest man in the world.

Back then, he too had believed that no enemy could defeat the king, that no misfortune could reach their palace, and that the protection of his father would always remain between him and the cruelties of the world.

Reality, however, had shattered those beliefs far earlier than it should have.

Vrishasena had been only ten years old when his father was killed in a war.

One day, he had been a prince whose greatest concerns revolved around his lessons, his games, and the occasional scolding from his tutors.

The next, he had been the heir to a throne stained by blood, expected to shoulder the responsibilities of an entire kingdom before he had even understood what it meant to become a man.

The royal court had been filled with mourners during his father’s funeral, but beneath the outward displays of grief, ambition had already begun stirring among those who believed that the death of the king presented them with an opportunity they could not afford to miss.

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(Author note:)

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