I caught up with two hours of sleep before praying tahajjud (the night prayer). I asked from Allah with all my heart. Today's outcome of the war will shape the future of the kingdom. It could either be a new dawn or another dark age. I hoped with all my heart it would be a new dawn. I wondered where Shehenshah was? What tactics had they come up with? Had they already camped outside the fort or where they waiting for the dawn? I would soon find out.

People were still helping with the pounding and soaking. Huge sheets were drying all over grounds and fields. Some boys stood guard at the fields lest a curious passerby should touch the clothes. May Allah bless all the people who hadn't slept the whole night and had worked really hard. The limits to which they could go to help their kingdom showed their patriotism and loyalty to their Shehenshah.

The Shehenshah himself knew nothing of the plan yet. I hoped to tell him about it as soon as I met him. As the dawn approached I collected the dried sheets in a basket and rode with Hakeem Hamid to the fort that bordered our kingdom. I had left instructions to bring the rest of the sheets as soon as they were dry enough.

As we neared we saw the soldiers had already taken their positions, just waiting for the sunrise before they launched the attack. Shehenshah stood right at the front. There was no time to talk to him, I had to go ahead with the plan without informing him.

The enemy's army was not visible to my eye. Both the army's will have to ride a few kilometers before they met in between. I got off the horse and carried the basket to the top of the fort with Hakeem Hamid's help. I bumped into Ali.

"Saeed! Where have you been?". He sounded hysterical.

"I was getting this ready". I pointed at the basket. He did not look pleased. "Shehenshah was in a fine temper when you did not turn up for the whole night! He was waiting for you. Every time someone entered he would look up hoping you had returned. He looked crestfallen before he set off to the battle field. He said there was no way we could win this war through swords. He wanted to see you one time before he went lest it should be the last time. He has already made his will and asked me to give him a respectful burial".

"No!" The scream just left my lips. "He is not dying so soon and we are certainly not losing! Go! Protect Shehenshah from all sides while I do my part!". I pushed Ali and ran to the platform from where cannons were fired. I had already lost one important person of my life! I was certainly not losing another!

I thrust the gauntlets in the hands of soldiers who were not already wearing them.

"We do not require this", one soldier told me. I glared at him. "Just put it on before you are poisoned".

They all looked at me skeptically not ready to take orders from a girl dressed like a soldier. The cannon chief spoke up. "Hammad Khan has given us specific instructions on what to do"

"Well, now the plan has changed and you better do what I say, or else..."

"Or else what?". He stepped in front of me.

Argh! Why did they have to make this more difficult than it already was? We had no time!

"Or else we will be subdued even before the war is halfway through and killed even before we can say shahadah!" I stepped even more closer to him and looked right in his eyes. "As the Malika of Shehenshah Sher Shah I command you to obey me without question".

I did not know if it was the anger and power in my voice or the hope that this new plan might be more sensible than the last one or that there was no time to argue, the chief moved behind in surrender. He knew nothing of Shehenshah's nikah yet he did not question my words though he doubted them.

"What is the new plan?". He might have surrendered but he was clearly not happy about taking orders from me. He gave me suspicious glances and I prayed to Allah to make him cooperate.

Once they all had worn the gauntlets I explained. "This basket contains sheets that have been poisoned. Shoot them in such a way that they should cover the enemy from above. The poison acts within seconds of contact. The soldiers will develop rashes, blebs, itching and swelling. It will terrify them and incapacitate them. Shoot before they mix with our soldiers. And after they mix target only those areas where the enemy is thick. Be careful! Do not touch the cloth with bare skin. We cannot afford to loose our own soldiers". They immediately set to work, their confidence highly boosted. This plan sounded more promising to them than the previous one. Faint rays of light poked through the horizon and was soon followed by horses as the enemy's army came into view. Shehenshah commanded our army to march ahead and both the armies advanced in the opposite directions.

"Fire as soon as they are within the range", I shouted at the cannon soldiers. They filled in the gun powder in the row of cannons and set them alight. Immediately we entered the small chamber beside the platform and closed the trapdoor to save our ears from the deafening explosion. Impatient as I was I pushed open the trapdoor right after and ran to see the handiwork. My already thumping heart soared when I saw rows of soldiers struggling to get the huge sheets off their heads and faces. Our own army was taken by surprise as they saw the enemy struggling. Losing no time they made best of the situation by fighting their surprised opponents. I couldn't see if the poison had taken effect from so far. The cannon soldiers fixed the next batch as I peered. Yes! It had worked. I could see the commotion among the enemy as they lost concentration and looked at their hands and felt their faces. Some had left their swords and were scratching madly while some looked terrified. They were easily wiped out. I ran back into the protection chamber as the second batch was fired, which was soon followed by the third and the fourth and the fifth and so it went.

Our army was in the best of spirits, their morale boosted as they saw the enemy loose its power.

"Stop!" I commanded. Now both the armies were so merged that it would be impossible to harm one without hurting the other. It now rested in the hands of the footmen and the horse men to bring us victory. Seeing the number of soldiers that lay dead I had no doubt as to who would win. Greatly encouraged I ran down the fort and grabbed the first horse I could find and rode till the battlefield easily wiping off the residue of enemy soldiers in my way. I spotted Khan Baba, Hammad Khan and Mahmood Hassan take down 3 men at once but my eyes searched for just one person. I blocked a sword from behind and thrust my own into the attackers heart and turned even before he fell down dead. I finally found the person I was looking for. He was surrounded by Mir Jafar, Mir Faseeh and Mir Tabrez. There were very few enemy soldiers left now and our army was already rounding them off. Ali was fighting Shehenshah Fuzail right next to Shehenshah Sher Shah. I rode towards them. As Shehenshah pushed behind Mir Jafar and Mir Tabrez, Mir Faseeh took the opportunity to attack him from behind.

"No!", I screamed as I accelerated my speed. Ali reached before me. He saved Shehenshah but his own defences had weakened as Shehenshah Fuzail took the opportunity to behead him. My head swam as I saw Ali fall down in a shower of blood. Anger burned in me as I attacked Shehenshah Fuzail. He kept pace and fought right back but I had an advantage over him. I had just joined the battle and was hence fresh and quick. With one swift motion I tumbled him off his horse and finished him off on the ground.

I turned back to help Shehenshah only to see Khan Baba fall. My heart wrenched as I stopped midway, helpless as I saw his lifeless form lie on the ground. Shehenshah had killed Mir Faseeh. Hammad Khan and Mahmood Hassan joined him. Together they easily took Mir Jafar and Mir Tabrez as captives. As the leftover enemy soldiers retreated and the captives were marched away I turned to face Shehenshah. Slowly our horses advanced towards each other as he held my gaze. There was a mixture of emotions on his face. On one side was victory, capture of Mir Jafar and peace for the kingdom, while on the other side was death, blood and loss of dear ones. My horse stopped by his.

"Congratulations Shehenshah!". My voice was laced with all the feelings I couldn't show. I had the sudden urge to hug him. He took off his head armour and smiled. "I won't be surprised if the person behind the unexpected shower of sheets was you". I said nothing being too modest to take the credit but my silence said it all. "Thank you Malika Mayera for saving our people from the wrath of a tyrant. And thank you for upholding and saving your husband's honour".

"Till my last breath", I said.

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A/N

This chapter was not easy to write! Since it is all about war I wanted to enlighten you all on the battles of Islam.

The details and stories of the battles can be read here

https://www.al-islam.org/restatement-history-islam-and-muslims-sayyid-ali-ashgar-razwy/battles-islam

In short there are 5 major battles fought by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Badar
Uhud
Khandaq
Khyber
Hunanain

He made approximately 80 military expeditions in all during his life time. All the details can be found in the link above.

Sorry for the late update. I just wrote what I hope to be is my last internal of college life today. Externals will be starting in Feb and I hope to finish the story by next week InshaAllah.

In need of Duas

Lots of love!
Dr Mystic