The Prince

Chapter 2

King Mathara had an elder son back then. His name was Gathan. He was tall and strong, trained by the best general in the country. The king was very proud of Gathan and would always bring him along during hunting trips.

Gathan commanded his country’s army during the war. The war went on for many months. Prince Gathan’s army was smaller than the enemy’s, but he trained his soldiers about the importance of teamwork and battle tactics. Their small number didn’t seem to matter at all as they fought vigilantly.

Five months into the war, Prince Gathan developed a new strategy. He would deceive the enemy by baiting them into his trap while pretending to retreat. While the enemy thought they had won the battle, he would lead two groups of his best soldiers to attack from behind.

He went through this strategy with his army many times making sure they understood each of their roles. When he assured them this would end the war, his whole army roared with enthusiasm.

The next day arrived. Prince Gathan arranged for the “retreating” soldiers to ride the fastest horses they had. Prince Gathan also ordered his soldiers to cut some bushes and tied them up in a bundle. Two groups of his best soldiers would be hiding behind these “bushes” waiting for the enemy to take the bait.

Sure enough, the enemy was so excited thinking that they had won the war that they didn’t even bother keeping in line and rushed out chasing the “retreating” soldiers. Prince Gathan and his army waited patiently for the right moment to spring their attack.

When Prince Gathan was ready to give the signal to charge in, suddenly the soldiers started screaming for help! Prince Gathan turned around and to his horror, he saw his soldiers being slaughtered by the enemy!

Prince Gathan tried to regain control of his troops but they were in shock and ran about like wild animals. Even though he fought as bravly as he could but without his troops, even a hero will fall.
They were betrayed by a traitor who valued bribes more than loyalty. He was the one who leaked precious information about their strategy. Thus, the war was lost.