Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

"Fuck!! Those Bastards." Farrukh threw a vase at the wall with anger. "I invested so much in the war, yet they managed to fuck it up again."

He was lightly dressed and his chambers were a mess with broken furniture and ceramics.

Farrukh just got the news of Askar's death in Karnavati. Time has passed since the defeat, and the efforts were back to square one as the Marathas took back every captured territory in their own kingdom.

The only good news that Farrukh got was the death of the King of Marathas, Devendra Chauhan. It still came at the cost of their best commanders, like Askar and Twin Commanders.

"Damn this!" He shouted and ripped apart the pillow.

"Those incompetent fucks! How did they lose all the skrimish? They had vast numbers."

He threw another vase in anger. "Just how? Fuck fuck fuck."

Karim stood in the corner silently at the Emperor's fit. He sighed silently and watched him destroy everything in the chamber.

'Askar died, eh! A kid killed him.'

Karim thought.

"Karim." Farrukh called out.

"Yes, Your Excellency." He responded.

"Tell him to come to my chambers right now."

"Who?" He asked with a confused stare.

"Shamsheer-E-zar's leader." Farrukh sighed and took a deep breath.

"Yes, I shall do as you command." Karim left, his steps light and silent.

Karim went to inform the leader of the Shamsheer-E-zar's leader and the strongest golden sword in the Empire. He was in the capital like always. He spent his days loitering around the capital city and spending his time either training or buying random things from the merchants.

He was a unique person, but his strength was certain. The man has been under the Emperor's command for a long time now. Karim doesn't know anything about the man's origin; only the Emperor knows about it. He was a mysterious and strong figure in his eyes.

"Where is he now?"

He walked into his quarters. It was a big mansion in the capital. He searched for the man for a while till he reached the garden and saw him sleeping like an animal.

Karim clenched his fist. He wanted to punch him but he controlled his emotions.

"You, get up. The Emperor summoned you." He shouted in his ear.

"Eh- HEY!" He jolted awake.

He sat up straight, his long hair falling over his face, his bronze skin glistening under the sun.

"Oh.. It's Karim." His green eyes inspected him.

"The Emperor has summoned you."

"What now? I am tired." He complained as he got and adjusted his pajamas.

He was an imposing figure due to his tall stature that dwarfed almost everyone Karim had seen in his life. He stretched languidly, his muscles showing.

Even with such a body, he was very nimble on his feet, as Karim had first-hand experience of his fighting capabilities.

"So, Askar lost?" He asked, running his hand through his long hair, adjusting it.

"Huh? How did you know?" Karim was taken aback.

"Why else would the Emperor bother me?" He yawned.

"Hasan, the Emperor wants to talk. This is a royal order."

Hasan was the name given to this man by the Emperor. It wasn't his real name. His past was shrouded in mystery, similar to the other golden swords. Although Karim had some information on the other golden swords, there were literally no traces he could find on Hasan.

"Fine…Let me just wash my face and wear some clothes." He slumped and walked off to freshen up.

'So carefree.'

Karim thought.

'Is he not worried about the Empire's problems?'

"Askar died. HAHAHA. I told him to be careful." Hasan laughed as he walked through the hallways with Karim. "His ego must have gotten to him."

Karim stayed silent.

"I am sure he became overconfident at the end of the battle and got killed by his opponent. HAHAHA" He laughed harder, clutching his stomach. "That fool,"

"This is not a laughing matter, Hasan." Karim sighed.

"It is; what do you mean? Askar died out of his own arrogance. I warned him to control himself several times."

Karim sighed deeply, done with dealing with Hasan. "Here, go and talk to His Excellency."

"Sure."

He went into the chamber with a smile.

Farrukh was seated on a plush chair, sipping a drink. The room was torn apart like a storm had passed by.

"Hasan," he said coldly. "You must have heard the news by now."

"Yes, Your Excellency." His tone shifted to a more serious one.

"I want you to march to their kingdom and take over." Farrukh commanded.

Hasan thought for a while. "That would be a really bad decision." He exclaimed. Hasan had no qualms about saying no to the Emperor. He spoke out his mind and his strength backed up his words.

Farrukh sighed. "Are you going to disobey me? Hasan."

"We have lost a considerable amount of soldiers and the same goes for the Marathas."

"Yes, what about it? We still have a reserve."

'Damn, I can't get over how dumb he is sometimes.'

Hasan thought.

"Rebellions will happen if we deploy the reserves and with me go to the border. There will be a high chance of the Empire splitting into two." He declared.

Farrukh weighed his options for a while. He sipped his drink in deep thought.

"The Qutbs have lost. The Portuguese were caught off-guard by them," Hasan began. "Continuing the war would hurt our own goals."

"So are you suggesting a ceasefire agreement like before with the Marathas?"

"Yes,"

"Hmmm… But are you sure the golden swords can't handle both?"

Hasan screamed inside.

'Does he think we are supernatural beings?'

"We can't take risks here. It would cost us the future of the Empire," Hasan said with a fake smile.

The Empire had an existing problem of improper integration; this was more than enough work for the Golden Swords. They had to find the rebel leaders and assassinate regularly.

Rebel groups kept growing due to the horrible tax regime, corrupt leaders, and forceful imposition of Islam.

He sighed and took a glance at the Emperor.

'This time it's better not to trust him with the ceasefire.'

"Your Excellency, if you allow me. I will go and negotiate the ceasefire."

"Is that so? I shall trust you with that then." Farrukh smiled.

"I will not disappoint you."