THE FALL

The horn sounded again, then the men with shields stepped forward in one direction, each step accompanied by a hoarse shout. 

There were a fewer black boar warrior's left, each of them fight furiously on interlocking shields, for all the time the SARIMANOK Banner start to fall down. And their king was captured by the enemy.

But even as the Black Board warriors fell in scores, they set up a huge roar. They bravely faced the conquerors in the front. Together with the brave SARIMANOK banners, they rose again. They hit the shield-wall like a human tide, a screaming horde of men waving swords and staffs, axes and flails that battered against the double line of shields, slender, thrusting spears and long, stabbing swords.

In three seconds, the Black Boar warrior's fell upon the shields of the Northern men, the first row in the front falling by spear and sword, and those in the following third and fourth row, already goes down at the same time, under a constant stream of arrows. One by one died. 

Mindaza saw how the other Black Boar warrior panicked and fell, fluttering down amid a great applause from the Northern men. Following their crushing defeat, almost all lay dead in the ground, to save the valiant, there are few who remained alive, they regroup and refused to give up hope. With a furious determination in their hearts, they raised their swords, uttering a haunting battle cry filled with both anger and sorrow. They rushed forward, fueled by a powerful combination of sadness and wrath, ready to face whatever lied ahead with unshakable courage.

Again, Mindaza saw a young warrior bravely raising his bloody sword. He was walking with the rest of the Black Boar warrior, but now his neck was cut by a sharp sword held by the enemy.

Then one of the other brave warriors of the Black Boar were still upright, still fighting with the rest. Although enemies fell around him, he seemed immune, a warrior blessed in the midst of the slaughter of battle. These warriors struggled, occasionally gaining victory as one man succeeded in wounding or killing an enemy. Then the shields stepped forward again, carrying the spears, the axes were swept from under the shields, and more Black Boar warriors fell bleeding to the ground.

And now, there is a group from the enemies who snatch the banner of SARIMANOK, and they burned right after.

"For the Ancestral land!" That single word, barked out in triumph, cracked above the noise within the battle. 

To Mindaza, the voices is like the beat of a drum.

In a second, the horns sounded again, and the shape of the shield-ring changed. It opened in the back as the warriors began to step out to the left and right without ever breaking the line. As they went forth, the cavalry mounted their horses after standing behind them for the entirety of the conflict. They rode forth in two double columns, cantering around the newly extended lines.

Arrows flew wide from the fifth row, Northern mean release it directly to the marked direction of the ground, where the Black Boar warrior's regroup. Mindaza heard a stifled gasp and saw one of the older men plucking at the arrow that had sprouted from his chest. He slid slowly downward and died without another sound.

Mindaza's heart and mind is connected to her sword, by watching it, Mindaza felt the hatred, her sword vibrated as her hand wanted to take it. Because of this, she stood up, she wanted to defend the oppressed warrior, but Sulaya grabbed her easily by the arm to stop her from what she was planning.

"Mother! This is not right!"

"No, Mindaza. You are still young. You have no idea what is in the battle." Sulaya said. Taking hold of her daughter and forced her down.

"Everybody, lie down and keep still" Sulaya ordered.

"What are we waiting here mother?" Mindaza insist.

"In the battle, you are not just fighting for your life, nor to save people. It is important to plan, manage your strength and hold your place."

"I don't understand." Mindaza said.

"Look at him!" Sulaya pointed to one of the brave Black Boar warrior.

"He is the only one smartest in the group. But others are not. In the battle, the key is you should not use your emotions. Fears make you weak. Instead, use your head, to find a plan B"

"So what do you think is his plan B?" Mindaza takes a deep breath.

"Let's see.." Sulaya said.

Lying on her face, Mindaza's view of the end of the battle was necessarily limited. For her she saw enough.

"Who is this people?" Mindaza frowned to ask. The Northern men shield had opened up to a long double line that advanced on the seething mass of Black Boar warriors.

"The Northern Black men, the strong ones. They are known to be called "The two-headed black men" the best guardians among the warriors." Sulaya explained.

"By rank." Mindaza pointed. While the Northern Black men circled and attacked the vulnerable flanks and rear of the Black Boar group.

Mindaza expected the undisciplined mass of Black Boar to panic and break. Some did. Some dropped their weapons and ran, but the majority tried to fight as long as there was hope. They formed into little clumps, or stood back to back and traded blow for blow with the Northern cavalry in uneven contests that invariably ended and slaughtered the Black Boar warriors.

"Where are they taking the prisoners?" Mindaza frowned to ask.

"It's better to be dead, than a slave Ganadara said.

"Lie still." Sulaya spoke quietly. "If you don't want to join their prisoners."

The Northern Black men went about their business in a leisurely manner. They prodded the dead bodies of their enemy with their lances, killed the grievously wounded and burned the others for clearing between the wooded hillocks, with the use of spear, they greeted the Black Boar warriors with taunts and mocked them.

Mindaza saw one of the brave warriors of the Black Boar dragged over with the rest, bleeding from a wound in his scalp.

"Those that died were fortunate," Ganadara said.

"Lie still, and we will leave here tonight" Sulaya ordered.

"Can we rescue them?" Mindaza demanded.

"No" Sulaya decided.

"We will be safe by hiding here, and get out." She took a deep breath and looked over the field of slaughter. "And when we move, we move quickly."

The torture started as the sun neared the western horizon. Mindaza watched the Northern men set up a framework of poles before stripping one of the prisoners naked. They tied him, bleeding and defiant, legs and arms apart, between two upright posts and gathered round as a tall man stepped forward with an axe. As the Northern men cheered, the man with the axe chopped the prisoner's ribs from his spine, one by one, before hauling out his lungs and spreading them across his back.

"This is not true.." Mindaza said. Her eyes closed as she saw the brutal slaughter of a warrior being cut to pieces.

"This is the reality" Sulaya told her.

"The Black Boar, means a wild animal in the forest. Before they stood in the battle field, they already know their destiny. No retreat, and no returned" Sulaya said quietly. "For they will be thankful to die."

Like what Sulaya ordered. The Spiral hunter's catch the last of the light while the Northern warriors are entertaining themselves.. 

While Mindaza envisioned the slaughter of Black Boar's royal army in three short hours by a better disciplined forced of the enemy. She felt cold and unable to speak.

"What now?" Mindaza asked, as the she look at the sky.

"There is no hope then, the Black Boar warriors is gone, and so the kinfolk of the king are all dead." Ganadara said.

"Why do you say that? There is no hope because a princeling is dead? Many are dead, many more will die. One prince is as good as another, and a woman with a stout heart is as good as any prince born." one of the member of spiral hunter answer her. Mindaza hear it.

"Were you not watching?" Ganadara asked. "They destroyed the royal army with ease."

"It was the only army of the king have." Sulaya voice rose to something approaching panic. "Like him, we have nothing now."

At first, Mindaza could not understand what she saw. But Sulaya hopes that her daughter learned something on this bad omen, called "the fall"

"Mindaza." Sulaya took hold of her daughter's arm. 

"What is it?" Mindaza allowed Sulaya to guide her away from the others.

"There isn't much time," Sulaya said, "so listen to what I say."

"Yes, Mother."

Sulaya took the cross pendant from around her neck. It dangled from her fingers. "This is not valuable," she said, "it is made of pewter, and I want you to have it."

"But Mother! You've worn that all your life. I've never seen you without it."

"It was from your father." Sulaya said. 

"So you have as much right to it as I have." Reaching across, she placed it around Mindaza's neck and fastened it. "Wear it always. One day, you will find it very useful to you."

"You always said not to mention my real father" Mindaza said.

"It is all I have of him," Sulaya said. "But now, the most important to me is my precious daughter" 

Mindaza touched the cross pendant. "Thank you."

"I have no wealth to give you, but that pendant will guide you, when I'm gone."

"Mother, you say that as if we are parting."