Post by egypt on May 10, 2011 22:12:47 GMT
22 January 1517
It was the colder part of the year in Cairo, Egypt. Nearing the center of the winter season. Today had promised to not be disagreeable at all. There was no doubt that these winter months were the easier months on a servant. A master could decide he would remain in the shade all day and be fanned, so even the hotter months weren't so brutal. An independent man could decide he would take it easier and accept whatever losses came as a result of that decision. It wouldn't be the most pragmatic, but in the heat of some days, a lapse in pragmatism could be forgiven. Gupta took some pleasure in the fact that some of his people could benefit from that kind of autonomy. Very few, but some. There would be no need for any such arrangements today, however. It was a good working day and he couldn't blame any berating one might receive for wasting it.
As for Gupta himself, he was accompanying his own personal master today. The pair of them were riding with a force of cavalry toward an entrenchment called Redenieh. It was only a few kilometers away from the capital city. Mamluk could certainly be harsh master, but there was something different about him today. Mamluk never allowed Gupta to be around him private meetings with Al-Ashraf Tuman bay, their current human ruler and Sultan. The only time he saw Tuman bay was during ceremonies and discussions of little consequence. Today might just change that. Gupta, like his people, was a relatively educated young nation. He could draw the logical conclusions from the few things that he was allowed to know. The Ottoman Empire had been on the move through his territory for some time. This was a military move to defend the great capitol from the closest defensible point that was still outside of the city itself.
Even though he had yet to take on the appearance of an adult, this wouldn't be his first time in battle. In this region, you were born seeing fights and skirmishes. A nation didn't have the immunity that a regular child could have. This also would not be the first time that he would be on a side he didn't believe in. He didn't know the Ottoman Empire, but he knew Mamluk. The Ottoman Empire couldn't be a worse master. There weren't freedoms that he could take away that Egypt hadn't already seen disappear. He couldn't put the Egyptian citizens on a lower rung than the bottom. So if Gupta was asked to be fodder for these cavalrymen, he would do his best to be as unhelpful as possible. These men didn't fight for him, they fought for their control of him. He was also to educated to not see the difference between these two things.
They arrived at Redenieh. There wasn't much to it, but it Gupta could see its advantages. The visibility would be as good as was possible. A sandstorm could ruin it, but good luck finding a place near Cairo where that wasn't the case. The dark voice of Mamluk called out to him. ”Boy, fetch some water and bring it to my tent.”
He nodded deeply in response and sought out a container. All around him the Mamluk forces prepared for battle, taking up positions or letting their steeds gain just a moment of rest so they wouldn't collapse right when they were needed most. One of them bumped him as he past by, knocking him to the side. He stared up at the much taller man, but the other didn't regard him at all. Knowing his place, he simply picked himself up and continued on his way over to a pot. He dipped in his waterskin, feeling the cool water on his hands. Noting that no one was looking, he drank a small amount himself before refilling it and heading back toward the center of Redenieh. He could hear shouts all around him, warning that their short break was already coming to a close. They couldn't have been here much longer than ten minutes. Gupta's second assumption had been correct then. Not only was there about to be a battle, but the Mamluk weren't properly prepared for it. He hoped he remained conscious long enough to see the whole thing.
It was the colder part of the year in Cairo, Egypt. Nearing the center of the winter season. Today had promised to not be disagreeable at all. There was no doubt that these winter months were the easier months on a servant. A master could decide he would remain in the shade all day and be fanned, so even the hotter months weren't so brutal. An independent man could decide he would take it easier and accept whatever losses came as a result of that decision. It wouldn't be the most pragmatic, but in the heat of some days, a lapse in pragmatism could be forgiven. Gupta took some pleasure in the fact that some of his people could benefit from that kind of autonomy. Very few, but some. There would be no need for any such arrangements today, however. It was a good working day and he couldn't blame any berating one might receive for wasting it.
As for Gupta himself, he was accompanying his own personal master today. The pair of them were riding with a force of cavalry toward an entrenchment called Redenieh. It was only a few kilometers away from the capital city. Mamluk could certainly be harsh master, but there was something different about him today. Mamluk never allowed Gupta to be around him private meetings with Al-Ashraf Tuman bay, their current human ruler and Sultan. The only time he saw Tuman bay was during ceremonies and discussions of little consequence. Today might just change that. Gupta, like his people, was a relatively educated young nation. He could draw the logical conclusions from the few things that he was allowed to know. The Ottoman Empire had been on the move through his territory for some time. This was a military move to defend the great capitol from the closest defensible point that was still outside of the city itself.
Even though he had yet to take on the appearance of an adult, this wouldn't be his first time in battle. In this region, you were born seeing fights and skirmishes. A nation didn't have the immunity that a regular child could have. This also would not be the first time that he would be on a side he didn't believe in. He didn't know the Ottoman Empire, but he knew Mamluk. The Ottoman Empire couldn't be a worse master. There weren't freedoms that he could take away that Egypt hadn't already seen disappear. He couldn't put the Egyptian citizens on a lower rung than the bottom. So if Gupta was asked to be fodder for these cavalrymen, he would do his best to be as unhelpful as possible. These men didn't fight for him, they fought for their control of him. He was also to educated to not see the difference between these two things.
They arrived at Redenieh. There wasn't much to it, but it Gupta could see its advantages. The visibility would be as good as was possible. A sandstorm could ruin it, but good luck finding a place near Cairo where that wasn't the case. The dark voice of Mamluk called out to him. ”Boy, fetch some water and bring it to my tent.”
He nodded deeply in response and sought out a container. All around him the Mamluk forces prepared for battle, taking up positions or letting their steeds gain just a moment of rest so they wouldn't collapse right when they were needed most. One of them bumped him as he past by, knocking him to the side. He stared up at the much taller man, but the other didn't regard him at all. Knowing his place, he simply picked himself up and continued on his way over to a pot. He dipped in his waterskin, feeling the cool water on his hands. Noting that no one was looking, he drank a small amount himself before refilling it and heading back toward the center of Redenieh. He could hear shouts all around him, warning that their short break was already coming to a close. They couldn't have been here much longer than ten minutes. Gupta's second assumption had been correct then. Not only was there about to be a battle, but the Mamluk weren't properly prepared for it. He hoped he remained conscious long enough to see the whole thing.