Both the armies of Ayodhya and Madhurapuri lunged at each other, and a violent battle followed. The arrows of Shatrughan and Rameshwari pierced through the daitya army. Seeing them Lavanasur was astonished.

The brother of Shri Ram stayed true to his name Shatrughan, the slayer of enemies. While Rameshwari proved that she indeed was the daughter of Shri Ram.

The young girl, though only a little over 15, was slaying the Rakshas soldiers like Indra slaying Asuras. Her horse Vajra too was exceptional in the battlefield, the daityas barely saw her coming due to the speed of her horse.

It didn't take Rakshasas long to realise that they alone couldn't tackle her, hence they decided to attack together. Hence a group of foot-soldiers came in front of her, holding their weapons in hands.

Rameshwari took out her sword, long and sharp, holding it in one hand and her Gāndiv in the other, she was ready to tackle their attack.

As the daityas lunged at her, some were beheaded by her, others were rendered unconscious after she hit them with the sturdy edge of her Gandiv.

And once who escaped her attacks were crushed under the hooves of the magnificent Vajra, who neighed thunderously, scaring away many Rakshasas.

To them, Rameshwari mounted on Vajra, seemed no less than Yama mounted on his buffalo, ready to send them to the other worlds.

On the otherside Shatrughan reached in front of Lavanasur, and challenged him for a duel.

"Mai tumhe yudh ka awahan deta hu Lavanasur ! Dwand Karo mujhse !" Shatrughan said.

"Tum ladne mei kushal ho ! Tumhe mai dwand awashya pradaan karunga ! Kintu pehle, mai pujasthal se ata hu." Lavanasur said.

He had underestimated his enemies, and now he wanted to go back and bring his Trishul. But Shatrughan wasn't going to let him.

"Veero ka pujasthal ran-bhoomi hota hai Lavan ! Yadi marne se pehle bhagwaan ko yaad karna chaahte ho toh yahi karlo ! Mai tumhe karne dunga ! Shatru ki lalkaar sun kar bhaagne ka bahana dhundhne wale ko Veer nahi kayar kehte hai ! Tum mujhse bhaag nahi sakte Lavanasur !" Shatrughan attacked verbally.

"Mai bhaag nahi Raha murkh ! Apne astra laane jaa raha hu ! Tum aapne shaurya par ahankar na karo ! Tumse pehle bhi bahut se yoddhao ka sanghaar kiya hai maine !" Lavan said.

"Awashya kiya hoga. Kintu tab Shatrughan ka janm nahi huya tha toh tum jeet gaye. Aaj tum mere shashtro se nahi bach sakte Lavan ! Toh bhaagne ka bahana mat dhundho ! Ab yadi tum yaha se kahi jaaoge toh sidha Yam-dwaar !" Shatrughan gave another assault at his ego.

Hearing this Lavanasur was filled with rage and he hurled a huge tree at Shatrughan’s chest. But that hero shattered it into a hundred pieces.

Seeing his feat foiled, Lavan once again seized many trees and loosed them upon Shatrughan. But the Ripudaman was filled with blazing energy and he cut down as many trees as were hurtled toward him, one after the other, with three or four straight arrows.

Shatrughan then unleashed a hail of arrows on Lavan's chest. But the rakshas did not falter. Then, laughing, Lavanasur easily tore up a tree and struck Shatrughan on the head causing his limbs to go slack and making him lose consciousness.

"ANARTH ! ANARTH !" Voices of devtas, Gandharvas and Apsaras, who were witnessing the fight from above, fell on the ears of Rameshwari, who was on the otherside of the battlefield.

Seeing that her uncle lying on the ground, she gasped. Warding off the attacks on the ground, she called her horse.

"VAJRA !" She called and the magnificent horse ran towards her, mounting on the running horse, she directed him straight to Shatrughan.

The speed of Vajra was such that in less than a moment she reached the otherside of the field, and the horse gave blow to Lavanasur who got thrown away at a distance from getting hit by him.

Rameshwari got off the horse and rushed to Shatrughan, holding his wrist and keeping one figer below his nose, she was assured that he was alive and just rendered unconscious.

Suddenly Lavan came from behind and hit her with his mace, but instead on rendering her unconscious, the mace itself broke down into several pieces, while she remained unmoved.

Vajra neighed violently ready to lunge at Lavan, but Rameshwari raised her hand gesturing him to stay calm. She then stood up and looked at Lavan who looked back and forth between her and the mace which was shattered into pieces.

"Tumhara deh hai ki Indra ka Vajra !?" He asked.

"Din mei 5 baar tel maalish karte the mere Pitashree." She said with a proud smile.

"Huh ?" Lavan frowned in confusion.

"Chalo dekhe tumhare Pita ne kitni baar maalish Kiya hai." She said.

A smirk formed in her lips, which didn't gave Lavanasur the right vibes. And before he could react he was picked up from the ground and thrown to the other side by Rameshwari, by her bare hands.

She then knelt down near her unconscious uncle, shaking him a little.

"Chachashree uthiye ! Chachashree !" She said.

Shatrughan slowly opened his eyes, and then sat straight up realising he was in middle of the battlefield.

"Vadh kijiye uss Lavan ka." Rameshwari said.

Shatrughan nodded before standing up on his feet, he looked at Lavanasur, who too stood up with a wince. The younger son of Sumitra, raised his bow and summoned the divine Vaishnav-astra, given to him by Shri Ram himself.

With its divine radiance it resembled the fire that blazes up at the end of a cosmic era. Rameshwari looked at the astra and him with awe as drawing his bowstring back to his ear, Shatrughan released the Vaishnav-astra towards Lavanasur. Swiftly tearing through his vast chest, it entered the Rasatal.

Worshiped by the wise gods, the divine arrow penetrated to Rasatal and returned swiftly to the younger son of Sumitra lineage. Pierced by Shatrughan's arrow, Lavanasur collapsed suddenly to the ground, like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt.

Once Lavanasur had been slain, the Ayodhya soldiers roared in the delight of victory, and so did the gods, Gandharvas and Apsaras who were spectating the war.

Shatrughan looked at Rameshwari, keeping his hands over her shoulders, checking for any injuries. She saw there were a few cuts on her arms, and a little blood was oozing out of them.

"Apne rakt ko pranaam Karo Rama, ab jaa ke tum Yoddha bani." Shatrughan said proudly.

Suddenly the gods, together with Indra, placing Agni at their head, came towards Shatrughan spoke very pleasant words to the scorcher of foes.

"Ishvar ki kripa se tum vijay huye ho putra ! Ishvar ki kripa se Lavan ka atank samaapt huya ! Hey Ikshvaku vansh ke baag, vardaan maango. Hum devta tumhe vardaan dene hetu aatur hai, aur humara darshan kabhi vyarth nahi jata." Indra said.

Shatrughan looked at the city of Madhurapuri, and he saw how due to the misgovernance and terror of Lavanasur it was completely in ruins. And now he knew what to ask for.

"Hey Devraj, mujhe bas itna vardaan de ki mai iss Madhurapuri ko punah samridh kar saku." Shatrughan said with joined hands.

"Tathastu !" Indra blessed delightedly and so the great gods then ascended to heaven.

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A/N

And this was our Rama's first war 😍