A Passage East

The sounds of clashing swords, the howling war cries and the charge of cavalry have faded from the icy banks of the river Peipus. The battle is over. The weary men, farmers and serfs mostly, cannot not believe their good fortune. They have turned back the vaunted might of the Crusaders. The much-feared Order of Teutonic Knights has fled and victory is for the city-state of Novgorod. Prince Nevskii has won a great victory, not just for Novgorod but for all the people of the Rus Lands. A victory much needed by a people suffering under the heavy yoke of Mongol rule. He rides to the far edge of the battle field from where the Crusaders fled, careful to avoid the thin patches of ice that mark the edge of the river, confident the day is his, regardless of the horrific losses of both men and material. Upon reaching the farthest point his advance he pauses, from this vantage point he watches the disarrayed fleeing masses of the enemy. He thinks how fortunate their enemy is for now they need not face the might of the Tartar Hordes.