After a grueling journey in search of his kidnapped wife, Rama arrived at the gates of Troy with Hanuman and all of his gathered armies. He did not know why Ravana had taken refuge in the foreign city, but he would not allow anything to stand in the way of being reunited with Sita.

 

Rama and his generals parlayed with the Greek kings, who were surprised when the Indian army marched into their camp. Rama heard their complaints about the long war.

 

“We will end this war today, then,” he said, filled with righteous determination. “I will get my wife back, and if it takes the fall of Troy to destroy Ravana, then so be it.”

 

Rama and his armies, backed by Odysseus, Agamemnon, both Ajaxes, and the other Greek heroes, stood outside the gates of Troy.

 

“Ravana!” Rama shouted. “Stop hiding behind the walls of your wife-stealing allies and come out to fight me!”

 

They waited for a response, but none came.

 

“If you will not come fight yourself,” Rama continued, “then send a champion to fight in your stead. It is the only honorable way to end this war!”

 

The armies waited in the sweltering heat, and it seemed there would be no response.

 

Then, the gates of Troy slowly swung open, and a fearsome warrior emerged onto the field. He wore a helmet with a blood-red plume, and his armor gleamed with fresh oil. An honor guard of Trojan soldiers followed him.

 

“I am Hector, Prince of Troy,” the warrior declared to Rama. His voice was confident, but the gleam of his eyes in the gap of his helm betrayed a kind of exhaustion that Rama understood. This was a man who was tired of having to fight. He would, of course, but his heart was set on higher things.

 

Rama stepped forward. “I’m here to reclaim my wife. Are you Troy’s champion?”

 

Hector drew his sword. “I am sworn to defend my city to the last breath. I am the greatest warrior among my brothers and have never backed down from a battle. I was born with a sword at my hip and a spear in my hands. You will regret the day you challenged Troy.”

 

Rama raised his bow and fired three arrows at Hector’s chest.

 

Hector dodged the first arrow and caught the others on his shield. He charged forward and forced Rama to draw his own blade.

 

The two warriors fell into the fast, deadly rhythm of battle. Their swords sung as they slashed the air, and their armor rang out with every blow. However, neither Hector nor Rama could pierce the other’s defenses.

 

Finally, Rama tripped Hector, and the Trojan prince fell. His helmet struck a rock, and the impact knocked him out of his senses for a moment.

 

Rama moved in to finish the duel.

 

However, Apollo had been watching the battle, and he knew it was not Hector’s fate to fall in a duel with a prince from a far-off land. He swept down from the clouds, unseen to the spectating armies, and pulled Hector off the ground. Apollo snapped his fingers, and Hector’s senses returned. With the aid of the god, Hector was revitalized, like he was fresh from a night of rest. 

 

Hector met Rama again, and this time, Hector had the advantage, for Rama was growing tired. However, Rama remembered Sita and his promise to rescue her, and he fought with renewed vigor.

 

Finally, the sun touched the horizon. The warriors’ blows were weak and slow. They had switched to a more strategic style of fighting that would save their energy, but still neither could defeat the other.

 

Hanuman stepped between the warriors. “It’s time to stop this,” he said. “The day is over, and it is bad luck to fight in the dark. You are evenly matched, and this conflict will have to be solved another way. Put down your arms and part in peace.”

 

Both warriors were reluctant to yield the fight, but they saw the truth in Hanuman’s wisdom. Hector sheathed his sword and rested his shield on the ground.

 

“I have never fought anyone so talented as you,” he told Rama. “I can see your honor in the way you fight.”

 

Rama bowed his head. “It was a pleasure to duel with you, Hector. I have no qualm with you. I only want my wife back and to see Ravana fall for his crimes.”

 

“And I care only for my city and the people within it. My brother, Paris, has brought a terrible curse onto us, and I fear all of Troy shall pay the price for it. However, I must stand with my city to my final breath.”

 

“I respect that you are faithful to your word,” Rama said, “as I am faithful to mine. It is a shame our respective oaths have brought us into conflict, but today we will part as brothers and friends.”

 

“Indeed.” Hector signaled one of his honor guard members to step forward. He took a glorious, bronze Trojan helm from the soldier and presented it to Rama. “Take this as a token of our friendship.”

 

Rama graciously received the helmet and gave Hector a golden bracelet from his own wrist. “Wear this, Hector, and remember to stand by your honor.”

 

The two warriors saluted each other in their own ways, and as the sun set, the armies parted to rest. The battle for the kidnapped wives would continue another day.