Jatukarmas
Chapter 16

Today Galuh Citrawani returned to the palace. Her mother has recovered, though she has not fully recovered. Galuh Mayani accompanied her brother to the capital while Galuh Wasanti stayed behind to take care of her mother.

Duke Daha and his wife hugged their daughter tightly. It felt like they were reluctant to let the firstborn go. The twins also hugged tightly .

"Serve, later if you are satisfied to look around the capital, come back here immediately. Replace me who will take a walk to the capital," Wasanti reminded her twin.

"Berust !" Mayani patted his brother on the back.

"Wasanti, I'll leave Mom and Dad to you. Please take good care of our parents !"

"Ready, brother!" Wasanti let go of Mayani's embrace, then approached her brother and hugged tightly.

"Sister, don't let Mayani roam alone in the capital huh.he often forgets the way," Wasanti mocked her sister while laughing. Mayani hits Wasanti's arm playfully.

"Where is. You're the one I always have to go everywhere because I like stray !"

"Already, already. You guys if together always fight, but if far away miss each other," rebuked the mother.

" Image, take good care of your sister huh, she doesn't really know the capital ! Mayani, you will hear whatever your brother says, don't like to wander alone. Remember, you're a girl now."

"Good, mom!" The two girls almost replied.

After prostrating at the feet of his parents, Citrawani guided his sister's hand to a horse-drawn carriage, assisted by servants. They waved their hands as the carriage began to move forward, splitting the streets of the Daha duchy.

Mayani looked at the duchy's increasingly distant palace. Throughout his life, he was more and more confined by the high walls of the duchy palace. Learning all the skills of women in the palace, guided by the host nannies and teachers who lived in the palace.

Mayani also secretly studied silat when Nareswara was encouraged by his teachers because the father did not allow his daughters to learn martial arts.

Mayani and Wasanti have been abandoned forever by their birth mother. The young Duke of Aryawisena's second wife died giving birth to the twins. Since then, twins have been nurtured with compassion by Citrawani's mother, so they love their stepmother like their own.

No wonder Mayani feels a bit heavy leaving her mother who is still not fully recovered. But he believes Wasanti can definitely treat their mother with the prescription drug Citrawani left behind.

"Why are you pensive, Mayani?" galuh Citrawani. "Sister feels heavy leaving the duchy?"

"No, Brother. I was thinking about Mom. It feels heavy to go, but I'm sure you'll be healed in a moment. Sister's treatment technique is great."

"It just so happens that brother studied medicine in the palace."

"May I study medicine also in the palace, brother?"

"of course. Not just a medical technique. In the palace brother also held training to cultivate silk, batik, yoga and so on.."

"Well, what is that? Sounds very foreign, but interesting. I want to learn everything, Brother !" Mayani looks really excited. He laughed happily. Galuh Citrawani also laughed, carried away by his sister's excitement.

Mayani and Citrawani spend time chatting. Sometimes they enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.

The expanse of almost harvest rice fields, coconut groves, rivers and mount Merapi towering in the distance. The breeze makes them sleepy until they finally fall asleep.

Their group consisting of two passenger trains, two freight trains and an equestrian guard force led by Ki Parwata was slowly entering the forest area.

The day has gone up in the evening. Soon dark night will cover the earth.

Galuh Citrawani ordered a stop. They will spend the night at the edge of the forest.

Tents were also erected. Some guards gathered dry wood around the edge of the forest to light a bonfire. The maids prepare makeshift stoves to cook dinner.

After the food was served, they ate on mats around the campfire, sitting parallel to each other without the difference of employers and subordinates. It is often instilled by Galuh Citrawani that makes his figure respected and loved by all servants and guards.

The bonfire is still burning, dry twigs are constantly being added. The servants were busy cleaning up the food marks, the guards had been keeping watch alternately at several corners. Citrawani and Mayani are still sitting together near the campfire.

"Well brother, a week after brother was taken to the palace. Raden Wisanggeni from Hujung Galuh, came to visit Daha to meet father. He brought some things from his father. Apparently he did not know that his brother was married to Raden Suryapaksi," Mayani said slowly. He does not want his words heard by others.

"Oh yeah? What was the point of seeing Dad?" ask Citrawani curious. "Have you ever known Raden Wisanggeni?"

"Of course you know, even your brother used to be friends with him, when you studied basic literature at Purwahaning Pasraman with Kanda Nareswara. At that time, Raden Wisanggeni was already in the final stages of his lessons while the new brother would begin to learn," Mayani told what he had heard from his older brother.

"So he and I knew each other. So what is the purpose of visiting our residence, after so many years have never met?"

"I was whispered by a servant who accidentally stole the listen, the son of the duke of Hujung Galuh apparently wanted to propose to his brother," Mayani said.

"Didn't he know that brother was Raden Suryapaksi's jatukarma since childhood?" Citrawani.

"At that time he had heard the news that his brother's engagement with Raden Suryapaksi was canceled because of being dragged by the daughter of Jenggala. But apparently he did not know that finally brother so married to the palace," Mayani's voice rather hoarse.

Honestly, he did not accept his brother as empress alit. But what you want to say, the king's word is absolute.

"Kanda Nareswarah who once persistently begged Dad to marry Raden Wisanggeni. But Dad hesitated. Until finally the King's order came for his brother and Raden Wisanggeni late. Aah, if you had listened to your words and gone ahead to offer marriage to Galuh End..."

"Why? Would you rather agree to marry Raden Wisanggeni? What's she like?" Citrawani cut off his sister's words . He's getting curious.

"Don't you really forget?" Mayani grinning. "It's amazing how the disease of forgetting can make a person lose his past."

"Raden Wisanggeni was tall and sturdy roughly the same as Raden Suryapaksi, his skin was brown but not dark like Uncle Jayasendra, his eyebrows thick his eyes were calm like Kanda Nareswara, his voice in an authoritative like Dad..." Mayani smiles. "Can you imagine it now?"

Citrawani imagined the picture given by his sister, and his shadow also produced the figure of Salman Khan, a Bollywood actor.

Immediately he hallucinated seeing Salman Khan dancing in the style of the film there by wearing royal clothing Panjalu. His stomach tingled and he chuckled.

Mayani looked at her brother confused. Citrawani immediately covered her mouth with her hands. He did not want to scare his sister.

"Then after Wisanggeni found out brother was married, how ?"

"He was disappointed, of course. She had gathered courage over the years and once she was ready to declare her intentions, it turned out that her sister had become someone else's wife."

"Ooh, normal reaction." Citrawani.

"But Father then exchanged engagement objects with Raden Wisanggeni, Brother. Somehow, I could've offered one of her twin daughters !" Mayani.

"Hey? So, which one of you was promised by dad?" Citrawani raised her eyebrows, feeling surprised.

"Me!" cetus Mayani with an unhappy face. "But I don't like it, brother. I am 16 years old this year ! I'm still not devoted enough to Mom and Dad. Kanda Nareswara is not married. Where would I step over my sister!"

"If Nares were married, would you agree to marry the son of the duke of Galuh End?" citrawani Goda.

"Not really!"

"Why? You said you wouldn't step over Nares. If Nares is married, you're not stepping on him."

"No. Anyway I don't like Raden Wisanggeni ! "

"To dislike it there must be an obvious reason, Mayani ! " Citrawani more like to tease his sister, because his quiet sister is increasingly tempted will be more adorable. His cheeks were red, his lips bitten until both dimples of his cheeks appeared.

"Dimic his face like a statue, his age is also old" said Mayani quickly.

"Two what? If he was just about to graduate from religious literature education when he was just entering the market, it means that our age gap is 7 years, it means he is 26 years old... That still includes youth, Mayani !"

"I don't like it !" Mayani's face suddenly became clouded. "But Father had already handed me my pearl skewer to him, and Dad received a kris from him ! I've been betrothal-bound, Brother. Fortunately I can still quibble that I don't want to step over my sister. So the engagement ceremony can be postponed !"

Citrawani became pity to see the sadness on his sister's face. The head of his sister was then placed on his shoulders.

"Later to speak, my brother. Don't worry, you'll try to find a way out for you !"

"Really, brother?" mayani's eyes widened with hope. When her brother nodded with a smile, Mayani embraced her brother in excitement.

****

In the morning after breakfast, the tents were dismantled. The train entered the forest to continue its journey. The horses walked in front and behind to escort the carriage.

While on the path that pierced through the middle of the forest, the horses of the guards in front suddenly neighed and raised their feet high. A loud rumbling sound rang out, the road ahead know-how collapsed. The horses that were at the very front were plunged into a large hole .

The guards jumped in to save themselves. Some horses managed to jump to the side until they did not fall into the trap hole. Ki Parwata who managed to control his horse to jump to the side, immediately gave a warning to the entire group to stop.

There was a shrill scream low boisterous, from the dense trees clashing a body figure dressed all dark. There are a lot of them.

On top of the tree black-clothed shadows hung and flashed from branch to branch. Block them from all directions .

"Who are you?" ask Ki Parwata. He read the situation quickly.

The number of people surrounding them was too many, there were probably three hundreds of people. It was incomparable to the number of bodyguards that were only fifty people.

" What is the purpose of you intercepting our entourage? Do you want property? Or horses?"

"I want that train !" The black masked man standing on the tree branch pointed to the second carriage, where Galuh Citrawani and his sister were.

Ki Parwata's face changed.

"You don't know face to face with the royal guard soldiers !" gertak Ki Parwata's. " You may take the treasure you need, then get out of our way !"

"Hahaha, don't think we don't know who you are, Ki Parwata ! We also knew that the one inside the carriage was the noble princess Galuh Citrawani ! " the masked man laughed, greeted by the boisterous laughter of his friends.

Citrawani opened the car door and walked out with a waistline.

"Ki Parwata, our army is no ordinary army ! The one controlling me is the special forces. The ability of one of my bodyguards is equivalent to the strength of ten ordinary soldiers. Coupled with myself and Ki Parwata, this army of forest apes is nothing !" citrawani exclaimed with excited cries from his guards.

His hand had grasped a pair of thin swords of his that were rarely used.

Ki Parwata immediately gave a warning to protect the passenger train. The guards moved to form a barricade.

A shrill voice rang out from the masked man. Like a flood, the black army attacked from all directions.

*****