Nusantara Throne - Senandung Kebangkitan
Ruswara

Far East of the Emerald, six months have passed since the last rain fell on the arid land area of the Land of Tarlingga. Long droughts make the air so dry and miserable. Humans, farm animals and plants grimace in the hope that this suffering will soon pass. Drought is like a long, endless road that stretches without end.

            Eighteen-year-old Ruswara sits leaning against the walls of the palace grounds. He looked at the cloudless sky, longing for the rain. He could feel the trees not greeting each other, and the leaves falling molt.

Ruswara knew by riding for seven days and seven nights, he could find a lush green land. However, he couldn't do that. He loved the people of Tarlingga. His father, none other than the King of the Kingdom of Tarlingga named Sanjaya, never agreed to move the kingdom away from the East. It was in this land that the Kingdom of Tarlingga was successful for decades, and in this land of the East its ancestors lay in the glory of Tarlingga in the past.

King Sanjaya was crowned the fifth legitimate successor of the Tarlingga lineage in place of his late grandfather named Manjaya. However, Sanjaya's leadership was very poor. King Sanjaya prefers to drink and tends to be indifferent to take care of his own people. The misadventure did not stop, Sanjaya's bad habits declined in his first son named Mahendra.

Already since the afternoon Ruswara did not see Mahendra in the palace kedaton environment. He suspected his brother was playing cockfighting gambling with the palace soldiers. Ruswara often cries to see the condition of the people in Tarlingga are getting worse. Every week the cattle begin to starve and die in the morning. Agricultural crops failed to harvest and rivers dried up to crack.

How many people are hungry? Thought with a sliced heart. While the palace never ran out of food because of the high tribute of the king.

            At that time Ruswara was resting after practicing martial arts with Welino, the head soldier. Although in Tarlingga region there is rarely a power struggle, Ruswara still practicing martial arts. His back is blistered and callused. Some of his toenails were dislodged due to too hard training, leaving hardened white meat.

Welino paced near the statue not far from the palace walls. Welino wore a keris with a brown-crowned sarong. Keris was descended from his ancestors who were loyal devotees of the Royal family of Tarlingga.

            “What makes you restless O loyal servant, Welino, son of Hatya,” Ruswara said. He got up and approached Welino.

            “I heard there will be a meeting later tonight,” said Welino exhaled, he looks unsettled.

            “What's with that meeting?”

            “Baginda Raja Sanjaya will plan to match Mahamantri Mahendra with the daughter of the ruling king, Sri Nirmala.”

            “For the sake of the god of war, I have lived and heard the story of the ruling king in this land Welino. He is the king of all kings. Ganesha's blood flowed in his veins for decades,” Ruswara frowned, he felt his father had lost his mind. “Where did you get this meeting?”

            “Mpu Moro,” Welino said, she tried to calm herself down. “Master should know, how much worry Mpu Moro has about the king's health. His drunken habit makes His emotions more uncontrollable, his body is getting weaker. Mpu Moro planned to ask me to seduce His Majesty to cancel his intention.”

            “Does mother know this news?”

            “Hamba believes it is not yet, Mr.”

            “That match should never have existed!” Ruswara is now upset. “I am more concerned about the welfare of the people. Don't you see how many of them are starving until they're as thin as oxen outside the palace? They were starving, not a good time to match the kakahanda. ”

            “Hamba also grieved but it was not the power of the servant, the king's order remains absolute,” Welino resigned and sat down and bowed.

            “What Mpu Moro said exactly,” said Ruswara, immediately sitting in front of Welino. “Tnight you will have to seduce father.”

            “But,” replied Welino stopped for a moment. “Tasks servant serves.”

            “Batalnya the proposal plan could have a good impact on the people of Tarlingga,” said Ruswara, he gripped both shoulders Welino as if to show his words much more serious. “Serve the king with orders that have a good impact on our people, Welino. I know you, you are my father's teacher and my teacher. You are the spear of Tarlingga. You must seduce father to cancel that plan.”

            Welino looked at Ruswara's face. He saw the eyes of Ruswara like a blazing fire. Highlight that is always missed Welino from the late grandfather Ruswara, the sage King Manjaya. King Manjaya was a conqueror king, in displeasure, but his love for his people was like a fragile jug. Woe to King Sanjaya who has the opposite nature from the previous Eastern kings.

            “Hamba will seduce the king,” Welino replied confidently. He then got up to see two ladies running towards the two of them.

            “Master head! Lord prince!” shouted the two maids who ran over.

            “Shouldn't ladies running as if they were going to war, tell me your problem,” Ruswara said.

            “Ma.. Mahamantri Mahendra Tuan,” answered the two maids, their voices as if suffocated by his own breath. “Mahamantri Mahendra loses in gambling bets, he is angry. He planned to behead Pancha, the chicken farmer in the village.”

            “Where is Mahendra now?” now Ruswara is made angry to hear the stupidity of his brother.

            “Towards the house of Pancha, bring four soldiers bodyguards!”

            Ruswara slammed, “let me there!”

            They then rushed out of the palace towards the village settlement outside the palace, after descending the stairs made of andesite rocks they passed the magnificent palace gate with the end of the gate carved in the form of the face of Dewi Sri Sandhana, dry moss stuck miserably on the sides of the magnificent archway.

They arrived at the village with houses made of sengon wood and thatched roofs. The trees grow leafless molt. Ruswara can see a group of boisterous people gathered in front of the house with a fence that is quite wide.

He saw the elder brother standing before an old middle-aged man who was prostrating before him. Mahendra looks angry with four guards behind him. Each of the guard soldiers clasped a spear for three cubits.

“You think I'm who Pancha is!” mahendra shouted, he then threw a rooster carcass that had been torn to shreds into the face of Pancha. “I am the Son of King Sanjaya, the legitimate successor of this kingdom! I told you to give me a strong rooster as strong as myself! But you instead gave me a weak stud as weak as you!”

“Master, this drought has had an impact on the health of farm animals,” whimpered Pancha, her voice sounding trembling. “The chickens are short of food, some chickens for palace food supplies. It's the best man, just for Mr. Mahendra. ”

With a quick movement, Mahendra kicked Pancha in the face until Pancha crashed and hit the wooden fence of his house. Fresh blood dripped like raindrops from both Pancha nostrils, drenching his whiskers and white beard. “Bags you Pancha!”

Mahendra raised Pancha's neck with one hand. His left hand held the handle of the keris at his waist., “death sentence for you Pancha. It's time for me to replace the village chief, don't you think?”

The four soldiers of his guard nodded in a giggle.

“Stop!” shouted Ruswara.

A startled Mahendra instantly dropped Pancha from his grasp.

“See who's coming, my ugly sister.”

“So soon stop this action of yours, as the son of the king, you should be ashamed of your brother!”

“On what basis do you dare to rule me? I am your brother, I was born first and I am the rightful heir of this kingdom, the veins of Mahendra's face began to twitch. Instantly he forgot Pancha and began to look at Ruswara.

“On the basis of my love for the people of Tarlingga,” Ruswara then split the crowd of people to approach Pancha. Pancha's nose is broken, but Ruswara can feel Pancha's breath still in order. “Bring Pancha to the palace, treat the wound!”

The soldier he commanded seemed hesitant to make a move. However, after Welino glared at them, the soldier carried Pancha to leave the crowd and head to the palace.

“You must change that trait in your head or Tarlingga will never succeed again,” said Ruswara looking at her brother with a sharp look as an eagle.

“The words do not apply to someone who will be king!” raum Mahendra's.

Mahendra then threw a punch towards Ruswara's chin. With quick reflexes, Ruswara parried the fist with his palm, making Mahendra's balance disturbed. Ruswara's palms were pulsing. In the second attempt, Mahendra started again the attack with a more prepared move. He swung the heel of his protruding leg towards the waist of Ruswara. Again, Ruswara was able to catch Mahendra's leg and rotate it until Mahendra fell.

Mahendra was embarrassed, he became even more wrathful. His face flushed red, he could not allow himself to be humiliated in front of the people of Tarlingga.

“I'm not serious.”

“So much as I'm kakahanda.”

They look at each other. An explosion of anger was implied from Mahendra's face.

“It's enough!” shout Welino.

“Shut! This is my business with my sister! Do you also want to defy orders? I could have ordered the kingdom to cut off your head Welino if.”

“Mahendra! If it is your business with me, fight me! Say no more, your tongue is like a disaster, your words are a curse.”

“To you Ruswara!”

Without a second thought, Mahendra lunged at the exposed left side of Ruswara with a jab of fingers held together, the strike was enough to kill. Ruswara had already anticipated the attack with a simple avoidance. Mahendra jumps back temporarily. He did not want his body dropped a second time.

Mahendra was stunned, even his sister had not yet counterattacked from the attempted attacks. All of his actions seemed to be a show just to show the quality between the two.

Mahendra furrowed his eyebrows, in one breath and horses. Mahendra said, “You underestimated me sister?”

“I don't underestimate you, I'm disappointed in you kakahanda.”

“I should be disappointed, I lost the gamble!”

“You act like a little big boy, look at the people around you. Even you never understood their suffering!”

“Busty!”

They're circling each other. For ten minutes Mahendra tried to hit his attack, but nil. Their sparring battle drains Mahendra's stamina until his throat is dry. Sweat began to pour and wet Mahendra's body. However, Ruswara was not exhausted at all. He still looked at her with a sharp glare full of dignity.

“Until when will you continue to survive?”

 Mahendra started to feel desperate.

“When your martial arts are used to hurt not to protect, your attacks will be useless kakahanda.”

Then the sound of sand rattled out loud as he lunged at Ruswara quickly. Mahendra was getting more and more angry, his head was boiling. The glint of the attack was like a silhouette of a shadow with agile movements. Dust billowed between the movements of the two sons of the king, Either Mahendra's attack may have hit some parts of Ruswara's body. The audience was amazed.

Feeling that he had been fighting for quite a while, Ruswara wanted to stop this humiliating fight. He then locked Mahendra's arms with a hook in his arm and twisted Mahendra's body until Mahendra's body hit the ground. With a single slam behind the nape. Mahendra's gaze weakened momentarily and blankly. Mahendra fainted.