Nusantara Throne - Senandung Kebangkitan
Ruswara
The stone floor in his room felt rough on the bare feet of Ruswara. When the night had come, Ruswara muttered in the dim darkness while carving his fret on the rontal sheet. She regretted letting the emotions burn through her brother's self-esteem this afternoon. However, deep down in his heart, he himself was disappointed in the nature of the older brother.
Perhaps, I shouldn't have to humiliate such a kakahanda, he murmured almost sixty times.
The previous afternoon he had checked Pancha's wounds, his body was still weak and was severely traumatized. The blood on his nose had already stopped, but his consciousness was still floating helplessly. Ruswara ordered the court healers to let Pancha rest for a few more days, he also asked the ladies-in-waiting to fill the Pancha room with sweet fruits, lock the door of the Pancha room and keep the Pancha from Mahendra a secret.
Mahendra should be drunk tonight in the tavern with the soldiers. Ruswara learned of it from Welino. This morning Mahendra woke up from his stupor and went berserk screaming for Pancha's whereabouts. However, on Ruswara's orders, Welino reported the false news that Pancha was dead and his body had been dumped at dry times away from the palace. Mahendra is suddenly excited and plans to party tonight for the death of the old Pancha.
The thought that is troubling Ruswara tonight is about her sister's proposal. After Ruswara repeatedly asked her to seduce her father. Welino said that he would soon report the results of his meeting with the king.
Anxiety struck him, and he did not want to sit around waiting for Welino. Ruswara exited the room and found the hallway of the palace deserted. He walked down the corridor with a small blaze of torches stuck in the wall. After some time, he heard small echoing voices from within the king's chamber.
Ruswara made sure of a safe place to eavesdrop, she leaned back and found her father talking indoors with Welino and Mpu Moro.
“Princess Nirmala is old enough, and the central region is being hit by a time of abundant harvest. If Mahendra can take Nirmala's heart and marry her, then this kingdom will be welcomed like a rainy season,” said King Sanjaya, then a cough attack attacked him.
“Baginda, King Mahardhika considers us nothing more than a speck of dust between deserts, they never assume our existence. I'm afraid the proposal has an impact on the royal good name. King Mahadhika can easily step on our pride in the presence of all the nobles,” said Mpu Moro in a clear husky voice.
Welino who stood like a stone man added, “Baginda, I agree, the plan is impossible.”.
King Sanjaya kicked the table until the metal glasses slammed producing a great tinkling sound. Once again he got a cough attack until his eyes water. Before his cough struck again he replied with wrath, “there is not an assembly in this room who stopped to say ‘not’?”
“With great respect, our people lack noble resources,” Welino said in a low voice. “All cattle are thin even today twenty cows are rumored to die of hunger. The news also came from the farmers outside the village, their rice crops burned for a thousand cubits. It has been six months that the East was hit by a long drought, even years have always been like this, Sire.”
King Sanjaya scolded as if tired of hearing the defense, he then rubbed the gold rings on his finger. His breathing became short and irregular.
“How's it going about the besiegers from the trade route in Mayakarsa?” king Sanjaya asked Mpu Moro.
“Regarding it Sire, the messenger of the trade route in the South has not given word, it is certain that our messenger has not returned.”
“Keparat Dharma, I had suspected Mayang had wrongly married a stupid selfish man! Mayakarsa never knew how to return the favor.”
Mpu Moro lowered his head, his white hair thinning like cotton-white threads.
“The journey is very long Sire, the Helmaer Mountains border Mayakarsa and Tarlingga, the mountains are steep and rocky, the roads are winding and often mislead the tourists, the, even the fastest horse could not cross the mountain in ten days. Servant hinted our messenger was killed during the trip.”
King Sanjaya's head twitched. He seemed to be trapped by his own plan. For a moment he wanted to break through the assembly table once more to vent his anger. However, again a cough attack strikes in unexpected moments. This time the attack was more intense until the blood of the king splashed on his palm.
“Baginda, you have to rest, you are not in good condition for this meeting,” said Mpu Moro after rising up close to King Sanjaya. His eyes were like rain crystals.
“Order warrior..” replied the King not heeding Mpu Moro's worries. After he took a deep breath, Sanjaya continued, “let them gather the village cattle, send them to every house. From tomorrow they will be charged tributes and extra groceries. Confiscate if necessary, if you refuse imprisonment. In these two days Mahendra will be sent to the Nusantara Kingdom with dozens of accompaniments of brown horses, allow the servant slaves to carry jewels and a hundred oxen. Send the messenger to the Kingdom of Nusantara tonight also, tell us about our arrival plans.”
Mpu Moro grimaced, he wanted to interrupt, but as soon as he looked at the King's increasingly pale face, his intentions came to a halt. The king he knew was stubborn, even if the sun stopped rising, the king would not withdraw his decision. Mpu Moro will try to lure the king in a more subtle way.
“A blessing comes from happiness, drought has made our hearts dry and fragile, O Sire. The drought has reduced laughter to pain. It would be better if we can make people happy with the proposal plan. Forcibly withdrawing the resources of our people will certainly trigger opposition, it will be a catastrophe for the kingdom. If indeed the plan must be carried out, let the people of Tarlingga join in rejoicing.”
“My father was a fragile person, his love for the people could not save this kingdom,” avenged the King, he again ordered the lady to bring a wine jug. “This is the time I will take an important decision for the future of this kingdom, exerting all my pride in order to improve our relationship with King Mahardhika.”
Welino shook her head, tears almost breaking. The king has completely lost his mind, his grunts.
A lady-in-waiting came to bring a wine jug from the best palm sap in the palace courtyard. With a few sips the king spent the wine like drinking a cup of water. He returned the jar to the lady and asked her to fill it again.
“I have decided,” the king said, the look on his eyes loosened even more. “I will accompany Mahendra to the Nusantara Kingdom, Welino will lead the ranks of soldiers during the trip.”
It didn't take long for a lady-in-waiting to come back with a pitcher full of palm wine. As the king gulped down two gulps, he coughed again, his nose letting out the wine mixed with a little blood.
“I am the King of Tarlingga, coughing will not kill me!” cetus Sanjaya he's getting drunk. “I will make Mahardhika confess Tarlingga, so even princess Nimala will fall in love with Mahendra!”
The door of the king's chamber thudded violently as Queen Dyah Wuri and Ruswara entered the king's chamber. The queen looked sad and disheveled, as if she could not sleep for days.
“Stop this madness, my husband,” Dyah asserts, his voice is as gentle as a harp. Dyah patted Mpu Moro on the shoulder and asked him to sit down without kneeling. “Mahendra is not ready for marriage, he is as childish as you are, as a reflection of you who are not ready for this long drought, dear husband.”
“If your presence is just to remind me of their misery, you can leave this room Dyah!”
“Our woes!” kecam Dyah, now the queen began to sob. “They are your people and my people! They cry for rain when you laugh in your drunkenness!”
“Blame on Dharma! What did Mayakarsa give us? After I agreed to your sister's match with Dharma?”
“Does a king only hope for mercy behind his great suffering? Is that what your ancestors taught you, my husband?”
“You're getting sassy Dyah!” King sanjaya is angry. She stood up from the slap of her date, and staggered. However, in just a few steps he almost fell to the point that Welino had to shovel him back into the chair.
“Look at you, that drunken habit has sunk your heart into darkness, my husband, your head is covered in mist, and now Mahendra is following in your footsteps, this kingdom is on the verge of collapse!” dyah screams, she falls to the floor, her tears can't be contained anymore.
King Sanjaya seemed to ignore the words of Dyah, he then turned his eyes to Welino and said lethargic, “deliver the news tomorrow, from noon the people will have to give up all their livestock before sunset, before sunset, if refuse their imprisonment.”
Welino bit her lips, her finger felt numb and she could not speak any more than looking down at Queen Dyah who was still sobbing.
“Your conscience is dead with your wine! You are no longer a beloved king, nor as a nurturing father, you have drowned too deeply!”
King Sanjaya rose again. Although staggered, he approached Dyah with careful steps. The look on his face loosened even more, as Welino was about to lead him on, the king refused politely and asked Welino to sit down again.
The King then hugged Dyah, smelling his breath smelling foul. In the sight of Dyah who was crying, her beauty had faded, continuing to fade every day, as if age eroded every inch of her smooth skin.
Without hesitation, King Sanjaya slapped Dyah until his wife fell. The slap triggered a shrill Dyah scream until the palace soldiers came from outside the room. With his hand still up Sanjaya said, “Your mouth is getting sassy Dyah! Your sassiness is getting me fed up!”
“Ayahanda!” shouted Ruswara.
“You are also silent!”
In a matter of minutes, the king's room was filled with palace soldiers who arrived. They just silently watched in confusion, some whispering quietly. There was not a single soldier who rebuked or did anything to the point that they looked at each other.
King Sanjaya scratched his forehead. A severe headache struck his head, he was already drunk enough that night. After a strange attempt to get to the slap of misery, the king ordered the soldiers to exit his room, his tone confirming as if nothing had happened in the room. For a moment the soldiers were hesitant. However, they finally came out one by one from the king's room.
Ruswara looked at the mother's face with a groaning look. There was more pain he felt than a slap wound on his mother's cheek. Ruswara's heart churned. What did the mother do that she had to endure such great shame.
Dissenting is not a trait Ruswara has, she prefers to temper her anger and lead her mother to her feet. He then led the queen out of the palace room. When Ruswara reached the palace door, it felt heavy, for some reason he was reluctant to look at the door again, the king's room should be where the kings of old drained their minds to preserve the glory of this land. However, the room was dominated only by her father's sincerity, and now the queen has to endure the shame and pain of her father's madness.
Ruswara said, “know father, when someday the people will no longer support you, then I will stand before the people to support them.”
Sanjaya vaguely heard Ruswara's words but he chose to grumble. The king coughed again until he cleared his throat, he looked very tired after that he leaned his head on the slap of his date.
“That will not happen, all who defy my orders will end up in my prison, that also applies to you, my son who is ugly.”
Ruswara ignored his father's words. The sound of the king's door thumped as Ruswara left the king's room, leaving his father and his advisor and Welino. She hoped tonight was the last she saw her mother cry.
***