Orsgadts
Urndie

A cup of warm honey and fruit pie is on the table.  Emune could not wait for Urndie's cue to eat it. Meanwhile Urndie, a white-bearded, long-robed old man was busy unpacking a box on his desk. The unwanted things were now piled up on the table. Parchment rolls, quill pens, wooden propellers and other objects he thrust into the center of the table.

Emune had known Urndie since she was a child. At first he was afraid because the Urndie cottage was near the forest and a little far from the residential area. The children of Ulrych called him a witch because he always wore a long robe and carried a wooden stick with a curved head.

At that time he and his friends were playing near the forest. Emune's leg was scratched by a twig until it bled and due to illness, Emune could not keep up with his friends' run until he was left behind. It was getting dark and he could no longer walk.

It was then that Urndie who was about to return to the cottage saw him sitting on a rock while cleaning the dried blood around his wound with leaves. He was afraid of Urndie but the old man gave him a flower and said he would treat his wound before driving him home. Uncle Henry and Aunt Mary were very worried but they became very relieved when they found out that Urndie had helped her.

“Urndie's a smart guy. You don't have to be afraid of him. She's not a witch.” Aunt Mary adored Urndie and she liked that Emune would learn from the old man.

“Can I go to his cottage and thank him for being helped?” ask Emune.

“Of course. Once you're healed, you can go there. Bring him the best bread and cheese we have,” Aunt Mary replied.

Permission from his uncle and aunt makes Emune trust Urndie. When he brought a small basket of cheese and bread as a thank you to Urndie, he was welcome to enter and was immediately stunned by how neat the Undrie cottage was. The cottage was nothing like the witch cottage people told her about. There was a large table, shelves filled with rolls of paper and flowers in small pots.

Urndie offers Emune to learn to read and write. At first Emune did not like it because he had to memorize and write letters that look like a row of tangled threads but after some time he became accustomed. Every time Urndie returned from his travels, he always brought souvenirs and exciting stories. If remembered, the stories of Urndi had made him strong and excited especially when dealing with the children of Grantea.

“Ah, be patient with me, Emune. I have something to show you. Oh, you can eat the pie. Try that warm honey. I bought it at Beva. You know where Beva is?”

“Eimersun,” replied Emune briefly. He hurriedly snatched the fruit pie that looked so tempting. The pie was delicious. His digestive senses were like he was dancing. He assures that not all villagers have ever eaten it. “Enak. I've never eaten pie like this.”

“Yes, these villagers are lovers of bread and cheese. You know Mr Hendell? He once brought home a pie like this upon his return from Imperia. His family was just watching the pie. They thought it was some kind of decoration and yes, the pie ended up getting moldy and was discarded.”

“If they knew how delicious it tasted, they would definitely be very sorry.”

“Aha, here it is!” urndie. A parchment scroll was in his hand. He took it and put it on the table. “This is old parchment. I almost missed it.”

“Indeed it looks very old,” Emune said grimacingly.

Since knowing Urndie, he has been offered various amazing things. Starting from learning to read and write, draw, sew and the only thing that Emune considers ridiculous is the formal dining ordinance. He didn't know why he learned this one. He was clearly not a noble and no noble man would want to marry a child like him.

He remembered Urndie saying to him, “It's nothing to lose to know. Later you may find the benefit”.

Urndie carefully unrolled the parchment. The parchment must be hundreds of years old but the skin material is very strong. His eyes sparkled when he saw a map drawn on top of the layer of skin.

“You know what this is, Emune?”

“Peta?”

“Yes, this is the original map of Artamea World. There is only one original map and five copies.”

“How do you know that this is genuine?” Emune asked curiously.

“Because below here is the original writing of the Great King Osgardt.” Urndie pointed to the bottom of the map. A beautiful written sentence with gold ink. “Can you read it?”

“Artamea, a peaceful world.” Emune read slowly not because he could not read fast but because the writing was very neat, clean and beautiful. Is this the writing of a king? He immediately imagined what the Great King of Orsgadt looked like.

“Absolutely. Great King Orsgadt confirmed this map hundreds of years ago.”

“Why can the original map exist outside the palace? Is it no longer useful?”

Urndie sighed. “Since the Goenhrad rebellion, after all the palace families were executed at the place he ordered to exterminate all the royal records. It had been a dozen years and he was still mobilizing his army to find the loyal followers of Great King Orsgadt. The loyal followers seemed to have managed to find a way to smuggle some objects out of the palace.”

“What a horrible. Execute all members of the kingdom. Are there kids too? Why have I never heard this story?” Emune flabbergasted.

“Parents, children, all killed. Of course you never heard of it. All the people of Orsgadt were forbidden to talk about anything related to the Great King Orsgadt. They should not even mention his name, the death penalty for the offender. So after a dozen years, there is no longer a trace of the golden age of the reign of the Great King.” Urndie smiled.

“Are you going to be arrested if you talk about that history even if you're not a resident of Orsgadt?” ask Emune.

“Although we are outside the territory of Orsgadt, we still have to be careful. It has long been known that Goenhrad spread spying throughout Artamea. Such is the fear of a rebel that one day he will suffer the same fate as the king he betrayed.”

“Will you tell me?”

“Only if you promise not to mention and talk about it to others.” Urndie looked at his left palm. He clenched his hand and opened it again.

Emune looked at Urndie's face. The old man was usually full of jokes but today it all sounds serious. Urndie was the only scholar in Ulrych. As Emune knew, only a few people were fluent in reading and writing in this village. Schools were in the city but villagers could not afford the expensive cost of education. Education was only for the nobles and commoners better learn how to survive everyday.

“This map is an old map of Artamea but not much has changed other than Orsgadt. To the north of Arsyna there are three kingdoms of men, Imperia, Orsgadt and Eimersun. Every border is heavily guarded and not just anyone can enter the territory of a kingdom without permission.” Urndie took out a small piece of paper from the pocket of his robe. “This is the entry stamp given upon entering Orsgadt main gate. Valid for only one week and must be submitted upon exit from Orsgadt. Other kingdoms do not implement this system but they have special officers who will check everyone who goes in and out of the kingdom. Interesting right?”

“Very interesting. I hope to one day go to those kingdoms. Is it as crowded as Arsyna?”

“More from Arsyna. Arsyna is the smallest kingdom and Ulrych is the farthest village from Orsgadt.”

“I feel like a dumped person. What the hell was Dad thinking about handing me over to Uncle Henry?” Emune scratched his temple and let out a heavy sigh.

“Your father definitely wants the best for you. I see Henry and Mary taking good care of you. You are here, healthy, cheerful and dressed like a good girl.”

“Yes, Uncle and Aunt are good. I don't know what happens if they don't take care of me.”

Urndie smile. His mustache and grizzled beard looked funny covering around his lips. “You want to add the hot pie and honey?”

“Mau.” Emune couldn't possibly refuse. Delicious pies, soft-scented warm honey with a slight sour taste are only present in the Urndie hut.

“So today you can play till afternoon?”

“Iya. It's good to be free from Grantea's boys. They're very troublesome. This morning I was watered and told to do their job. Thankfully there was Aunt Mary who saved me.”

“Henry and Mary are good people. Your father wouldn't give you up if he didn't trust them. The Grantea family is improving now. It's a pity that their treasure is almost depleted due to the behavior of his great-grandfather.”

“Yes, I heard about that from Thomas. He loves to brag on girls.” Emune laughed amusedly.

“It's time he got married isn't it?”

“I know some girls who like it but they will definitely be disappointed when they find out that she is not as great as the story. Are all the lads always bragging?”

“That's a pretty hard question to answer. Ask directly at Thomas.” Urndie laughs.

“Cannot be. I don't even want to see it. The twins also troubled me. What would happen if there were no Uncle Henry and Aunt Mary? I will definitely be babu and vent their anger,” said Emune ketus.

“There's nothing you can't handle. You can survive with them all this time. That's amazing.”

“I fought hard to stay alive,” as good as Emune. “Oh yes, what is the story about Orsgadt so long? Should I cancel lunch with my friends?”

“No... not necessary. Come after lunch. Remember, it's the secret of both of us, don't tell anyone.”

“I understand.”

Urndie drank his warm honey. “Imperia is currently busy preparing for a sandstorm that deposits part of their territory every year. We in Arsyna are lucky enough that there is a Dumina Forest holding it. If you ever go around Artamea, take a trip around Imperia. The kingdom has beautiful hills and lakes. Gardening and raising became the main livelihood of its people. The present King of the Imperia, King Leoric, was the eleventh descendant. It is still younger than the history of Eimersun and Orsgadt. He leads well. Prioritizing the security of the kingdom and the welfare of its people.”

“I like a good king. Goenhrad sounds really bad,” said Emune half-whispered.

“He is not good,” reply Urndie, join whispering like Emune.

Both of them laughed because they felt silly to have to whisper like that. Emune sipped a freshly made warm honey by Urndie.

“How about Orsgadt and Eimersun?”

“Eimersun. What an incredible country. The kingdom closest to the territory of the fairy kingdom. The best swords and armor came from Eimersun. The kingdom is preparing for the Sun Festival to be held in summer. Did you know that Eimersun is the only kingdom with two seasons? Summer and rainy season. His current king was King Duncan, the fifteenth descendant. He has a handsome son. Two or three years older than you. I think he'll like you.”

“Huh, it's just a delusion. Where is there a prince who wants a village woman like me? She must have thought I was just a maid who happened to get lost in her kingdom.”

“Is that? Emune, without being a king's daughter even if you are a great girl.”

“Thank you, I can melt if praised continue.” Emune gulped down the rest of the warm honey and then got up from the wooden chair he was sitting on. “Alright, I'll go now and come back after lunch. You still owe me one story. Thanks for the meal this morning.”

“Be careful on the road, Emune.”

Urndie smiled looking at the figure of Emune who disappeared behind the door of her cottage. He likes that girl. Emune reminds her of her dead daughter. He promised to protect her in any way as long as she was alive. That girl deserves to be happy.