Continuation...
*
Cruising in a bright moonlight, the Rinamentaw Mapalaw, better known as Rinayong, skimmed the silvery crest of waves lapping against the hull. All the sea kingdoms along its path had allied themselves with the kingdom of Bembaran in a tireless hunt for Princess Lawanen.
The dusk slowly faded into the darkness of the night. The water calmed in the night, and a gale-free puff of wind is softly whining in the sea.
Close to exhaustion, the sailors of the Rinayong decided to anchor in an island lagoon for a night’s rest. They rolled out the sails, and a canopy was unfurled from aft to bow and tied from railings to railings. Tired and weary, everyone soon fell soundly asleep, sedated by the tranquil sea, lucid water, soft blowing wind, and still night beneath starry skies.
*
“If the dream is true,” continued the king’s melody,
I shall never forgive myself.
I shall make homage
To an unwinnable war
That will put an end
To my honoured name
To my guardians in heaven,
The twin spirit of Minalang,
The equal of D’romoyod, a close kin of the clan;
Hold back your sentiment.
If everything is well
With my precious Lawanen,
She will pray to the gods
To let go of my grief
For now, I reached my limit.
*
Securely anchored, the Rinayong floats peacefully alongside a mighty tree often referred to as the ‘shade of battle’ that similarly grows along the banks of Bembaran.
Pamanay Makalayon, the famous skipper of the East, the captain of Rinayong, is about the only one awake. He was scanning the open seas that lay ghostly in the moonlight. Grief-stricken, the captain had not even glanced at his bunker since his sister, the beauty beyond compare, vanished.
*
Aboard the Kalipapa Daayaw, the sailors from ‘Gadongan’ and ‘Kadarangen sa Lena’were listening to their prince’s piteous song with empathy. They cheered him on with pretentious laughter, knowing very well how lonesome their prince is.
*
Captain Lomayon on the starboard could hear the echo of boisterous laughter from a crowd somewhere out in the sea. The howls and screams, although enviously jolly, irritate the mourning captain of Rinayong.
*
Rowing onward with renewed vigour, the young men of Gadongan shed their tears, deeply touched by their prince’s sorrow.
If no vent is given
To my suppressed emotions,
(The prince’s song touched everyone’s heart, intensifying their feeling of homesickness.)
This longing for my enchanting love
Will certainly bring an end
To my honoured name
In this moment in time,
I can no longer subdue
The intense yearning
For my princess Lawanen
Walking away from the cabin window, Mabaning brushed off the tears dangling at the fringes of his lids.
*
“What an impertinent sailor,” said Captain Lomayon with suppressed anger. He can barely hear the melody of a song, “...longing...my...love...,” followed by a thunderous clapping and laughter that sounded more ominous than real. How can these sailors be ignorant of the turmoil going on in this part of the sea?’’ mumbled the captain, annoyingly. ‘’They sail the sea as if it is their own with disrespect for the allied sea kingdoms.’’ Lomayon glided across the deck and walked towards the bow. ‘’Sail this way,’’ chuckled the captain softly, ‘’and I promise, I will sink your ship and drown your bodies if you don’t shut your mouths.’’ He unfastened the chains that bound the pair of cannons at the railing. He winded the two cannon widely known as the thunderbolts of the deep towards the noise from the sea.
The Kalipapa Daayaw soon appeared in the line of fire of the captain of Rinayong. Breaking the silence of the night, their merriment was suddenly drowned in a cannon blast like a thunder muffling the prince’s melodious song. The pair of thunderbolts roared, the ear-splitting explosion wailing Daromimbang Daranda.
Caught by surprise, the lonesome prince snarled with rage, commanding his men to prepare for battle.
‘’Who are these sailors lying in anchor dare to challenge Mabaning, the prince-king of Gadongan?’’ Mabaning screamed.
‘’My noble friend, my brother-in-law,’’ shouted back Pamanay Makalayon. He instantly recognised the raging voice of the prince of Gadongan. ‘’I am Lomayon, the captain of Rinayong. I am terribly sorry for the mistake. ‘’Realizing the presence of Mabaning, sadness immediately returned to his voice. ‘’Please, don’t blame the men of Rinayong. Making fun along the seas of Bembraran has been forbidden since tragedy struck the kingdom of Bembaran.’’
Mabaning recognized the tone of Lomayon. He put his arm around his brother, Mapendara sa Delim, and restrained him. The ten men who had wound their cannons ready to blast the enemy ship out of the water held their fire. Dimly lit by the moon, they recognized the Rinamentaw Mapalaw lying at anchor.
Mabaning ran to the side and leaped over the railings. He landed starboard on the deck of Rinayong.
Face to face, Lomayon embraced the prince on both shoulders. None can utter a word, fighting hard to suppress an anguish that suddenly pervades both ships.
Somialalao Solog, the vice-king of Bembaran, fainted upon the sight of Mabaning. The princess was in his care when she disappeared. Other nobles aboard the Rinayong likewise fainted, not wanting to wake up from the death spell.
“My noble friend,” said Lomayon. “The reason for our blunder, if you have not been told,” lump choked in his throat, “ a war exists in the regions of the east. Princess Lawanen, the pride of Bembaran, you brag about on the other side of the oceans, vanished without a trace.” Fainting with the last few words, Lomayon dropped on deck unconscious.
Mabaning, the dream in the back of his mind, backed up unsteadily. The shadow of the world seemed to rotate pressing around him, and then he too blacked out.
Chaos immediately ensued. The ghostly shadow of men dimly lit by the moon jostled frantically, dousing the noblemen of Rinayong with water to arouse them from the allure of death.
The harder they tried to suppress the pain of loss and sorrow, the more it became irrepressibly unbearable.
“Respectable men from the kingdom of Bembaran,” declared the Wise chieftain of Lumbatan from Madaramba, a Kalenan. Calm has finally ruled over the grieving men of Bembaran, “and especially to you, my brother-in-law, the prince of Gadongan. In my humble opinion, we should compose ourselves. There is no use grieving, languishing in our sorrows. It is not the way to find our lost princess. I suggest that an accord be reached among the wise men of Bembaran and depart from this island. Let us sail directly across to the other side towards Kadaraan. It is the only place I know we have not searched for the lovely princess. On the other hand, we had agreed before breaking up in Bembaran that we would meet the others who had trekked the mountains on foot at the Land of the Blooming Flowers, the dwelling of Minalang. It is close to Kadaraan, and from there, we shall assemble the armies of the empire and wage war against Kadaraan sa Ndaw. There is no doubt; this is the fulfilment of a prophecy by the Wizard of Walian. We must thoroughly search Kadaraan sa Ndaw. Surely, our princess is somewhere out there, detained against her will.
To be continued...
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