The Chronicle Of Jawata (Compilation Trial Edition)
6.10
The sparkling water of the well is not from the reflection of stars, but the light of Laotheri blooms. The petals are spread white-orange to decorate around the walls of the tree cavity. There was an echo of insect singing from the tops of the branches, flowing into each cavity. The birds nest into branches and leaves face down.
One ... two .. three ....
Taja jump cadas on the edge of the lake. A soft chant drew his attention to the bottom of this late cavity.
”This is your first night, Elhundi Taja,” a sound comes from one Laotheri bud in its bloom. A pair of hands from the inside, shaking the petals. A young man in white appeared from the middle of the blooming Laotheri. His golden hair was unraveling shoulder-length.
”Merald ...,” Taja was astonished, did not expect at all if the Laotheri bud turned out to be a contest of Merald, the Prince of Flowers who lives in the residence of Euryn Palace.
”Sorry I interrupted your sleep. I'm leaving soon,” Taja was a bit awkward meeting with Merald. This is the second time since the coronation, Merald gave up the Khameswari robe.
”Ta-arata-tuoshi.”
Merald whispered and bewitched Taja to turn towards Merald. His face is brilliant. Never get tired of the charm of a smile.
The stalks of Laotheri slowly ducked down to the edge of the well.
”Elhundi Taja ..” Merald jumped out of Laotheri flower contest. Every step of hers barely left a trace as her body was extremely light.
Merald's skin was so clear it was translucent to his bones. Similar crystal. He only wears the Laotheri petals. Fold from waist to knee. His four-fingered and tapered hands, touching Taja's cheeks.
”Very warm. True also they say that you are the softest fairy creature,” said Taja, feeling soft touch Merald.
”But I'm most prone to perishing. That's why the Queen put me in the center of Euryn, so hidden,” said Merald.
They stepped into the crevice of the cavity while singing softly, jumping over the roots and occasionally hanging on tendrils that tufted to the top of Euryn. Finally, they stopped on the branches of thousands of branches.
”How is the world outside of Gunggali, I have never seen,” said Merald on the sidelines of his breath flowing softly and eyes closed.
”Not happier than in Euryn,” responded Taja had been living on the banks of the Ruthian River. Merald smiled.
”True. But there was a time when I wanted to go around Ruthian, hunt water grapes and soak. Too happy here makes me unable to sleep,” said Merald, as he went down, creeping agile walls covered with roots towards the surface of the ground.
”Be careful! Don't be too fast, your skin scratches later!” Taja was forced to follow him despite being a bit late behind Merald. He was faster to run like a golden wind.
”Sst, don't be noisy! Later the guard troops will catch us,” slightly stuck in the throat, Merald whispered.
”Where are we going?” Just follow.
”Seeing the full moon!” Merald raised his silvery eyebrows. Without speaking again, he immediately infiltrated through the walls and plunged into the ground full of thickets.
”Where? Isn't it from Euryn Palace, we can see the full moon?” Taja kept tailing behind Merald. Both of them got into the bushes.
”Phardabians."
"The full moon looks bigger!”
Merald calls one plateau outside Euryn's palace.
”What?! It's far from Euryn. Very risky!” Taja had a quick fight with Merald, about to prevent it, but Merald was much more agile.
”Really! This is the shortcut to it. I've been through many nights staring at the full moon until dawn and have definitely returned to the buds before sunrise!” merald said, this time swinging rapidly from tendril to tendril every tree.
”Isn't there a lot of guard troops gathered?” Taja.
”Not on a full night like this!” Merald's getting agile. One last swing bounces his body ashore.
They stopped on a vast expanse of grassland as if without any barrier between the eyes and the panorama of the star-studded night sky and the full moon in the middle of the sky.
”See Phardabian Full Moon!” merald shouted while looking up.
”Wow, magical! The full moon here is huge. There are dozens of constellations in one night!” Taja was amazed, barely blinking during the look up into space that Merald pointed.
”Hey, your hair,” Taja also noticed Merald's hair changing color. Originally golden became brownish, intermittently black, then greenish. Merald looked at Taja while being stunned by the attraction through the radiance of his eyes.
”You?!” Taja was shocked. Merald laughed offingly when he saw Taja's look like that.
”You changed to resemble ... I ..?!” Taja was even more shocked when he saw that Merald had resembled his face. Very simila. It was as if Taja was looking in the mirror.
Merald's laughter shrinks, ”Come, come with me!”
He waved at Taja who was still dumbfounded on the spot.
”Quick!” Merald first crept into a tallest tree.
”Wait for me!”
They go to the same tree. In just a moment, they had been at the highest peak.
”Actually you are male or female?” Taja asked again while observing Merald who was leaning and was looking at the sky.
”Depending on what you think I am, that's what I am ..” Merald's answer makes Taja more curious.
”One great! People who shrewdly resemble other creatures certainly have high cultivation strength,” said Taja still fascinated by the cleverness of Merald.
”How old are you?” ask Taja. Merald was silent and did not answer immediately. His face suddenly was not excited.
”In the last hundred years, only I was born from Laotheri. I'm the most self-contained fairy creature here. In fact, I don't know what to call myself,” Merald reviewed another smile.
”Tonight. Very peaceful. Very calm. Very happy!” merald muttered involuntarily.
“I have a friend, a Prince Euryn has just been crowned,” Merald continued.
Taja was dumbstruck, thinking about something while occasionally observing Merald.
”You also feel alone?” ask Taja.
”In a different part of the earth, I believe there is a part of my people that is born and lives. Perhaps they are also looking at the same full moon as we see today!” Merald replied without any fret at all.
”Other account?” Taja took it too seriously.
”Yes! The world is so big, Taja! At least that is what our ancestors once said in Gunggali,” Merald replied.
”The world is widely inhabited by millions of people. Jawata State, Sweta Country, Lokhta Country,” replied Merald. His eyes glared far away in his own imagination.
”Jawata?” I caught that one word.
Merald made sure with a glancing eye gesture.
”What do you know about Jawata?” The more curious, Taja was closer to Merald's side.
”Mmm ..., Jawata, a very large country. Continents. Land and sea surround it. The land of millions of mankind. Great nations and civilizations. The leaders of the earth,” briefly Merald answered him.
”I was born among the jungles of Jawata and got lost,” Merald continued.
”Spring then, in a land nearest to the forest valley. Not much I remember about the place, except ... one woman who took me to Gunggali.‘
Merald touched Taja's shoulder and they faced off, ”The queen is very pretty. He saved me, then took me to Gunggali.”
”Queen Shachini?”
Apparently, Taja got carried away with Merald's story.
...* * *...
