Chapter I: The Death of King Aldrich Abasdarhan IV

TWENTY-FIRST OF THE MONTH OF HIMABUYAN*, DAY OF DANGHUS*. Those moments will fade away when the sound of the drum suddenly heard inside the palace. The drum is the one that signals what can happen inside and outside the palace. Gives joy and happiness and also causes fear, sadness and dread throughout the kingdom. Each of its sounds has its own meaning.

There is the sound of appointing the King and Queen, signaling the pregnancy of the Queen and the Royal Wives, birthdays of the Royal Family which are just some of the joys and must be celebrated in the Kingdom. The sound that signals the approaching war and the sound that informs the Royal Clans about something they don't want to hear in the whole Kingdom, the sound of drum that indicates the lost of it's member.

The destiny will not in favor for the entire Kingdom of Barat because that night, the sound of announcing that someone who had died in the King's clan were heard all over the place.

At that moment Queen Xena and her two children Prince Kaiser and Princess Kreisha were in Bekam Palace*, where the Queen of the Kingdom resides. They were sitting in the living room of the palace and talking when the drum suddenly sounded, with just five sounds of the drum they already knew what it meant. At the same time as the sound of the drum, then the Chief Assistant entered the Palace to where the Queen was.

"Your Majesty Queen!" She greeted while bowing slightly.

"Why is that Chief Assistant* Dalit?" The Queen asked her. The fear of what she might say could be seen on her face but she did not show it to the people there.

As a Queen of a Kingdom. You should not show people around you your weakness. Because as a Queen, you symbolized as one of the foundations of the Kingdom which is stable and reliable in all things.

She took the cup of tea that was on the wooden table and drank. Even if she doesn't show it, you can see it in the movement of the cup she's holding.

"Your Majesty!" The Chief Assistant said again in a broken voice. At that moment, tears began to form in her eyes.

"Speak Chief Assistant Dalit." The Queen said again. She blew on the cup she was holding before drinking it again. At that moment she was holding back the tears she wanted to release.

"The Dear King-" At that moment, she didn't seem to want to let go of the words she should have said earlier. But because she knew this news was bad for the Queen, she hesitated to say it. Balancing the words she should say here.

"Has something bad happened to my Father the King? Is that the reason why the Palace drum rang?" Spoken by the First Princess Kreisha. You can see the sadness in her eyes when she hears the word Dear King.

"Don't talk like that sister! Nothing bad will happen to our Father." Sabat of the Fifth Prince.

"Chief Assistant?" The Queen asked calmly because she didn't want to believe what the Princess taught.

"No more-" She started. "The Dear King is gone! Dear Queen!" She answered her question again.

After the Chief Assistant told a sad news, she suddenly knelt down and bowed to the floor while her two hands were on the floor while crying. The other Assistants did the same inside and outside the palace.

Queen Xena was about to put her cup back on the wooden table when she suddenly let go of it when she heard the entirety of what the Chief Assistant had told her. She looked at her with surprise because she seemed to be deaf and couldn't believe what she heard. Lately they have only been exchanging letters, saying hello and catching up on what happened on their travels and to talk to other Kingdoms.

The Princess immediately sat up straight while the Prince stood up closer to the Chief Assistant. From what they heard like their mother, they also could not believe what was reported. Tears began to form in the eyes of the Princess as she continued to understand what the Chief Assistant had said.

"That's not true, Chief Assistant" Prince Kaiser said in his deep voice.

"What I am saying is true, Fourth Prince. According to the King's companions, when they were returning home from the Huba Empire, they were suddenly attacked by the bandits on Mount Agapo*. A steep and narrow mountain in the Empire. That's why the King's chariot fell into the ravine." When she said that, she cried even more, and so did the other servants.

The Queen suddenly weakened from what she heard and seemed to feel dizzy and lost consciousness. Her children immediately helped her.

"Your Majesty!" The Chief Assistant shouted as she saw the Queen fall to the floor.

"Call a doctor! Hurry up!" The Prince shouted as he continued to wake up their mother. The Princess who is now crying does the same.

The Chief Assistant immediately stood up and went out to order a guard to find a doctor in the palace hospital.

They helped lift it and carry it to her bed to rest while waiting for the doctor to be called.

A few moments later, a doctor arrived with two female nurses who would pulse the Queen. The three immediately approached the Queen's bed. The male doctor stopped at a barrier made of a thin white cloth and the two female nurses continued up to the side of the Queen.

"Do it!" The doctor said behind the cloth. After the two nurses bowed, one nurse immediately take the of the Queen and feel her pulse. After the first nurse hit it, another one followed.

"How is the Queen?" The Fifth Prince immediately asked the two nurses who pulsed her.

"You have nothing to worry about Dear Prince. Her Majesty just lost consciousness and she will wake up soon." Said the previous nurse.

The Prince and the Princess breathed a sigh of relief when they heard about the Queen, but you couldn't deny that they were currently feeling sad at that moment.

The doctor and the two nurses left the palace. Princess Kreisha was by her mother's side while Prince Kaiser left to find out more details about the King's death.

On the other side of the palace. In the Palace of Denam* where the Second Rank Royal Consort Henna resides. He was praying fervently in a prayer room she built inside the palace since she heard the sound of the drum a few minutes ago. The Second Princess, Princess Chiara, was praying with her in the room.

This room was designed by the Royal Consort Henna herself, in memory of the place where she used to pray. The window of the room was surrounded by a white curtain, the wooden floor was covered with bear skin, while the pillars were carved with various floral designs. In front of it, there is an altar where the food offerings are placed surrounded by white candles placed in their small golden vessels.

Henna is religious. Even before they were married to King Aldrich IV, since childhood, her parents always took her to the Temple of the Creator* to pray, make offerings and fast.

In the middle of her prayer, the wind suddenly blew so strong that the candles lighting the entire room could not be seen at that moment. It was a bad omen that the Second Rank Royal Consort feared. She just stared into nothingness and thought that nothing bad had happened to the King.

The Helpers who were inside the room lit all the candles again, which went out at the same time due to the wind blowing. When all the candles there were lit, the mother and daughter continued their prayers.

From the gate of Denam Palace under the light of the setting sun the Second Rank Royal Consort's Chief Assistant Sama quickly ran. Catching her breath, she entered the prayer room.

"Your Highness, the Noble King." Chief Assistant Sama said after she bowed to pay respect to her leader.

The Royal Consort and the Second Princess looked at the Chief Assistant at the same time.

"What did you say Chief Assistant?" The Royal Consort asked her Chief Assistant.

"The King has passed away!" She suddenly knelt down and bowed with tears falling while saying the words she had said.

"That's not true!" The Second Princess shouted.

Her cry felt the unwelcome news of the King's death. She sat on the floor while crying. The same thing happened to the Royal Consort. When she sat down on the floor, the Chief Assistant and other Assistants who were there immediately went to her, picked her up and took her to a bed in the other room.

In the Palace of Garam*, the Palace where Third Rank Royal Consort Danih resides. The Royal Consort was already inside the room and was currently embroidering a dress made of the fur of an animal to give as a gift to the King when she returned from a trip when they suddenly heard the sound of a drum, at that moment her heartbeat suddenly accelerated when she held on to it. Wondering who died in the King's House. At the same time, her son, the Fourth Prince was currently away from their Kingdom as he was studying in the Utara Kingdom.

"Mother!" The Third Princess screamed breathlessly as she entered her mother's Palace.

The Princess immediately came to her and hugged her mother. The fears in their eyes at that moment were obvious.

"Big Brother?" She said while still hugging her mother.

"Don't worry Evonne, nothing bad will happen to your brother." Ensuring this to her daughter Princess.

After she said that, the palace door suddenly opened and the Chief Assistant of the Third Rank Royal Consort, Lupeh, spat out from there. The Royal Consort and the Princess immediately met her to find out the bad news.

She immediately knelt on the floor while crying. The mother and daughter were immediately nervous when they saw the reaction of the Chief Assistant.

"What happened Chief Assistant Lupeh?" The Royal Consort asked the bowing Chief Assistant.

"The King is gone. The carriage he was riding in fell when they were returning to our Kingdom from the Huba Empire." As Chief Assistant Lupeh announced, the world of the Royal Consort of the Third Rank seemed to have stopped spinning.

Her chest began to tighten due to her difficulty breathing. The Chief Assistant immediately ordered an Assistant by her side to fetch a glass of water. The Royal Consort, on the other hand, sat back in her seat while clutching her chest.

"Mom, just calm down." Her daughter Princess advises her.

"Your Father is gone. The King is gone." At that moment she couldn't help but cry.

A few minutes from when they heard the drum of the palace. All the citizens of the whole Kingdom of Barat, whether rich or poor and even merchants from distant kingdoms came out of their homes. They all knelt on the ground, bowing their heads while crying. Even they don't know who passed away in the King's clan. All sympathize with the loss of the member of the Kingdom.

This is a tradition that has been handed down since the four Kingdoms were an Empire and has not disappeared until today.

Twelve soldiers of the Kingdom on horseback came out from the four gates of the Palace. From Hiba* gate in the north, Sina* gate in the east, Tigo* gate in the south and Kala* gate in the west.

"King Aldrich Abasdarhan IV has passed away!" This is what the twelve soldiers of the kingdom repeatedly shouted throughout the Kingdom of Barat. This is their way to convey to the citizens of Barat who died.

It was as if a huge rock fell on them at that moment. The feeling of sadness and sorrow, of the people outside their house when they found out who passed away, became even more intense.

The King symbolizes the strength and durability of a Kingdom. It warms the heart of every citizen. When they lose their determination to serve and courage to fight, a place can be conquered by the enemies they are waiting for.

SEVEN CHARIOTS FROM THE HUBA EMPIRE WALKING SLOWLY. They carry torches that serve as light for the soldiers who are there and with every step they take, you don't hear a single word from them. Their eyes also show the sadness they have been feeling ever since they crossed the Huba territory. Traces of dried tears on their cheeks can be seen on their cheeks because of the death that befell the King and their other companions.

The cries of the citizens and the sound of footsteps and the running of the carriage are the only things you can hear along the road leading to the Tigo gate. And at the entrance of the door were there and waiting the Officials and Ministers of the palace as well as the Third and Fifth Princes Claudius and Kaiser.

They silently waited for the carriage to approach. You can hear nothing but the soft sobbing of Ministers and Officials behind the two Princes. Although the stance of the two Princes is elegant, you can see the sadness they feel in their eyes. The hope that the news that reached them at that moment was wrong.

Seven carriages stopped in front of them. The soldiers bowed in respect to the two Princes and the Ministers and Officers present before they lined up to the side.

"Dear Princes!" The Captain greeted the two prince. He was also with the King on his journey to keep watch.

"Where is His Majesty, Captain Aquian?" The Third Prince asked him.

"Follow me." He bowed again before walking towards the first carriage.

The two Princes followed the Captain until they were in front of the carriage carrying the remains of the King. It holds the door. The Third Prince seemed to be losing strength to pull open the carriage door. Praying that the King is alive. Their father is alive and the news they heard recently was wrong.

"Brother Claudius." His younger brother called him.

He held him by the right shoulder, which he in turn reached with his left hand. Gently squeezed and nodded to it. Because of that, the nervousness he felt was relieved. He slowly opened the carriage door. When he saw the body lying on the chair there, he recognized it because of its dark-colored clothing decorated with gold and embroidered with the shape of a dragon in the middle of its front. He couldn't stop the tears from falling from his eyes. He was ready for what would happen as soon as he saw his lips, but no matter what preparation he did, it was nothing because the sadness he felt would still subside. Even the Fifth Prince couldn't stop the tears that had formed in his eyes.

He closed the door again. And motioned to the Captain to continue walking. Along with the Ministers and Officials of the palace, they walked together in silence followed by seven carriages to the Temple of Mourning* to bathe and dress the body of the late King.

In that temple the deceased relatives of the King are brought. They will be bathed with water taken directly from the body of the Tree of Life*. Believing that the water from here will cleanse the personality of a person who has passed away, which is the reason for its easy ascent to the heaven.

While they waited for the process to be completed on the King. The two Princes first returned to their Mothers' Palace to change into light-colored robes, as did the Ministers and other Officials.

In the belief of the Kingdom of Barat, wearing white color clothes means and symbolizes a peaceful journey of the souls of the dead. It is a peaceful color that also reflects light in dark environments. White is clean, untainted and refreshing. It also represents death and transition. It is not always a literal death but a new life in heaven with the Creator, a return to the simple and pure soul of the departed.

In Bekam Palace. Queen Xena along with the First Princess, Princess Kreisha immediately greeted her son Prince when she saw him entering from the palace gate. The Queen held the hand of the Prince's son and prayed in her mind that what her Chief Assistant first reported about her husband the King was not true. But fate is playful. Suddenly the Queen fell to the ground when the Prince told her what he saw. The Queen's chest is getting tight, she can barely breathe because of the weight she feels at that moment.

"The Dear King is gone, your Father is gone!" This is what she said over and over as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. "Why does this have to happen to us? How....what about our Kingdom! How about me when my beloved husband is gone?"

"My brothers and sister are still here." Said the Fifth Prince, followed by the First Princess.

Losing a loved one and partner in life is the most painful thing that comes to anyone's life. Whether you are royalty or poor. Especially a King is gone. Not only the Royal family lost but the entire Kingdom.

Sadness and weeping is what you will hear in Denam Palace when the Third Prince tells his Royal Mother what he saw in the carriage. He and his sister were in the arms of thier mother while crying over the death of his King's Father.

After the King was bathed, dressed and perfumed, his remains were taken out of the room where the purification was carried out to the altar where it would be prayed, and could be visited by anyone to be seen by people who wanted to sympathize except for those with low positions inside and outside the palace.

* * * * *

*Himabuyan - Month of May

*Danghus - Thursday

*Tree of Life - It is believed that the sap from this Tree will deliver the souls of the departed.

*Mount Agapo - Mountain in the land of the Huba Empire

*Gate

-Hiba

-Sina

-Tigo

-Kala

*Chief Assistant - Highest rank in the ranks of Assistants. She is directly in charge of the Royal Clans.

*Bekam Palace - Queen's Palace

*Denam Palace - Palace of the Second Rank Royal Consort

*Garam Palace - Third Rank Royal Consort's Palace

*Temple of the Creator - Place of prayer

*Temple of Mourning- Place where the dead body was stayed to be seen by the Royal family, Ministers and other government officials.

*Creator - God

* * * * *