CHAPTER V Stopover - Part 1

The sea breeze smells salty, along with dozens of seagulls that are nestled together in the clear sky

"Huaaah! ...."

Guza-guza...

Anna rubbed her eyes as she sat on the edge of the soft mattress filled with cotton.

Knock-knock-knock!

"Princess?"

From behind the door, a boy's voice was heard, the voice sounded a little embarrassed and light. It must be Ron, muttered Anna in her heart as a cute smile crossed her face.

"Yes ..., please come in!"

Kreeek...

Duk duk duk duk duk duk duk

Plap!

"What's wrong, Ron?"

The boy was silent and didn't answer while hugging and sinking his face into Anna's stomach.

"Ron ..., did you have another nightmare?"

"... yes ..."

Anna got off her bed and knelt down and hugged Ron, whose face was flushed with tears at the edge of her eye.

" Ron ..., what are you dreaming of?"

Anna's soft and slow voice seemed to have managed to calm Ron's heart from his fear. Ron began to lift his face while wiping tears.

"Princess promise you will not go away!"

"Hm! I promise, now tell me your dream!"

Taking a few steps away from Anna, Ron began to tell the story by acting out his dream through hand movements.

"At first I only saw a green room with a wide expanse of grass, very wide… and the sun also shone brightly on it.

Then my left and right everyone gathered while chatting happily, however ... suddenly a giant shadow covered the sun.

Then three giant creepy creatures appear before us. The three of them roared loudly while kicking off one of their legs.

At first, everyone seemed oblivious, but then everyone turned their gaze towards the three beings. Then ... hick! hick! "

Ron's tears began to flow.

"Calm down, it's okay now ...!"

Anna showed Ron a warm smile, and Ron responded by sinking his face again into Anna's chest as he began to slowly continue his story.

"First, Ms. Lily, she disappeared in the flames of fire, ... then so did the others who began to disappear in the fire one by one. Until finally leaving me alone in front of the three creatures, before then the fire started to devour me "

"Apparently, Ron is still depressed about Ms. Lily" Anna whispered to herself. "Is that so …, then you don't have to worry! I will always be with you, I promise! "

While Anna lifted the boy's face and showed a warm smile.

"Ron ..., are you crying again ??"

The voice was Pito, who was leaning on the edge of the door with folded hands, looking at Ron, whom Anna was comforting in her arms.

"No wonder you disappeared when I wake up, it turns out crying in the arms of the princess again, right!"

Ron's face immediately flushed with embarrassment when his brother made fun of him, Anna did not remain silent even though she actually wanted to smile seeing Ron's embarrassed face which drowned herself even more in Anna's arms.

"Pitoo ..., maybe you want me to hug you too, right?"

"Ha?"

Pito's face immediately turned red.

"Come here~, what's with that red face of yours? don't you want to be hugged too? Come here, don't be embarrassed! "

"Haaaa ?! Who is...! Don't equate me with a child, who also wants to be hugged? "

Pito immediately turned his face away while holding back his embarrassment.

"Hap !!"

Anna immediately jumped from behind to hug Pito.

"What ?! ..., let go off, princess!"

"Eh? ~ Don't be shy, all children deserve a hug, right?"

Pito's face reddened even more as he tried to escape while being watched by Ron hovering beside them while chuckling.

"Hup!"

"Ha?! Mr. Akno !! "

"Ugh !! What smell is this?"

Akno suddenly came and embraced Anna and Pito in his arms, while walking through the hallway to the kitchen.

"Looks like you guys are very well this morning, he he! Then it's a coincidence because I just caught these mackerels. Look, big isn't it! "

"Haaaaa? I want to read, I do not want to clean that stink fishes! "

"Pitooo ~, children who don't want to help out in the kitchen can't join breakfast, you know! Isn't that right, Herman?! "

"Ha? ... Oh, you guys are awake!"

They arrived at the kitchen, the kitchen was a little wide from the room. Then at the end of the room, there is a door that connects it to the small garden which is located outside the wooden house, the farm.

Inside the kitchen is equipped with various furniture, such as three pottery stoves, a long table complete with cooking utensils, and a place to wash and clean raw materials.

In front of the pottery stove, Herman could be seen with his glasses standing on his foot while confused by Akno's greeting.

"Herman ~, what you should say isn't 'Oh, you guys are awake!' ... right? "

"Huh? I don't understand ... "

"Hmm…, I was telling them that they have to help out in the kitchen if they want to get their breakfast! Then ... uh, forget it ..."

" Hm ?"

Akno lowered Pito and Anna while also placing the fish he had caught. Pito did not waste the opportunity to escape. However, while installing a radiant face Anna and Ron immediately stop Pito to encourage Pito for helping cleaning the fish Akno caught.

Pito had no choice but to help out, even though his face had an 'ugh !!' expression. because he doesn't like the smell that the fish emit.

Then Akno placed a teapot filled with water on the pottery stove, next to Herman, who returned to cooking on the pot.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"... Um ..., at least no one bothers me while cooking, right?" Herman smiled, but he couldn't hide his sad expression from his friend.

"Is that so? Then don't cry in the middle of the night in my room if you miss her! "

"Huh, c-cry ...!? I never cried into your room, right !! "

"Eh ~, so every night Herman cries in Akno's room?"

Daisy emerged from the door, teasing Herman who was annoyed with Akno.

"Not!! I don't cry ..., also it's not every night, you think I'm a thirteen-year-old girl?! "

"But last night I heard a man sobbing so much that I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, so that's you, Herman?" Daisy continued teasingly.

"Huh, w-w-w-who cried in the middle of the night !!"

The atmosphere that was gloomy immediately turned cheerful again. Colored with various jokes, the fighters forgot for a moment the big mission they had carried out along with the various hard times they had passed.

While opening the wooden door, Akno brought a teapot and some biscuits on a tray. The sky was clear, the perfect time to drink tea for Grandpa Dekker.

Akno slowly walked over to Dekker's grandfather, who sat silently in his wheelchair while looking at the vast sea. The wide blue sea as far as the eye could see also swayed a little, but it did not shake because of the size of the ship they were on. The d'jong ship, which was carrying Mr. Dekker on the middle deck.

About a few weeks ago, after an encounter with the demons and the sudden appearance of the Sultan Agung, the Pitung fighters agreed to go to Mataram to meet the Javanese king once again. Even more so for Anna, who still doesn't know her past, which there isn't much that can be extracted from the fighters who don't know much about Anna's true past.

So, with this agreement, they sailed through the northern seas of the island of Java. Wherein the ability of the old man, they built a large enough space to renew their farms over the middle deck of the d'jong.

Akno walked towards the end of the d'jong's front deck, where the old man Dekker was sitting in his wheelchair while looking at the wide sea.

"How about Herman?"

"Looks like he's still a little depressed, Mr. Dekker "

While Akno put a cup of tea on a table near Dekker, the old man began to spoke again.

"This trip seems to be getting longer, I don't know how long I can accompany you"

"..."

Akno's gaze immediately fell, unable to respond to his grandfather's words.

"Akno ..., don't be sad, I rely on you to look after them"

"However, sir!"

While turning his wheelchair, the grandfather slapped the young man's arm.

"Smile, you will not be alone"

"... Yes sir !! "

Akno raised his face and showed a confident smile.

Soon thereafter, gamelan sounds and various songs were heard accompanied by traditional Javanese music.

"Woaaaah !!" Ron's eyes filled with wonder as he emerged from within the ranch with the others.

"Amazing, so this is what is called Javanese traditional music, really different from what I read in books!"

" My friends, please welcome the artfull village with fresh air and friendly native, this is ... Kendal !!!"

Daisy stretched out her arms towards the land which was beginning to appear in front of their d'jong ship.

As if welcoming Anna and the Pitungs, the local people danced and played various traditional Javanese music. The atmosphere was so festive but also felt so sublime as if they breathed a cool feeling from their songs.

The land was getting closer, and a figure began to appear on the edge of the beach. A figure riding a horse in his royal clothes while being accompanied by several people around him.

He is the Sultan Agung, the king of the land of Java.