A Princess for the Witch Doctor (Legends of Rahasia Book 3)

Chapter Thirty-Five

It is night when we rumble towards the sea. A coastline covered in bones, remnants from the Second Divine War. It happened so quickly, when I was just a child.

When the goddess of death brought the dead back to life, an army of the reanimated, fighting the opposing godly army.

The gods squabble, and humans die, or the dead ones come back just to die again.

Must that be our fate?

"Selamat malam, putri." The Jiwanese ambassador, a woman wearing a kebaya and tunic, a rose-colored batik sash slung over her shoulder. Her hair's tied back in a bun, a few wisps waving as she attempts a formal Rahasian bow. "Good night to you, Princess Arnina Ode, First Heiress of Rahasia. Daughter of the Šāhanšāh of your great Empire." She straightens, Zahra nodding stiffly in return, staring at some point over her head at the ship. I try my hardest to focus on the foreign ambassador, hoping to make a good impression and keep us from war. "I trust you are prepared for a palace trip?" Her gaze falls uneasily to my attire, what must seem confusingly masculine to her. Plated armor, and a full belt of weaponry. I don't see why. Baba Elio wears a blade to political negotiations all the time. Even Ryu carries a simple dagger. And nobody bats an eye.

But when a girl does it...

I smile slightly, adjusting my belt and dagger for luck, Baqir's weight familiar at my side. "Saya mengerti tradisi, saudara perempuan. I understand tradition, my sister."

Zahra snaps back to attention, leaning down from where she towers over the ambassador and me. The poor woman has to crane her neck. "I packed multiple formal outfits for her, just in case." She shifts her weight, so the Jiwanese ambassador no longer has to strain to look at her. "I promise you, سيدتي,sayidati, sister..." she fights a smile. "I promise you our good amira cleans up nicely. And if not, the good Šāhanšāh has brought a retinue of servants to remind her of her status in this dealing."

My stomach plummets as I recognize the coy nagging of political power there, how Zahra smoothly hinted at the might of our Empire. Yes, a host of servants. To remind our princess and you of all that's on the line here.

"Saudara perempuan, my sister." I follow the woman onto the boat. She fights to keep her expression carefully neutral, though I can feel her seething from Zahra's implication. "What our Empire most desires is ultimately the same goal as Jiwa. It is peace. It always has been, and always will be the goal."

The ambassador stiffens, pausing before we step onto the boat. Pirates aren't that big an issue after the Second Divine War and a certain notorious pirate captain called Lucky Dice signed a truce with the Empire. But if pirates were an issue, the modified pinisi spares no expense, boasting an extended cargo and crew hold with Idriolan technology and powder-lantern explosives from Okami. I take this time to look closer at the ambassador, about my height, though I'm not a giantess like Zahra.

"Nama saya Mawar, putri. My name is Mawar, princess." She whispers so softly that I'm not sure she spoke at all, except for I can see her lips moving. Her dark hair framing soft brown skin, startling green eyes staring out from a face that's gaunt with worry. "My sister was in the city when the riots happened. I can only pray she made it to your palace. Last I heard, she was with child. But, as an ambassador whose job it is to ensure that you feel comfortable in our kingdom, the uncertainty of my own sister's fate is magnified so much more." She looks back with a small smile, and I'm imprisoned by the sadness in those green eyes. The dread, mirroring my own. "We are insignificant. You and Sultan Raharjo, may he live long and bear many heirs, are the only ones that matter in this game. You rulers are giants, and we are ants crushed beneath your heel."

A sister with child.

Wait, no, I remember this. Ratu, she explained that she had to help a woman who was giving birth in the palace. When we were reading Boaz's letter...

"She's safe, sister." I inform her, watching her mask slip ever so slightly. Tears well in her eyes. "Both of them are."

"I... I see... Let me lead you to your quarters then."

She pats her hand against her hair, tucking the wisps delicately back into place, pasting on a fake smile of pleasantry. It's like every action's weighted. As dread weighs me down equally, it's like a stone falling into water. The rippling effect touching the far edges across the pond, ending in life or death for the insects drowning on the opposite shore.

I take a deep breath, Zahra steadying me and watching Mawar's retreating form with a grimace. "Real comforting for an ambassador, huh? More like a messenger of doom and gloom."

I lean on her shoulder as we make our way onto the ship, the traditional cloth sails set out against the wind. "I think her message was simple." I exhale shakily. "Don't screw up."

***

Readers,

I think the pressure's getting to our princess.

What do you think of Mawar?

-Sophia