Chapter 11: Turning of the Tide

The Lady of the River, meanwhile, made the judgement that the enemy forces were still too strong for the home army. She thus made the decision to invoke some other kin of her father, the Sakti Muna Dragon.

One after the other, they duly appeared. First to arrive was the Ananta Bhoga Dragon, also called the Shaker of Seas, the biggest of the dragons, who inhabited the deepest oceans at the ends of the earth. Then came the Fire Dragon, who breathed out giant flames from his mouth and nostrils. Next came the Whiplash Dragon, who would lash his enemies like a whip with his tail, which was hard as steel and had sharp serrated edges.

Then the Poison Dragon arrived, who would spray deadly toxin to all foes. The Monk Dragon appeared afterward, who would sit absolutely still like a meditating hermit, while sucking and swallowing his hapless victims alive. The last to arrive was the Storm Dragon, sometimes called the Dragon of Day, keeper of the Eye of the Wind, who would stir up violent typhoons and whirlwinds to throw all enemies into disarray and then destroy them.

"Hey! Hooray!" Nibung clapped. "Now the fight is even. The defenders have a chance!"

The Fire Dragon blew out enormous flames in every direction, each time searing or completely burning scores of enemy fighters along with their elephants. While dozens of others, again with their elephants, lurched and swayed, before fainting on their feet and collapsing, finally succumbing to the potent bursts of toxin spewed out by the Poison Dragon. 

From the Storm Dragon issued mighty typhoons that shook every division of the enemy army to their core, then raised their soldiers up high into the air, and scattered them away in all directions, smashing them into boulders, trees and their own colleagues as they fell down to earth again.

"Serves them right," Pinang snorted. "They'd been so cruel."

Thus the appearance of the Sakti Muna Dragon and the Lady of the Lake, followed by their friends the Celestial Horse and the six other dragons, brought new hope to the defenders' army. Their tired bodies felt like they had obtained a second wind. Infused with fresh vigour, they forgot their pain, injury and fatigue, and they started fighting again like men possessed. Even their exhausted horses, bulls and buffaloes caught the new frenzy, like the animals could indeed also sense that victory was now suddenly in reach for their masters' side.

The home army now battled with much greater ferocity, fierce and fearless, pouncing on their foes like tigers provoked, furiously seeking them out like bees whose hive had been shaken. Every warrior among them now fought like a god of war who had suddenly come into supreme wrath. The tide of battle had turned.

They pressed their enemy and fell upon them with increasing ferocity. The conquerors' army began to wilt and wither under the defenders' onslaught, some of their men now fleeing with all speed from the battlefield. Even their fearsome battle elephants had wilted under the charges of the dragons, tens of the huge beasts now bolting and stampeding from the field at a time, wailing for all they were worth, charging, crushing and trampling their own men who stood in their way.

In the end, the conquerors' army collapsed upon itself, the defenders pouncing on and cutting down the last remnants of them left standing, then gathering the enemy's weapons. The home army at last prevailed.

"Yay!" Nibung clapped again. "Sejahtera Pura won! The home army won! Hip, hip, hooray!"

§

"A magnificent tale,” Adhi Vira strode into the main guest area of his home from the direction of the verandah, clapping in applause. "And the storyteller gets my marks for brilliant storytelling."

"Thank you, Sir," Uda beamed with pride.

"Father!" Kembang Seri Wangi looked mildly surprised. “You've been spying on us."

“Not at all, Wangi," responded the prince. "I didn't want to disrupt your concentration, and that includes the storyteller. You all seemed so absorbed. So I just kept listening from the verandah, while enjoying my smoke, until the story ended."

“Father,” Pinang spoke suddenly. “Why don't we all just summon the Sakti Muna Dragon and the Lady of the River to help us fight our enemies at Bukit Panau?"

“Yes, Father,” Nibung weighed in. “If they two appear, along with the Celestial Horse and their other dragon friends, and help us, I'm sure we will be victorious over our conquerors."

“Pinang, Nibung,” Adhi Vira wiped his face, which was wet with sweat. "Perhaps one day such a thing will happen. Maybe the time for it has not yet arrived."

Utih, who was now leaning by the window sill, stole a quick glance at Adhi Vira, his face a picture of amazement. Adhi Vira slipped him a spontaneous squint, thinking that none of the children were watching.

“Father,” Nibung spoke. “Why were you squinting?"

“Oh! It's nothing, Son,” Adhi Vira rubbed his eye. “Must've been a little piece of dust got into my eye."

“Well, it's the weather,” Utih added quickly. “It's been a bit windy, lots of dust flying around."

Uda smiled to himself. Kenanga Sari looked like she was thinking hard for a while, then she smiled to herself too.

§

"Father," Pinang spoke again. “I want to learn silat, and also the other fighting arts, like spelek, including fighting with weapons. I want to be a warrior one day. I want to fight for the freedom of our people and our land.”

“Me too, Father," Nibung added. "I have something to settle with those evil men from Palembang. They're still lording it over the people of Bukit Panau. They did bad to my parents. I want to kill them all."

"So do I, Father," Pinang continued. "I want to cut them up into little pieces, if I ever get the chance."

“I want to be able to fight too, Father,” Kembang Seri Wangi who had been silent for a while now spoke. "I want to be a warrioress, a fine brave one, like the Lady of the River."

"Count me in as well, Sir," Kenanga Sari insisted. "Wangi is going to need some female company on the battlefield. I want to be up there with her."

"Wonderful! That's all wonderful!” Adhi Vira responded. “I shall begin by teaching you all the art of archery."

"But we're not yet strong enough to hold a bow and draw an arrow, Father," Nibung looked hesitant."

"Of course you are," Adhi Vira assured him. "I'll make some small bows and arrows for you all to practise with. Perhaps Utih and Uda can help me with that."

"Hey! Wouldn't that be great?" Pinang cheered. "We'd be hunting fowl soon."

"And mousedeer," added Nibung. "What about other weapons, Father?"

"For the moment, you're all not ready yet to learn fighting with other weapons. How about you first learn the basics of combat, without weapons, from Utih and Uda? When you're ready for the next stage, then I'll teach you all myself."

"Hey! Hey! That's fantastic!" Pinang punched his palm excitedly. "Shall we begin tomorrow then, Uncle Utih, Uncle Uda?"

"Well, Utih, Uda?" Adhi Vira watched the two young men. "You heard the children. Are you up to it?"

"We have no problems with that, Sir," answered Utih. "It's only that ... we don't have a fixed job for us to sustain ourselves here."

"Small matter," Adhi Vira responded. "You two can work for me. I'll find something for you to do, besides training up these children for me. Would you have any difficulty in leaving your family for a little while?"

"We don't have any more immediate family, Lord." Uda answered. "Our parents were all killed during an attack by Biduk Bota and his henchmen."

"That monster again! He's the source of every wicked deed in this land. You never told me of this earlier."

"We didn't want to burden you with our troubles, Sir," Uda answered.

"So who're you two staying with now?"

"Between Uda and I … we're cousins," Utih replied. "Just like Nibung and Pinang. We used to live with our grandparents. But since they both passed away, we're left all to ourselves, in the old delapidated bamboo hut that we've inherited from them."

"So what do you both do for a living?"

"We do odd jobs for people. Anything that puts food on the table. Planting padi. Felling trees. Building huts, or boats. Digging wells, or graves. Any work offered to us by the villagers."

"That's good. You're both feisty survivors. I like that. From now on, you can work for me. We'll start by building two extra rooms for you two in this house."

"Hey! Hey!,” Nibung applauded. "That means we can train in silat and spelek everyday!

"And hear stories too!" added Pinang.

§

"Well, let's put it this way, chidren," Adhi Vira continued. "We'll never ever truly know if they really ever existed, or they were merely an inspired creation of an ancient storyteller's imagination. As far as I know, nobody known to me has yet seen even a glimpse of the Sakti Muna Dragon, the Lady of the River or the Celestial Horse. Let alone I myself."

"But Father," Kembang Seri Wangi began her query, "many people in all the lands of Langkasuka, especially here in Amdan Negara, believe fervently in the tale. Could we not, at least, keep it as a source of inspiration for them? I think they're very much in need of one."

"You may be right, Wangi," responded Adhi Vira. "Like you say, our people hold this story dearly in their hearts. All I want to do is remind us all, that preparations for battle and fighting have to be made based on things that are hard and firm. We cannot depend in the least on something that only exists in the world of our own imagination."

"So there isn't any value to this Sakti Muna legend then?" Kembang Seri Wangi looked dissatisfied.

"Of course there is," answered her father. "Precisely because of its entertaining story, which makes people want to listen to it time after time, it has immense value as a conveyor of lessons. To children as well as adults. So, would you four be able to dissect the tale and extract your own powerful lessons from it?"

"Among them," Nibung ventured, "if one does not give in to despair, if one keeps fighting for what one wants, one eventually succeeds."

"When we're faced with a tough challenge, like when we have to face a much stronger enemy, it might be wise for us to enlist the aid of allies," Pinang attempted.

"Intelligence and wisdom, backed up with confidence, a stout heart and an indomitable spirit, can give us victory even against huge odds," Kembang Seri Wangi opined. "The home army faced an enemy which heavily outnumbered them. So they fought their foes in a narrow restricted space, and thereby wiped out the enemy's advantage. They also kept attacking them and pressuring them in multiple ways."

"Anything else?" 

"It's good to have many loyal friends and allies," Kenanga Sari offered. "So that when our well being is threatened, and we're unable to defend ourselves on our own, there would still be others who could come to our aid."

"Father,” Pinang spoke. "According to the people around these parts, you're a great warrior, whose prowess has yet no equal. Is that true?"

"Yes, Father," Nibung added. "I've heard that often too."

"I just keep trying my best," replied Adhi Vira. "Great or otherwise, that's mostly beyond our control, for circumstances, as well as fate, also often influence our ability, behaviour and actions. The best that we can do is to constantly keep ourselves in the fittest and most agile condition possible."

"Father," Pinang continued. "Can I be a great warrior one day? As great as you?"

"Me too, Father," Nibung added. "Could I do it?"

"No reason why not, Pinang, Nibung," Adhi Vira responded. "Anybody who's prepared to toil and strive is capable of becoming a great warrior. Only, what often becomes his constraint is his own attitude and commitment. Of course, you need a strong body and a stout heart too, plus great courage as well as immense fighting skills, but these too can all be developed with untiring effort."

"Father," Kembang Seri Wangi spoke again. "Is it true like what Utih said, that we were originally Mala people, and that between us and the Mon, we were both sprung of the same one tribe?"

"That is very true," answerd Adhi Vira. "Mon and Mala were indeed, many centuries ago, the same one tribe. Same cluster, same stem, same roots. They were the adhi vamsa, the native indigenous people, of all the lands of Langkasuka as well as those regions farther up in the north. But the name Mal, the short version of Mala, became Mon when spoken by the northern portions of the tribe, because of their thick accent. The same way the word Nagar, or Nagara, became Nakhon when spoken by them."

"Right. Now it's a lot clearer to me."

"Only perhaps there might be certain quarters, maybe those with their own interests, who would prefer that this fact remains forgotten. Hidden and buried in the dusts of time.  So that relations between the Mon and the Mala never become close again, lest they might reunite and reintegrate, and become much stronger against their enemies."

"But I thought that the native people of all Suvarna Bhumi were the Naga People, Sir," Kenanga Sari looked confused.

"You are right too, Kenanga," Adhi Vira assured the girl. "The ancient Mala or Mon tribes were also called Naga tribes by the people of Hindustan, the word naga meaning snake in Sanskrit, because they revered snakes in their culture, believing that snakes were divine. Why do you think a legend with a snake or a dragon in it is always immensely popular among our people? It's because we are the descendants of the Naga People, or the Mala tribes."

§

Six months passed. The number of children training under the tutelage of Utih and Uda had expanded manyfold. Pinang and Nibung roped in their other friends to come and train along with them. So did Kembang Seri Wangi and Kenanga Sari, and the number of trainees kept growing. Occasionally, Adhi Vira would drop in to watch them train, giving comments and advice when appropriate, sometimes even showing a move or two.

Twice a week, sometimes thrice if they were in the mood for it, they trained. The young men would teach the kids the proper way to punch, parry, elbow, evade, knee, kick and headbutt an opponent, or to grapple and wrestle with an adversary and hold or lock them into submission, and the kids would repeat after them. The trainers would then demonstrate to their students some classic fight moves and counter moves, then the kids, pairing up, would again repeat after them, time and time again, until they had mastered those moves to the best of their ability.

Every training day now ended with a session of unorchestrated free flow, free style sparring. During this stage, every kid had the chance to engage in robust combat with any partner, using any style or form, under close observation but minimum interference. The trainees would try out moves they had been taught. Occasionally, they would come up with some creative original move of their own. Utih or Uda would rush in to intervene when a fight threatened to spin severely out of control. These things sped up the children's learning process and made them grow in confidence.

One day, during a rest break, some of the children again got around to talking and arguing about the legend of the Sakti Muna Dragon.

"It's true!" Nibung shouted. "It's all true. Otherwise Amdan Negara wouldn't be here today, it's the heir of Sejahtera Pura."

"Don't be daft!" Pinang sneered. "How could a dragon fly? Even your goat can't fly high enough to reach the high tree leaves." The other children guffawed.

"But this was many centuries ago," countered Kenanga Sari. "Things were different in those days."

Adhi Vira sipped some nira, the delicious nectar-sweet drink extracted from the yet unblossomed coconut flower, from his bamboo drinking vessel, quenching the thirst plaguing his throat after a full morning's work in the sun tending to his vegetable field. He was addicted to the juice. It just seemed to tease and tantalise his tastebuds.

“Pinang, Nibung,” Adhi Vira slipped in. "The legend of Sejahtera Pura is merely an evergreen folk tale, unrotted by the rain, unwithered by the sun. I myself have never ceased to be amazed by it, ever since I was a kid, no matter how many times it was told to me."

"See! I told you all, didn't I?" Pinang looked pleased with himself, his wisdom now proven and endorsed, at least by his own judgement.

"Now Father's going to disappoint us," Kembang Seri Wangi looked apprehensive.

"Not really," Adhi Vira continued. "Quite often legends are essentially formed from accounts of real history, dressed up and frilled up by talespinners to make them more entertaining. And Nibung is still right about Amdan Negara being the heir of Sejahtera Pura. For the Sejahtera Pura of the legend is based on Chi Tu, Raktam Rttika or Bumi Merah, the Red Earth Kingdom."

"Hooray!" Nibung screamed in delight. He had only ventured a guess, but it turned out to be correct.

"But you were still wrong about a dragon that could fly," Pinang remained defiant.

"Then who was the Sakti Muna Dragon, or the Lord of the Mountain, if he wasn't a real dragon?" asked Kenanga Sari.

"Many people believe that he was actually someone named Awang, a brave chieftain of Bukit Panau who was instrumental in the founding of Bumi Merah. Because he came as leader of a group of migrants from Gunung Batu (Stone Mountain), they called him Lord of the Mountain. And, because his ancestors originally came from a place far yonder in the north, in Dvara Vati in the lands of our cousin tribes the Muna or Mon people, they also called him the Sakti Muna Dragon. A name which was inspired by an even older legend, which claims that there was once a powerful dragon, a real dragon, which was the divine protector of all the lands of Langkasuka."

"Which was also named Sakti Muna," Kembang Seri Wangi speculated, "and which also originally came from the lands of the Muna or Mon far in the north."

"And which was also a real avatar, so to speak, of a real, more ancient, Lord of the Mountain," Kenanga Sari prodded home.

"Exactly."

Nibung scratched his head again, the lengthy and convoluted explanation of the Sejahtera Pura story stretching his young mind to almost its limits, while Pinang continued to listen calmly nevertheless.

"Father, you always make a simple story sound so difficult," complained Nibung. "You're not like Uncle Uda."

"That must be why folks say I'm a bad storyteller, Son," Adhi Vira grinned. "When I tell a story, the crowd disperses rather than gathers." Kenanga Sari chuckled. "But, yes, a legend sometimes inspires or influences another legend."

"Now I get it," Kembang Seri Wangi brightened. "So, Chieftain Awang was our first ancestor in Bukit Panau then, wasn't he, Father?"

"That was what my grandfather always liked to tell me," Adhi Vira nodded.

"So whose army was it that invaded Sejahtera Pura, or rather Bumi Merah?" Kenanga Sari pursued.

"My guess is that it was the army of the Khmer kingdom of Chenla, after Chenla had invaded and conquered the formerly powerful kingdom of Funan. They did invade Bumi Merah after its king refused to submit to Chenla hegemony and pay tribute to it. It was around a generation or two after the first founding of Bumi Merah. That king inspired the character of the king of Sejahtera Pura. Many people believe that he was King Espandiyar, great grandson of Chieftain Awang, grandson of both Buddha Gupta and Ardavaz, and founder of the Dharma Kusuma Dynasty. Espandiyar himself was said to be an illustrious warrior."

"Why did Chenla invade Bumi Merah after they had conquered Funan?" now Kembang Seri Wangi demanded to know.

"Since the time of Wan Sri Mara, or Fan Shih Man, Funan had previously been the lead kingdom of the Great Federation of Suvarna Bhumi, which spanned nearly the entire Suvarna Bhumi. Many small kingdoms in the region, including Chenla, Dvara Vati, Tambra Linga and the kingdoms of the Langkasukan Federation, had all been member kingdoms of the greater Funan-led federation. When Chenla had conquered Funan, the king of Chenla believed that it should inherit the mantle of Funan as lead kingdom of the old Suvarna Bhumi federation, and should therefore deserve tribute from all the other former member kingdoms of that federation."

"And then what happened?" Kenanga Sari enquired further.

"As the story goes, it was an invasion by sea, and the enemy army had sailed upriver to Bukit Panau from their landing point around Tumpat. Bumi Merah's small but fearless and highly spirited rag tag army, supported by a makeshift contingent of peasants, farmers, woodsmen and fishermen, drew the invaders into a trap and ambushed them in the thickly wooded hills nearby Bukit Panau. Against formidable odds, Bumi Merah's army vanquished the much bigger and more heavily armed Chenla army. Minstrels then composed and sang songs of their glorious victory, while storytellers spinned fabulous tales about it. Over time, those many tales eventually merged into one story, the legend of Sejahtera Pura."

"And what about the Lady of the River, how did she become a part of the tale?" Kembang Seri Wangi enquired.

"Chieftain Awang had two daughters," Adhi Vira answered. "Their names were Mawar Sekembang Murni and Anggerik Semarak Ayu. The ancient storytellers just combined them into one single character, for convenience, and called this character the Lady of the River."

"And the Celestial Horse?" asked Kenanga Sari.

"Two foreign merchant adventurers one day arrived in Bukit Panau, both of them princes," Adhi Vira continued. "One was Buddha Gupta himself, who came from the powerful Gupta Federation in Hindustan. He was formerly the adhipati of Gauda, then a province of Gupta. But one day, Buddha Gupta received instructions from his elder brother Kumara Gupta, the high king of the Gupta Federation, to take ship and sail out to the Golden Peninsula, make friends with the kings there, and renew trading and political alliances with them on behalf of the Gupta Federation. Buddha Gupta's wanderlust was still as strong as it ever was, and for the sake of the Gupta Federation he was happy to return to his old vocation as a merchant and adventurer."

"Who was the other foreigner, Father?" enquired Pinang.

"He was Ardavaz, from Parsistan he came. He was a young nephew of Yazdegerd II, the shah-an-shah of Parsistan. Each in his own due time, Buddha Gupta and Ardavaz would later marry the two daughters of Chieftain Awang. Those two young men, similarly, were combined into one character and became the Celestial Horse. Chieftain Awang, Prince Buddha Gupta and Prince Ardavaz would work together to found the kingdom later to be called Raktam Rttika, Chi Tu or Bumi Merah."

"What about the other dragons, Father?" Nibung followed up. "Who were they actually?"

"I would guess that they were metaphors for allies of King Espandiyar from around the lands of Langkasuka, likely Kedah Negara, Patani Seri Negara, Tambra Linga and Gangga Negara, who brought their warriors with them to help Bumi Merah fight off the invasion of Chenla. Perhaps also Terengganu Primula Negara and Pahang Indera Pura. Maybe even the islands of Sumatra and Java."

"But the Sumatrans are our enemies now," Pinang looked unhappy.

"Many centuries ago, during the time of Bumi Merah, they were our friends. Maybe after we've liberated our lands from them, and we get proper respect from them, then we and they can be friends again. That's life, Pinang. Friends can turn into enemies. Enemies can become friends."

"So when are we going to fight to regain Amdan Negara from our enemies, Father?" Pinang pursued.

"When the new Sakti Muna Dragon and his friends are all ready," Adhi Vira smiled.

"Are we going to fight and win like Sejahtera Pura, Father?" Nibung pursued.

"Of course! We are going to fight and win, just like Sejahtera Pura. That means you all have to train, and train, and train."

"We will!" the children roared together. "We will!"

Now, for the Dharma Kusuma Dynasty and for Amdan Negara, the tide has turned, Adhi Vira contemplated. And these children will one day form the core of his future army. The Dharma Kusuma Army.