Sing~ sing~

So here I am, in the class of GDT 152, listening to my classmates' singing songs I have no knowledge on.

The lecturer's not here.

While the cat is out, mice came out to play. heh. I'm in front of the computer, doing some work in InDesign, wearing my headphones, and yet I can still hear them singing their heart out.

Better to see them full of gaiety rather than hearing them wailing. Or complaining. Or sleeping in class.

Maybe I'll go and ask them what song are their singing.

For I feel like joining them too. -_-'

Of the Golden Earth and the Silver Skies

CHAPTER 3 – The King's Plan

“Look.”

  All the knights shifted their gaze towards the oncoming couple. It was Pawaka and Mega.

  They passed by a knight and he said, “Lucky you- a flying steed by day, and a wench to warm your bed by night.”

Mega’s face turned dark with wrath upon hearing those words.

  “How dare you…!” She slapped the knight as hard as she could. The knight touched his reddened cheeks and was about to retaliate when Pawaka interrupts.

  “If you have any problems with me or with my companion here, then bear in mind that we can always settle these problems of yours with our swords. I’ll take on your challenge anytime.” With that, he took Mega by the hand and led her towards the castle’s entrance.

  Disgraceful. For the knight, being slapped by Mega was disgraceful. But the only way for him to get to that wench was through Pawaka. A duel. He thought about it over and over again. The skills of Pawaka, both as a knight and bard are extremely good. His bardic abilities which were scorned by the other knights complement his knightly skills. And he uses both with expertise. How can he defeat the demi-mortal? The knight ponders. Perhaps, for now he will keep silent. But when he finds a way, that wench will pay for her insolence!

  A grudge buds anew. But that is common. A life without being held a grudge upon, being scorned upon, and being despised or loathed by was not a life of demi-mortals. Especially for those who are gifted with the ability to morph such as Mega. And Pawaka, he could be considered lucky, if he had not gone through a harsh past.

“Control your temper next time. Let them look bad, but not us.”

“Why? For the sake of our honour? We don’t have any good names to be taken care of!”

  “You do. I do,” he looked at her and said, “All of us demi-mortals do.” The knight understands her wrath. And he knew of the knights’ rudeness. Some are getting bolder as the days passed by. There used to be no qualms about Mega’s…special condition. Back then, she wasn’t quite comfortable with humans. She wouldn’t be around the castle grounds as often as she does now. But Pawaka’s gentle and persistent persuasions grew on her. She soon grew accustomed with the place and its people, since they were mostly nice to her. Still, there are a handful of rotten eggs- and they seem to grow in numbers. Now he dreads for Mega’s safety. Time and time again he regrets for being optimistic about human acceptance. Alas, much as he wishes to deny it, he knew the ways of these humans, on how they could be cordial to each other at a time, but turned against one another at the next.  He had once experienced it himself.

    

  They entered the castle, walked down the aisle and went to the main hall. In the end of the hall was the throne. And upon it was the King of Silver Skies - Cristoph Lonis himself.  His visage was a mixture of relief, joy, anxiety and sadness. The knight wonders. It must be something to do with his plans of Bentala Kencana, he assumed.

  

   It took some time for the Barons, the Ancients, the knights and the princess to arrive. But Cristoph Lonis doesn’t mind. He does not mind at all, for he knows that he needs patience to bear with each of them. Thus, he trains himself. And this is one of the ways he does.

   

  The young king spots Pawaka and Mega from afar. He had heard about the latest commotion the horse-maiden had caused. Cristoph knew of the knights’ ways. Some are truly gallant, while others are only by name. But it matters not to him, at least for the moment. His only concern is of Pawaka. The fox demi-mortal is the most important key in his plan. The key for his plan to either succeed or fail.

   Cristoph knocks the marble floor with his sceptre. Everyone is finally here, and he needs their attention. All eyes are upon him, waiting for him to speak.

"I believe all of you know of my plans to restore our ties with the land of Bentala Kencana.”

The crowd nodded in agreement, a few harsh whispers could be heard.

   “Messengers had been sent,” he paused and continues, “And the response we get is very encouraging, for Bentala Kencana too, wishes to restore the ties with us.”

   Pawaka looked at Scarttle. The princess looked as if a dark cloud is hanging over her head. It surrounds her with an aura of dark, twisted rage.

   “Furthermore, since both of the lands are facing the threats of war from our neighbours, the Ratu and I had decided to lend each other our best fighters, to fight for each respective side. 

The Ratu offered us her finest srikandi, and I, in return offered her our best knight.”

The floor was abuzz with murmurs from the crowd.

“Thus, I must break the news to you that I have chosen the knight to be exchanged.”

Tension builds as silence grips each and every one of the crowd.

“Pawaka.”

“WHAT?!” Mega’s voice echoed throughout the hall.

“You want to send Pawaka away?!”

“Mega!” The knight hushed her. She gave him an unsatisfied look.

“But it’s true, Pawaka.” He just kept quiet.

   One of the Ancients rose and said, “Your Highness, we do not know how this…srikandi will fare in a battle, so how can we exchange our best knight for something unknown?” The crowd went wild with agreement. The Ancients is a group of mages were well known for their intelligence and magic. They have a reputation that nearly shadows that of the King himself.   

Thus, they have many followers, and cannot be underestimated.

  “Bentala Kencana is a prosperous land with an enormous military power. I believe you have heard about its Ratu’s feat a few years ago, when she led her army against the Skrais – and was victorious. I believe she knows her warriors. And if she says that she will be sending her best srikandi, then I believe her.”

“How can you be so sure?”

The young king frowns. It is hard to convince them, but he knows the way.

  “I will go there myself to witness the srikandi’s battle skills. And I will bring a Baron and one of the Ancients with me. If all three of us are satisfied with her skills, then I shall exchange her with Pawaka. Enough questions. Dismiss, now.”

  The murmur dies slowly. The crowd dispersed quicker than they were collected. The only people left in the hall now are only Pawaka, Mega, Scarttle and Cristoph.

“My King. Apologies for this vassal’s insolence, but I wish to…”

  His words were not finished for Scarttle silenced him with a sentence that cuts him to the core.

“An insolent vassal deserves no more than to be thrown away, knight.”

  “Scarttle!!! That would be inappropriate. And that would be enough of comments from you.”

A displeased Scarttle just nodded.

  “We will talk, Pawaka. I am not throwing you away. And I know the exchange plan is risky, but I need to do so to gain her trust.”

  “I…I understand that perfectly, but still you should have not risk your safety by even planning to go there.” And I do not wish to leave Samudera alone. The thought echoes in his head, but it was not spoken.

  “You have no confidence in my combat skills? Or is it that you have other things in your mind? Tell me truthfully, Pawaka.”

Something’s amiss, the young king sensed. Pawaka’s voice was ever so slightly tinted with hesitation and doubt. He’s hiding something. But what?

Cristoph’s question was left hanging for the knight kept silent. He just stared blankly at the hard, cold marble floor. His thoughts were of Samudera, about his promise to not leave her alone. Again.

“Hey!” The shout pulls him back to reality. Back to Cristoph, Mega. And back to Scarttle, whose face was washed red with anger.

“Speak when you’re spoken to, knight!”

The knight sputtered a few apologies.

“Scarttle…let him take his time.”

“FINE!” King or no, Cristoph is her brother, and she hates it when he sides with someone else. She wondered time and time again, about why he became good friends with the demi-mortal, and why does he sides with that…fox rather than with his own flesh and blood? She despises demi-mortals, just like her father. And she could not grasp the reality that her brother is the opposite. For her, demi-mortals are of equals of beasts. They deserve none of her respect. Even if the gods favour them more.

The royalties are harassing poor Pawaka, thought the horse- maiden. She rushed by his side and said, “Pawaka doesn’t want to talk about it! Don’t push him!”

“Mega! It’s just that I do not wish to be seen as a coward, who turns his back on his country at the time she needed him the most…” It was the only logical answer the knight can afford to say at that time.

The young king looked at his disgruntled sister, then at his still kneeling knight.

“You’re still going there. You’re the only one worthy for this. The only one I could place my trust upon. Consider this as a request of high hopes from a friend. You would still serve the country; the difference is only the distance.”

    Speechless. The knight was rendered speechless. He weakly nodded in agreement.

Of the Golden Earth and the Silver Skies

Chapter 2- The Horse-Maiden and The Fox Knight

Morning came with all its glory. The still wet grass shines with colours of the rainbow as sunshine strikes upon them.

“Pawaka!!!”

  The knight glances towards the voice. “Mega?!” The maiden was racing across the meadows and is coming towards him at full speed. Upon reaching the knight, she leaps into his arms. He caught her and almost stumbled on his feet.

  “Pawaka,” she whined. “The others bullied me again last night. And it’s just because you weren’t there.”

  He puts Mega to the grassy ground. She gave him a pitiful look, expecting sympathy from the fox demi-mortal. He sighed. “Are you somehow injured, Mega?” The maiden showed him her arm. It was reddened with a few bite marks and bruises.

  She whimpered and winced with pain when the knight lays his left hand on the marks, while his right hand lies on the hilt of his blade. He closes his eyes. His hand glowed- and the blade turns into a brush. He opened his eyes and said, “Close your eyes, Mega.”

  He lifts the brush. Ink flows out as the brush touches the maiden’s arm. “There. All better.” Mega opened her eyes. The marks and bruises were gone. Her arm is as good as before.

“Thanks, Pawaka!” She wrapped her arms around the knight tightly.

  “Fine. Good .It’s my duty to watch over you. Now would you release me from your embrace?” he asked queasily. Mega giggled.

“What did you do last night?”

  The knight’s eyes brightened when he heard the question. “The King lent me a book! I’m going to finish it today!” Mega however did not share his enthusiasm. How boring, she thought. As if his life is like a huge schedule. Protect people, reading books - that is all he does.

  Pawaka was already settled down under a tree, reading the book with undivided attention. The maiden saunters around him, peeking at any chance. She flips the pages even before he managed to finish them, testing his patience, irking him till he grew bored of the book and fell asleep upon it instead.

  Soon, the horse maiden saw no response from the knight, and realised that he was slumbering peacefully. His face was of serenity and bliss. A rare occurrence for this knight, whose life was dedicated for others- and not much of his own.

  There had been too much in his mind lately. He had been fretting over his loved one’s safety; he had been playing espionage games upon the princess, fearing for the King’s wellbeing. That is, due to the fact that his suspicion of the princess bearing a sinister plan.

  “I seek too much…”  Mega looked over at the slumbering knight. Talking in his sleep…he must be badly troubled, she thought. He mumbled a few more words, but they were beyond her comprehension.

  She shook her head, then leaned over and whispered to his ears, “You help people. You help me. And that is all that matters.” Poor Pawaka. The thought echoes in her head. He stirred.

  “Hmm…ah…hey…I fell asleep? Mega, what time is it now? Have I been aslumber for long?” 

The knight sounds panicked.

“Calm down. What’s the need to rush? It’s only almost noon.”

  Pawaka grabbed the maiden’s hand and said, “We need to see the King at noon! We mustn’t be late!”

“I understand. I’ll change.”

  The wind swirled around her and covers her. Blinding white light flashed and the sound of flapping wings can be heard. The wind dies. And in place of Mega was a winged steed- pearl white, with mane, tail and wingtip of the lightest shade of green.

  Pawaka mounted the steed carefully. The steed galloped, slowly at first then gaining speed –faster and faster until they set off, with the wind whistling in their ears.

   

The emerald forest was like a speck of green in these heights. The flight was swift and short. They landed in a clearing just beyond the castle. Pawaka jumped down from the steed. He took a few steps forward, and then glanced behind.

 “Come on, Mega. We’ll go together. Come!”

  She looked down. Meekly she said, “It’ll be better for the both of us if I go in this way.”

“No.”

  The steed gazed upon Pawaka. She sees determination burning in his light green eyes.

“Why?” she asks.

  “I see you as no mere flying steed. I see you as a companion. And I want to enter that castle with you – not in your horse form,” he explains.

 She changes, and the maiden reappeared with a smile on her face.

“Let’s go, then.”

A test of patience...and wisdom

Yesterday (12.2.2011) was supposed to be a normal teenage outing. Well, my first ever outing to Ipoh from Seri Iskandar- by bus. It was fun. At least, I thought so. I met a few interesting characters on the way to Ipoh. I met an old Indian lady, and  a hospital operator who's age is 55. (she wanted to retire next year, but her request was rejected. Should she wish to carry on with her request, her pension will not be given to her, and she will only get 10% of duit sagu hati.) Kind of sad to hear that, right?

Well, the rest of the journey was normal.  

And we ate at the food court, watched a movie and then something happened.

A friend of mine was going to pass out. Well, perhaps she did passed out for a few moments.
It was a time of preservation,a test of skills and knowledge. I know not of her medical history. 
Hey, what should we do to someone who'd just suddenly pass out?
The others are counting on me to solve this. 
I called my mother. She used to work in a hospital, perhaps she knows what to do.
Meanwhile, we...drenched her face, her neck...massaged her shoulders, hands and feet.
I gave them an ointment as I talked to my mother. She was having a headache, but she still gave us a few ideas.
Some passersby gave us other tips.


We tried them all. 
I was on the verge of calling the ambulance when she revived...a bit...and told us to call her mother. 
I talked to her. It seems that my friend has a low blood pressure. She didn't quite slept well a few days past. That's why she passed out. 


Anyways, her mother gave the permission for us to bring her to the hospital. GREAT. Thank you, makcik. We'll take care of your daughter. Don't worry.She'll be fine.


I called my mother again. She said, " I'll ask your uncle to drive all of you to the hospital. Wait, how many are there? Oh, maybe the four of you could squeeze in but the other five would have to go back on their own."


"Don't worry. They'll be fine on their own."


So we went to the hospital after waiting for a half an hour. She still can't stand on her own. We took the wheel chair- feels like F1 !!! 


I looked up at the tall white building when we first arrived and said, "Hey, I kind of miss this hospital. We used to come here every year when my grandfather was still alive. We celebrated every celebration Malaysians celebrate at home- Raya 3 times, Chinese New Year, Christmas, Thaipussam, Deepavali, Gawai Dayak- man, it used to be like, our second home!"


Much to my friend's relieve, she wasn't admitted to the hospital. But we went back to our college late, (well...we dropped by at Mc Donalds and my house..><) the guards were a bit...well, fussy that night- like any other day.


Well, we managed to get in after a few minutes of ceramah perdana.


Hey, I feel like going outing with you guys again.
Seriously, it was fun. ><

Apology + Poem

No worries, the story of the golden earth and the silver skies will be continued...some other time. 

I have been a bit...arrogant. Maybe I've been VERY arrogant. But hey, I decided to...say...yeah...umm..be a little nicer. Well then, first, an apology. Maybe apologies.Hmm...let's just start things slowly. An apology, then. Uh...umm...well...sorry...umm...to let's see...umm...my..uh...classmates...?


OK. Done. Poem now.

 APOLOGIES  I mean, AN APOLOGY

 Forgive me if I'm ever so wrong, ever so harsh,
 For I did not know that it hurts,
 I know not these differences between us is a rift

That tend to get further as my mistakes grew. 

Forgive my ignorance, which I had always thought was a bliss,
For I always would pretend that I do not know,
Although always, at times it was so clear.


Forgive me if my ways irk you, 
If my advices and 'lectures' bore you to death,
For I always thought it was out of good will,
And though I know teenagers hate it,
I still do so (sometimes just for fun!! >< )

Now I can only pray, 
That my apologies you will accept,
Even if you find this poem...um...yeah..uh...irking you more?


So God help me, I am a person of much arrogance,
Not to say that apologising is impossible or hard,
But it is just that I find myself rarely with mistakes.




*Great. I think I do still sound arrogant.
 Well. Seems that there's nothing that I can do about it, then.

 Phew. Finally got that out of the system.

Of the Golden Earth and the Silver Skies

I'm kind of envious of the others who writes and publishes their work on their blogs.

Well, I have a blog of my own...why don't I do the same?
Fine. I'll do it. I'm doing it now.


CHAPTER 1- The Young King and The Princess

  "You're still trying to learn that language, brother?"

  Cristoph Lonis glanced at the voice. It was only Scarttle, his young sister. Her visage was wrinkled with a frown.

  He gave her a sly smile and said, "Of course, dear sister. It is one of my duties-a must. That is, if I wish to restore our ties with the land of Bentala Kencana."

 

  She grumbled, "That dirt bag of a country is of no place or ranks to have any diplomatic connection with us. You know that the people there are savages!"

  The young king gave out a laugh. "Nonsense. This knowledge, this relationship- it is all of future use. A benefit, no doubt."

  "This won't do, brother. Think of our dearly departed father! Surely you know that he loathes this idea of diplomacy with that particular land!"

  Upon hearing those words, the smile etched across Cristoph Lonis's face turned to a frown. Words were absent from his mind. He looked away from Scarttle and sent his gaze upon the book in front of him. With delicate care he caressed the book. The leather cover was soft, dull and in tatters, giving it an ancient feel. Sastera Bentala Kencana was written in gold. He closed his eyes and sighed," I know." Scarttle gave a smile. "But it has been decided. We will have ties with Bentala Kencana, whether you like it or not."

   The princess was dismayed with her brother's answer. But she uttered nothing about it. Instead she said," I must retire now. It is becoming late. Good night, brother." The door slammed shut. Cristoph sighs. His young sister has the ideals of her father. They both believed that any country under the wings of Sylph is of no ranks to have any connection with those of the upper wings. He disagrees. And at the same time wonders why his father hates them so. The old king had been there with him- and lived there once. What changed his mind?

   The young king remembers, and treasures his memories about the land of Bentala Kencana. The warm breeze, the humid jungle, its rich culture, the lovely, friendly people, and...Cita Nilam Sari, his old friend. He heard news that a few years ago, she was crowned as the new ruler of Bentala Kencana, in place of her mother who passed away- succumbed to the flames of war.

   The Ratu, as they call her, brought her nation towards victory. Deep inside, Cristoph Lonis adores her confidence, her strength, her leadership. While his, he thought, was of pale comparison than that of hers. He gave a heavy sigh and put his head unto the thick, ancient book of Sastera Bentala Kencana.

  A knight steps out from the shadows that enshroud him. "What ails you so, My Lord?" He closes to the young king. Cristoph Lonis lifts his head and gave a reassuring smile.

  "Nothing, Pawaka. And must I remind you to call me by my name every time we speak? You are - as always, have been my best friend." The fox demi-mortal apologised profusely.

   "You look forlorn, Cristoph. May I ask, you have problems with Scarttle?" He looked at the young king, who was muffling his laughter.

   "You have no qualms on calling Scarttle by her name, do you? I wonder why it is so hard for 

you to do the same for me?"

    Pawaka, with a wicked grin etched across his face replied, “The princess has things under her sleeves. Apologies, but I dare say it is of no good. Thus, she deserves naught of my respect. I am but a lowly vassal for the King of Silver Skies. Why should I respect her?"

    "I know my sister. She's not the kind of a person who'll do stupid things. Evil behind my back? I...honestly I do not think so. Perhaps, my friend, you're just being paranoid. One day, you might even say that Mega is trying to betray the king!" Cristoph laughed heartily.

    "I am not joking, Cristoph! Arg...But if you say so, then I will hold on to your words. Pawaka sighed. "Still, I dare say Scarttle asked you to abandon your plans of Bentala Kencana, yes?"

  

  "True. But I will not back down from my plan." The young king's voice fills with determination.

    "Great. Nicely done, My King." The knight looks at Cristoph's table and spots something. He 

 then picked up a book and said," Uh...Cristoph? May I borrow this?"

    The young king gave a grin," I knew you'd be interested in that text. I want it back in two days’ time."

   The knight bowed in appreciation and disappeared into the darkness. "I'll see you at the morrow, Highness."

    

Cristoph smiled. Pawaka was always more of a bard than a knight, he thought. Why he chose to be the latter, he never knew. He never dared to ask.