"I heard you want to do pati oblong. Is it true, Gayatri?"
Gayatri nodded. "As a queen and empress, I have to do my duty."
"Your current task is to give birth to your child safely, Gayatri! Do not do the pati oblong and follow the king to his death!"
"My son will understand my decision, Kangmas1. If I'm wrong for doing pati obong, I'm sure the Gods will forgive my mistakes."
Kebo Anabrang fell silent at his sister's statement, but he didn't lose his mind. "Alright, Gayatri, if it's your decision, what about Swarpakala? Your son is still fifteen years old, Dinda2. Think again about that decision of yours!"
"I entrusted Swarpakala to the Kangmas Anabrang."
Kebo Anabrang trembled with anger. "Gayatri, look at me!" Said Kebo Anabrang as he held the queen's shoulders.
"Kangmas Anabrang, what's the matter?"
Kebo Anabrang removed his handle from Gayatri's shoulder; he immediately sputtered before his sister. "Gayatri, my sister, I beg you, my sister. Don't be that idiot! My sister, we must sin. As long as you don't endanger the life of the child in your womb,"
"Kangmas Anabrang, listen to me. I don't want to be selfish," said Gayatri, who was starting to shed tears, and she tried to help Kebo Anabrang get up and not kneel again.
But, Kebo Anabrang cried on her knees. "Gayatri, my sister. I will arrange everything for the concubines who replaced you to do the pati obong! "Let me bear the sin, Dinda!"
"I can't let them do that, Kangmas! "I can't be selfish by asking someone else to take my place."
"Why can't it, Gayatri? You are not only the queen and empress of this country. You are the mother of this country! If the mother dies, this country will limp, and the child of this country will be far more sad than the death of a king, a father!"
"But kangmas...."
"You must follow my orders because this is not a request of a Patih to his queen but an order of an older brother to his sister. It is because of you, my sister, that I will do everything possible to save you from this death!"
"Kangmas can't do any of this other than be the First Lady's, I am a wife!"
"In addition to the wife, you are also the mother, Gayatri! Never do your pati obong! It is your responsibility as a mother, that is the most important thing, sister. Your child must be born safely, and that is my decision. If you dare to resist, I will never hesitate to confine you in the room in the duchy hall!"
"Kangmas can never do that to me. In our country, I am your sister, but in Maespati, I am your queen and you should be following my orders."
"So you're going to do pati obong anyway?"
Gayatri nodded. "My pregnancy has reached the nine-month; if this child is not born tonight, it means that he will be born in heaven with her mother's father."
"Gayatri, I...."
"Kangmas Anabrang, please come out and never break through like this again!"
"I'm your brother, Gayatri!"
"I know, but I don't want any bad rumors about our relation, because not everyone knows if I'm your sibling."
"Alright then, I'll go out, but I hope you keep using your common sense, Gayatri. Your child is far more important than all other things, including your husband!"
The two maharesi were still waiting in front of the queen's palace, and as soon as Kebo Anabrang came out and ordered the court ladies to come in to accompany the queen again, the two maharesi approached Kebo Anabrang.
"Does the Queen wants to do a pati obong?"
Kebo Anabrang nodded, disappointment emanating from his face.
"What about the baby hole in her belly?"
" I think we can only wait for a miracle. I want you two to preside over the prayer ceremony!
"Prayer ceremony?" asked Maharesi Jalendra, surprised. Then what about the body of the late king, Gusti?"
"I will order the court ladies to add whiting, tobacco, and bidara leaves; the corpses for the king must last longer," Kebo Anabrang said. "If Gayatri wants to do a pati obong, then the only way is to wait for her child to be born safely, and then the king's funeral ceremony can be done!"
****
The scent of frankincense and incense wafted in the air. Resi Aygasaki presided over a prayer ceremony conducted by Kebo Anabrang for the queen's safety. The mantras of the scriptures were heard almost throughout the temple, echoing in the air and sounding all the way to the sky, to the abode of the gods.
****
Wirasesa walked staggeringly. Finally, he arrived at the concubines' compound, there were ten concubines in this place. The concubine's complex is in the area behind the king's palace and is somewhat hidden. But the complex is very spacious and consists of several large houses, and the position of the concubine is usually visible from the house she lives in.
And so it is with Hapsari, the younger sister of Wirasesa. This place shows the caste level of a concubine, and since they were of commoner origin, having no noble or priestly descendants, Hapsari was only allowed to live in the far-end house in this concubine compound. Furthermore, Hapsari was not the main concubine, she forgotten. If there had been no prince Kripala, her son, Hapsari would have most likely lived outside the palace complex and returned to being a commoner.
Seeing Wirasesa enter the concubine palace complex, whose inhabitants are all women, makes Raden Ayu Retno the main concubine of the king, who is in the pavilion while playing congklak3 with Ayu Ratri, the youngest king's concubine, whom she only married two days ago. She immediately descends from the pavilion, followed by her herding court ladies.
"Raden Wirasesa!" Said Raden Ayu Retno to Wirasesa. "Did Raden forget if this is the concubine palace compound?"
"Of course I know, Ayu!" Said Wirasesa, who was still walking away, leaving Ayu Retno.
"Then please leave this place. Otherwise, I will summon an army of Kembang Kemara to separate the head from your body!"
But Wirasesa had not had time to answer; Prabangkara, one of the dukes of Maespati, was also her father, Ayu Retno, had appeared with relatives of other concubines. Seeing their arrival, of course, Ayu Retno wondered even more.
"Bopo4!"
"Don't care about Wirasesa, Retno! "Collect all your things and jewelry; we are leaving this wretched place!"
"What does bopo mean?" asked Ayu Retno curiously. "Has the new king ascended the throne, and he wants us to vacate this place because it will be filled by his concubines?"
"It's not," Wirasesa replied. "For you are all going to do pati obong together for the king and your father here, because he wants to save your life, Retno!"
1. Kangmas : Brother in java old language
2. Dinda : sister in java old language
3. Congklak : Congklak is a traditional game known by various names throughout Indonesia. Usually, in games, a type of clamshell is used as a congklak seed, and if there is none, sometimes it is also used with grains herbs and small stones.
4. Bopo : father in java old language
5. Raden : Raden is a noble title in Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, and several other regions in Indonesia. This title, for example, has been used in Kalimantan since the 14th century and is still used in some places, such as the Sambas Sultanate.