"Let go!" exclaimed Nalini trying to pull Arya Dipa's hands away from her body. "Sir, don't try to take a chance!"
Arya Dipa stretched her arms a little. "You want to do this? What if I fall? That horse is fast." The young man explained, his face still flat.
"Yes, but... but I've never been this close to a man. It's bad luck," Nalini said. Her face was clearly avoiding Arya's gaze. She felt her heart beat faster.
Arya stifled a laugh at the village girl's innocence. "All right, I understand. But this is not pamali, because the situation is an emergency."
Nalini still looked away. She wanted to disappear at that moment. Arya Dipa's body was so close to her, she felt goosebumps on the back of her neck.
"Hold on tight to my clothes, if you don't want to come into contact with my hands," Arya Dipa said. He began to pull on the reins and ordered the horses to walk. At first they moved slowly, but as time went on they became faster and faster through the darkness of the night.
Nalini held tightly to the hem of Arya's shirt, her eyes tightly closed. The girl began to feel a strange vibration with herself. There was a sense of comfort that was difficult to express while in the young man's arms.
Nalini's thoughts began to run wild, but she hurriedly erased the inappropriate images that were present in her head. "No, no..." she muttered unconsciously.
Arya Dipa heard Nalini's mumbling. "What are you saying? Did I gallop the horse too fast?" Her voice was raised so that it could be heard clearly amidst the galloping feet of the four-legged beast.
"Oh sorry, sir. No, it's nothing. Is our destination still far away?" Nalini tried to distract herself. It was fortunate that it was night. If it was daytime, her cheeks that were already like boiled crabs would have been clearly visible.
"It's still quite far. We've only passed through one forest, there are still two forests ahead that must be penetrated," Arya Dipa replied. The young man spurred his horse even faster. Nalini could no longer hold on to the hem of her shirt. Now one hand hugged the young man's waist tightly to prevent him from falling.
A small smile appeared on the corner of Arya Dipa's lips. He wasn't a jerk, but his youthful spirit rose unbidden in the embrace of a girl. He liked the romantic atmosphere.
The black horse continued to run eastward. Just as dawn was breaking, they entered the township gate. Two soldiers dressed in black and holding long spears opened the door. They bowed respectfully to Arya Dipa.
"Has Your Majesty arrived?" asked Arya Dipa, stopping his horse. The two guards were surprised to see Arya Dipa carrying a woman. But they hurriedly bowed their heads and shut out their curiosity.
"Already, Prince. His Highness has just entered and is heading north. He told Prince Arya to follow him," the bodyguard said. His right hand indicated the path taken by the person he called 'His Highness'.
Arya Dipa gave a small nod listening to the bodyguard's report. "Apparently he took him there," muttered the young man. He then spurred his horse back.
Nalini, who had opened her eyes, watched the new place. Although it was still dark, she could see large houses lined up neatly. The girl chuckled at the beautiful buildings and surroundings. It was far different from the atmosphere in the village where she came from.
"Wow, where are we, sir?" asked Nalini with a curious look on her face. Apart from the large and luxurious buildings, the gardens were also beautifully arranged. A group of uniformed soldiers could often be seen passing between the buildings.
"This is the city center, where His Majesty and the royal officials live," Arya Dipa replied proudly. He glanced at the girl in front of him who continued to gaze in amazement. Her round black eyes occasionally blinked as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Master, please forgive me. Who is this master? Who is Eyang Guru? How could you bring us to a place like this?" Nalini asked politely. She began to raise a white flag of peace to Arya Dipa.
"Hmm, who do you think we are?" Arya Dipa asked back. According to her teacher's message, she had to keep their identity a secret when they were outside the palace gates. However, once inside, they could no longer hide their origins.
"Please forgive me, Lord Arya. I suspect that Eyang Guru is our emperor. Is that true?" asked Nalini, half afraid to utter the sacred word. She bit her lip, afraid that what she said would turn out to be wrong.
However, she saw Arya Dipa smiling broadly. "You seem to be a smart girl. Your guess was right. I hope that when you meet again with His Majesty, you will behave more politely," he added.
Nalini's body trembled with fear. Apparently the man who had helped them was indeed their own king. "I-yes, sir. Please forgive my impudence," Nalini said with a deep bow.
The girl slowly removed her hands from the young man's waist. She now only held on to the horse's back. Nalini was afraid of being considered impolite if she continued to touch Arya Dipa's body.
"Why don't you hold on to me anymore? Aren't you afraid of falling?" asked Arya Dipa a little amused. She stomped her horse's feet again. The horse immediately accelerated its path and startled Nalini. She spontaneously hugged Arya Dipa again.
Nalini wanted to scream and curse, but she could only do it silently. How could she dare to fight this annoying prince?
The black horse continued to ride and stopped in front of a building surrounded by a bamboo hedge. Unlike the other houses that were close to each other, this house was a bit far and secluded.
"We've arrived," said Arya Dipa. The young man jumped up and quickly helped Nalini off the horse's back.
Nalini had just set her feet on the ground when she saw her mother running to meet her. She immediately prostrated herself in front of Arya Dipa. "Thank you for taking my daughter, Prince Arya," she said with great respect.
Nalini looked at her mother and Arya Dipa. She still did not know who Arya Dipa really was. If Eyang Guru was the emperor, was the handsome young man the crown prince? Thinking of that possibility Nalini immediately followed her mother to bow before Arya Dipa.
"Thank you, Lord Arya," Nalini said without daring to look at his face. She did not want to add to the list of mistakes in front of the young man even though he had made her feel bad several times.
"Stand up, it's not good to be on the floor for too long," Arya Dipa ordered Nalini and her mother to stand up. Although entitled to respect, Arya did not like it when people were too timid in front of her.
Arya Dipa then lowered the bundle of supplies and handed it to the soldier on guard. "Keep this in the medicine cabinet. I will come again to this place for some business. Please take good care of these two women," he ordered.
"Yes, Prince." The soldier replied and hurriedly carried the luggage into the house.
Arya Dipa was seen moving his tired and stiff body. He then went to the water barrel in the courtyard. The man washed his face and feet, removing the dust.
After cleaning his body, he picked up the jug of drinking water beside the barrel. It was customary for residents to place clean water and in front of their houses at that time.
Arya Dipa drank the water in the jug slowly. The cold and fresh taste soaked his thirsty throat. He then extended the jug to Nalini. "Drink up," he said as he sat on the porch.
Nalini accepted but was reluctant to drink water directly from the jug. Especially in front of a young man like Arya.
"Thank you, sir. I'll drink it later," Nalini said as she returned the jug to its place. She sat on her knees in front of the young man.
"If I may know, what is the name of this building, sir?" Nalini ventured to ask the question. She guessed it wasn't the main palace, but it was also a very important place considering the number of soldiers standing guard around it.
"This place is called the queen's palace. Have you ever heard of it?" Arya Dipa asked another question. She saw Nalini shake her head, while Nyai Dhira nodded.
"The queen's palace is where the king's female relatives live," Arya explained a little.
Seeing that Nalini was no longer asking questions, Arya Dipa stood up and wanted to continue his journey, going to his own house. "Alright, you will stay here for now. Wait for further orders," he said.
Arya Dipa mounted his horse again and left the place.
Nalini and her mother looked up as the young man disappeared through the regol door. Both of them couldn't wait to hold hands and hug each other. In their hearts, each of them still harbored a lot of confusion about what had happened.
"Mom, are we really in the township now?" Nalini asked reassuringly. Her gaze was still half in disbelief.
Nyai Dhira nodded. "That's right, Nduk. And that person who helped us yesterday..."
"His Majesty the King, ma'am." Nalini cut off Nyai Dhira's speech and quickly said what she had just found out.
"That's right, girl. I almost can't believe it, but it's true," Nyai Dhira said as she shrank the tears that suddenly hung in the corners of her eyes.
"Mom, who is Mr. Arya?" Nalini was intrigued to know who Arya Dipa was. She certainly didn't dare ask the young man directly.
"He's the King's nephew. But I heard their relationship is very close. Prince Arya is his confidant." Nyai Dhira explained while pulling her son's hand to enter the house. "Come on in."
The house made of wooden walls was very sturdy. It had a joglo roof with two rows, front and back.
The front of the house is used as a spacious hall. There are four carved pillars in the center. There were not many items there, only a table and a carved chair at the end. Two copper boxes filled with nightshade flowers were placed on the right and left sides of the door that connected to the back building.
"Girl, help me take care of the sick people inside," Nyai Dhira said softly. Her face turned serious again.
"Who is sick inside, ma'am? Are we asked to take care of them?" asked Nalini. She tiptoed after her mother.
Nyai Dhira whispered in her daughter's ear. "A very important person. We must be able to treat her. If we can't heal her, we'll die!"
Nalini's face twisted at her mother's whisper. What kind of ordeal was this? One problem solved, why come up with a new one?