The Changing Ocean Saga — Episode 1

The sun was beginning to set over the snowy hilltops in the distance. The sky was a pallete of pink and purple. Arum hated that time of the day. It made her gloomy. Night has fallen early today, father should be back from war soon. Mother must be waiting for Piu and me to go back inside, she thought. She craned her neck around to see the palace. It’s shimmery gold walls glowed pink and made her think of a blushing maiden. On one of the palace’s many verandas, she could see Rewati lighting oil lamps.

She went back to weaving the jasmine garland between her fingers. The conch marking nightfall should have sounded a long time ago, she thought with her eyebrows furrowed, as she felt a blob of chilly water hit her back followed by a raucous peel of laughter. The water soaked through the back of her silk blouse.

“Piu! You Pest!” she said. Arum got up and ran behind her, her silk skirt shuffling about her legs noisily. Piu was so tiny that it was easy for her to scurry between the brushes hidden.

She paused to look for Piu with her hands on her hips and instead felt another blob of water hit the back of her head. The water trickled down her neck.

“Ugh…Piu you are so dead today,” she screamed as she tried to catch her. Arum had a clear sight of Piu now, she was merely at an arm’s reach. Arum threw herself down on top of Piu, knocking her to the ground.

“Ha!” she said triumphantly and stood up holding Piu about her waist.

Holding tight onto a wriggling Piu, she went to the river and dunked her into the water, laughing.

Piu struggled for a moment before standing up. She was soaked and red in the face. She looked nearly bald as her smooth black hair stuck to her head. The print on her new skirt was distorted as the colours bled into each other.

“You wait. Wait till I tell mother what you did to my new dress!”

“And I will tell her how you deserved it for being such a pest! I’m sure mother would understand,” said Arum laughing.

Piu made to step out of the water, fuming, but slipped and fell back into the water. Piu writhed uncontrollably before turning still. Arum’s laughter died on her lips as she realized that something was wrong.

She ran into the water and pulled her up to the surface. There was an arrow sticking out of Piu’s chest. The arrow was marked with their father’s crest, the Sun. There was blood everywhere.

“Piu!” she said shaking Piu’s body. Her head lolled limply in her hands. She heard her name being called from a distance, but she couldn’t bring herself to respond to it.

As Arum gaped at her sister in shock, she got a jolt from behind. Piu’s body floated away from her as she was pulled backwards by a strong hand. She tried to resist and turn about, but it was impossible.

“No!” screamed a voice behind her as she was dropped onto the riverbed. After a moment she realized that the voice belonged to her guard, Jata.

She saw Jata holding a shield over them both as arrow after arrow darted towards them. Arum was lost for words as she curled up under the shield shivering. Jata was huge and his shield was big enough to cover them both completely.

“Don’t do it Matru! Stop this madness!” Jata was shouting. Matru was her mother’s guard.

“Why Matru? P- Piu is dead,” she said in a broken voice.

“You have to get out of here, princess,” Jata said rapidly and she wasn’t sure if he had heard what she said. “We will run to thatbanyan tree. Okay? Come. NOW…”

Arum ran as fast as she could, cowering under Jata’s shield.

“Sit here and do not move!” he said once they reached the ancientbanyan tree whose trunk was thicker than Jata and her combined.

Arum nodded. She could hear Matru screaming from atop the palace roof, but his voice was distorted. Jata handed her his shield. It was too heavy for her to lift so she rested it on the ground. She saw him get his bow and arrow ready as he stepped out from the tree’s shelter. His grey hair sang the doom creeping around as it flew in the suddenly wild wind.

She clutched tight onto the shield as she wondered what was wrong with Matru. He had always been a fatherly figure to Piu and her. He was a portly old man who had been serving the family since as long as she could remember. Why now is he betraying us?she thought. She watched Jata shooting arrow after arrow while dodging the incoming arrows clumsily. Neither Jata nor Matru were great warriors, but they were kind and fiercely loyal to their family.

Jata groaned as an arrow pierced his arm. He pulled it out and aimed up at Matru once again. Jata swayed out of sight, leaving a bloody trail behind.

She jumped as she heard two screams at the same time. One was Matru’s coming from afar and the second was Jata’s. She peered around the tree trunk. Jata was lying on the ground with an arrow sticking out of his chest. She got reminded of Piu a few moments ago and a cry escaped her throat. She looked up and tried to see if Matru was still shooting, but he was nowhere in sight. She dragged herself towards Jata.

“Jata!” she said when she saw his strained face looking at her.

“The King has lost the war…Go far away from the palace. Never come back!” Jata muttered in a thick, distorted voice as his face scrunched up in pain.

“But, mother, father…” Arum said.

“Dead.”

That was his last word as he turned limp.

“No!” she screamed, but it was no use, he was gone.

A blaring trumpet sounded from the direction of the palace. She paused for a moment before reaching for Jata’s bow and quiver. Even though she had never touched a bow and arrow before, she had seen her brother practicing. She was sure that she could make it work. The quiver was now holding three arrows. She quickly slipped it onto her shoulder.

She had to know what was happening. She stepped towards the palace, shivering with cold and dread.