THE RAPA-MAHUTA

Creative Writing Competition 2012 India
CODE	575
SETTING	Forest
OBJECT	Any Jewellery – Necklace, Ring…
THEME	Remorse

“When is the right time to attack?” asked the king of the Ihipa tribe.

“Tomorrow at dawn, my king. Our forces will swarm the village when the first rays of the sun emerge from the clouds.” said an army chief. He sounded confident and assured, yet his eyes were downcast.

The king noticed it. He glanced around the little clearing in their forest. All six of his army chiefs were present, along with his adviser. None of them looked at ease, their eyes flickering in the light of the fire, their fidgety bodies casting frightening shadows on the trees behind them.The smoke from the fire rose up in spirals,a black layer against the deep blue sky, illuminated by a full moon.

“Why do you have such long faces?” asked the king.

No reply.The fully armed men sitting around the fire looked at their knees,staying silent.

“Have we never attacked other tribes before?What is it that makes you so reluctant this time?” he said,resting his chin on his fingers,the gold ring on his fourth finger glinting by the firelight.

The adviser broke the silence.

“We have been allies with the Ikaroa tribe for centuries now.They have helped us numerous times,come danger,hunger or thirst.So-”

The king stopped him with a hand,and the adviser fell silent immediately.The king looked at him with an amused expression on his face.

“My dear adviser,has age clouded your judgement?Have you been going out in the sun too much?” said the king and threw his head back,laughing loudly.

“You are becoming a sentimental fool.I have not put my heart before my brain at any time in my life,and I am certainly not doing so now.The Ikaroa tribe has settled on the best parts of the forest.If we defeat them,we will have no more worries about going hungry again.We can have more animals,riper fruit and fresh river water on the other side of the forest!” said the king.

“If you say so,my lord.I only say what feels right to me.If I may,I might remind you that the Ikaroa tribe was the one who raised you when you had to go through the Tiro-Ahona.”

The king felt uneasy.The Tiro-Ahona was a near-fatal disease of the skin.The king had contracted it when he was very young,and he was exiled for fear of spreading it to the other villagers.He had slept in ditches and bushes,going hungry for days,and being half eaten to death by flies,when a boy of his age from the Ikaroa tribe had found him.He had taken the king to his tribe’s elders,and they had cured him completely.

“You will not speak of that again.Times have changed now.They might have helped me in the past,but if we are to survive,we must attack and defeat them.I am not called The Rapa-Mahuta for nothing.”

“The king had defeated so many opposing tribes,that the ones that pledged allegiance to him called him The “Rapa-Mahuta”.King Braveheart.

“We will crush them!”said the king, raising a fist in the air.

“But,they have Keela,” said an army chief, his voice echoing slightly, causing the men to shiver.

“Keela,” repeated the king.

The king looked a little worried, for the first time. Tales of Keela’s bravery were legendary.

“They say he is as fast as the wind.” said an army chief.

“He is the only person to have fought 3 tigers at once and live to tell the tale,” said the adviser quietly.

“That will be all,adviser.I keep you by my side to advise me,not to tell my men stories of a warrior with mythical powers.”

The adviser showed no emotion.”As you say, my king.” He turned to an army chief. “The trap has been sprung,I presume?” he said.

The army chief looked slightly startled, his face pale against the firelight, as though what he was about to say made him sick.

“Yes, my lord.We had sent a messenger to the Ikaroa tribe announcing that you would visit tomorrow.I hear they are preparing a lavish feast for you.”

He lowered his head. “Every man, woman and child will be there. They are expecting the Rapa-Mahuta,” he said quietly.

The king laughed again,but it had a slight quaver to it.

“Excellent! The Ikaroas will definitely see the Rapa-Mahuta tomorrow!” he said, grinning wildly.

His eyes glowed with manic delight,so much so that the army chiefs started to fidget again,wishing no more than to leave this meeting.

“I will get a good night’s rest, then,” said the king, preparing to get up. “Yes?” he said, as he saw the adviser open his mouth to say something.

“I beg your pardon,my lord,but the queen asked me to tell you that the last rites of your son will be held tomorrow at noon.”

The temperature of the forest seemed to go down by 10 degrees. You could hear the chrip of the crickets and the slight rustle of the leaves as a gentle breeze caressed the surroundings.Not a single soul spoke or moved.It seemed they were even afraid to breathe.

The king’s face was blank. “I see. Tell her… I will not be able to attend.I have a battle to fight.”

The adviser nodded once to signify that he understood,and the king got up,absolving the meeting.

The king walked through the lush,green grass of the forest slowly.It had been his home,and the home of sixteen previous generations of his tribe.They had used up nearly all of its resources,and it was a dying thing now.He twisted the ring on his hand absent-mindedly,and thought of his two year old son,Tanoa. His dead son.

He had been devoured by the tigers less than ten hours ago.His caretaker had carried him out into the forest to pick berries for lunch,and she had never returned.Her body had been found an hour later,ripped to shreds by claw marks.The baby’s white swaddling cloth had been found near her,stained red with blood.The king had wanted to send the entire tribe into the forest to search,but he had been asked by the adviser to abandon the idea,stating that the tigers were too numerous to be defeated and that they couldn’t afford to lose more members of the tribe.Even the queen,who had not uttered a word since she had learnt of her loss, nodded in agreement.The other tribes had learnt of the news,and come to offer condolences. Nobody from the Ikaroa tribe had come.That had fuelled the king’s anger more.

“Am I disturbing you, my lord?” said a quiet voice from behind the king.

He turned around quickly,his hand leaping to the dagger in his hip,and found himself face to face with his adviser. “Peace, O Rapa-Mahuta,” said the adviser,the corner of his mouth curling.

“You. Oh… You… startled me.I was…. Just thinking,” said the king.

“Yes,seemed like it.Worried about the battle tomorrow?”

“No,” the king smiled.“I am confident that I shall emerge victorious once again.”

“Even if it means you have to fight against your childhood friend, Keela?”

The king glared at the adviser.They were the only two people who knew,that when the king had been in a near-death situation because of the Tiro-Ahona,it had been Keela who had carried the king to the Ikaroa tribe elders,and watched over him day and night as he recovered.They had become fast friends, but had lost contact once he had been made king.

“He is my friend, no more.I have forgotten about that,” said the king placidly.

“Yet, you wear the ring he gifted you,” said the adviser with a small smile.

The king curled his fingers into a fist, his gold band shimmering in the soft moonlight.The ring was indeed a gift from Keela, when the king had taken up his throne.It was a beauty of an ornament, with small letters etched around the sides “A true friend.” The king lowered his eyes as he thought of the moment when Keela had brought the ring out with a flourish:

“See this?” Keela had said. “This is a symbol of our friendship. If you ever forget about me, this ring will serve as a memory of mine.” He had then slipped the ring onto the king’s finger.

The king had laughed and read the words written on it. “ ‘A true friend.’ I will never forget you, my friend.” He said slowly. The ring had become the symbol of The Rapa-Mahuta over the years. It was what got the king respect from his subjects.

“Is this battle necessary,my king?” said the adviser, jolting the king from his reverie. “Must we war with the Ikaroas? Your personal issues aside, they have been our staunchest and most valuable allies. This does not bode well, my lord.”  He said in a pained voice.

“It is very necessary, adviser.I have defeated every other tribe in my path to success.I will not let a petty ring stand as an obstacle to my thirst for victory.”

“What about your son, my lord?Why must you battle and dishonour his memory?Do you not remember how he loved the Ikaroas?They sent him toys and presents every week. Is the need for battle more important than the last rites of your son?”

“A battle cannot be won without losses.I shall treat this as my first.We will not speak more of this.I must go rest. I have a war to win at dawn tomorrow.Ask the army chiefs to prepare the armies an hour before dawn.We will strike at the earliest.”

The adviser lowered his eyes and nodded stiffly.

“Has the queen eaten yet?” asked the king.

“No, my lord.I believe she has heard of your plans to attack tomorrow,and she is… upset.”

“I see.Make sure she eats something; I will not have her starve.Now go.”

The adviser bowed and left the king to his troubled thoughts.He sat down on the grass, trying to listen to the sounds of the forest. He heard nothing.He raised his eyes heavenward, and tried to spot a good sign in the skies. He saw nothing.He sighed, lay down on the greenery and closed his eyes, feeling himself drift off.

Almost immediately,he heard men shouting.The king awoke with a start, and looked around him.More voices shouting in the distance.It was still night time,though the earliest rays of light had started to filter through the clouds.The king scrambled to his feet and ran towards the commotion,hoping that it wasn’t where he thought it was. He got nearer and his heart sank.

His tent. Where the queen was sleeping alone.

He ran faster, till he saw a crowd of twenty warriors,some with their swords drawn,and some with their spears aimed high,squinting at something the king couldn’t see.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Keela,” said a warrior, not averting his gaze from the tree-tops.The king’s heart leapt to his mouth, as he pictured the powerful figure of Keela,who must have somehow learnt about the king’s plan to attack, and was now here to kill him.The king was sure of it.

“Where is he?” asked the king,trying to hide the tremble in his voice.

“We don’t know, my lord.He was spotted by a sentry.He rammed the man against a tree and demanded to know where your tent was.As soon as he learnt,he let the man go and sped towards it. We saw him, and we tried to hit him with our spears,but he evaded every single one and scampered on to a tree.”

“Not every spear,” piped up another warrior. “He was hit in the leg by one.” He pointed to the ground, where there was a small trail of blood, leading to a tree.

“Don’t let him get away,” whispered the king, his voice tight with fear and something else. Guilt.

“There!” screamed a man, and king whipped around to look.There,on the highest treetop was Keela himself, his powerful frame silhouetted against the moon,wearing his trademark chest-armour. He was bleeding from the left ankle. He looked the king in the eye,and smiled slowly.He jumped off and started to run towards the king. He was limping,not nearly as fast as anyone proclaimed him to be.

“Attack!” screamed the king.The warriors threw their spears at him,but even in his injured state he dodged them,jumping over one, and ducking below another,zigzagging around the projectiles.The king stood motionless as Keela neared him. The king’s legs were shaking badly, and he couldn’t breathe. Keela’s hand moved to his back, ready to throw a deadly knife at the king…

…and then a spear caught him right in the stomach.

It embedded itself deep inside him, and he tripped and fell. He tried to stand up. His hands clawed at the grass and dirt, and he rose slowly.

Another spear was thrown at him, which was headed for his chest; until he caught it on his forearm, and let the sharp tip pierce it completely. He had not made a sound yet. He advanced further. More and more spears were thrown at him, and he kept avoiding them or stopping them with his arms and legs,never letting even one pierce his chest-plate. Finally, he was a foot away from the king, when he slumped to his knees, and fell facedown on the ground. On his back was a round, white cloth, tied to his chest with cord. It made sense now. If Keela had taken the spear to the chest, it would have definitely pierced his back, and whatever was in the cloth. But what could it be?

“Lift him. Check what’s inside the cloth,” said the king haughtily, sneering down at Keela. The warriors lifted Keela off the ground,making him face the king.Keela’s face was emotionless,he was staring at the king with blank eyes, and amazingly his mouth showed the hint of a smile.

A warrior opened the cloth roughly, and his eyes opened wide. “What..?”

A baby’s shrill cry pierced the silence of the forest. Nobody moved.

The baby was wailing its heart out, and it was coming from inside the bag. The warrior slid both hands inside the bag, and took out a crying boy. He looked at the child, and turned to the king in shock.

“Tanoa….” said the king. “My…son.” There was a loud cry from behind the king, as his queen stepped out of her tent, awoken by the baby’s cries.

“My baby!” she screamed and ran towards the man holding the child, picking it up and kissed it’s face all over, holding it close to her and crying softly.

The king was in a state of shock. He could not move or speak. He was in a state of mental absence. The world seemed surreal to him.

“It is good to see you again, old friend. Your son looks just like you,” said Keela.

The king looked down at him,only now realising the state his friend was in.His body was pierced by spears,and blood was running freely from his wounds.But that was not all.His clothes had been torn from the spears,and his upper body bore vicious claw marks.Claw marks of tigers,at least three of them.

“You…saved my son from the tigers?” asked the king, quietly.

Keela nodded slowly, a bit of blood escaping his mouth. “I heard the tigers had taken him. I followed their tracks, and managed to waylay them before they got to their lair. He was unhurt. I killed all three of them myself,” he said.

The king could not trace pride in his voice, only the elation that he managed to save the child. Tear stung his eyes. He moved closer to Keela, who was lying on the ground now, his breathing becoming slower and slower.

“Forgive me,” said the king. “I was not a true friend to you.”

The king’s heart felt heavy. His eyes rested on the badly wounded body of friend. His hand touched the claw marks gently,and felt tears falling on to them.

Keela shook his head. He grasped the king’s fingers with his and touched the gold band. He turned it, so that the words caught the light. He read out from it, “A true friend.”

The king felt his whole body tremble,as the bravest warrior of the forest breathed no more.

There was a hush around the entire forest,save for sounds of the baby being consoled by the queen.

The adviser broke the silence. “The army is ready my lord.”

The king looked up at him, shocked.

“That is what you wanted, is it not? The army is ready.We will attack the Ikaroa tribe when you give the word.They await the Rapa-Mahuta.”His voice was as cold as ice.

The king rose up unsteadily. “Yes. Prepare the army. The Ikaroa tribe will indeed see The Rapa-Mahuta. I will carry him myself.”

__END__