A knock on the door suddenly interrupted Lestari's thoughts. She was still sitting on a wooden chair near the bed, her fingers clutching a bronze mirror. Without moving, she called out, "Lumebu!"
[Translation: Come in!].
The door creaked lightly, revealing Maiden Kuning. She bowed her head before crossing the doorway.
"Rahadyan sanghulun, acepak huwus jampananya."
[Translation: My Master, the palanquin is ready.].
The bronze mirror was placed on the table by Lestari before she got up and followed Maiden Kuning out of the room. It was an automatic action from Rara Jonggrang's body, while her soul was confused.
'Why do I have to ride in a palanquin? Where are they taking me?'
Riding in a palanquin meant that Lestari would leave the palace walls. Apart from the corps selection the other day, this was the first time she would actually see the world outside.
During her seven days in that folktale universe, Lestari spent most of her time inside the palace, attending various classes that were mandatory for aristocratic princesses, such as music, weaving, and dance.
Ironically, although Lestari's heart was tormented by anxiety about her fate, she could not deny that she really enjoyed those classes.
The palanquin exited the palace gates via the exact same route Lestari had taken when returning from the corps selection, a long road flanked by giant banyan trees on both sides.
What was different was when the group arrived at the foot of the hill. Maiden Kuning gave a signal, the palanquin bearers then put down their load and Lestari's mode of transportation changed. In front of her were several large elephants, but only one was ready with a beautifully carved wooden howdah on its back.
On her first day, from the village square to the palace, Lestari's entire travel was done by palanquin, lifted by the palace subjects. No elephants were visible at the foot of the hill.
'Perhaps the elephants were being bathed at that time,' thought Lestari.
Rara Jonggrang's body automatically and naturally climbed onto the back of the giant animal, contrary to the frightened soul inside who had never ridden an elephant before.
Changing from a palanquin to an elephant meant that the journey would probably be very long.
However, something was strange.
Lestari's gaze swept over the group, counting the number of people traveling with her.
'Why are there so few?'
Besides the soldier in front controlling the elephant, the only other soldiers were Ceking and Bandung Bandawasa, mounted on horses on either side of the elephant Lestari was on. There was only one maid, Kuning, who was riding with Bandung Bandawasa.
Apart from the small number of people in the group, Lestari also noticed how simple her appearance was, wearing only plain cloth and adorned with only a pair of big gold stud earrings.
Such a simple appearance led Lestari to one conclusion: she was definitely not on her way to meet someone important.
However, Ceking and Bandung Bandawasa were carrying very light luggage, indicating that the journey was probably long, but not extremely long.
Speaking of the classes of aristocratic daughters, Lestari had thought that 8th-century Javanese music would sound like the Javanese gamelan she knew, full of the majestic clanging of bronze. It turned out that the musical instruments of that era were still dominated by bamboo and wood, wind instruments, and stringed instruments. The musical atmosphere was more like an exotic blend of ancient Indian and Chinese musical styles.
Rara Jonggrang did not study all of the musical instruments. She focused only on one plucked instrument, which Lestari did not know the name of. It was small enough to hold in one hand and did not resemble a Japanese koto, but its sound was similar to it. The instrument was an ancient Egyptian harp.
Regarding dance classes, she actually did not particularly enjoy the physical activity. However, Rara Jonggrang's body had a will of its own. Every time the accompanying music started playing, her body would react with overflowing enthusiasm. Lestari also thought that 8th-century Javanese dance would be like the slow, graceful traditional Javanese dance she had known all her life, but she was wrong. The moves were actually very agile and energetic, reminding her of the dances in the Indian epic dramas she used to watch on television as a child.
Lestari actually had a hobby of singing, though her taste in music was not traditional. She thought that the singing style of the 8th century would be smooth, but it turned out to be detached, somewhat similar to the Balinese singing style she had heard in a Calon Arang performance during a high school study tour, although not as extreme.
Soon, Lestari's group entered a residential area. Of course, don't imagine the hustle and bustle of a modern city; the atmosphere was probably only as crowded as the village where she lived.
On the banks of the river that Lestari's group passed, a crowd of people could be seen bustling about. It was a market, but without any permanent buildings. The vendors displayed their products on the ground or on simple wooden tables. The goods were varied; there were piles of spices, offerings sold in woven baskets, stacks of coarse clothes, and so on.
Actually, Lestari's main focus was the calmly flowing river.
Looking at the river's surface sparkling in the sunlight, she wondered, 'Is that the Opak River?'
As far as Lestari knew, the landscape of rivers had not changed much since prehistoric times, unlike the landscape of vegetation. Based on the position of the sun, which was still shining brightly overhead, she assumed that her group had not gone too far from the palace. Therefore, the river was most likely the Opak River, the only major river in the Prambanan District.
Lestari shifted her gaze. The townspeople, who had been busy with their transactions, now bowed their heads. Although the group was not festive, the elephant and the symbol of the Baka Kingdom placed on its head were enough to make them aware that the people passing by were not ordinary people.
Most importantly, the woman sitting on the elephant howdah up there was beautiful.
Only after the elephant's footsteps faded away did they get up and return to their previous activities.
The journey continued. The bustling atmosphere of the market was replaced by a quieter tree-lined landscape. In modern times, such a landscape would be called a jungle because of the thinning of the trees, but in that era, it certainly was not.
The time seemed to slow down in the suffocating silence. None of the group spoke. Actually, Lestari was dying to break the silence, eager to ask the mahout a series of questions:
Where are we going now?
Was the river we just crossed the Opak River?
The group passed through a simple bamboo gate. The lush trees were replaced by green rice fields swaying in the wind, dotted with houses.
Upon seeing that, Lestari's questions multiplied. Are we entering another village?
Lestari observed the houses closely. Her mind, used to considering Joglo, which were built on the ground, as symbols of traditional Javanese houses, had to be reset.
Lestari felt like she was on the most real historical tour of her life.
Not only in the Baka Palace, but the 8th-century Javanese houses in the village were also stilt houses. The difference was that while those were made of wood and beautifully carved, the ones in front of Lestari were made of neatly woven bamboo. The roofs were still the same, jet black. Until now, she still didn't know what they were made of because the traditional Javanese roofs she knew were made of clay tiles. Actually, the roof material was palm fiber.
More questions arose in Lestari's mind: what was that black roof made of?
Unfortunately, all of those questions could only spin around in Lestari's head without ever being uttered, because Rara Jonggrang already knew the answers to all of them. There was an invisible force that kept her on the path of Rara Jonggrang's personality.