The sound of the waves at Pelabuhan Ratu was nothing like the calm canal waters of Batavia. Here, the sea was a hungry giant, battering black reefs with a force that rattled the chest. I gripped Anne Marie's hand tightly as we stepped down from the fishing boat that had carried us along the river toward the open coast.
"Mother, will we wait for them here?" Anne Marie asked. Her voice was nearly drowned out by the roar of the sea breeze. Her usually bright face was dull with salt and exhaustion, yet her eyes remained fixed on the horizon, searching for a silhouette that might never come.
I nodded, though my heart ached. "Adrian knows this place, Anne. If there is one person in this world who can break through Friedrich's siege, it is your brother."
We walked toward a hidden shack behind the mangrove forest. There, an old fisherman named Abah Ugi was waiting. He was one of the people whose identity I had protected back when my husband—Julian's father—still held power in this land.
"Gusti Putri," Abah Ugi bowed deeply, a gesture of respect I hadn't received in decades. "This place is safe for now. The Marechaussee rarely dare to enter the Jampang forests due to the difficult terrain."
I sat on a bamboo bench, watching Anne Marie as she tried to light an oil lamp. I saw a reflection of my younger self in her—a woman forced to mature by circumstance.
"Mother," Anne Marie approached, sitting beside me. "Tuan Elias... I mean, Julian. Why did he want to help us? He had everything in the palace."
I stroked her tangled blonde hair. "Because there is something in the Van de Berg blood that gold cannot buy, Anne. And that is guilt. Julian carries the burden of his father's history, and he chose to redeem it with love, not with a sword."
That night, we ate only a bit of Salted Fish and cold rice. Every time a strong wind hit the shack walls, Anne Marie flinched, thinking it was the sound of soldiers' footsteps. I held her, whispering the old prayers my mother once taught me inside the palace.
In the distance, lightning struck above Mount Salak. I knew that there, my two sons were gambling with their lives. One prince raised in a palace, and one prince forged by the mud. Both were now fugitives in their own homeland.
"Stay alive, my sons," I whispered into the darkness. "Do not let this bloodline end at the hands of a tyrant."
Culture & Language Notes
Pelabuhan Ratu: Known for its legendary high waves and mystical connection to the South Sea Queen (Nyi Roro Kidul), adding a layer of spiritual protection and dread.
Ikan Asin (Salted Fish): A staple food of coastal villagers; symbolizing the humble reality of their escape.
Abah: A respectful Sundanese term for an elderly man or grandfather figure.
Gusti Putri: (Recap) A high-ranking royal address, showing that despite her rags, the people of the south still recognize Sekartaji's true status.
Bale-bale: A traditional bamboo daybed or platform used for sitting or sleeping.