KARMA : Balasan untuk Keluarga Tak Tahu Diri

"Chase me, Father!" Shouted the eight-years-old Princess Amayah of Lancayan. They are in the palace garden and are having fun playing. Her father, King Kendra chases after her while laughing. They were also accompanied by her older sister, Princess Aloha and their mother, Queen Aruha. They picture a happy family that anyone would envy.

The eunuchs had a smile on their faces as they watched the royal family having fun playing. And once she stumbles, they immediately approach her to help her get up. They were worried about her. Even though she just get a slightly scratched, the leader of the eunuch immediately calls a doctor to treat her. Being a princess is really a good thing. That's what her thought.

She is very lucky because many people love her and most of all, she has a loving royal parents.  They are not like the other kingdoms' king and queen who have no time to play with their children. Her parents make time for her and her older sister. She is not the only who was lucky but the whole kingdom. Because her father is not only a loving father to his children and a loving husband but also a loving king who deeply loves the people of his kingdom. That is why the people love their king and queen so much.

"Don't run too much and you might stumble again, Amayah," her queen mother shouts anxiously. Like her father, her queen mother also chased after her while her older sister sat down in the chair and rested.

"Chase me, Mother and Father!" she shouted happily. She ran away and hid in the plants which had thick leaves. She silently laughs while hiding. Her parents will definitely not be able to see her because she hide so well. She had been waiting for a few minutes to be found by her parents but she wondered why they were not looking for her.  She came out of her hiding place to find out where are her parents.

Where are they now? Why they didn't look for me? she asked herself while frowning. She walked back to the garden where her parents and eunuchs were searching for her. But she was shock and feels frightened when she saw the eunuchs lying on the grass and lifeless.

"W-what happened?" she muttered. She's confused. She just playing with her parents a moment ago. How it suddenly turns out like this?

"Amayah! Run and save yourself!" a loud scream of her queen mother. She's running while holding her older sister's hand as they are chased by men in black clothes covered their whole bodies and only the eyes are visible. They were holding swords and mercilessly killed the eunuchs who intercepts them so as not to reach her mother and sister.

Later, her Sister Aloha suddenly stumbled and was immediately attended by her mother. But because of what happened they were overtaken by two men chasing them and mercilessly stabbed her mother and older sister in front of her. Amayah's eyes widened as she stared at her loved ones being killed in front of her. She wanted to cry, shout, and approach them she couldn't do it. She wants to help them but her body seems frozen that she couldn't even move. She could feel her body is trembling but she couldn't move even one step.

Amayah's eyes widened even more as the two people who had killed her mother and sister slowly walked towards her. She stared at the blade of the two swords in their hands. The swords are stained with blood from the bodies of her mother and Sister Aloha. And soon those swords will also be stained with her blood.

Father! Help me! she screamed in her mind. But even though the two men dressed in black were almost close to her, her father, the king, still didn't show up to help her. She closes her eyes when the two raised their swords to kill her. Although she doesn't want to die yet because she's still young and has many things that she didn't do in her life she has no choice but to accepts her fate. Because how could she defends herself? What an eight-years-old girl could do to fights against these two people who are experts both in killing and fighting? Besides, her mother and sister are gone and maybe even her father, the king, was killed by them. So what else is the reason for her to live? She just let them kill her so that they can still be a family even if they are in the afterlife.

A few minutes after she closed her eyes she still could not feel the sharpness of the sword on her skin. She suddenly opened her eyes to see of what happened. She was shocked to see that the two men were already lying on the grass, both lifeless and with an arrow hit in their neck. Who? Who is the person that helped me? Is it my father? Is he still alive?

"Princess Amayah. Thank you and you are still alive," the leader of the eunuchs, Eli, quickly hugged her, saying that it was he who saved her and not her father the king. 

"Eli," she muttered weakly. It was the only word that comes out from her mouth in conjunction while shedding her tears. Her body, although she was able to move now but it still weak and trembling with fear.

"They're gone, Princess Amayah. Your parents and Princess Aloha are gone. They are all dead." Eunuch Eli said while crying as he hugged her tightly. Then he suddenly released her as his eyes widened. "You need to get out of here. You need to escape."

"Eunuch Eli, why did they kill my queen mothers and sister? What are their sins?" she asked the eunuch while crying. In her young mind she couldn't understand why such a tragedy had happened to her family. Her father was a very good king so who were the people who did this?

"I'm still not sure if my suspicion of the mastermind of this incident is correct. But let's not think about that first. Let's think about your safety. You need to get away from the palace right now." The eunuch picked her up and carried her before running away from that place.

Father. Mother, Sister Aloha. 'I don't know if I can ever come back her. I will try to live for you all, said Princess Amayah as she looked at the lifeless body of her mother and older sister as Eunuch Eli run away.

***

Princess Amayah and Eunuch Eli run faster to get away from the palace soldiers who are chasing them. Her weak body was so tired because she was not used to this kind of running so fast. But she didn't complain to the eunuch because she knew that they would be killed when they were caught by the soldiers who were chasing her. She doesn't understand why the soldiers were chasing them? Shouldn’t the soldiers will protects her because she is the princess of their kingdom? But why they chased and wanted to kill her?

"Please. Just run, Princess Amayah. Don't stop running," said the eunuch while gasping. He looks tired but still runs with her. He's holding one of her hands and does not let go of her.  So even if she falls she can get up quickly because she pulls by him and could stand up easily.

"Why are they chasing and wanted to kill us, Eunuch Eli? Aren't they are my father's soldiers?" she asked breathlessly. She's very tired too but still holding on.

"They are no longer your father's soldiers, Princess. They are now the soldiers of your traito—" He could no longer continue to speak when suddenly an arrow pierced his chest. As a result, he stopped walking and suddenly knelt on the ground as blood dripped from his mouth and from the wounds on his chest.

"Eunuch Eli! Stand up! We will run away. We will survive and escape together," Princess Amayah cried. She grabbed him by his shoulder and force him to stand up.

"P-princess, r-run f-fast as y-you c-can. P-please, d-don't c-come back h-here," he requested her with difficulty of breathing. He suddenly vomited blood so she was even more worried about him. What will she do if Eunuch Eli died? Her parents and sibling are gone and now, the eunuch who took care of her since she was a baby is going leave her too. How could she live in this world now?

"I don't want to. I won't leave you, Eunuch Eli." she gently shake her head while crying. She could barely see his face because her eyes were blurred by her tears.

"Run, Princess Amyah!" with all of his remaining strength, Eunuch Eli push her away from him to run and saves herself.

Amayah has no choice but to run and leave the eunuch when she heard the noise of horses approaching them.

"R-run, P-Princess A-Amayah. Run!!"

She heard that loud voice of the eunuch before he fell to the ground and lost his life.

Even though she was so tired she still didn’t stop running. She must survive. Eunuch Eli sacrificed his life in order for her to escape so she should not wasted that chance. She must escape and survive. She keeps on running even though she already runs too far. Her vision is darkening but she was still keep on running. She heard many footsteps of horses approaching where she was. She stopped running when she saw a horse ahead of its companions and is now approaching her. The horse runs so fast and she could no longer dodge it. Her eyes were blurred because of tears so she could not see who is the man riding on that horse. Is he one of the soldiers chasing her and wanted to kill her or he is just passing through that passage?

Father. Mother. Sister Aloha.  I will follow and meet you all in heaven sooner. And because she was already exhausted, tired and feels fear, her vision completely become dark before she could even feel the horse's feet on her weak body.