The Farang

by Mile Mitrov

  “Unhand her you devil.” “How dare you lay your stinking hands on her royal highness, she’s the princess.” “We will have your head for this.”

  She pleads. “Don’t resist please. Don’t do anything stupid. My father will help. I will explain.”

  Two soldiers take Phing away quickly and the others rush to Miguel, pushing him to the ground. He drops to his knees powerless, while the soldiers start punching and kicking at the ready.

  He doesn’t resist. He’s still in shock from what he had heard. ‘a princess, she’s a princess.’

  As the soldiers take her away, she tries to scream, to make them stop, to let him go. The only words that made it out of her mouth are only audible to her: “I hope I see you again guapo.”

  Chapter 6

  A rider speeds through the main gate of Ayutthaya, screaming from the bottom of his lungs: “she’s alive, it’s a miracle.”

  He goes straight to Lord Anantachai’s house to deliver the good news personally. The fat man, still in the clothes from yesterday, hearing the good news makes his eyes sparkle again. Color returns to his cheeks, he is back to being his old conniving self again.

  “You did good that you came to me first. I’ll remember this and you’ll be rewarded. Now go to the palace, tell the king the good news.” He says, sending the messenger out.

  “You can come in now Ghao, we’re alone now. I know how much you enjoy hiding in the dark shadows, but it creeps me out every single time when you do that.”

  Ghao steps to the center of the room, dressed again in his usual all black. He lifts his right foot and smacks the heel of his boot hard on the gilded table. Not that he needed to, but it gave him great pleasure to disrespect the fat pig, and all the expensive unnecessary material things, like this ridiculously large table covered with gold, that he knows the man cherishes above all.

  “You got lucky today, very, very lucky.”

  “I was wrong. I actually prefer it when you hide in the dark shadows, that way I don’t have to look at your ugly black mug.” His courage had returned with the good news too. This dog could still bite.

  Ghao feels amused by this newfound nerve, and laughs out loud.

  “Oh you make me laugh so hard sometimes, you know that. Does it feel good to insult me? That was good. Do you feel happy now?” Still can’t stop smiling.

  “I will let you have your fun this time. The plan is back on track. Two hundred elite troops are on their way, the very best that China has to offer. They will be here in 10 days, you better make sure you do your part and they will do theirs.”

  “I wil….. Anantachai starts to speak but another smack of the heel on the table stops him in his tracks.

  “Your voice has grown tiresome. Now shut up and make sure you do what you have promised.” says Ghao, as he retreats in to the shadows.

  Anantachai breaths in deeply, thinking about the near future ‘oh just you wait, as soon as I sit on the throne I’ll be rid of you, you arrogant bastard. And as soon as the Chinese play their part I’ll get rid of them too.’

  ******

  “My king, she’s safe.” Proclaims the messenger as he enters the great throne room, and falls to the floor at the king’s feet. “Princess Sasithorn will be coming back home very soon your royal highness. Your best men are protecting her.” Catcing his breatch for a few moments, he continues. “We also captured the white devil that was holding her.”

  “That’s the happiest news I have ever heard. You will be rewarded soldier. Now go rest, you have earned it. White devil you say. We will deal with him too.” Rama turns to his nobles who had gathered here as a show of support. “Prepare a welcoming party. Today is a holiday. We will celebrate for 20 days.”

  The whole room erupts with cheers and praises for the king and for the princess.

  Chapter 7

  Phing once again found herself in a carriage heading for home, escorted by soldiers. They didn’t give her time to explain, they just took her away and put her in here. A soldier had taken the effort to tell her that their orders were to bring her home at once.

  Through the small opening on the back of the carriage, she could just about see the tail of the caravan where her savior was locked up. He was in the small cart that was used to bring in supplies. The soldiers had made a makeshift cage out of bamboo stalks over it to hold him confined.

  ‘Oh my poor brave man, you don’t deserve this. What are these animals doing to you? Just wait till my father hears of this.’

  ‘Did I do this to him? Is it my fault for not telling him who I am? Maybe if he knew he wouldn’t have been so honest with his affections.’

  ‘What have I done, I don’t want to lose him. I just found him.’ All these thoughts are followed by the image of his big hands hugging her so tight. Her heart feels that that is her safe place. That is where she wants to be, and where she can feel comfortable.

  She tries to be strong but the tears don’t stop flowing.

  ******

  “I didn’t disrespect her. I didn’t know she’s the princess.”

  Miguel tries to reason with the soldiers but it’s pointless. All he gets in return are angry insults and the sticks that they poke him with.

  “You dare put your hands on her highness. You will die for this you devil.” Shouted one soldier, and another was trying to make himself look smart in front of his comrades: “You speak like us, this is black magic, we burn people like you here, you sorcerer.”

  Their insults went on and on and started becoming more and more ridiculous. His favorite was: “Don’t look at me with those emerald eyes you monster, I don’t want your white man curse.” - That one even made him smile.

  He closes his eyes and ignores all the angry shouting. He is back in the moment they shared. The brief moment their eyes met in midair. To him it felt like forever, the river of time had stopped flowing.

  ‘Stop this you idiot, she’s a princess, and you are what, a simple nobody, a farang, this will never be allowed to happen.’

  He tries to rationalize all this and try to convince himself that it is stupid to even think about her. Without success, the image of her eyes lighting up with joy and opening up wide when they met his could never be erased from his mind.

  She must have felt it too. We shared something, something special.

  ‘Was this what my father meant when he told me the story how he fell in love with my mother the first time he saw her. He always says that when he spoke to her and saw the sparkle in her eyes he knew then and there that she is his one and only’, ‘oh my lovely girl.’

  Thinking about all of this only curls his lips in to a wide happy smile. This only makes the soldiers even angrier.

  “Stop smiling you wizard!”

  Chapter 8

  Everybody was overjoyed. Word spread quickly of her royal highness’ safe return. All the people joined in the preparations for the welcoming of the princess. No expense was spared, Lord Anantachai contributing the largest amount, wanting all the people to see his great happiness for the safe return of Sasithorn. And he was not ashamed at all of telling that to everyone that he meets. ‘Maybe she will appreciate all this’. He couldn’t help but hope.

  Musicians, acrobats and dancers are rushing to get to their designated places. All the single men in the city are following the dancers like hungry puppies, staring at their lean young bodies in the tiny clothes. Some married man too.

  Banners in the royal colors had been erected on 20 foot poles all the way from the entrance of the city to the royal palace. Cheerful red, blue, white and yellow are marking the ceremonial route.

  In front of the tall white walls of the royal palace, the thrones were set up on a platform right between the two golden columns that flank the entrance. Four thrones sit on the platform. One for the King, one for the Queen, and two smaller ones for the young prince Arthit who sits there impatiently, dressed in the finest silk, to see his big sister happy that she will again sit in the t
hrone next to him. Phing has always been there to support him she was Arthit’s rock and comfort. He is the happiest of everybody that she is back, Phing is his world.

  ******

  All the preparations finished just as the carriage with the princess arrives. Sasithorn feels happy to be home again. All the decorations and all the people cheering, bowing and waving to her, none of that means anything. The only important thing is the fate of her savior. What will happen to him? Will her father listen to her and show mercy. ‘I will make him listen, if it’s the last thing I do.’ Her heart had decided for her.

  Miguel had heard many stories about the capital, but never visited. He had wanted to come here for a long time, but fate had other plans for him. Until now that is. It would be nice to visit in more pleasant circumstances. But even now, looking at it through his cage at the tail of the convoy, Ayutthaya is a magnificent sight to behold. With its water canals and many islands it is truly breathtaking. He can just about make out The Reclining Buddha statue in the distance they say he is resting because he had reached Nirvana. And straight ahead the towering spire of Phra Ram Temple, covered in pure gold, shines brightly over its people.

  His mind can’t concentrate on such trivial things like ‘what will happen to him’. The only fear on his mind and in his heart is: ‘Will I see her again.’

  Chapter 9

  Waiting for the convoy to travel the long processional route, Lord Anantachai takes his place at the king’s right hand side.

  “My king, I am pleased that her highness the most venerated princess Sasithorn is safely with us again.”

  “Yes Lord we are all very pleased, this is truly a happy occasion, for the next twenty days we will have the largest celebration our kingdom has ever seen.”

  Anantachai leans a little closer to the king so that he’s not overheard. “My king I feel that now is a perfect time for you to contemplate my offer. When we will be married, nothing like this will happen to her again, I will always keep her safe.”

  Rama tries not to show his true feelings. “Yes Lord I am fully aware of your intentions. You have declared them on many occasions.” He despises this man from the bottom of his heart. “Her destiny is yet to be determined, for that was the reason for her trip, was it not.”

  Anantachai leans even closer to the king’s ear. “All of the nobles agree that this is the best thing for our kingdom. And i am certain that you fully understand that in these troubling times the man that controls the army is the best choice for your daughter’s hand. After all we don’t want hard times to fall upon us.” –he says with the most menacing voice he can produce, not even trying to mask this most violent threat.

  “I will consider your offer at the end of all the festivities in twenty days. This is a time to rejoice, and we will deal with the harsh facts of reality after.”

  Rama, still keeping up his strong façade, starts to descend the stairs to greet his first born child who is about to step out of the carriage.

  “Father!” shouts Sasithorn as she runs to her father’s embrace.

  “My sweet dear daughter, I am so happy you are still with us. I could never forgive myself if I lost you.” Rama hugs his daughter like he doesn’t want to let her go. “Are you all right my child, how do you feel?”

  Tears start to cover her cheeks again. “I am good father, but he is not. He saved me. He killed the tiger. And they put him in a cage like an animal. They beat him.” She had been choosing her words along the long trip, and now they came out all at once. “Stop them. Tell them to let him go. He did nothing wrong. He’s a hero.” She buries her head in her father’s shoulder still sobbing.

  Rama calls his wife to comfort the girl and raises his hand to signal Tuk to come forward. “Explain soldier. Who is this man she speaks of?”

  Always the honorable man, Tuk tells the truth, knowing that the Lord will not be very happy with this. “Your royal highness, when we found them he had his arms around her waist. This Farang was disrespecting her highness. If we had come a little later who knows what he would have done.”

  “Farang you say! Bring him to me.” He commands.

  Soldiers take Miguel out of his cage and bring him in front of The King.

  “So what do you have to say for yourself? Speak now!” says the King loud enough for the crowd to hear.

  Miguel takes his time thinking his words through carefully.

  “I was on the road, I heard screams. Ran as fast as I could and when I reached there and I put my sword through the tiger. Only a girl was left alive. I did not know that she is a princess, she never told me. I let her rest and recover from the shock and then we went on the road to here to bring her home. And that is when your soldiers found us.”

  “You speak out tongue very well for a stranger. We’ve never seen that here before.” The King enquires further: “and what of the disrespect? Did you dare put your hands on her royal highness the princess?”

  Miguel stays silent. He looks up and catches Phing looking at him intensely with her eyes wide open, still in her mother’s embrace. He can see that she is upset and afraid for him and tries to give her a smile. Not caring who is watching.

  “Very well then, for killing the tiger and saving her royal highness’ life we are grateful. You will be harmed by no one until the end of the festivities. After that you will be brought back before me so that I can decide your destiny. I will grant my daughter’s wish for now.”

  Facing the crowd Rama proclaims: “this man is under my protection and while he’s in prison he will not be harmed. If someone disobeys my order he will answer directly to me.”

  The soldiers take Miguel away. His eyes still locked on Phing, and hers on him. Until they drag him out of sight.

  Chapter 10

  Lord Anantachai is sitting in his garden resting after the long day. Never satisfied, it wasn’t enough to have the biggest house in the city but he had to have the biggest garden too. He forced his two former neighbors to sell him their houses for a ridiculously small amount of gold. After clearing that land, he had brought in exotic trees from far away as Northern India and China. His own private paradise garden, fruit trees all around and in between ran many small canals made to look like rivers, spanned with ornately carved foot bridges.

  Never on to deny himself any pleasures, his appetites quite evident from his weight, at the end of his domain, he had a pleasure palace built just for his own use. The two floor house of pleasures has six big rooms. When he enters here he is transformed in to the emperor figure he likes to think he is. Here all his fantasies come true. And just like an emperor his pleasure palace was full with girls from all possible shapes and colors in the kingdom, and beyond. All brought here for his pleasure. Some he had imprisoned himself and others were gifts from nobles that he has under his control.

  ‘I think I will have me some tall and white this evening.’ He thinks to himself as he starts to walk slowly towards his pleasure palace, already loosening up the belt on his silk robe.

  “Where do you think you’re going fat man?” Ghao steps out of the shadows startling Anantachai. “We need to talk.”

  “My masters no longer have patience. You have failed yet again to marry the princess. I have new orders, and the celebrations give us a great opportunity.”

  “I can pressure Rama. He is weak and has no support. He will have to accept me soon.”

  “That is of no importance now. You may control the nobles, but the people still love their king. We have to take him out, and do it soon.”

  Anantachai realizes that to refuse now will only go bad for him. “What do you need me to do?”

  “The Chinese elite forces are ten days away. Till they arrive you have to make sure the troops loyal to you know what they have to do. As for the troops loyal to the king I am sure you can find a way, in all the festivities, to get them drunk, to get them very drunk so that they will not be able to oppose us when the moment comes. Your perverted mind will see to that I am
certain.”

  Not waiting for a reply, Ghao disappears back in to the shadows.

  Anantachai shouts angrily for Tuk. The young man comes before his master, still unsure of the treatment he will receive for being truthful with the king.

  “You disappointed me yesterday. The white devil you brought back can be a problem for us he is a distraction for the princess. You should have taken his head on the spot and brought just that back as a trophy.”

  He slaps the young man hard across the face. Then he tells him about the new plan, and about all the arrangement that have to be made.

  “And do not disappoint me again, or I will take you to the furthest jungle and leave you there alone to talk to the wild.”

  Tuk remains standing there still trying to calm his anger from the slap. The fat bastards has already gone to his precious little pleasure palace, ‘no doubt to slap some other poor victim as well.’ He plants his fist in the mango tree to relieve his anger, whispering calming words.

  “You will get what you deserve you bastard, you will get it soon.”

  The shadows behind him move. That’s another thing about Ayutthaya in this city the shadows hear everything.

  Chapter 11

  Queen Kanda normally starts her days with a traditional tea ceremony, probably the only good thing that her native people have taken from the Chinese and made their own. She was born in Luang Prabang which lies to the North. It is the land of the hill tribes. They are a proud people, never surrendering to the constant attack from their neighbors. It was a good childhood and she had many good memories from back home. Running in the hills around the town with her brothers, jumping and playing in the nearby waterfalls or swimming in the river was a very happy time for her.