THE WARRIOR'S OF THE KING

In the outskirts of Gamot village, a mysterious figure stood next to the towering "nonok tree," their face obscured by a deep black shadow. An eerie energy seemed to emanate from their presence, hinting at some sort of magical power coursing through their body. Clad in a dark dress, the only visible feature was the person's mouth peeking out from beneath the hood. The lips were a striking dark red, thin and delicate, revealing the figure to be a woman. Questions arose about her purpose for being outside the village - was she a mere passerby, or perhaps a spy sent to observe the activities of the spiral hunters?

Using the magical sword, Mindaza broke the last lock tied to the lock of the big door, then Sulaya pushed it so that everyone could enter the royal hall.

The door was open, swinging loosely in the ever-present breeze. Sulaya stepped in first, with Mindaza two paces behind.

The interior was all that Mindaza expected it to be, with a raised dais on which stood the carved throne of the king and two long tables that ran the full length of the hall. The surroundings have been decorated with a few altars with unique images captured from the town. There are also statues standing in some parts of the hall made of white stone. A few branches of the trees can be seen from the window, and now-faded flowers hung in silent, while the remains of food and drinks scattered over the tables and floor, a sign that there had been a feast prepared.

"This is really what happened," Sulaya said.

"It seems that there's a feast that has been set up in this place. I wager that the king prepared a banquet to welcome a delegation of Northmen in peace and friendship. Those men were at the table with the court and turned on them."

Mindaza shuddered. "Would they really make it?"

Sulaya suddenly stepped on the broken shells of a crab on the floor where she was standing. She kicked it with her foot and said, "There is only one way to tell if Northern men are not lying"

"How?" Mindaza asked.

Sulaya's face became serious. She looked at the throne of the king and said, "They value deceit to an enemy as highly as they value courage. The more they talk and smile at you, the more they are planning to kill you," Sulaya sighed.

Mindaza looked around the hall with its scattered tables and the remnants of festivities, the trampled food and broken hopes. She took a deep breath and said, "I will remember that"

"What should we do now?" one of the elders asked Sulaya.

"In order to avoid becoming trapped in the circumstances, we shall remain impassive and simply wait for the appropriate moment. I believe it is ideal to speak with the king first given that we can get answers to our questions at the same time," Sulaya explained to them.

Sulaya always listened to her fellow hunters. Everyone's welfare is important to her, especially their comments. Otherwise, both of their lives will be in danger. The elder hunters finally agreed then they nod at her.

"If the Northern men are not here for a raid, they will seek conquest" Mindaza loudly said. "To take over the whole mainland of Mindanao, I guess."

"I think they already have," Sulaya replied.

"Does it mean, the king might be dead or a slave now, and his court and high officials are all gone, there is nobody left. Except us?" Mindaza said.

All the elder hunters glanced at her as Sulaya looked away to hide her smile.

"You are very smart like your mother" one elder said and wink to Mindaza.

"It would be better to leave the town now and head to East," Sulaya said politely.

The four spiral hunters came out of the King's hall, to begin the journey. But on their way out, one of their companions met them and said, "They are coming!"

"Who?" Mindaza asked. But the elder did not answer her. Instead the elder man pointed to the west.

"How many?" Sulaya asked without haste.

"I would say one hundred Northern men on horseback and a hundred on foot, marching going this way"

"Hurry up! we need to get out of this town" Sulaya ordered.

"We can fight them!" Mindaza touched the hilt of her sword. "We can't keep running and hide at all times." Mindaza said.

"We can't fight them all" Sulaya said, as she turned to her daughter.

"The eight of us can't defeat these warriors!" Sulaya focuses on Mindaza's protests with a frown. "Don't argue with me, girl! I know what is the best for us,"

Sulaya looked puzzled.

"The Northern men will be here in an hour" a spiral hunter man warned.

"Follow me," Sulaya said. She stood straight and began a steady walk towards the hills. The others followed, with Sulaya taking up her customary position as rearguard, a dozen paces behind Mindaza

The ground sloped steeply to the north, dotted with copses of trees and isolated settlements so far, it is not familiar for the Northern men.

Half of an hour the elder hunters came back to the forest where other members were waiting for them.

"What's up?" Ganadara felt the pressure on Sulaya's faces. Even before they arrived, she had already prepared the possible and immediate departure of the group from the area.

"The Northern men are coming, we have to go to the East to look for the King" Sulaya said.

Without asking further, Ganadara knew what Sulaya wanted to explain. "Alright"

The spiral hunters immediately left the area to avoid the Northern men. It's a good thing that they arrived in the town of Gamot earlier before they were preceded here, otherwise there would have been a bloody war between them.

"It is hard to imagine war is coming here," Mindaza said.

"Sorry about that, this is the real world that you were born in" Sulaya said while they walked into the wild forest.

"This land is so different from the cliffs and hills of our Island." Mindaza added. Even as she spoke, she felt the vibration of thousands of marching feet and heard the blare of the sound of martials.

"Is that the Northern army?" Mindaza nudged. Sulaya looked at her in evident confusion and said nothing.

Later on, Sulaya raised her hand, a sign that she ordered to stop them from walking for a while now, then she said. "Listen everyone, I have words to remind all of you"

Mindaza's thoughts crawled on some bad news. She stands straight to listen to her mother, the leader of the hunters.

"In this wild forest, there is an army here. They only wait for the order, if they attack us or not"

Sulaya lifted her hand, and the column stopped. The vibration increased, and the sound strengthened.

"The Northern army is coming from the west" Sulaya confirmed. She pointed to a bare knoll that rose a couple of hundred feet above the plain.

Mindaza, suddenly runs up there to see what is happening.

"Mindaza where are you going?" Sulaya yelled but it seems that her daughter does not hear her.

She sped up the slippery grass to the summit of the knoll. She looked at the west first, where the Northern army had altered directions. Rather than following the Spiral Hunters. The army was moving toward the north, and had been reinforced by hundreds more infantry. They marched purposefully with the cavalry in the van and flanks and every third footman was carrying a bow.

"Are they really coming here, in our direction?" Mindaza asked herself.

The other footmen sported spears, axes and long swords. At the head rode a small group of men under the banner of a red raven with drooping wings. She tried to count them, batching them in tens and then in hundreds, until she stopped when she reached twenty.

'Twenty times of hundred. That makes thousands of infantry, as well as the cavalry" Mindaza shake her head.

"I had no idea there were that many people in this land!"

When she turned to face the south, there were another hundred soldiers with silver bands around their body. The divers flags flapping in the wind, present an impressive sight to highlight and show the strength and diversity of the front of their formation. A black boar in a yellow background waved boldly, accompanied by men with spears.

The soldiers who carry distinctive banners were radiated bravery, brightness, and defiance as they marched in close formation. Among the troops, some wielded wider, older weapons such as heavy axes, signifying their role in the middle of the advancing army.

Now the approaching forces are on their way to come in the town of Gamot.

"What a world of..." Mindaza stopped, and sighed. "This village is small, why did they choose to meet in this land?" She added. While her thoughts are still digging deeper. She hears a voice behind her back.

"Did they start their war?" Sulaya asked. But Mindaza remained silent. The army seethed across the fertile fields within the town of Gamot. Sulaya joined her daughter that hides in a fertile meadow of the forest.

'They will fight for the "Sarimanok"of Mindanao, and are ready to die for it"

"The "Sarimanok" of Mindanao? Is it an enemy, or an ally?" Mindaza wanted to clarify.

"The "Sarimanok" is the royal army of the King" Sulaya smiled for the first time seeing the warriors on the field.

The Sarimanok, is a mystical bird revered by the elders of the island, was thought to possess healing powers for a multitude of ailments among the people of ancient times.

As recounted by witnesses, the bird's ethereal presence was accompanied by a radiant glow enveloping its entire body as it soared through the skies, leaving behind luminous bubbles that gently descended in this land. These shimmering bubbles were eagerly collected by the people, who would carefully boil them in hot water for a brief period before consuming the resulting elixir in hopes of receiving the bird's purported medicinal benefits.

"These men, will see that this land is not only composed of women warriors, defenceless villagers, and town-dwellers!"

"Strong enough, shall we join them in the battle?" Mindaza asked. When she saw that the armies of the King had a smaller number of counts than the Northern men.

"No. Our numbers are limited, and I cannot bear to lose another member of our group.

Furthermore, I acknowledge that we do not possess the same youthful vigor as we once did." Sulaya reminds her daughter.

"I just imagine a scenario where the Northern men were defeated at the hands of spiral hunters - will the King grant us the chance to reside in this land?

Sulaya turned her gaze at her daughter.