Best Friends

The Shrughnan Mountain Sect’s market was bustling with people. Shops are lined up selling all kinds of things, from jewellery, and clothes to vegetables and wine. Children are playing on the narrow streets connecting the market with small carts going to and from with commodities from the plains. The Mountain Sect's lively environment often lets one forget that it is situated deep within the Kangchen mountain range, cloaked under heavy spells. The mountain range is a sprawling landscape that acts as a natural border to the three kingdoms, like the shape of a Y. There are several watch towers located along the borders of the kingdoms to control human movement. But the mountain gets quite complex in the area where the three main branches meet. And it is there that the Mountain Community resides, or best, hides away.

Two young women brisked through the market street. Suddenly one of them, named Mongmit, shouted,

“Oi Adara!! Will you for heaven’s sake, walk slowly? My legs are giving out.”

The girl she called out stopped and turned around. Her straight, jet black and waist-length half-up ponytail hair flipped around as she turned, revealing a face that wasn’t strikingly beautiful, yet the vibe she gave out was a sight to behold. Her big lotus petal-shaped eyes with long, thick eyelashes exceptionally stood out among the not-so-sharp nose bridge and jawline with a round face. Her complexion was not fair but was rather like molten tanned gold, which shone bright in the sunlight.

They have been best friends since Adara arrived with her father fifteen years ago. Mongmit belongs to a small tribe called Mangpo who lived in the foothills of Kangchen Mountain in Shrughna. The tribe specialized in growing magical herbs for concoctology and was the only person who knew about it in the whole of Shrughna. Unfortunately, one of their tribesmen embraced nefarimancy to become one of the special advisors to Raja Ratan Raj by betraying his tribe, which made them flee into the mountains.

Mongmit is slender with a square face, and her hair is extremely voluminous and straight, which she put up in a low ponytail. She stood at the same height as Adara and is a little introverted and quiet. Being the daughter of the tribe leader, Mongmit is well-versed in the knowledge of magical herbs. She even has her greenhouse, where she grows rare magical herbs. Recently, her father gifted her a special diary, which belonged to her great-grandfather. It was a collection of the rarest of rare magical herbs and how to grow them. Neither her grandfather nor her father succeeded in growing them so her father wanted her to try to keep their legacy alive. After years of trying Mongmit finally was able to grow a particular herb called the ‘mors bloom’. She has a dream to be the first one to start teaching the art of growing magical herbs. But her father somehow forbade her every time she wanted to appeal to the High Council in which her father is an important member. She soon ran to inform her best friend Adara who was probably in the training ground of the academy teaching young mayavis (Shrughnan auras).

“What!!!!!!? It bloomed finally.”

Adara screamed, startling a few mayavi disciples. She is a person with a rainbow character; always wearing a smile, which can sometimes change into an expression of severe sarcasm or anger depending on her mood or the person with whom she is interacting. But with Mongmit, she is never angry; irritated maybe, but never angry, as she was the only person who Adara trusted and confided in fully.

“Let's go. I want to see the flower.” Adara pulled Mongmit’s hand and dragged her along.

“But what about your class and students?” Mongmit held back. To that, Adara gave a nasty look at her before screaming at the students.

“Class dismissed!!!!” and ran. The students stood confused, as it’s only been an hour since their class started.

Adara has a habit of walking faster than others. The pace was always normal for her, while others had to run to catch up with her. Mongmit was especially tortured whenever they went outside together. Even today, Mongmit has to scream and ask her to slow down, as she has already grown tired of running behind her to keep up.

Adara chuckled and said, “Alright, alright, let’s take a break, shall we?”

While Mongmit was catching up her breath, they noticed that they had stopped near a sortilege’s (fortune teller) shop. She was selling all sorts of beads, chains, anklets, and amulets. However, unlike the common fortune tellers, sortileges possess the power to foresee the future through signs and visions. Adara always thought of sortileges as a farce because of the trauma life has given her till now. She is convinced that people make their fate and that there is no such thing as a predestined thing.

Mongmit, however, believed in it, and while they were at it, she dragged Adara into the shop.

“It’s just for fun. Come on, Ada, let’s see what she has to say.” Mongmit winked, to which Adara rolled her eyes.

The sortilege welcomed them, and Mongmit pushed Adara forward for her to try first. The sortilege asked for Adara’s left hand, which she let out for her to hold within her hands. Suddenly the sortilege’s eyes became cloudy white, and she started to speak.

“I see the lotus and the fire within. The three are destined to meet, to face the inevitable. The lotus burns out itself, but the fire dragon breathes life into reviving it while the tiger protects it. And the two parts of the black soul that were once broken will reunite and become one again.” The sortilege stopped, and her eyes became normal again. She continued to hold Adara’s hand into her staring into her deep black eyes.

“Glory awaits you before all the hardships you will face. Be brave and never give up. Live up to your name.”

“My name?” Adara asked, puzzled.

“Yes, your name, Adara. Means fire, isn’t it?”

“I guess. But, wait, how did you know my name?” Adara shrugged casually, answering the sortilege.

“Live up to your name. Be the fire you are to destined to be.”

Adara narrowed her eyes and felt very uncomfortable and irritated with all the mumbo jumbo playing of words by the sortilege, so she hastily got up and left with Mongmit following her.

“I told you all these are nonsense. What she said doesn’t even make any sense. And I must find out how she came to know my name. Wait, did you ever?” She looked at Mongmit with suspicion, and she quickly defended herself.

“Oh, ho, hold on there. I didn’t say anything to anyone, ok. I don’t even know her. All the more reason you should believe her. She might see the future.”

“There is nothing predestined. I make my future. Now come on, don’t ruin the fun. Let’s go and see your plant.”

The greenhouse Mongmit built is at the edge of the mound on which her house is built. The house is two stories and made of gray-elder tree wood, which is known for its durable wood, with a pagoda-styled roof. The house is not grand but quite sprawling with a lot of land area. At its side, there was a pond where different types of lotuses grew. It was Adara's favourite spot because she loved lotuses. Well, not all but the blue lotus, her favourite flower, and so Mongmit, being a skilled concoctologist, has prepared a perfume from it for her. The magical perfume was like it became a person’s smell after using it for a long time, which is why Adara always smelled like a blue lotus.

Mongmit, apart from being an introvert, is also a private person who likes to do her stuff away from people and so she had her greenhouse built at the far end of their plot overlooking the valley between two ranges. She even built a fence around the greenhouse with a gate and Adara put a couple of warding spells on it to give an extra layer of protection and privacy because the herbs and plants she is growing have huge demand in the concoctology market, and there might be a chance that these might end up in the wrong hands. Even Mongmit’s father, the Chief, knows the risk and so doesn’t interfere much in her work.

“Whoooaaaawwww,” Adara exclaimed looking at the blackish red flower blooming among the long succulent leaves of the mors bloom. Three other buds were shooting up along with it.

Mongmit excitedly said, “Look, the buds are in perfect shape, which means they will bloom.”

“How can you say so? I mean, what shape?” Adara asked inquisitively.

“Well, if the buds are rounder and tightly packed, it will be a successful bloom. Before, the buds were slightly oval and loosely packed; that is why they didn’t bloom”, Mongmit answered.

Suddenly Mongmit felt a tight embrace and the next moment Adara shrieked with excitement, "Ohhh, my dear Mong you are a genius. You did it.”

To which Mongmit smiled and gave a slight tap on her hands that embraced her.

"Alright, let’s go I am famished. I am sure Aunty made good things today”, Adara chuckled

“Wait up glutton”, Mongmit followed her.

The table was set in the dining area, and as they entered the house, Mongmit’s father, Chief Takhchung Namsimik, and mother, Lady Songkit Namsimik, welcomed them lovingly. Since Adara grew up without a mother, raised by a single father, Lady Namsimik dotted on her like a second daughter.

“Aye Ada!.. Come, my dear.” She gave her a warm hug.

‘Khaamree Aunty!” Adara returned her affection.

“Do come here often girl. Such a long time you since visited us.” She chirped on.

“Ehhhhh???? Aamoo she came last week only.” Mongmit said

“That was last week. Seven days have passed.” They all chuckled.

“Well, if that is so, then I think I should move in here. What do you say?” said Adara mischievously.

They all laughed and ate. Lady Namsimik prepared some special dishes since Adara was visiting. The dishes are exclusively authentic to their tribe. Buckwheat pancake, which is oil-free and eaten with tomato sauce, glass mung bean noodles with wild mushrooms and ham slices, wild fern stir-fried, baked meat, noodles made in vegetable stew and pork; and rhododendron wine. Adara’s favorites are the stir-fried wild fern, baked meat, and the wine. Lady Namsimik is also highly skilled in weaving and basketry. She and other women in the tribe run a making unit for business. Chief Namsimik overlooks the tribal affairs along with the rhododendron wine business. Adara enjoys the culture very much, especially the musical festivals that are held occasionally. The Chief is also good at playing the four-stringed lute, a popular instrument of the tribe. But Adara’s favourite is the flute among the sanga (drum) and yangchay (another string instrument). She got one from Mongmit’s parents as a birthday gift years ago and has quite mastered the skills of playing it.

Suddenly her message trinket started shining, and Adara became restless. Mongmit noticed her and right away knew what was going on. She made an excuse and came out of the house with Adara.

“Please tell me it’s not him again," Mongmit in a frustrated tone asked Adara.

“Well, he wants to meet," Adara said helplessly.

“And how long has it been since he last called you ‘to meet’? When will you understand that he doesn’t care about you? Huh? Don’t be so naïve, Ada,” Mongmit said, irritated.

“I know, but trust me, I tried so hard to move on, but it seems so difficult," Adara said in a helpless tone.

“Let me get this straight. He cheated on you, then he ignored you and showed little to no respect, and for the fact that you have been in a relationship for more than a year now, and yet you are saying you can’t move on?” Mongmit said in an irritated tone.

Adara knew she was right. She knew the bitter truth in her heart. Adara’s memories flashed back when she first met Daksh, and it changed her forever as a person and a woman.