Once the distance between them and the site of the chaos had grown wide enough, the cart finally began to slow.
The driver loosened the reins little by little, urging the horses to ease their pace and regain control of their uneven breathing. Dust that had been flung into the air slowly settled, clinging back to the dirt road and crushed leaves beneath the wheels.
"Good grief…" the driver muttered.It sounded less like a word and more like a weary sigh.
He twisted halfway around to look at the cart behind him, his voice rough with dust and relief."We'll stop for a bit. Find somewhere safe.""I need to check the cart too. Make sure nothing's broken."
"If we force ourselves to keep moving tonight," he added, "we might end up dead on the road instead."
No one argued.
They were all too exhausted to push on. The adrenaline that had carried them through the attack had drained away, leaving behind trembling hands and minds still haunted by the image of arrows and steel. Even now, their ears seemed to echo with sounds that had nearly taken their lives.
They pulled off into an open patch of land not far from the main road. Hidden enough by bushes and trees to avoid easy detection, yet open enough to keep watch on their surroundings. A small campfire was lit, its warmth meant to fend off insects, animals, and the creeping cold of night.
Night arrived slowly. Sunlight faded into moonlight, casting pale silver over the ground.
There was no laughter. No idle chatter.
Only the soft crackle of burning wood, the steady breathing of horses finally calming down, the rhythmic tapping of the driver's hammer as he checked the cart, and the occasional chirp of insects filling the silence.
Danu sat with his legs stretched out, the handycam resting on his lap. For once, he didn't turn it on.Anindya stared into the fire, her eyes unfocused, her thoughts still trapped in what had happened earlier that day.Jaka leaned against one of the cart's wheels, arms crossed over his chest, replaying the attack in his mind and wondering what else lay ahead.
Bandung sat apart from them.
He faced the moon and stars, distancing himself from the fire and the others. His gaze followed the grass swaying in the wind, the silhouettes of trees washed in moonlight, searching for something that might quiet his thoughts. His fists clenched and unclenched again and again, as if still feeling the weight of the bamboo pole he had swung.
He felt powerless. Especially after what had happened.
Soft footsteps approached from behind.
Bandung turned, slightly startled, and saw Dara standing beside him.
"May I sit?" she asked.
"…Sure," Bandung replied.
Dara wasn't wearing her mask. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, her face illuminated by gentle moonlight that made her eyes look calmer than before.
"You're not sitting with them?" she asked softly.
Bandung shook his head."Later," he said. After a brief hesitation, he added,"I don't think I could sit there calmly right now."
Dara nodded. She already knew what he was thinking, even before he spoke.
They sat in silence for a few moments. Behind them, the fire crackled, its light causing the shadows of grass to sway faintly around them.
"I…" Bandung inhaled, then let the breath out slowly."I thought I was ready. Ready to fight. Ready to protect everyone."
He gave a short, bitter laugh."But when it actually happened… I realized I couldn't do much with just a piece of bamboo. And then suddenly it was all over, without me really helping at all."
He lowered his head."Maybe I was a fool to talk so loudly about becoming a soldier, when I could barely hold my ground today."
Dara didn't answer right away. She shifted closer, then gently placed a hand on his shoulder. A quiet gesture. Encouraging, without judgment.
"That situation was difficult, Bandung," she said calmly."But you stood your ground. You fought. You didn't hide or run, even though all you had was bamboo. You even protected the driver, risking yourself."
She paused."That wasn't nothing."
Bandung lifted his head, looking at her uncertainly.
"You're not a mage," Dara continued."You're not an archer. You're not someone who attacks from afar. But you still fought with what you had."
She offered a small smile."Many people with far greater power wouldn't have had the courage you showed today."
Bandung fell silent.
"I saw you grab that bamboo. I saw you strike the one trying to jump aboard, and throw it at the archer," Dara said gently."You didn't hesitate. Not once. Imagine if you hadn't done any of that."
She squeezed his shoulder once more, then let her hand rest there briefly."Don't measure yourself by what you don't have.""Measure yourself by what you've already done."
Bandung held his breath, struck by the way she said it.
"I…""Thank you, Dara."
Dara lowered her gaze, then stood and walked back toward the fire.
"Get some rest," she said."Tomorrow, we enter the capital."
She paused, just long enough to glance back.
"Believe me, Bandung. What waits for us there…""…will be far more complicated than arrows and swords."
***
They departed at dawn, before the sun had climbed high enough to burn away the morning chill.
Mist still clung thickly to the road as the horse cart rolled forward once more, its wheels creaking over stone and packed earth as the path began to slope upward. The horses moved with care now, their steps slower and steadier after the chaos of the night before, yet they did not stop.
Before long, the driver raised his voice from the front seat, excitement breaking through his usual calm.
"Look ahead!" he called."We're close now!"
Instinctively, all of them turned in the direction he pointed.
After cresting the hill, the land opened wide before their eyes.
Massive stone walls rose in the distance, encircling the city like an unyielding ring. Wooden watchtowers stood along their length, banners of the kingdom fluttering proudly in the wind. Within the walls, rooftops stretched endlessly.
Wooden frames, woven panels, red clay tiles, all of them layered tightly together in patterns that reflected the many lives and social ranks contained inside.
And at the very heart of it all...
The Keraton of Mataram.
Its tiered roofs rose high above the city, gold carvings catching the sunlight as it finally broke through the thinning clouds, gleaming like fire against stone and sky.
Farther beyond, at the edge of the horizon, the sea shimmered vast and open. Trading ships crowded the harbor, their tall sails standing like white wings, each marked with banners of different colors and origins.
They had come from a remote village, passed through abandoned roads and forgotten dangers, endured a night filled with fear and vigilance.
Now, the sight before them felt like a sudden awakening.
They sat in silence, struck by the sheer scale of what lay ahead.
None of them knew what kind of world awaited them beyond those gates.
***
The driver patted his horse's neck before turning back to them with a broad grin.A grin far more relaxed than the tension he had carried at the start of their journey.
"At last…" he drawled."We made it."
Then his tone shifted, softer but sincere.
"Be careful in there," he added, nodding toward the city gates."The capital's full of all kinds of people. And city folk aren't all the same as village people."
"Not everyone smiles the way they do back home."
Jaka nodded and stepped forward, offering his hand."Thank you, Sir. Truly. If it weren't for you, things might have ended very differently.""Take care on your way back."
The driver laughed, clicking his tongue as he waved the concern away.
"Back now? No chance.""I'm not that reckless, young-man. We just ran into bandits. You think I'm eager to meet them again?"
He hooked a thumb toward the city."I'll stop by a tavern first. Find a group heading out later.""Better drunk for a night than dead by morning, right?""And if I do die, at least I'll have had a drink first."
Laughter broke out among them, light and genuine.Who would have guessed that the middle-aged man who had carried them through danger would be this easygoing?
Danu grinned."No wonder you stayed so calm. You've done this many times before, huh?"
"Well, arrows still hurt," the driver replied cheerfully."Fear is like the rain. Stay out in it long enough, and you just stop feeling wet. Haha"
He shrugged, took the reins in one hand, and waved with the other."Alright then. Take care inside. Good luck with... well... whatever you're chasing."
The cart turned slowly, wooden wheels creaking as it rolled back toward the road.The driver and his horses grew smaller with each step, until they vanished around a bend, leaving the five of them standing before the gates of the capital.
The stone gate towered above them.
Armed guards stood in formation.Footsteps, merchants shouting, and the rumble of other carts blended into a new kind of noise.Loud. Alive. Overwhelming.
Amid the crowd, Dara stood slightly apart.
She held her white Srikandi mask in her hands, sunlight reflecting off its smooth surface, making it gleam and clean, almost untouched.
She looked at them one by one before speaking softly.
"Thank you… for everything."
She drew a breath, her voice as gentle as ever.
"You guys, took me in without questions. Without any suspicion.""That kind of kindness is... pretty rare… much rarer than you might think."
Her gaze lingered, as if replaying memories of the bamboo hut, the firelight, the laughter, the tension they had shared.
Brief, yet unforgettable.
"You showed me many things," she continued."More than I ever expected to find out there."
Bandung stepped forward and took her hand, his grip firm and sincere.
"I wish you the best, Dara," he said quietly."Whatever you're chasing in this city… or in life… I hope you find it."
She nodded, then turned to the others.
"And I hope all of you find what you're looking for as well. Take care of yourselves."
Dara lifted the mask and placed it over her face.
The moment the mask settled, the air between them grew thin.
Her posture remained, but the warmth that had sheltered them for weeks began to recede, like a performer retreating behind a curtain once the final dance is done.
The woman before them was once again the distant, unreachable Dara.
"If fate allows us to meet again," she said lightly from behind the mask,"I hope you'll still recognize me."
She paused.
"And I hope… we can still be this warm."
Without waiting for a reply, Dara turned and walked away.
Not toward the path they would take,but into the flow of people entering the capital.
Anindya, Jaka, Danu, and Bandung stood in silence.
No one called out to her.No one chased after her.
They simply watched her back grow smaller, until she disappeared into the crowd beyond the gate.
None of them realized it then,but her departure left behind a quiet emptiness,deeper than any forest road they had crossed.