ACT I:
THE DUTIFUL DAUGHTER, “HERB GATHERING
QUEST IS SIMPLE.”
The morning comes and once again the sun granted his
light to the land where Okuto Village,
a medium sized village with no more than 85 families resided. Situated in
southern shore of Ekoli River Valley
that flowed between the snow-peaked Horas Mountains and the smaller but heavily
forested Wadar Mountains, Okuto
Village, just like dozens of village in the same area, was a farming village
that were blessed with fertile alluvial soil and abundant water – surface and
underground – supply. So it’s not that strange for this village to have several
wells that bring forth water from the land’s depths.
In one of such well, we can see a figure of a petite young
girl with dark hair just like night’s black that gently flow until her waist
but neatly tied by colourful ribbons. Her small hands seems struggling to draw
the well rope pulley; but not because her frail constitution or lack of
strength; but because Asari, the girl’s name was drowsy. She had a hard time to
sleep last night since she can’t cast away the strange star from her mind.
She already consulted her father about what she saw
last night.
“Father! It looks like the star can also become sick,
because last night there was a star that slowly descent in the forest before
arise again before finally fly to the sky before vanish behind the Mountains.”
But her father only give a delicate expression with
what can be interpreted as, ‘Are you feeling unwell Asari? Or are you tired
somewhere?’
Of course Asari soon feels like she had become an
ignorant fool and swear that she wouldn’t tell another soul until the world
meets it end. The last thing she wanted was to be laughed at by the whole village
and shamed her father name.
Asari poured the water that she drew into the clay jug
and brought it in front of her house, when she saw her father, Ewanu, walked
out the door.
If you see him personally you won’t be blamed if you
think that he and Asari are not related by blood. Many villagers deemed that
‘the apple fall from orange tree’. If Asari had long straight hair, her father
hair is curly. If Asari had more pronounced nose, her father had more flatter
one. Asari face is more rounded than the more oval face her father had. In many
ways Asari is just like her mother that had passed away (one of the reason why
her father pamper Asari so much). Only in the deep black hair colour and big
eyes with brown-purple streaked iris that this father-daughter pair had in
common (the eye colour of the mother is dark brown by the way).
“Ah, my daughter Asari, you came at the right time.
Father happens to need an extra hand right now.”
“Well, what do you need help for Father?”
This is not a rare occasion since Asari usually help
her father with his work.
“Mister Uharu’s Youngest Son had a really bad
stomach-ache and he asked for a cure. But, Father just runs out of ingredient
to concoct a potion that he will need. Father can gather the entire needed
medicinal herb by myself, but if you could help then we can save a lot of
time.”
If she doesn’t misremembered, Mister Uharu is one of
the farmer in the village and the son that her father talked about are about 10
year old and still not received his ‘Name’
yet. As a fellow villager Asari feel an obligation to help as long as it still
fall on her capability. Medicinal herb gathering is just a simple task, how
hard it would be?
“Alright Father, what kind of herb do you need?”
“Mouse Leaves, Fire Red Flower and Adasi Leaves… If
Father hadn’t gone senile yet, they can be found in the forest near the
riverside road junction. Father guess you would be familiar the location and
the herb appearance, didn’t you?”
“Of course! Asari am Father’s Daughter after all!”
Asari proudly answered and gave a big smile. A common
village girl usually would never been taught to read or write, but Asari
learned to read and write from her father after she begged (and cried) that she
want to read her father’s books when she was 6 year old. That’s why Asari can
be confidently stated that she had already read every book in her Father’s collection.
“You really are a dutiful daughter, Father is really
proud for you”
Ewanu responded while patting Asari head.
“Stop father! Asari am not a child anymore.”
Protest Asari while stomping her feet, but she doesn’t
do anything to prevent her father from keep patting her head.
“But for
Father, you will be forever My Cute Little Daughter. At least, until some man
take your hand from this home.”
“You can rest, Father. Asari will keep look after
Father in later days.”
Ewanu’s heart of course is touched by Asari statement,
but Asari certainly still will get married and leave his side as she had
already passed 16. This is a lonely sadness that only can be understood by
parents who had a daughter.
After sent off her father, that will gather herb in
the opposite forest, Asari entered the house and prepared her ‘fighting garb’
for travelling into the woods: a thick cloth sling bag that contain water skin,
lunch provision, small knife, wrapping paper and cloth, tinderbox; a thick wool
coat to fight back the cold air that sometime come down from the peaks, and a
thick leather shoes that covered the whole feet and half shin; she also doesn’t
forget to brought her dagger as self-defense weapon. With these all assembled,
Asari ready to set out!
I mean how hard is it to gather herb?
I mean how hard is it to gather herb?
No comments:
Post a Comment